Bowling Green (8-4) vs. Tulsa (9-4)
Jan. 6, 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
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2007 CFN GMAC Bowl Preview
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WhatIfSports.com GMAC Bowl Prediction & Box Score
2008 GMAC Bowl History, Each Team's Best Bowl Moments, & More
 |
|
National
Rankings |
|
Bowling Green |
Tulsa |
|
Total Offense |
|
44th 416.92 ypg |
1st 542.54 ypg |
|
Total Defense |
|
78th 413 ypg |
111th 469 ypg |
|
Scoring Offense |
|
35th 32.08 ppg |
9th 39.46 ppg |
|
Scoring Defense |
|
79th 29.50 ppg |
105th 35.38 ppg |
|
Run Offense |
|
87th 130.08 ypg |
41dt 167.92 ypg |
|
Run Defense |
|
107th 205.33 ypg |
97th 195.92 ypg |
|
Pass Offense |
|
19th 286.83 ypg |
3rd 374.62 ypg |
|
Pass Defense |
|
29th 207.67 ypg |
108th 273.08 ypg |
|
Turnover Margin |
|
32nd 0.33 |
106th -0.77 |
|
Bowling
Green
at Minn. W 32-31 OT
at Mich St L 28-17
Temple
W 48-35
W Kent
W 41-21
at Bos Coll L 55-24
at Miami Un. L 47-14
at Kent St W 31-20
Ohio
L 38-27
Akron
W 44-20
at E Mich W 39-32
at Buffalo
W 31-17
Toledo W 37-10 |
Tulsa
at UL Mon
W 35-17
BYU
W 55-47
Oklahoma L 62-21
UAB W 38-30
at UTEP
L 48-47
Marshall
W 38-31
at UCF L 44-23
SMU
W 29-23
at Tulane
W 49-25
Houston
W 56-7
at Army
W 49-39
at Rice
W 48-43
C-USA Champ.
UCF L 44-25 |
|
Position
Ratings
relative to each
other |
|
BG |
5
highest
1 lowest |
T |
|
3.5 |
Quarterbacks |
4.5 |
|
3 |
RBs |
4 |
|
3.5 |
Receivers |
4 |
|
2.5 |
O
Line |
3 |
|
3.5 |
D
Line |
2.5 |
|
3 |
Linebackers |
4 |
|
2.5 |
Secondary |
2 |
|
3 |
Spec
Teams |
2.5 |
|
3 |
Coaching |
3 |
|
If you enjoy wide-open offenses, and are indifferent to the logos on
the helmets, Bowling Green and Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl ought to be a
sneaky good undercard to the main event 24 hours later in New
Orleans.
Tulsa entered the 2007 season with so much uncertainty and change,
yet wound up weaving a solid nine-win season, a berth in the
Conference USA championship game, and a third straight bowl
invitation. Although it’s not the Liberty Bowl, the prize for
winning that title game, the Hurricane and rookie head coach Todd
Graham are excited about an opportunity to showcase their
high-powered offense, and make amends for losing so badly to UCF on
Dec. 1.
Much of the credit for Tulsa’s success belongs to offensive
coordinator Gus Malzahn, whose hurry-up, no-huddle offense
compensated all year for a defense that was routinely exposed. The
Hurricane leads the country in total offense, featuring an attack
that averages 167 yards a game on the ground and 374 through the
air. Malzahn’s triggerman is QB Paul Smith, a senior that didn’t
initially look like a perfect fit for the new system, but wound up
accounting for a nation’s-best 54 touchdowns, 42 through the air.
The high-water mark of the regular season was a stunningly easy 56-7
dismantling of defending Conference USA champ Houston that put Tulsa
in the West Division driver’s seat.
With a mighty finishing kick in November, Bowling Green established
itself as the surprise of the MAC in 2007. The Falcons reeled off
four consecutive decisive wins, and got a little bit of help from
Miami (OH) to return to the postseason for the first time in three
years. They also opened the year with a win over Minnesota and a
good showing at Michigan State, evidence that head coach Gregg
Brandon has his youthful roster headed in a northerly direction
after going 10-13 the last two seasons.
Not unlike its opponent in Mobile, Bowling Green has been fueled by
a pass-happy offense that prevailed despite being forced to
consistently bail out the defense. And not unlike Tulsa, the
catalyst of the attack is its quarterback, Tyler Sheehan. In his
debut as the starter, the sophomore threw for 23 touchdowns and more
than 3,000, showing nifty feet when the pocket shrunk. Best of all,
he got more efficient as the season progressed, throwing a dozen
touchdowns to just a pair of picks in the final six games. It won’t
be Tim Tebow vs. Chad Henne, but Paul Smith vs. Tyler Sheehan
figures to deliver a fair amount of fireworks on the eve of the
National Championship game.
Players to watch:
… Somehow, someway, Bowling Green will be getting the ball in the
hands Anthony Turner, Sheehan’s competition before the
season, who’s morphed into a multi-dimensional weapon. The Falcons’
leading rusher, he’s a threat to throw a pass when defenses least
expect it, and has scored a touchdown in each of the last six
games. A case of getting the most out of your resources, Turner
will have to be watched very closely by the Tulsa defenders. The
defense is cautiously optimistic that LB John Haneline will
be able to return from foot surgery which shelved him for the final
three regular season games. If the Falcons’ leading tackler happens
to be a scratch, they’ll rely more heavily on freshman Glen
Stanley, who racked up 37 tackles and didn’t skip a beat when
pressed into action in November.
All that preseason hand-wringing over who’d catch passes in
Malzahn’s new system wound up being wasted energy. While rookie
Trae Johnson and JUCO transfer Brennan Marion emerged as
Smith’s go-to wideouts, freshman Charles Clay filled a
valuable role as a hybrid of an H-back and a tight end. Together,
they’ve helped give the Hurricane a diverse ensemble of
pass-catchers capable of stretching a defense or picking up a first
down on the intermediate routes. Marion is a home-run hitting
revelation for the offense, catching 11 touchdown passes, and
averaging more than 30 yards on 39 catches. Yes, the Tulsa defense
has been a disappointment, but don’t blame the linebackers. Seniors
Chris Chamberlain, Nelson Coleman, and Alain
Karatepeyan each have at least 100 tackles, helping form the
best trio in Conference USA. Karatepeyan leads the team with 17
tackles for loss and six sacks, providing a pass rush that isn’t
always available from the fellas up front.
Bowling Green will win if... it’s able to mix the run in with
the bread-and-butter passing game. The best way to beat Tulsa is to
pound the ball at its vulnerable front wall, keeping Smith and Co.
on the sidelines. The Hurricane defense is 97th
nationally at stopping the run, and when it’s allowed more than 200
yards on the ground this year, the team is 1-4. On the flip side,
when the Falcons run for more than 150 yards, they’re 4-1. They
need to get Turner in the flow early on handoffs and direct snaps,
and dynamic freshman Willie Geter back from an ankle injury.
Tulsa will win if... Tarrion Adams runs well. The Hurricane
is unbeaten when he rushes for more than 100 yards, giving the
offense a level of balance and unpredictably that’s hard to stop.
The Bowling Green defense, which allows 30 points a game and is 106th
nationally against the run, is in no position to mount a stand
against an offense that’s equally adept between the tackles as it is
through the air. If Adams gives the Falcons a reason to press up to
stop the run, Smith will carve them up for his fourth 400-yard game
of the year.
What will happen: Both Tulsa and Bowling Green will follow
the GMAC script, freely moving up and down the field, and scoring
plenty of points. With a few more weapons on offense, the Hurricane
will pull away in the second half, barely avoiding overtime in the
waning minute.
Line: Tulsa -4 ... CFN Prediction: Tulsa 45 ...
Bowling Green 37
2008 GMAC Bowl History, Each Team's Best Bowl Moments, & More