Bowling Greenvs
Tulsa
8 p.m. Mobile, Ala. ESPN
Tulsa
8 p.m. Mobile, Ala. ESPN
Look for lots of passing, lots of yards gained, and very very little defense. Tulsa was an unknown early in the season, but broke out to a 9 win season and even put a scare into Oklahoma for about a half early in the season. While they didn't win CUSA, just getting to the championship game is a big step for this program after losing their coach last season to Louisville. Head Coach Todd Graham has done well in his rookie season, and a win Sunday will help fans forget the thrashing they received from UCF back on December 1. With OC Gus Malzahn and his no-huddle, fast-paced offense now in Tulsa instead of Arkansas, the Hurricanes have been lighting the scoreboard up. They lead the nation in total offense, 9th in scoring offense, and 3rd in passing offense. Unfortunately they are 111th in total defense.
Defensively, Bowling Green is a good bit better. The Falcons are 29th in the nation in Pass Defense while being 35th in the nation in scoring offense. Bowling Green was the surprise team in the MAC this season after having a fantastic November. Winning their final four after a loss at Ohio got the Falcons to bowl eligibility and a trip to Mobile. Head man Gregg Brandon really has his team looking good after only going 10-13 over the previous two seasons. A win against high flying Tulsa would really help this team make some noise next year in MAC play. They also will be looking to throw the ball all over the yard and should be able to do so against a weak Tulsa pass defense.
Bowling Green is led by QB Tyler Sheehan. The sophomore in his first season as a starter threw for 23 TDs and 3,000+ yards. Over the last 6 games of the season he threw 12 TDs with only 2 INTs. That kind of efficiency will destroy the Hurricanes if he can keep it up. They will also look to get the ball to playmaker Anthony Turner any way possible. He can run the ball effectively while also remaining a threat to throw a surprise pass at any time. He's scored a touchdown in each of the final 6 games.
Tulsa will use QB Paul Smith to throw the ball 50+ times and put up crazy numbers. The senior in his first year in Malzahn's offense threw for 42 touchdowns on his way to scoring 54 total touchdowns on the year (tops in the nation). Tulsa's 56-7 shocking win over CUSA champ Houston was easily their best game of the regular season. If Smith can throw on Bowling Green like he was able to do on Houston, look for a similar result.
Both teams will put up yards and points in bunches, but Tulsa and their fast-paced, no-huddle offense will just be too much for Bowling Green to handle. Tulsa's weak defense will allow BG to stick around for a half, but the Hurricanes will be able to pull away late.
Line: Tulsa -5.5, Total 77.5
Defensively, Bowling Green is a good bit better. The Falcons are 29th in the nation in Pass Defense while being 35th in the nation in scoring offense. Bowling Green was the surprise team in the MAC this season after having a fantastic November. Winning their final four after a loss at Ohio got the Falcons to bowl eligibility and a trip to Mobile. Head man Gregg Brandon really has his team looking good after only going 10-13 over the previous two seasons. A win against high flying Tulsa would really help this team make some noise next year in MAC play. They also will be looking to throw the ball all over the yard and should be able to do so against a weak Tulsa pass defense.
Bowling Green is led by QB Tyler Sheehan. The sophomore in his first season as a starter threw for 23 TDs and 3,000+ yards. Over the last 6 games of the season he threw 12 TDs with only 2 INTs. That kind of efficiency will destroy the Hurricanes if he can keep it up. They will also look to get the ball to playmaker Anthony Turner any way possible. He can run the ball effectively while also remaining a threat to throw a surprise pass at any time. He's scored a touchdown in each of the final 6 games.
Tulsa will use QB Paul Smith to throw the ball 50+ times and put up crazy numbers. The senior in his first year in Malzahn's offense threw for 42 touchdowns on his way to scoring 54 total touchdowns on the year (tops in the nation). Tulsa's 56-7 shocking win over CUSA champ Houston was easily their best game of the regular season. If Smith can throw on Bowling Green like he was able to do on Houston, look for a similar result.
Both teams will put up yards and points in bunches, but Tulsa and their fast-paced, no-huddle offense will just be too much for Bowling Green to handle. Tulsa's weak defense will allow BG to stick around for a half, but the Hurricanes will be able to pull away late.
Line: Tulsa -5.5, Total 77.5
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