International Bowl (1-5)

[Cuck Flemson]

Ball St. vs. Rutgers



12 pm kickoff

[papasmurf]

Date/Time: Jan. 5, Noon ET Site: Rogers Centre, Toronto Network: ESPN2
http://images.sportsline.com/images/collegebasketball/gamecenter/logos/BALLST.gif
Ball St.

Offense: Ball State has perhaps the most feared passing offense in the Mid-American Conference. QB Nate Davis leads the MAC in passing yards (281.3) and was called a future NFL player this season by Illinois coach Ron Zook. WR Dante Love is the MAC's No. 2 receiver, and TE Darius Hill is another NFL prospect who uses his 6-foot-6 height to his advantage..
Defense: The Cardinals' numbers aren't impressive, but they have been able to keep opponents off the scoreboard. Ball State ranks third in the MAC in points allowed, and it shut out Toledo and Western Kentucky in the second half. The Cardinals also blanked Northern Illinois in the second half until the Huskies scored a consolation TD with 1:32 to play.

http://images.sportsline.com/images/collegebasketball/gamecenter/logos/RUT.gif
Rutgers

Offense: The big weakness for the offense this season has come in the red zone. It's scored 42 times in 47 trips inside the 20, but only 25 of those scores have been touchdowns. If QB Mike Teel's thumb is healthy, the offense is more potent, but it is better at moving between the 20s than it is getting into the end zone. In some losses, it's forgotten about RB Ray Rice for stretches, and in others the receivers have suffered from numerous drops. But this is also a unit with big-play capabilities both on the ground and through the air, and two big-time receivers in Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood.
Defense: The Rutgers defense is statistically one of the best in the Big East, but that's a little misleading. Three of the team's non-conference games were against Buffalo, Norfolk State and Army, and the team allowed a combined nine points over those 180 minutes. On the other hand, the team gave up 41 to Louisville, 38 to Connecticut, 34 to Maryland and 31 to West Virginia. When it's good, the defense is a hard-hitting unit that can punish opponents, but it can also have days where it's not in sync and can't stop the opposition.
http://sportsline.com/collegefootball/bowls/international

Rutgers http://assets.espn.go.com/i/teamlogos/ncaa/sml/trans/164.gif 93.5% vs. 6.5% http://assets.espn.go.com/i/teamlogos/ncaa/sml/trans/2050.gif Ball State
http://games.espn.go.com/bowlmania/whopickedwhom

[papasmurf]

Ball State (7-5) vs. Rutgers (7-5)
Jan. 5th, Noon p.m. ET, ESPN2

Rutgers will win if... it achieves balance on offense. It’s doubtful that Ball State can corral Rice, but if Teel and the passing game are also clicking, the Scarlet Knights may not have to punt all afternoon. The hulking offensive line, led by tackles Pedro Sosa and Jeremy Zuttah, will open up gaping holes for Rice to bolt through, while giving Teel all day to zero in on Britt and Underwood. Although the Cardinals can score, it doesn’t want to be forced to reach 40 on a Rutgers defense that yields just 21 points a game.

Ball State will win if... it continues to dominate in turnover margin. The Cardinals are No. 3 nationally in turnover margin, largely because no one in the country has done a better job of protecting the football. In order to engineer one of the bowl season’s biggest upsets, Ball State must maintain that trend, while mixing in a few takeaways of its own. It won’t be easy for the Cards to stop Rutgers on downs, so it’ll benefit tremendously if ball hawking defensive backs B.J. Hill, Trey Lewis, and Alex Knipp can intercept a couple of Teel’s errant passes.

What will happen: Davis and the passing game will keep the game interesting for three quarters, but Ball State won’t have any answers for a Rutgers offense that’ll move up and down the field with little resistance. If this happens to be Rice’s final game as an amateur, it’ll be a memorable one highlighted by 150 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Line: Rutgers -10 ... CFN Prediction: Rutgers 37 ... Ball State 28
http://cfn.scout.com/2/711232.html