Bowl Mania got off to an excellent start on Saturday afternoon, with the Celebration Bowl providing just about everything you’d like to see in a football game.
While things sort of limped to the finish with the LA Bowl, overall we’ll call it an entertaining Saturday when considering the Army-Navy finish.
Per tradition, Bowl Mania crawls before it can walk/run. The next few days feature at most two games, but we do have Friday’s nearly full slate to look forward to as well.
In the Von Hugendong XIX group, a shoutout to Moore Problems (my brother Kevin), who has jumped to a quick lead by risking as many points as possible on the first two matchups. Not only is he leading the group, but he’s tied with many others for the global lead as well.
Enjoy it while it lasts, Kevin.
Let’s take a look at the lone bowl game taking place Tuesday evening.
IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl
Troy vs. Jacksonville State (Tuesday, 9 PM ET – ESPN)
The runner-up in Conference USA and the Sun Belt will square off in Montgomery, Alabama in what will be a late start on Tuesday evening. Both teams should be generally happy to be bowling this season, with Jacksonville State nearly becoming back-to-back C-USA champions despite losing Rich Rod and a ton of talent from last year’s roster. The Trojans challenged themselves early and it paid off, going 6-2 in the Sun Belt and enjoying the best regular season since Jon Sumrall was with the program.
Given the start time, there shouldn’t be much danger of either team sleepwalking through the early parts. However, we also shouldn’t expect a ton of scoring from either side. Troy has prided itself on strong defensive play all season and offensively has bit a bit one dimensional with little rushing attack to speak of (No. 130 nationally). Stopping the run is what Jacksonville State is good at, anyway, so it’s a bit of a moot point. The Gamecocks are solid defensively as well but have struggled at times defending the pass. An opportunity, therefore, exists for the Troy quarterbacks – plural because both Goose Crowder and Tucker Kilcrease have seen meaningful snaps this season and will probably again in this game. If one of them gets hot, expect the Trojans to ride that arm. Jacksonville State will look to contain that, perhaps by way of its own offense. The Gamecocks lead C-USA in rushing yards per game this season, building upon what Rich Rod had established when he was with the program. Missing offensive tackle Reggie Jackson, who started 11 games this season, could make things interesting but the Gamecocks have a clear identity and few opt outs beyond Jackson. I like them to win a close game, something they’re very comfortable playing in (eight games decided by a touchdown or fewer this season).
My Pick: 27-24 Jacksonville State
Bowl Mania Confidence: 8 points
