There’s a reason they call it Bowl Mania, right?
If you stayed up to watch the entirety of the Frisco Bowl and are not a West Virginia fan, you were not disappointed in the least. The game delivered on nearly every promise, with plenty of points scored, Garrett Greene and Seth Henigan both putting on a show in their last collegiate outing and late drama that prevented you from turning away even as the clock neared 1 AM on the East coast.
Memphis ended up being incredibly lucky when, after Elijah Herring picked off Greene as the Mountaineers were driving down less than a touchdown, the linebacker was stripped off the ball while advancing the ball up the field. Or so it seemed. While West Virginia ended up “recovering” Herring’s fumble, the play was overturned as officials determined Herring had given himself up on the play just prior to the strip.
Despite the number of points on the board, Herring was one of the impact players in the game with 10 tackles and the game sealing interception for the Tigers.
Someone else who had to be happy with the result was Von Hugendong Bowl Mania group participant Kyle is banned from Loops, whose put max confidence points on Memphis and took the Bowl Mania lead on it. While family ties certainly had something to do with it, first place is first place.
Hopefully those that stayed up late have the energy to run it back quickly. Let’s have a brief look at the pair of games taking place on Wednesday.
Boca Raton Bowl
James Madison vs. Western Kentucky (Wednesday, 5:30 PM ET – ESPN)
No special circumstances were required for the Dukes to end up in the postseason this year, as James Madison maintained enough strength despite the departure of Curt Cignetti and a handful of players from last year’s squad to qualify for a bowl game the old-fashioned way. Bob Chesney’s crew will go up against a Western Kentucky team that knows how to contain a passing game as well as it can orchestrate one on offense. Both teams limped to the finish line to end the year, so a bowl victory for either will feel like sweet relief.
Though the Hilltoppers made it to the C-USA title game, they didn’t fare well in it and in general struggled against the better competition on their schedule this season. Tyson Helton’s teams have always been known to relish the chance to engage in a track meet, but the team this season has been stifled in cases where the opposing run game is a strength. Enter James Madison, which can gash you on the ground and is led by a capable dual threat option in quarterback Alonza Barnett III. Though bowl games can often get wild, the Dukes will find the most success if they can control the pace of the game and allow Barnett to orchestrate long drives that take chunks of time off the clock. Not to say James Madison can’t win a shootout, but Chesney’s team will certainly have the advantage if it’s a lower scoring affair.
My Pick: 24-20 James Madison
Bowl Mania Confidence: 3 points
Art of Sport LA Bowl
California vs. #24 UNLV (Wednesday, 9 PM ET – ABC)
The Golden Bears started the season 3-0 before dropping four straight by less than a touchdown, including a collapse for the ages against then No. 8 Miami. It’s par for the course for Cal, who as we know is never actually for real in football, but a testament to just how close the team was to being one of the surprise contenders in the ACC. Opposite the Bears in this bowl game is UNLV, who will be without the coach who led the team this season (Barry Odom took the Purdue job). The Rebels were as scrappy as they come and proved it could handle the big boys (OT loss to Syracuse, two single-score losses to Playoff participant Boise State) but never got the marquee victory to go along with the proof.
Though UNLV will be without Odom, Cal isn’t without its losses, either. Starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza entered the transfer portal and so the Golden Bears will get to choose from a sixth-year veteran, a fifth-year sophomore by classification or a freshman to run the offense. It’s a clear opportunity for Justin Wilcox to tinker with eyes toward next season, but will likely result in some messy play in this game. That sentiment is bolstered by the fact that the Rebels are the Mountain West’s top scoring defense. However, the door is left open for a surprise performance by whomever Cal trots out at quarterback considering a shaky UNLV pass defense. I think that the Rebels are the slightly better football team and have players such as future pro Ricky White III that can match up well with the ACC talent opposite him, but I’ve seen this script play out many times before during bowl season. I’ll roll with the Power conference team and deal with the frustration if they end up looking like the Cal we know can always bubble up to the surface.
My Pick: 27-24 California
Bowl Mania Confidence: 10 points
