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One of the highest scoring games of the upcoming bowl season figures to be the Liberty Bowl between the Texas A&M Aggies and West Virginia Mountaineers. Both teams have a potentially explosive offense, as well as a questionable defense, which could lead to a whole lot of points on the scoreboard. Both the Aggies and Mountaineers were impressive early in the season but sputtered down the stretch, meaning each team will be trying to salvage their season with a bowl win.
Freshman quarterback Kyle Allen took the reigns for the Aggies during the final month of the season and helped lead them to an impressive upset victory over Auburn. However, Allen could not do enough to lead the Aggies to victory when the A&M defense gave up nearly 600 yards of offense against Missouri, nor could he penetrate a stout LSU defense in the regular season finale. However, facing the West Virginia should be a more favorable matchup for Allen and company than the SEC defenses they faced in November. The Aggies don’t have a potent rushing attack, especially since Allen isn’t much of a runner, but they do have a plethora of receiving targets on the outside that could give the Mountaineers a world of trouble if Allen is given time in the pocket.
Of course, West Virginia will be able to counter with a more balanced offense and a more experienced quarterback. The tandem of Rushel Shell and Wendell Smallwood has eclipsed the 1,400-yard mark this season, while senior quarterback Clint Trickett has put together an impressive season, completing 67 percent of his passes and throwing for over 3,200 yards, twice as much as he accumulated in 2013. Trickett’s favorite target this year has been Kevin White, who has 102 receptions, while speedy senior Mario Alford leads the team with 10 touchdown receptions. Only Alabama, Texas and Kansas State have been able to hold the Mountaineers under 30 points this season, which speaks to the challenge the A&M defense will face after giving up 36 points per game during conference play.
Even with more than three weeks to prepare, the two defenses in this game figure to have their hands full. The Aggies can spread the field and throw the ball around as well as any team in the country, while the Mountaineers bring a balanced offense and an experienced quarterback who has the offense moving like a well-oiled machine. If either defense is able to get a few stops or force a few turnovers, it’ll make a huge difference; otherwise, the experience of West Virginia will ultimately prevail in what should be an entertaining shootout.
Prediction: West Virginia 48, Texas A&M 34
Bryan Zarpentine is a New York Mets writer at www.RantSports.com. Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google.
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