NFL Tickets
TV Schedule: Saturday December 26, 11:00 a.m. ET, ESPN
Stadium: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Line: Marshall (-4.5)
The Connecticut Huskies and the Marshall Thundering Herd will be the breakfast viewing for many football fans post Christmas as they square off in this late morning showdown at the St. Petersburg Bowl. The Huskies (6-6) are making their first bowl appearance in four years, while Marshall (9-3) is appearing in their third straight bowl game.
It was a bit of a surprising year for the Huskies and Bob Diaco as they were able to find their way into the postseason. They won the games they should have against as they only beat one team with a winning record this season. The other five wins came against teams with a combined 7-38 record. Diaco and the rest of the Huskies surely don’t care about that as they are simply happy to get UConn on their way back to good football.
Players to watch for the Huskies include sophomore transfer quarterback Bryant Shirreffs, who will be back after missing UConn’s final game with a concussion. Joining him on the offensive side of the ball is elusive running back Arkeel Newsome and the only real threat at receiver in Noel Thomas. Newsome and Thomas give UConn two guys who with continued development, could get shots to play on Sundays one day. However, as a whole, the offense has been extremely hard to count on this year as they average only 17 points scored per game this season. Their defense allowed less than 20 PPG, enough to be a top-25 unit, and will surely have to play at the top of their game for UConn to have a chance.
Marshall is led by true freshman quarterback Chase Litton, who threw for over 2,300 yards this season while tossing 22 scoring passes. Having him take over in the third game of the season is the very reason why Marshall was able to springboard to this 9-3 record. Joining Litton on offense is a committee of players. Marshall lost leading rusher Devon Johnson, so three other backs have emerged to rush for over 300 yards each. That group is led by Hyleck Foster. At receiver, they have two guys over 600 yards and two other targets over 300 yards receiving. Davonte Allen leads that group. Just like UConn, Marshall’s defense has had a great year as they have allowed only 18.4 PPG while forcing 27 turnovers.
The key in this game is clearly going to be which offense can find more success against the opposing defense. Marshall has the more successful offensive unit of the two, but UConn has played tougher opponents so they could be prepared for this. It’s a little bit of a step up in competition for Marshall, but don’t get me wrong, they have become a perennial top mid-major team. They should not be taken lightly, and the nation should come away impressed by their play. Shirreffs and the Huskies must get some kind of passing threat going or else Marshall will just load the box for the run and UConn will have no chance of moving the ball.
It should be a low-scoring game but still a fun watch. Both of these schools are just happy to be at a bowl game. UConn will be fired up to play in the postseason, and Marshall will be eager to beat a team from a “bigger” conference. So, don’t let the names fool you; this one should be worth your time.
Prediction: Marshall 23, Connecticut 17
Andrew Frosceno covers the New York Giants, college football, college basketball and MLB for www.Rantsports.com. You can follow him on Twitter, Google or Facebook.
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