San Diego State Aztecs (7-5) vs Ohio Bobcats (8-4)
The 2018 Frisco Bowl will be played on Wednesday December 19th at 8:00 PM EST and can be seen on ESPN. SDSU is coming off a disappointing 7-5 finish after reaching 10 wins each of the last three years. This is Ohio’s tenth straight season of reaching bowl eligibility under head coach Frank Solich.
How They Got Here: San Diego State
A down year could be expected for SDSU after losing 2000 yard rusher Rashaad Penny to the NFL. While the offense clearly regressed, the defense and special teams for the Aztecs were still great. They were also unlucky to only win seven games as they lost three games by four points or less.
While it’s true that the defense has usually been the better half for Rocky Long’s teams, this year was especially true. The offense averaged just over 21 points per game against FBS teams this season. Meanwhile, the defense was top 25 nationally and second only to Fresno State in the Mountain West. Linebacker Kyahva Tezino was outstanding for the Aztecs producing 93.5 tackles, 14.5 for a loss and 8.5 sacks on the season. On offense, SDSU used both Juwan Washington and Chase Jasmin in the run game, combining for 1462 yards between the two of them.
How They Got Here: Ohio
Frank Solich has quietly had one of the most consistent runs in the usually very volatile MAC. Since taking over in 2005, Solich has gotten the Bobcats to at least six wins a total of twelve times and each of the last ten years.
This year, Ohio has had one of the best offenses in the country and has been riding several upperclassmen for their success. Quarterback Nathan Rourke has thrown for over 2200 yards, ran for nearly 1000 more, and scored 35 total touchdowns. Senior RBs A.J. Ouellette and Malek Irons have combined for just under 2000 yards to go along with 20 TDs. Receiver Papi White has 58 catches for close to 900 yards 9 touchdowns. On defense, however, the Bobcats have struggled. Outside of a dominant three game stretch in the middle of the season, the Bobcats have given up 31 points per game. That includes 32 to FCS Howard, 42 to UMass and 45 to Virginia. However, there were a few bright spots on the defense, such as LB Evan Croutch who finished with 66.5 tackles and 4 sacks.
Player to Watch: Kyahva Tezino(SDSU)
Kyahva Tezino was dominant for an already very good Aztec defense. He led the team in tackles, tackles for a loss, and sacks. Tezino was also named First-Team All-Mountain West this season. If SDSU is going to win, Tezino will have to put in a great performance slowing down Ohio’s offense.
Betting Lines:
Ohio is currently favored by 2.5 points and the over/under is set at 54.
Prediction:
This game should be close no matter what. That being said, I would take San Diego State to win because of how much better their offense is than Ohio’s defense. Ohio is probably going to score a little bit, but if SDSU can take advantage of bad defense, this one could produce a lot of points for the Aztecs.
