New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans, Louisiana) Appalachian State (10-2) vs. Middle Tennessee State (8-5)
How They Got Here: Appalachian State
One of the darlings of the G5, the Mountaineers won the conference title relatively easily, showing they were one of the best G5 schools in the country and punching their ticket to the New Orleans Bowl and the party capital of the south. QB Zac Thomas is the star of the offense, and was named conference player of the year. App State looks to punch opponents in the mouth by running the bar for an average of 241 yards per game. The offense is fun, and likes to put up points.
The biggest question for the Mountaineers is how the team will handle losing its head coach. Scott Satterfield accepted the Louisville job, and school tabbed NC State OC Eliah Drinkwitz (what a name) as the new head coach. After already winning their conference title and then losing their coach, is it possible the team just won’t get up for this game?
How They Got Here: Middle Tennessee State
In the final week of the regular season MTSU defeated UAB, setting up a rematch between the two in the conference title game a week later. Having beaten down UAB in the prior game, the Blue Raiders had to feel confident that they could pull off another win against the Blazers. That… didn’t happen, with MTSU losing 27-25 and ending up here, in the New Orleans Bowl.
The father-son duo of Coach and QB Rick and Brent Stockstill is a blast to watch. The younger Stockstill is one of the C-USA’s most prolific passers, and gets one final game to show off his abilities in front of the New Orleans crowd. If he can solve at what times is a stifling Mountaineer defense, he could easily turn this game into a shootout.
Player to Watch: Brent Stockstill
As mentioned above, this is Brent Stockstill’s last game in a Blue Raider uniform, and might be his last game of football ever. AND HE PLAYS FOR HIS DAD. I love a good story, and it doesn’t get much better than this. You know the guy is gonna play his heart out, and here’s hoping he adds to those 28 touchdown passes he threw this year.
Gambling Stats
App State currently sits at -7, and that has remained mostly consistent throughout the lead up to the game. The current over/under sits at 48, which, to me, seems low, but I don’t make these decisions. Against the spread, MTSU is 8-5, whereas App State sits at 8-4
Prediction
The Super Dome is no stranger to high scoring offenses, and they very well might see another shootout tonight. The New Orleans Bowl has had some weird scores before (such as a 16-3 game) and quite like Bourbon Street after dark, this game could get weird. I love the Stockstill story and the fact that it is his last game. Also, he is an amazing QB, and loves to throw. That all being said, I can’t pick against App State. Regardless of who is coaching, they have crushed folks this year. Look for their defense to make a stop in a fun game to cap off the first day of bowl games.