RedHawks & Blue Raiders in GoDaddy.com Bowl

The GoDaddy.com Bowl may not be the most intriguing match-up of the 2010 college football bowl season, but it has the potential to be a thriller. The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders won last 3 games to finish with a 6-6 record and thus become “bowl eligible”. They will be playing a very good and under-rated Miami of Ohio RedHawks squad that finished with a 7-1 MAC conference record, and beat a powerhouse and top-25 N. Illinois team by 5 points in the conference championship game.

Neither team is particularly good at scoring, but they rely on ball control and solid defense to win games. The RedHawks ended the year ranked 47 nationally in points allowed with a 23.4 average. They have an unbalanced offense that relies heavily on their quarterback Zac Dysert. Dysert had a good year in terms of yardage (2406 yards), completion percentage (64.7%) and quarterback rating (129.2), but his touchdown to interception ratio (13-12) needs serious improvement. Running the ball hasn’t been a strength for Miami this year, but they still try to incorporate it into their offense enough to keep defenses honest.

Thomas Merriweather managed to gain 821 yards on the ground in just 149 attempts. His 5.5 yards per carry average is certainly good enough to be taken advantage of, but the RedHawks began the year leaving him out of the equation. He has sprung to life over the last 5 games as he has racked up 557 yards and 6 touchdowns. We can expect heavy doses of Merriweather Wednesday as the RedHawks look to get their first bowl win since beating Louisville in the GMAC bowl in 2003.

The Blue Raiders were on many college football experts radar in terms of making a bowl game this year. Unfortunately, they came out of the gates flat as they started 3-6, and looked like they were headed to another losing season. However, a strong finish that included wins over Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic and Florida International gave this team the opportunity to play in the post-season.

Middle Tennessee has a very different approach to offense than that of Miami Ohio. They are a run-first offense that will take advantage of teams “cheating-in” defensively with passing plays. This has worked well over their last 3 games, but it remains to be seen if they can utilize this style over a tougher opponent. They were listed as just 1 point underdogs by NCAA football handicappers against Minnesota in their first game of the year, but managed to lose by a touchdown. A tough early October schedule put them in a position in which they had to win at least 4 of their last 6 games of the season, and they did.

Running back Phillip Tanner is the key element to the Blue Raiders offensive attack. He may have finished with just 841 yards rushing, but like Merriweather, he did it in just 149 attempts. He has big-lay potential as he has run for more than 50 yards several times this season. He may need to break one loose in the GoDaddy.com bowl if the Raiders are to walk away with the win.

This game may be sandwiched between several more high profile bowl games, but it should be a battle from start to finish. Check this one out Wednesday night!

Related posts:

1. Sun Belt Match-Up: Blue Raiders vs. Trojans
2. 2012 GoDaddy Bowl Overview
3. Owls host Redhawks in MAC Conference Battle
4. Bobcats host Redhawks in MAC Conference Showdown
5. MAC Conference Championship: Huskies vs. Redhawks

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