The 2018 Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl kicks off at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18, as the Northern Illinois Huskies from the Mid-American Conference and the UAB Blazers of Conference USA take the field as part of “Boca’s biggest annual outdoor party.” The game consists of two teams very similar in identity but with different paths. The Blazers are coming off a miraculous season after not having a football program for a few years. And the Huskies have had lots of success in recent memory.
Boca Raton Bowl Preview
Three Reasons to Watch:
It’s an amazing story. UAB is coming off a strong Conference USA championship win over Middle Tennessee, culminating an amazing two-season comeback run after the program was shut down for a few years. And now, it not only gets to go bowling for the second year back from the coma, but it gets to play one of the three bowl match-ups between conference champions – the Ohio State-Washington Rose Bowl, and the Alabama-Oklahoma Orange Bowl the other two.
Northern Illinois ended the regular season with a thrilling comeback win to beat Buffalo for the MAC championship, but can the offense be consistently good for a full four quarters? The Huskies have an amazing defense that brings the heat from both sides, and now they have to close out with a bang for the sake of the program that’s had so many bowl game issues, and for a MAC that always needs as much PR help that it can get.
In an era of free-flying offenses and lighting up the scoreboard, defense is rare. If you like defense and low-scoring, tight games, this might just be for you. The pass rushing is great from both teams, and neither one has anything special on offense to blow up. It might not always be scintillating, but it should be close.
Why The Huskies Will Win:
They can flat out get to the quarterback. The Northern Illinois pass rush is the best in college football with 50 sacks, thanks to Sutton Smith’s 15 and Josh Corcoran’s 10. These two took over the MAC title game by rolling through the normally amazing Buffalo offensive line with unrelenting pressure. The UAB offensive front is strong, but it’s about to have to deal with something it hasn’t seen all season long.
The Blazers just don’t put up points in bunches. It’s an effective offense, but it doesn’t roll for big numbers except against the weak and the sad. It’s an inconsistent attack that averages around 400 yards per game but scores more than 30 points just three times against FBS teams. The MAC’s best defense should keep this tight.
Why The Blazers Will Win:
This UAB team lives on its defense, finishing second in the nation in third-down stops and going through a brilliant mid-season stretch allowing seven points or fewer in five of six games. Also, like NIU, the pass rush is a dominant force, finishing fourth in the nation in sacks and fifth in tackles for loss. The Huskies have a good line, but it gives up too many sacks.
UAB holds on to the ball for forever, and in a game like this when points are going to come at a premium, time of possession will matter. NIU only controls the clock for around 28 minutes per game. Thanks to a defense that is second in the nation in third-down stops, UAB dominates the clock, owning the ball for over 33 minutes.
Prediction:
These are two stout defenses, so the game should stay within two scores and will end up being decided by seven. It will come down to one key, protecting the quarterback. Northern Illinois struggles mightily doing that. The Blazers of Birmingham do not struggle as much. They have a much more consistent offense and will own the clock.
UAB: 20 NIU: 14
