Today we break down the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl as well as the Marmot Boca Raton Bowl, along with draft prospects for both teams. There will also be game threads for tomorrow's matchups as well, so tune back in. Enjoy!
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl - Akron Zips vs. Utah State Aggies
Game Time: 12:30 PT
Channel: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Akron finished in a tie for second in the Eastern Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), finishing with a record of 7-5. Head coach Terry Bowden is in his 4th year coaching the team, with a record of 18-30 (.375). This was in fact, the first winning season since Bowden took over the Zips, in 2012. The above .500 record, seemingly kept Terry Bowden his job.
Akron draft prospects:
- #90 Se'Von Pittman, DL, 6'3", 269 lbs
- #34 Jamal Marcus, DE, 6'2", 240 lbs
- #1 Jatavis Brown, LB, 5'11", 222 lbs (108 tackles this season)
Utah State finished their season at 6-6, with some impressive wins, and some embarrassing losses, as well. At times, this team has looked very promising, and at other times, not so hot. Utah State has a great coaching staff, despite having its ups and downs through this rocky season. The Aggies will look for their fourth straight bowl game victory.
Utah State draft prospects:
- #4 Hunter Sharp, WR, 6'0", 200 lbs
- #32 Devante Mays, RB, 5'11", 220 lbs
- #41 Nick Vigil, LB, 6'2", 235 lbs
- #9 Kyler Fackrell, EDGE, 6'5", 245 lbs
Marmot Boca Raton Bowl - No. Temple Owls vs. Toledo Rockets
Game Time: 4:00 PT
Channel: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Temple did finish with a 10-3 record, but they failed to win statement games. The Owls do receive a lot of love for practically coming out of nowhere and cracking the AP top 25, but how many quality wins do they really have? Temple lost to Notre Dame, South Florida and Houston, the three games of the biggest magnitude on their schedule. However, the Owls are still a very productive football team, and they have a decent chance of knocking off Toledo.
Temple draft prospects:
- #8 Tyler Matakevich, LB, 6'1", 232 lbs - Bednarik Award winner
- #5 Jahad Thomas, RB, 5'10", 180 lbs
Toledo, on the other hand, looks like a more complete team. With big wins at Arkansas and Bowling Green, the Rockets have established themselves as a squad that does not fold against rigid competition. Toledo does have some intriguing prospects, let's take a look at them:
Toledo draft prospects:
- #3 Kareem Hunt, RB, 6'0", 225 lbs
- #4 Cory Jones, WR, 5'9", 165 lbs