Bowling Green (8-4) vs. Tulsa (9-4)
Conference matchup: MAC vs. C-USA
Date: Jan. 6, 2008
Location: Mobile, Alabama
Spread: Tulsa -4.5
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Another game, another 60+ point outcome from the combined offenses. These two teams come in with a lot of similarities, notably their ability to each spread the field and throw the ball. No one in the country is more effective at racking up yards like the Golden Hurricane. Led by senior arm Paul Smith (4,753 yards, 42 touchdowns), Tulsa is tops in the nation with nearly 560 total yards and 391 of them coming through the air. The Falcons come in ranked 18th in the passing game with 301 yards per game, and the two combined to average over 70 points per game. Can anyone spell D-E-F-E-N-S-E?
Bowling Green can cover if: they can cash in on long-timed drives. It's going to be hard enough to go right up against this Tulsa offense and come out with more points, but with the way the Golden Hurricane plays defense, anything is possible. Bowling Green will have all day to move the ball, as Tulsa's defensive unit ranks 11th worst in all the country, giving up 469 yards per game. But for some reason that seems to only help their offense, as the defense is off the field so quickly and then Tulsa's offense is right back to attacking down the field. Go figure. The Falcons lack a major running game, so the majority of their yards will need to be through the passing game. Don't give this bad defense any reason to feel good about itself. If Bowling Green turns it over, this game will be ugly.
Tulsa can cover if: they spread the field on offense and throw the ball 50 or more times. Tulsa hasn't been stopped this season; they have only been slowed by silly mistakes from signal caller Paul Smith. While Smith turned in by far his best season in his senior campaign, his 19 interceptions proved to be costly at times. If he is strong with the ball and maintains possession on his team's side, he will be able to shred the Falcons defense and score basically every time he touches the ball. It's that simple. The Golden Hurricane also have 1,000-yard tailback Tarrion Adams, and that makes their offense more capable with the depth and balance.
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General notes: Both quarterbacks have combined for over 7,800 passing yards and 65 touchdowns, so with the college clock rules, you might want to set aside four plus hours for this ball game. Bowling Green is familiar with the GMAC Bowl, having won it in 2004, defeating Memphis, 52-35. However, the past two years the Falcons failed to get to a bowl, so this time around they will be excited for postseason play. For Tulsa, this will be its third straight bowl appearance and its fourth in five seasons. In 2003, Tulsa lost to Georgia Tech in the Humanitarian Bowl. In 2005 the Golden Hurricane rebounded to knock off Fresno State in the Liberty Bowl and last season they again were on the short side to Utah in the Armed Forces Bowl. Only once have Bowling Green and Tulsa met, with the Golden Hurricane coming out on top in 1989, 45-10.