Date: Thursday, December 26, 2013
Where: Detroit, Michigan
When: 6:00 PM Eastern Time
TV: ESPN
Line: Bowling Green -6, Over/Under is at 48
Pittsburgh Panthers (6-6 Overall, 3-5 in Atlantic Coast, Finished 5th in Coastal Division)
As in 2012, Pittsburgh ended the regular season with a 6-6 record. They registered only two victories against ACC Coastal foes; Duke and Virginia. As we know now, Duke ended up playing in the ACC Championship. In addition to their victory over Duke, the Panthers had victories over bowl bound Notre Dame and Syracuse. Here are the Panthers' stats for the 2013 season:
Last Bowl Game: 2012 Compass Bowl vs. Ole Miss (38-17 Loss)
Passing Offense: 236.8 yards per game (61st in the FBS)
Rushing Offense: 114.9 yards per game (112th)
Points Scored per Game: 26 points per game (86th)
Passing Defense: 213.5 yards per game (T-30th)
Rushing Defense: 160.6 yards per game (60th)
Points Allowed per Game: 27.2 points per game (71st)
Player to Watch: Quarterback Tom Savage. This will the last game for Tom Savage at Pittsburgh in an odd journey. He started at Rutgers in 2009 before transferring to Arizona in 2011. He found his last home here at Pitt in 2012. Savage has thrown for 2834 yards, 21 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He has also been sacked 41 times on the season.
Bowling Green Falcons (10-3 Overall, 7-1 in Mid-American, Finished 1st in East Division)
It was a stellar year for the Bowling Green Falcons. They won the MAC Championship for the first time since 1992, but in the aftermath of the victory they also lost their Head Coach Dave Clawson to Wake Forest. Special Teams Coordinator Adam Scheier will be the interim coach for the Little Caesars Bowl. The biggest win, by far, for the Falcons was the MAC Championship over then #14 Northern Illinois. In that game, the Falcons exposed the Northern Illinois secondary throwing for 393 yards. Here are the Falcons' stats for the 2013 season:
Last Bowl Game: 2012 Military Bowl vs. San Jose State (29-20 Loss)
Passing Offense: 265.1 yards per game (34th in the FBS)
Rushing Offense: 207.4 yards per game (27th)
Points Scored per Game: 35.4 points per game (28th)
Passing Defense: 166.2 yards per game (4th)
Rushing Defense: 142.5 yards per game (34th)
Points Allowed per Game: 14.8 points per game (5th)
Players to Watch: Quarterback Matt Johnson and Running back Travis Greene. These two are the heart of Bowling Green's offense. In the 3 losses for the Falcons, Johnson failed to register a single touchdown pass. Travis Greene failed to rush for 100 yards in all 3 losses as well.
Prediction
Based on the information available, this looks like it will be a defensive game. Bowling Green has the 27th ranked rushing offense up against the Panthers' 61st ranked rushing defense. Bowling Green will win this game, 31-10.