Boca Raton
Bowl Pick
Northern Illinois
vs
Marshall
12/23/14
The inaugural Boca Raton Bowl will be a fun Game to watch between two teams that combined for only three losses. The surprising part about this Game is the line. Marshall is a -10 point favorite against Northern Illinois, despite the Herd’s struggles toward the end of the season.
Northern Illinois is coming off an impressive 11-2 season and a dominant MAC title Game (51-17 vs. Bowling Green). This all happened in their first season without stud Jordan Lynch at quarterback. Their biggest non-Conference win was at Northwetsern, while they lost to Arkansas and a tough Central Michigan squad. The Huskies reeled off seven straight wins to close the season, which includedwins over solid MAC squads Toledo and Western Michigan.
Marshall had its sights set on an undefeated season, but lost at the end of November in a ridiculous 67-66 overtime Game against Western Kentucky. The Thundering Herd still won the C-USA title Game after coming back against Louisiana Tech 26-23.
In similar Games Marshall beat Miami (OH) 42-27 and Ohio 44-14 (early in the season), while NIU beat Miami 51-41 and Ohio 21-14 (later in the season during Conference play).
The hotter of the teams is Northern Illinois, who has covered three straight Games easily, while Marshall has failed to cover in three straight.
Marshall quarterback Rakeem Cato is a fun player to watch and this will be his final collegiate Game, having started all Four seasons. He’s a huge threat through the air (37 TDs, 13 INTs), but also on the ground (457 yards, 6 TDs). His favorite target is the speedy Tommy Shuler, who has 35 receptions in the last Four Games. Leading running back Devon Johnson (1,636 yards, 16 TDs, 8.6 YPC) is dealing with a shoulder injury and has played sparingly in the last two Games. That will be something to monitor as his backups don’t average nearly as many yards per carry with less touches.
While the Huskies can score, their defense has been one of the main reasons for their winning streak. And even when their defense has faltered, the offense came up big. They allowed 41 points to Miami (OH), but in the last six Games haven’t allowed more than 24.
Marshall’s defense has better numbers, but some of that has to do with level of competition, plus they’ve slipped up lately.
While the Thundering Herd are a bit more balanced, the Huskies rely on a solid run Game, which has been the case for a number of years now.
At quarterback, Drew Hare has been extremely effective in his first season. He has thrown for 17 TDs and only two INTs, while rushing for 850 yards and eight TDs. His top receiver is the consistent senior Da’Ron Brown (1,002 yards, 6 TDs). Also in the running Game, RB Cameron Stingily (895 yards, 13 TDs) has been an important piece in this offense, returning from last year’s squad.
Marshall is a good team, but they haven’t had that spark in the final few Games that saw them dominate their first 10 Games of the season. It’s been the opposite for Northern Illinois, as their defense has picked it up throughout the year.
The Thundering Herd are 5-1 ATS in their last six non-Conference Games and 8-3 ATS vs. a team with a winning record. The Huskies are 2-5 ATS in their last seven bowl Games and 1-4 ATS in their last five vs. the C-USA.