Meinke Car Care
Texas Bowl
Northwestern vs. Texas A&M
12/31/11
Texas A&M (6-6) started the year with a loaded offense that includedreturning starters in every position, but after a tragic automobile ACCident last week they will play without reserve OL senior Joseph VillaviseNCio. They didn’t meet expectations and HC Mike Sherman is gone. DC Tim DeRuyter will lead the team in their 2011 bow, the Meineke Car Care Bowl, before heading off to become the HC of Fresno State. Their foe is Northwestern (6-6) and the Aggies a 10 point favorite.
Northwestern is 1-8 in bowl Games with their only win coming in the 1948 Rose Bowl. The Wildcats have participated in some thrillers recently, losing twice in OT to Missouri and Auburn and then last year by a measly TD to Texas Tech in last year’s TicketCity Bowl. This could be the year they finally pull off the win.
The Wildcats are led by one of the best players you probably don’t know about. Senior QB Dan Persa is the most ACCurate QB in college football. After missing the first three Games of the year, he completed 74.2% of his passes this year while racking up 2,163 yards and a 17-7 TD/INT ratio. His favorite target is fellow senior Jeremy Ebert. They connected 5 times for 76 yards and 3 TDs against Illinois early in the season.
Texas A&M has also got an incredible QB. Ryan Tannehill has passed for 3,415 yards and a 28-14 TD/INT ratio. He went an incredible 25 for 37 for 415 yards and 6 TDs against Baylor. RB Cyrus Gray is an important cog of the offense. He’s rushed for 1,045 yards and 12 TDs this year. The senior is complimented by junior Christine Michael who has racked up 899 yards and 8 TDs. They form a powerful tandem.
Texas A&M has the offense of a super power and the defense of a Pop Warner team. Our model predicts a 16 point Texas A&M win, 44-28, which is certainly possible and has us proceeding with caution. But we’re just not comfortable laying double digits with a team that can’t stop anyone, particularly against a QB like Persa who should find plenty of spots against that 113th ranked Aggie pass defense. Northwestern +10