| 07 January 2012
GoDaddy.com Bowl
While the nation is gearing up for the national championship bout between Alabama and LSU on Monday night, there is one final game to play before then, and it should be a good one. Talk about a good appetizer before the main course: Sun Belt Champion Arkansas State (10-2, 8-0 Sun Belt) against MAC champion Northern Illinois (10-3, 7-1 MAC).
Both teams come into this game with plenty of momentum. Arkansas State is riding a nine-game winning streak while Northern Illinois has won its past eight games to capture its first conference title since 1983. Both teams feature talented dual-threat quarterbacks guiding potent offenses that can score points in a hurry. To paraphrase the immortal words of philosopher king Terrell Owens: get your popcorn ready, 'cuz it's gonna be a show!
Key matchup: Which team's defense can make the most plays
The defenses are going to have their hands full trying to slow down NIU QB Chandler Harnish (R, white) and ASU QB Ryan Aplin (Right, black)
This game is going to be decided by which defense can make one more play than its counterpart. Arkansas State’s unit is statistically better; the Red Wolves only surrender 19.3 points a game. However, they haven’t faced an offense as balanced and explosive as Northern Illinois. It’s a step up in competition for the Red Wolves. They’re going to give up some points, but if Sun Belt defensive player of the year Brandon Joiner (12 sacks) and his cohorts can make a few stops and force a turnover or two, it could make all the difference as the Red Wolves figure to be able to put up some points against a porous Northern Illinois defense. On the flip side, the Huskies’ defense has struggled all year and gives up 31 points a game. They gave up 45 points to Kansas, 30 to Cal Poly, 30 to Buffalo, and 48 to Central Michigan. None of those teams are great offensively. Arkansas State should be able to do some damage on offense. Northern Illinois’ defense needs to get a stop here and there to take some pressure off the Huskies’ prolific offense and give it some margin for error. Northern Illinois fell behind 20-0 in the MAC championship game against Ohio before rallying to victory, and the defense did not give up a second-half point. The defense will need to put forth a similar effort in this win.
Why you should watch: Honestly, this could be one of the most fun and entertaining games of the entire season. These are two of the best non-AQ teams around, and they both have plenty of offensive firepower. They could top the Alamo Bowl in total points scored. Arkansas State averages 33.5 points a game while Northern Illinois puts up just over 38. That’s good for the Huskies because they give up about 31 points a game. Northern Illinois won a memorable weeknight shootout with Toledo 63-60 and scored over 40 points nine times this season. The Huskies are 10th in the nation in total yards and 481.8 per game and own the country’s 9th-best running attack. Quarterback Chandler Harnish is the MAC offensive player of the year and one of the best quarterbacks you’ve never heard of. He connected on 62.9 percent of his passes for 2,942 yards with 26 touchdowns and only five interceptions. If that weren’t enough, he also ran for 1,382 yards and scored 11 rushing touchdowns. His counterpart, Ryan Aplin, was the Sun Belt’s offensive player of the year and is also a dual-threat quarterback. Aplin completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 3,235 yards with 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Like Harnish, he was his team’s leading rusher, running for 605 yards and nine touchdowns. While Harnish spreads the ball around to several different receivers, Aplin will be looking for senior receiver Dwayne Frampton, who caught 90 passes for a school-record 1,125 yards and six touchdowns. Plus, the NFL playoff games will all be over beforehand, and since the game is sponsored by GoDaddy.com, you know there will be some "interesting” commercials.
Why you shouldn’t watch: No reason. This should be a good one.
Prediction: This one should be fun. It has the feel of one of those crazy bowl games between two mid-tier teams that go all out on one another. Other than its two losses to BCS schools Illinois and Virginia Tech, Arkansas State has pretty much stifled its opposition defensively. However, it hasn’t faced an offense like Northern Illinois’. The Huskies are atrocious on defense and have given up a lot of points to some mediocre teams, although they’ve generally managed to outscore them. Still, Northern Illinois comes from a tougher conference and isn’t playing under an interim coach like Arkansas State. It’ll be close, but Northern Illinois wins a shootout.
