Written by Darrell Wilkinson
The American Athletic Conference(AAC) representatives in any bowl game know they have a lot on the line attempting to earn the respect as there conference is often far left out of the "power five" conversation. UCF(9-3) has represented with flying colors seeking the schools fifth straight bowl victory, while NC State(7-5) representing the Atlantic Coast Conference(ACC) in the opposing corner would like nothing better then to spoil that party. "That party" is in the form of the BitCoin St. Petersburg Bowl. Located in(you guessed it) St. Petersburg, Florida, the game will be played at Tropicana Field and televised by ESPN at 8:00PM/EST Friday, December 26th.
With all of the family fun reserved for the previous day, only one team comes away with a present the day after Christmas. The Knights of the University of Central Florida, have been the class of the AAC(formerly the Big East) over the past 3 seasons. Last years campaign being especially effective with NFL quarterback Blake Bortles at the helm. With Bortles moving upstate and now collecting pay checks for his play, George O'Leary's team stays in games with stout solid defense and minimal mistake offense which keeps them in any game. Replacing Bortles behind center is Justin Holman who's been looking more and more comfortable over the last few weeks, becoming more complete of a quarterback and not scrambling blindly when panicked. The UCF offense just isn't very prolific, so effectively running the ball and hitting solid passes is key. The defense for the Knights is no joke, ranking 5th in the nation against the run and 11th verses the pass good enough for 3rd in total yards given up per game overall with 283 yards. Watch for linebacker Terrance Plummer who flies all over the field, leading his team in tackles and just an overall disruptive force with 12 and a half tackles for loss and 6 pass break ups. Plummer would be hard not to notice.
With all of the family fun reserved for the previous day, only one team comes away with a present the day after Christmas. The Knights of the University of Central Florida, have been the class of the AAC(formerly the Big East) over the past 3 seasons. Last years campaign being especially effective with NFL quarterback Blake Bortles at the helm. With Bortles moving upstate and now collecting pay checks for his play, George O'Leary's team stays in games with stout solid defense and minimal mistake offense which keeps them in any game. Replacing Bortles behind center is Justin Holman who's been looking more and more comfortable over the last few weeks, becoming more complete of a quarterback and not scrambling blindly when panicked. The UCF offense just isn't very prolific, so effectively running the ball and hitting solid passes is key. The defense for the Knights is no joke, ranking 5th in the nation against the run and 11th verses the pass good enough for 3rd in total yards given up per game overall with 283 yards. Watch for linebacker Terrance Plummer who flies all over the field, leading his team in tackles and just an overall disruptive force with 12 and a half tackles for loss and 6 pass break ups. Plummer would be hard not to notice.
The NC State Wolf Pack had a season that was full of promise but ended in slight disappointment. While nobody expected the Wolf Pack to be world beaters, fans expected the team to do better in conference play but ended the season 3-5. Jacoby Brissett, the NC State quarterback is electric with incredible escape ability and has a knack for making "the big play". Brissett and the Wolf Pack nearly dethroned an undefeated Florida State team, a slim lead at halftime wasn't enough to overcome a strong FSU team, but on that day it was the transfer from Florida Brissett who broke out throwing for 356 yards and 3 TDs while rushing for 38 more yards. Sandrach Thorton, will be key rushing the ball to support the pass game, he doesn't need to do too much(although that would help) but he needs to be effective against this wall of a rush defense that the Knights bring.
College football fans alike outside of the two schools fan bases will enjoy the brand of football these two teams bring to the table and I expect it to be a close game. The key simply is the question of if the NC State offense can consistently score points. The Wolf Pack average 30 points a contest with UCF letting up only 18 and scoring 28 per themselves.
In the end I think UCFs defense proves too much and NC State goes down 27-24. I just believe that UCF will control the game early and NC State will have to make a comeback, but if NC State takes an early lead it's completely believable UCFs offense might not be able to keep up.
Kickoff is 8:00pm/EST, Friday December 26th on ESPN. Don't miss it.
- Darrell Wilkinson TheSkyBoat.com
- Twitter:@Darrell_Canes for live game updates!
College football fans alike outside of the two schools fan bases will enjoy the brand of football these two teams bring to the table and I expect it to be a close game. The key simply is the question of if the NC State offense can consistently score points. The Wolf Pack average 30 points a contest with UCF letting up only 18 and scoring 28 per themselves.
In the end I think UCFs defense proves too much and NC State goes down 27-24. I just believe that UCF will control the game early and NC State will have to make a comeback, but if NC State takes an early lead it's completely believable UCFs offense might not be able to keep up.
Kickoff is 8:00pm/EST, Friday December 26th on ESPN. Don't miss it.
- Darrell Wilkinson TheSkyBoat.com
- Twitter:@Darrell_Canes for live game updates!