Bowl Info:
- Game will be held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida
- Game will start at 8:00 PM ET on December 20th
- Marshall is 11-3 in their bowl games
- South Florida is 6-3 in their bowl games
- This serves as the first meeting between the two
Offensive Players to Watch:
Marshall: Isaiah Green is the starting quarterback for the Thundering Herd and has more than expected. Green shows a strong passing IQ when he sits in the backfield and is gifted with an arm. Also, most teams cannot find an answer to stop his passing attack as he averages over 150 passing yards every game. Green has 2,238 passing yards and 15 passing touchdowns this season all as a freshman. Watch for Green to dominate the passing attack against USF and for him to do a lot more as he progresses.
USF: Blake Barnett will be slinging the ball for the Bulls come Thursday. Barnett has been a stud for the South Florida offense this season and will look to do more come next season. Barnett is consistently a smart passer that can sling it far accurately. Barnett has also found a way most weeks to rack up large quantities of passing yards to help out his team. Barnett has thrown for 2,493 passing yards and 11 touchdowns. This shows that Barnett can get USF down the field into scoring range often.
Defensive Players to Watch:
Marshall: In a game where USF is going to try both to pass and run the ball efficiently, look no further than Chase Hancock. This stellar linebacker has been on the Marshall squad since his freshman year and has contributed all he could. This year Hancock went all out in hopes of a draft look. He is fast on the outside and extremely versatile with according defenses. His stat line for the year reads: 98 total tackles, 6.0 tackles-for-loss, and 3.5 sacks. Watch for Hancock to attempt to give his fellow seniors a bowl win and to reach the 100 tackle mark.
USF: Redshirt Freshman Nick Roberts is a sure NFL talent with the skills he has displayed. His ability to move quickly in the secondary to prevent high balls and open receivers is a true necessity to this USF defense. Roberts has recorded 66 total tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss, and 3 interceptions all in this season as a freshman. He motivates his team to work harder and to not get disgruntled when things go array. Watch for Roberts to be on his best game when a pass-heavy Marshall is sitting behind the line of scrimmage.
The Basics
This one is a real toss up. It is either if you think Marshall passing game will be too heavy for USF or if USF can run an efficient balanced offense. To me, I feel as if Marshall’s defense will hold USF just enough to hold on for a win. Give me the Thundering Herd in a closer one that gets secured in the final quarter late.
Score Prediction
30-21 Marshall
Photo Credits: https://www.gasparillabowl.com/
