Bowl Info:
- Game will be held at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York
- Game will start at 5:15 PM ET on 12/27
- Miami is 19-20 in their bowl games
- Wisconsin is 15-14 in their bowl games
- Series is led by Wisconsin 3-2
Offensive Players to Watch:
Miami: If there is one big gray area in the Wisconsin defense, it has got to be their rush defense. This team is giving up 150+ on the ground a game on average. This means Travis Homer will need to be on point for the Hurricanes. Homer is quick and extremely elusive, which makes him a pain for defenses. Homer has rushed for 969 yards and 4 touchdowns this season. Watch out for Homer to have a stand out game against a week rush defense from Wisconsin.
Wisconsin: Miami’s defense is anything but weak in terms of yards allowed. They are only allowing 268.3 yards a game, which is one of the best in the league. However, if there is one category they struggle in, it would be rush defense. Although they don’t give up a lot, it’s enough to be worried about. This is why Johnathan Taylor will be a huge factor in how Wisconsin rolls. Taylor has rushed up 1,989 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. I am sure he will play a crucial factor on if Wisconsin can produce offensively or not.
Defensive Players to Watch:
Miami: Gerald Willis III runs the defensive tackle spot for the Hurricanes. His ability to bust through the line and get many behind-the-line tackles that help out this Hurricane defense to create unmanageable downs for opponents. Willis has racked up 59 total tackles, 18.0 tackles-for-loss, and 4.0 sacks. From this, you can see that Willis causes a lot of disruption for opposing defenses and looks to do the same today against Wisconsin. Watch out for Willis to have a great game in the end of his Sophomore year.
Wisconsin: The Badgers have an absolute homewrecker in T.J Edwards who has been nothing but helpful this year. This is Edward’s senior year and he has been running the inside linebacker spot for the Badgers. Edwards has amounted a total of 103 total tackles, 10.5 tackles-for-loss, and 3.0 sacks. I think we’ll see Wisconsin shift to a blitz-style team against a Miami team that’ll primarily run. But more specifically, watch for T.J. Edwards to give one last great game before the NFL draft.
The Basics
These two teams are essentially the same team in terms of production. However, the Hurricanes play way better defense and are less prone to turnovers. Also, they’ve been playing a whole lot better than the Badgers as of recently. For these reasons, I think Miami gets the edge in this one and find opportunities to stop Taylor.
Score Prediction
34-28 Miami
Photo Credits: https://thebronxchronicle.com/2016/07/18/fordham-rams-crusader-cup-new-era-pinstripe-bowl-tix-go-sale-july-21/
