Tag: LendingTree Bowl

Southern Miss 38, Rice 24 LendingTree Bowl What Happened, What It All Means

Southern Miss 38, Rice 24: LendingTree Bowl what happened, player of the game, and what it all means

Southern Miss beat Rice to win the LendingTree Bowl. What happened, who was the player of the game, and what does it all mean?

Southern Miss 38, Rice 24 LendingTree Bowl What Happened, Player of the Game, What It All Means

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LendingTree Bowl What Happened

– Frank Gore Jr. ran for 329 yards with two touchdown runs and a scoring pass – punctuated by a 55-yard touchdown run to seal the win – as Southern Miss scored 21 unanswered points over the last 19 minutes.

– Southern Miss got up 14-0 helped by a 64-yard touchdown run from Gore Jr., but Rice roared back with three touchdown passes from AJ Padgett with two to Isaiah Esdale for a 24-17 lead carried deep into the fourth.

– It wasn’t the sharpest game from either side, but Rice hung around even with the massive day from Gore Jr. The final score is going to make the game look worse than it was. The Owls were able to fight back early, but they couldn’t hold up late. The defensive front wore down just enough to allow Gore Jr. to take over.

LendingTree Bowl Player of the Game

Frank Gore Jr., RB BYU
He ran 21 times for 329 yards and two scores, and he completed two of his three passes for 19 yards and a touchdown.

CFN Experts Picks Dec 20-27 | CFP NY6, Dec 28-Jan 2

LendingTree Bowl Fun Stats

– The two teams combined for five turnovers, three from Southern Miss and two from Rice.

– The offenses combined for 975 yards. Gore Jr. accounted for 348 of the Southern Miss 550.

– Southern Miss came up with five sacks. LB Daylen Gill led the game with 11 tackles with three sacks.

LendingTree Bowl What It All Means

After two three-win seasons, and without a bowl win since taking the 2016 New Orleans, Southern Miss coming up with a winning season is a big deal in Will Hall’s second season. As part of the new and improved Sun Belt, it’s a nice momentum boost for the program going into the offseason as a potential player in the 2023 conference race.

This might not have been a perfect performance, but considering the rough three-game losing streak late in the season – and the need to beat ULM just to get here – the season changed in a big way late.

Rice was playing with house money.  Of course it would’ve liked to pull off the bowl win, and it had its chances, but as the only 5-7 team in the bowl season, this was a solid game with both sides battling throughout. The run defense got gouged, but there wasn’t any letdown until Gore Jr. finally put it away late.

For all of the problems this year, it was the first bowl game in the five-year run under Mike Bloomgren, and the program’s first bowl appearance since winning the 2014 Hawaii.

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Rice vs Southern Miss LendingTree Bowl Prediction, Game Preview

Rice vs Southern Miss game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the LendingTree Bowl on Saturday, December 17

Rice vs Southern Miss prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. LendingTree Bowl, Saturday, December 17

Rice vs Southern Miss LendingTree Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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Rice vs Southern Miss How To Watch

Date: Saturday, December 17
Game Time: 5:45 ET
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Rice (5-7), Southern Miss (6-6)
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Rice vs Southern Miss LendingTree Bowl 5 Things To Know

LendingTree Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– There weren’t quite enough eligible teams, so the bowl types had to dip into the APR (Academic Progress Rate) among the five-win teams and Rice was on top of the list. It’s not exactly coming in rolling, losing its last three games and four of its last five, but the energy and interest will be there. The program caught a break, and it’ll play like it.

– Southern Miss isn’t exactly rolling into this, but it was able to get the job done with a win over ULM to break a three-game losing streak and get bowl eligible. It’s not going to bring a high-powered offense, but it has a way of keeping games close.

– It’s USM’s first bowl appearance under head coach Will Hall and the program’s first post-season game since 2019. However, it hasn’t won one since taking down Louisiana in the 2016 New Orleans, and it’s 3-6 since winning the 2008 New Orleans.

– This is just the 13th bowl appearance for Rice, going 7-5 in the first 12. It’s the first appearance wince beating Fresno State in the 2014 Hawaii, going 3-1 in the last four bowls after a four-bowl losing streak that reached back into the 1950s.

– The bowl has gone through a few transformations when it comes to the name – the game had six different name changes since 1999 as it settled into LendingTree at the end of the 2019 season – and it’s way overdue for a good game. The first three LendingTrees were all decided by double-digits, and there hasn’t been a close version since Troy beat Ohio 28-23 in the 2016 Dollar General. To make this worse, seven of the last eight games have been relative blowouts.

CFN Bowl Expert Picks: Dec 16-19 | Dec 20-27

Why Rice Will Win The LendingTree Bowl

Again, Southern Miss isn’t going to crank out a whole lot of offense to put this out of reach. It struggles on third downs, the offensive line is too leaky, and there are way, way, way too many turnovers.

They chilled out late with just two in the last three games, but before that the offense gave it away multiple times in five straight. The Rice offense could use the help.

The Owls should always have the ball. They’re great at controlling the tempo and winning the time of possession battle, and Southern Miss – partly because of the problems on third downs – only keeps the ball for 28:40 a game.

Owning the running game on both sides is a must. Rice is 0-6 vs FBS teams when allowing more than 155 yards and 4-1 when it doesn’t. Southern Miss hit the 155-yard mark just four times.

But about those turnovers ….

Why Southern Miss Will Win The LendingTree Bowl

Southern Miss had a turnover problem throughout the season, but that’s nothing compared to the problems Rice had. It gave it up 30 times on the year with 13 coming in the last four games.

The fumbling is bad, the interceptions are worse and overall the team was dead last in the nation – tied with Northwestern – for the most giveaways.

The Southern Miss defense might not be a rock, but good things happen when it stops the run – the team is 5-1 when it allows fewer than 150 rushing yards.

It all stems from one of the nation’s best pass rushes. All of that pressure is the last thing the Rice offense needs. Get in the Owl backfield, force mistakes.

LendingTree Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

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LendingTree Bowl Prospect Preview: Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Liberty Flames

LendingTree Bowl Prospect Preview: Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Liberty Flames #ETOUGH #EXPLO21VE

Welcome to the first Saturday of bowl season and the college football Gods have graced us with six great contests. Personally I would have rather them space these bad boys out a little, but hey here we are.

The LendingTree Bowl pits the Eastern Michigan Eagles (7-5) of the MAC against the Liberty Flames (7-5), who are not affiliated with any conference. Despite the spread being slightly below double digits with Liberty favored, both teams are coming off of a loss and are hoping this win brings some positive off-season momentum.

Honestly though, we don’t care about that. We are going to dive into potential future Browns!

Liberty vs Eastern Michigan: LendingTree Bowl Prediction, Game Preview

Liberty vs Eastern Michigan: LendingTree Bowl prediction, game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might or might not win.

Liberty vs Eastern Michigan: LendingTree Bowl prediction, game preview, how to watch, lines: Saturday, December 18

Liberty vs Eastern Michigan: LendingTree Bowl How To Watch

Date: Saturday, December 18
Game Time: 5:45 pm ET
Venue: Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL
How To Watch: ESPN, Live stream on ESPN+
Records: Eastern Michigan (7-5), Liberty (7-5)

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Liberty vs Eastern Michigan LendingTree Bowl Preview

– Both teams will be looking to get past rough finishes to end with something positive.

It was a massively disappointing season for a Liberty program that ripped through several ACC teams in 2020 before closing out with a victory over an unbeaten Coastal Carolina.

The 2021 version came into the year full of experience led by dynamic quarterback Malik Willis and a great running game, and it all fell flat as the season wore on.

– It was a good team, but there were too many turnovers, too much inconsistency, and way too many penalties. The Flames lost their last three games by a combined score of 100-44, but the losses came against Ole Miss, Louisiana, and Army – three of the better teams on the slate.

– Eastern Michigan couldn’t run, couldn’t stop the run, and like Liberty, was wildly inconsistent including losses in two of the last three games. However, unlike the Flames, there aren’t any flags – it was No. 1 in the nation in fewest penalties – and the team didn’t beat itself.

The offense had its moments and the passing game is okay, but there’s a big problem when the ground attack doesn’t work.

Why Liberty, Eastern Michigan Will Win
Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History
LendingTree Bowl Top Players To Know

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Georgia State 39, WKU 21: LendingTree Bowl 10 Things To Know

Georgia State 39, WKU 21. The 10 ten things you need to know about the Georgia State win over WKU in the LendingTree Bowl.

Georgia State 39, WKU 21. The 10 ten things you need to know about the Georgia State win over WKU in the LendingTree Bowl.

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Georgia State 39, WKU 21: LendingTree Bowl

10. It doesn’t matter if it’s the LendingTree, the Dollar General, the GoDaddy or the GMAC – this has been a rough bowl watch for a long, long time. With this 18-point Georgia State win, that makes it five years in a row of games decided by double-digits. Some of these have been better than the final score, but ever since the classic Byron Leftwich Marshall 64-61 overtime win over East Carolina, 16 of 19 have been relative blowouts.

9. This got a bit chippy. There weren’t a ton of penalties – 15 in all – but these two started to get into it as the game went on. WKU got hit with the nine penalties – three more than Georgia State – and was more mistake-prone overall. More on that in a moment.

8. The Georgia State offense was a different animal this year when Destin Coates was able to get moving. The junior RB hit the 100-yard mark four times, and all when he got the ball 20 times or more. He ran 23 times for 117 yards and a touchdown. Is scoring dash at the end of the first quarter go it all going for the Panthers.

7. Georgia State’s Cornelious Brown should be one of the Sun Belt’s biggest stars in 2021. The QB had his problems with picks here and there – he threw one against WKU early on when he tried to make something big happen – and he didn’t get going on the ground with just 40 yards, but he threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns. He was in control, he kept the chains moving, and again, the big mistakes weren’t there.

6. Turnovers and mistakes continue to be a killer this bowl season – WKU was -2 in turnover margin. QB Tyrrell Pigrome completed 17-of-33 passes for 180 yards, and he ran for a score. There was one big problem, actually two – his two interceptions. Before this, he threw 264 passes in the regular season with no picks.

5. The WKU pass rush stepped it up late in the season, but it only generated one sack against the Panthers. However, there were plenty of big plays made behind the line – ten tackles for loss – and it wasn’t nearly enough. Third down stops were too much of an issue, and they were a big problem against this Panther offense.

4. Georgia State did a better job at controlling the game. It had the ball ten minutes longer, converted 13-of-21 third down tries, and the style never allowed the Hilltoppers to make much of a push after going on a 27-0 run in the first half.

3. Going into next year, WKU needs more of a running game. It averaged under four yards per carry for the season, and while it got the mark against Georgia State, it only came up with 104 yards. There were three touchdowns, and CJ Jones was able to tear off a big scoring dash, but there wasn’t enough of a push.

2. The lack of a consistent WKU offensive punch turned out to be a big deal once again, coming up with just 284 yards. Blowing up on FIU and Charlotte to close out the regular season was nice, but the programs needs a positive identity and style to move the ball more consistently. When the game was starting to get away, there wasn’t the ability to slow things down or answer. It was the sixth time the Hilltoppers gave up more than 21 points, and they lost all six.

1. It’s a winning season for Georgia State. Don’t dismiss just how big a deal that is to a program, especially in this insane season. It was able to finish 6-4 with this win and close out with four wins in the last five games. The team was consistent, it was occasionally explosive, and now it’s a bowl winner two years in a row for the second time in four seasons.

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Georgia State vs WKU: LendingTree Prediction, Game Preview

Georgia State Panthers vs WKU Hilltoppers: LendingTree Bowl prediction and game preview.

Georgia State Panthers vs WKU Hilltoppers: LendingTree Bowl prediction and game preview.

Georgia State vs WKU: LendingTree Bowl Broadcast

Date: Saturday, December 26
Game Time: 3:30 ESPN
Venue: Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL
Network: ESPN

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Georgia State (5-4) vs WKU (5-6) Game Preview

For latest lines and to bet on the NFL, go to BetMGM 

Three Reasons Why You Should Watch The LendingTree Bowl

– WKU went from having no offense to rolling late in the year, winning its last three games and getting the attack working in the last two to help earn the bowl nod. It might not bring a ton of high-flying O, but it’s a well-coached team under Tyson Helton that pulled out one of the more fun bowl games of last year – a 23-20 win over Western Michigan. The effort will be there.

– If WKU doesn’t bring the offense, Georgia State will. The Panthers – led by dangerous freshman QB Cornelious Brown – are versatile, explosive, and can put up points and yards in bunches. The program has just one bowl win in its young history – a 2017 victory over WKU.

– Conference USA is getting its shot in this bowl for the first time since 2011 – the Sun Belt has owned the thing through a variety of bowl name changes ever since. No pressure, Georgia State, but the conference has won five straight and seven of the last nine in Mobile.

Why Georgia, WKU Will Win
What’s Going to Happen, Prediction, History

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LendingTree Bowl: Louisiana vs. Miami (Ohio) odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Monday’s LendingTree Bowl between the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and Miami (Ohio) RedHawks, with betting odds and picks.

The Miami RedHawks (8-5) and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (10-3) meet in Monday’s LendingTree Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. We analyze the Louisiana-Miami betting odds and lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Louisiana vs. Miami: Three things you need to know

1. The RedHawks have their work cut out for them. With a margin ranked 10th in the nation, Louisiana has out-gained its opponents by 127.9 yards per game this season. Against the run, Miami has been hit-or-miss but mostly decent – especially in the season’s second half. The Mid-American Conference champions will be tested by a ULL ground game that has pounded out 3,449 yards at 6.4 yards per carry.

2. Miami has made strides under head coach Chuck Martin, but a very young 2019 team is perhaps too far over its skis in making a bowl appearance. Five of the team’s last six wins were by a one-score margin.

3. On paper, Miami was beaten soundly by Central Michigan in the MAC title game. The RedHawks got a big plus in specials teams when PK Sam Sloman connected on three field goals in excess of 40 yards (four total field goals). Two of those scores — and additionally one touchdown — were scored on drives of less than 10 yards. On special teams and in field position, Miami maintained titanic advantages CMU couldn’t overcome. MU had similar games over its second half, and those hidden-yard advantages regress more than efficiency-and-explosiveness yardage analytics.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

Louisiana vs. Miami: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Sunday at 5 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Louisiana 35, Miami 17

Moneyline (ML)

PASS on Louisiana (-527), as the point spread in this one is a far more profitable play.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Louisiana to win outright returns a profit of $1.90.

Against the Spread (ATS)

The Ragin’ Cajuns are 6-1 ATS over their last seven games following a straight-up loss and 10-4 over their last 14 games as a favorite. Back LOUISIANA (-14.5 +105) to win by at least 15 points. Good things come to those who wait and who’ve managed their bowl funds well – I see this as perhaps the strongest play of this bowl season.

Over/Under (O/U)

Slow-paced Miami (61 plays per game) will want to win a game in the 20s. Faster-paced Louisiana (71) will be comfortable with the game getting into the 40s. Early game control and ULL’s strong run game could spell a high-scoring, one-sided Under here. That’s the lean, as we take the UNDER 55.5 (-115).

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