Why WKU Will Win The RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
Passing, passing, and more passing.
Appalachian State hasn’t dealt with a whole slew of high-powered passing teams, and it struggled with those that could throw a bit. It was good for giving up at least 200 yards per game on the year, but the pass rush and playmaking on third downs helped keep the damage to a minimum.
Welcome to the Bailey Zappe show.
WKU spreads everyone out. goes 100 miles per hour, and the yards roll from there. The offense hit the 500-yard mark in two of the last three games, and there’s even a ground game, too – at least once in a while.
The offense will get the most attention, but the defensive side makes up for its issues with a whole lot of big plays. WKU was fourth in the nation in takeaways, and Appalachian State turns it over a whole lot.
It’s not like Zappe needs the extra possessions.
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Why Appalachian State Will Win The RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
Grind, grind, grind.
WKU might strike quickly and efficiently, but it’ll also give up rushing yards in big chunks. The O flirted with 600 passing yards against UTSA, but the team lost the Conference USA Championship because the D allowed 304 rushing yards and five scores.
Appalachian State isn’t going to be tricky about this. It’s going to run early, run often, and it’s not going to take a lot of chances as the deep and talented backfield works in a good rotation to not only rip off big runs, but also grind out the clock a bit.
UTSA held the ball for almost 37 minutes in its win over the Hilltoppers. Army is an outlier with its offense, but it controlled the clock for almost 40 minutes in its victory, and even Indiana was able to keep the offense on the field for over 38 minutes.
No, this won’t be like last year’s performance by Appalachian State against North Texas in the Myrtle Beach Bowl – running for 500 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 13 yards per carry in the 56-28 win – but there will be a whole lot of home runs hit.
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