The Go Daddy.Com Bowl Preview pits Arkansas State against Northern Illinois, and SportsOptions.com offers up a brief look at the players, team stats and some unique trends.
ARKANSAS STATE vs. NORTHERN ILLINOIS (+1, 64.5) – Go Daddy.Com Bowl – Ladd Pebbles Stadium – Mobile, AL
Arkansas St (10-2 SU/10-2 ATS) ended its regular season with a 45-14 victory over Troy to secure the Sun Belt Conference title and also became the first team in Sun Belt Conference history to win 10 regular-season games. Arkansas State has won nine straight since losing 26-7 at then-No. 13 Virginia Tech on Sept. 17th. Conference Player of the Year Ryan Aplin proved to be a dual threat by passing for 3,235 yards with 18 touchdowns and running for a team-high 605 yards and nine TDs. WR Dwayne Frampton set a school record with 1,125 receiving yards on 90 catches. Sun Belt defensive player of the year Brandon Joiner ranks among the national leaders with 12 sacks. The senior defensive end paces a unit that gives up 19.3 points per game. The Red Wolves hope to continue their success without coach Hugh Freeze, who left to take the head coaching job at Mississippi. Former Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn was named Arkansas State’s next coach Dec. 14, although assistant David Gunn will guide the team in Mobile. The Red Wolves averaged 453 ypg on offense (# 24), while the defense allowed just 325 ypg (# 20) and 19.3 ppg (# 15).
No Illinois (10-3 SU/5-8 ATS) claimed a 23-20 come-from-behind victory over Ohio to earn their first MAC championship in 28 years. The Huskies have won 10 games in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history. NIU has scored 40 or more points in nine games, including a 63-60 win at Toledo on Nov. 1. The Huskies rank 10th nationally with 481.8 yards per game and ninth with an average of 247.6 rushing yards. They feature one of the nation’s most versatile quarterbacks in senior Chandler Harnish, the MAC offensive player of the year who owns 20 school records. Harnish has completed 62.9 percent of his passes for a career-high 2,942 yards and rushed for 1,382 while having a hand in 37 touchdowns – 11 rushing and 26 passing. Harnish was 17-of-26 for 300 yards with a touchdown pass and ran for 72 yards and two TDs on 10 carries in a 40-17 win over Fresno State in the 2010 Humanitarian Bowl. Three Huskies receivers have caught at least 39 passes, led by senior Nathan Palmer, who set career highs with 46 receptions, 683 yards and seven TDs. Though NIU’s offense is hard to stop, their defense has had its share of problems keeping the opposition in check. The Huskies rank in the bottom third of the nation allowing 31.1 points per game. However, they did not give up a second-half point in rallying from 20 down to beat Ohio in the MAC title tilt. The Huskies now face a major challenge against an Arkansas State squad that’s averaged 38.3 points over the last six games. With a 4-7 bowl record, NIU is making its fourth straight postseason appearance. Arkansas State, meanwhile, fell 31-19 to Southern Mississippi in the 2005 New Orleans Bowl in its only previous bowl game. In the last meeting between these two teams, NIU won 31-30 on Sept. 21, 1996, to improve to 6-1 against Arkansas State all-time. NIU is 14-7 ATS in games where the line is -3 to +3, but the Huskies have not fared well in neutral site games, going 2-8 ATS, while Arkansas State comes in on an 18-7 ATS run.
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