Bowl Record: 3-0
Wow, that BYU defense was something special last night as the Cougars beat San Diego State, 23-6. If linebacker Kyle Van Noy is not a first round pick in April it’s a travesty. He forced and recovered a fumble in the end zone in the fourth quarter to put the Cougars ahead 10-6, then later intercepted a pass and returned it for a 17-yard score. He was awesome. He looks like a top 15 pick to me. He’s a junior and BYU kids are serious about academics and their missionary work, but if he wants to come out, an NFL team will welcome him with open arms. He is fantastic. Linebacker Ezekiel Ansah is going to be a first rounder too, most likely. He’s a player. Junior linebacker Brandon Ogletree looks like he’ ll play on Sundays in two years. They are a special linebacking corps. It’s a special defense. Just shutdown a high flying Aztec offense and caused five turnovers. That was a fantastic performance by one of the best defenses in the country.
Also, punter Riley Stephenson could have punched his ticket to the league next year with three punts inside the five and six punts inside the 2o. He put on a masterful performance. He changed field position constantly and was a key reason BYU won. He’s a senior and I know these kids are serious about their missionary work, so the NFL could be delayed for a couple of them. But if these guys want to go, Van Noy, Ezekiel and Stephenson, they will be highly coveted in the draft and be terrific players on Sundays..
Now for a look at tonight Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl:
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl
Teams: Ball State (9-3) vs. Central Florida (9-4)
Where: Tropicana Field (capacity 40,473), St. Petersburg, Florida
Time: 7:30 PM ET/6:30 CT
TV: ESPN
Announcers: Dave Neal, Andre Ware, Desmond Howard and Cara Capuano (sideline)
Line: UCF by 7
Key players; UCF: running back Latavius Murray: 177-1035 yds. 5.8 average, 14 TDs; quarterback Blake Bortles: 229-336, 62.6%, 2,787 yards, 22 TDs and 7 ints. 7 TDs rushing; wide receiver J.J. Worton: 41 catches, 562, 4 TDs; wide receiver Jeff Godfrey: 36-400, 3 TDs; wide receiver Rannell Hall: 31-557, 4 TDs; Cornerback Kemal Ishmael: 116 tackles, five for loss, three ints, three fumbles recovered; linebacker Troy Davis: 9 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries.
Ball State: Running back Jahwan Edwards: 218-1,321, 6.1 average, 14 TDs; quarterback Keith Wenning: 279-426 (65.5 %), 2,878 yards, 22 TDs, 10 ints; wide receiver Willie Snead 82-1070, 13.0 average, seven TDs; wide receiver Jamill Smith 69-706, 10.2 average, 6 TDs; wide receiver Zane Fakes: 51-404, five TDs; linebacker Travis Freeman: 119 tackles; defensive end Jonathan Newsome: 12 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks.
This should be a good game. UCF has the better defense by the numbers, and Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning is just back after missing three games with a broken ankle, so he could be rusty. Although I like the running game of UCF led by Murray and like their defense better, Ball State is 0-5 in bowl games and are hungrier from what I’ve researched. So I like the Cardinals to pull off the upset.
Ball State 28, UCF 24