By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl History
This is the “Bowl of the Brave”. This annual game is held at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of TCU. This season’s edition is celebrating its 20-year anniversary. Like America this bowl is a melting pot of conferences with its conference tie-ins. The bowl is good for revenue and recruiting. Two things that every program needs to become better.
Game Info
Rice Owls vs Texas State Bobcats
Friday – January 2 – 12:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Amon G. Carter Stadium – Ft. Worth, TX
Rice Owls (5-7)
The Rice Owls represent the American Conference. They finished the year at 5-7 and I’m surprised with the bowl bid for a team with fewer than 6 wins. This game will be a huge lift for the program and will help with recruiting. A win would be huge and the extra month of practices doesn’t hurt the program either. They are a good team with a tremendous upside. Keep an eye on the offense, they’ll have their share of opportunities to move the chains and score points. Players to watch: QB Chase Jenkins, RB Quinton Jackson, WR Aaron Turner, LB Andrew Aew and S Plae Wyatt.
Texas State Bobcats (6-6)
The Bobcats represent the Sunbelt Conference. Keep in mind a few years ago, Texas State won a national championship in the FCS. This has been a good football team for years and moving up will help this team grow. They won their last 3 games of the regular season by beating Southern Mississippi, Louisiana Monroe and South Alabama. On paper the Bobcats are the better team, but anything can happen. Players to watch: QB Brad Jackson, RB Lincoln Pare, WR Beau Sparks, LB Treylin Payne and CB Jaden Rios.
Prediction
ESPN has the Bobcats with a 80% chance of winning this game in Ft. Worth. This game will come down to how well the defenses makes stops and how well the quarterbacks get the ball into the hands of their play makers. Texas State is the better team, but Rice has the bigger heart. This game will be won by the team that has the bigger dog in the fight. I like Rice, but I’m taking Texas State. This game will be a statement game for both schools. I’m taking Texas State by 10.
Final Score
Bobcats – 31
Owls – 21
