By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Xbox Bowl History
This is the inaugural game for this particular bowl. This game will replace the Bahamas Bowl. The game will be held at the Star in Frisco, Texas. Both teams had an up and down season. Their records reflect it. Keep an eye on both conferences because there will be a representative for both conferences moving forward for this bowl game. There’s a 5-game history between the two teams. Arkansas State dominates the series 4 games to 1. Last meeting between the two teams was in 2015 where the Wolves beat the Bears 70-7.
Game Info:
Missouri State Bears (7-5) vs Arkansas State Red Wolves (6-6)
Thursday – December 18 – 8:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Ford Center at The Star – Frisco, TX
Missouri State Bears – Conference USA
The Missouri State Bears finished their season at 7-5 and 5th place in conference right behind Louisiana Tech and just a game ahead of Florida International. The Bears are led by senior quarterback Jacob Clark who has passed for 2895 with 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He will be the x-factor for the Bears offense. Running back Shomari Lawrence is a physical runner between the tackles carrying the ball 183 times for 94 yards and 7 touchdowns. Players to watch: WR Jmatiyae Robinson, LB Kanye Young, CB Jordan Dunbar and DL DJ Wesolake.
Arkansas State Red Wolves – Sunbelt Conference
The Red Wolves finished the season at 6-6 in the Sunbelt. They finished right behind Louisiana and a game ahead of Texas State. The Red Wolves are led by Junior signal caller Jaylen Raynor who has 3703 passing yards with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He has a big play receiver on the outside in senior Corey Rucker. Rucker has 69 receptions for 866 yards and 3 touchdowns. Players to watch: RB Devin Spencer, LB Aaron Alexander, CB Avante Dickerson, and RB Keyon Clay.
Prediction
ESPN has the Red Wolves with a 53.3% chance of winning this inaugural bowl game and setting a standard for games to come. This game will come down to how well the Red Wolves defense shuts down the Bears offense. This is a toss-up game because both teams ended their seasons on shaky ground. The team that creates and scores off of turnovers will win this easily. I’m taking the Missouri State by 6. They are the better team right now.
Final Score
Bears – 38
Wolves – 32
