Humanitarian Bowl
Wednesday, Dec. 30
Bowling Green (7-5) vs. Idaho (7-5), 4:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Line: Bowling Green by 2.
Series Record: First meeting.
What’s at Stake
A chance to cap turnaround seasons for both schools. Idaho was expected to be among the worst of the Western Athletic Conference, then jumped to a 6-1 start before struggling against better opponents down the stretch. Bowling Green was 1-4 after a 44-37 loss to Ohio, then rallied with six wins in its final seven games, two of those victories by one point.
Key Matchup
Idaho’s secondary vs. Bowling Green’s passing game: The Vandals defense has been their weakness all season (allowing 70 points to Nevada, 63 to Boise State and 52 to Utah State), and their pass defense ranks 114th in the country, giving up nearly 269 yards per game. Now comes a Bowling Green offense with the leading receiver in the country on the verge of an NCAA record and a passing game that’s averaging 310 yards.
Players to watch
touchdowns. He ended the regular season with 31 more receptions than the closest receiver. Barnes needs only five catches against the Vandals to set a new NCAA record for most catches in a season. This is Barnes’ final game before a likely NFL career.
Idaho: QB Nathan Enderle. How important is Enderle to the Vandals? Idaho was 7-3 with Enderle starting and 0-2 without him, and the Vandals had two of their lowest point totals of the season with Enderle out. The junior says he’s recovered from the shoulder problems that sidelined him the latter part of the regular season.
Figures
The teams already have a home-and-home series scheduled for 2011 (at Idaho) and 2012 (at Bowling Green). … Idaho’s only other bowl game was the 1998 Humanitarian Bowl when, as a heavy underdog, the Vandals beat Southern Mississippi 42-35. … A pro-Vandal crowd of about 26,000 is expected for the game. It’s the first time a team from the state of Idaho has played in the game since 2005, when Boise State lost to Boston College. … Bowling Green has won four of its last five bowl games, but was routed 63-7 by Tulsa in the 2008 GMAC Bowl.
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