Bowl-O-Rama: The Liberty Bowl

Welcome to Memphis! Hey, at least it's not as dangerous as Detroit!

Teams: UCF & Mississippi State
Location: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN
Miles Traveled By Each Team: UCF(825), Mississippi State(173)
Related Cereal: Toasties(Because that’s how Sly Croom’s voice makes us all feel inside).

Breakdown: UCF heads into this game with the #9 ranked rushing offense(242yds/gm, 41TD's), and the #101 ranked passing offense(183yds/gm, 15TD's). Overall, their offense is ranked #32 in the nation. On defense, the Knights’ defense is ranked #38 against the run(131yds/gm, 14TD's), and #85 against the pass(248yds/gm, 26TD's). Their total defense is ranked #58, and surrenders an average of 379yds/gm and has allowed 43 total touchdowns.

Their opponent, Mississippi State, comes into the game with the #79 ranked rush attack(135yds/gm, 17TD's), and the #108 ranked passing offense(170yds/gm, 12TD's). Their total offense is ranked #112. The Bulldogs’ defense is ranked #65 against the rush(159yds/gm, 14TD's), and #10 against the pass(182yds/gm, 20TD's). Their total defense is ranked #28, and allows an average of 341yds/gm and has given up 35 total touchdowns.

Signature Wins: UCF-Tulsa(Twice). Mississippi State-Kentucky.

Common Opponents: UAB. UCF beat UAB, 45-31. Mississippi State defeated them 30-13.

Prediction: Mississippi State put together a nice season with a very strong pass defense, but their rush defense isn’t quite as strong. In facing UCF, they’re going up against one of the best running backs in the nation, Kevin Smith(*cough*Doak Walker snub*cough*). He’s just 180 yards shy of breaking Barry Sanders’ single season yardage record, and should have a legit shot of reaching that yardage against the Bulldogs. As much as I would love to see some more “Croomed” pics of the lolcat variety, I think that UCF is going to run over Mississippi State, 35-21