Camellia Bowl: Ohio vs Appalachian State TV Info, Predictions and More
The Appalachian State Mountaineers, playing the first FBS bowl game in program history following a 10-2 season, will face Ohio in the Camellia Bowl.
After putting the final touches on an impressive 10-2 season, Appalachian State turns its attention to the Ohio Bobcats in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl.
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App State is no stranger to the postseason, having won three consecutive national championships at the FCS level from 2005-07, but this will be the first FBS bowl game in program history after moving up in 2014. The Mountaineers enter the contest on a three-game winning streak and as the runner-up in the Sun Belt Conference.
Ohio, who finished the regular season 8-4 overall and 5-3 in Mid-American Conference play, has also won three in a row. The Bobcats will be making their sixth bowl appearance in the past seven seasons, and their seventh overall under head coach Frank Solich. Ohio hadn’t been to a bowl game since the 1968 Tangerine Bowl prior to Solich’s arrival in 2005.
Camellia Bowl Information:
- Date: Saturday December 19, 2015
- Time: 5:30 PM ET
- Location: Montgomery, AL
- TV Channel: ESPN
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- Spread: Appalachian State -8
Quarterback Taylor Lamb leads an Appalachian State offense that has averaged 37.2 points and led the Sun Belt with 470.7 total yards of offense this season. Lamb, a dual-threat sophomore, has completed 61.1 percent of his passes for 2,263 yards and 29 touchdowns with eight interceptions this season and has also rushed for 385 yards and four TDs this year.
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Simms McElfresh (33 receptions, 424 yards, 6 TD), Shaedon Meadors (21 receptions, 439 yards, 3 TD) and Malachi Jones (23 receptions, 433 yards, 3 TD) give Lamb a well-rounded receiving corps while Marcus Cox (1,261 rushing yards, 8 TD) and Jalin Moore (635 rushing yards, 5 TD) have carried the bulk of the load in the running game this season.
Latrell Gibbs, who recorded six interceptions in the regular season, including two returned for touchdowns, leads a Mountaineers defense that held opponents to a Sun Belt-best 318.0 total yards per game this season.
Appalachian State, whose only losses this season came against 12-0, No. 1-ranked Clemson (41-10), and 9-3, Sun Belt champion Arkansas State (40-27), will have their hands full with an Ohio squad that played its best football at the end of the regular season.
After suffering a three-game MAC losing streak in the middle of the season, the Bobcats responded with a shutout victory over Kent State, scored a season-high 48 points against Ball State, then upset MAC West champion Northern Illinois in the season finale. The Bobcats have averaged 27.2 points and 425.3 yards of total offense this season and have allowed 24.8 points and 373.6 total yards per contest in 2015.
Prediction:
Ohio found its stride at the end of the season under the direction of quarterback J.D. Sprague, who completed 22 of 34 pass attempts for 408 yards and five touchdowns without an interception over the final three games of the regular season, but the Bobcats are at a disadvantage on both sides of the football against Appalachian State.
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Expect the Mountaineers’ stingy defense to make like difficult for Sprague, A.J. Ouellette (642 rushing yards, 5 TD), Sebastian Smith (61 receptions, 752 yards, 7 TD), and the Bobcats while Lamb makes a name for himself on a national stage heading into the 2016 campaign.