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Cure Bowl: San Jose State vs Georgia State TV info, live stream, predictions and more

By Nicholas Ian Allen

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The Georgia State Panthers will make the first bowl game appearance in program history against the San Jose Spartans in the Automation Cure Bowl.

It certainly isn’t the “Grandaddy of Them All,” but the AutoNation Cure Bowl is an opportunity for two up-and-coming programs to experience the postseason – one of them for the very first time – and for the nation to watch one of college football’s most exciting playmakers.

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The Georgia State Panthers were just 2-6 after a 23-21 loss to UL-Lafayette Nov. 7, but won four straight games to finish bowl eligible for the first time since making the jump to FBS in 2013. A victory over San Jose State would give the Panthers just the second winning season in school history and would set a new school record for wins in a season. Georgia State was 6-5 in its inaugural season in 2010, but won only five games total from 2011 to 2014.

In fact, Georgia State had won only one of the 24 games they had played as a FBS school and Sun Belt Conference member since head coach Trent Miles took over prior to the 2013 season, which makes the four-game winning streak and the bowl bid even more outstanding.

Despite a 5-7 record, San Jose State is back in a bowl game for the first time since 2012. The Spartans finished 4-4 in Mountain West play in head coach Ron Caragher’s third season, and qualified for the Cure Bowl because there weren’t enough six-win teams available to fill this year’s 80 bowl slots. Therefore, San Jose State was one of three teams awarded by the NCAA for its high Academic Progress Rating.

Cure Bowl Information:

  • Date: Saturday December 19, 2015
  • Time: 7:00 PM ET
  • Location: Orlando, FL
  • TV Channel: CBS Sports Network
  • Spread: San Jose State -3

While the Panthers are one of the hottest teams in the country, having won each of their last four games by an average score of 33-14 including a 34-7 victory over Georgia Southern in the regular season finale, San Jose State is favored to win. A big reason odds makers are optimistic about the Spartans is running back Tyler Ervin, who ran for 1,469 yards and 13 touchdowns this season and accounted for 337 receiving yards and two more scores.

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Ervin gained more than 100 yards six times in 2015, including a 300-yard, three-TD effort in a 49-23 victory over rival Fresno State and a 263-yard performance in a 31-21 win over New Mexico. The 5-foot-10, 177-pound senior has also ran for three touchdowns in a 43-13 win against New Hampshire in the season opener.

The Georgia State defense, which has allowed 28.4 points and 415.6 total yards (including 180.0 rushing yards) this season, will certainly have its hands full with Ervin and the Spartans, but the Panthers have their own explosive playmakers capable of lighting up the scoreboard.

Quarterback Nick Arbuckle led the Sun Belt and ranked No. 6 in the nation with 4,160 passing yards in 2015. Arbuckle has thrown for 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and has reached 300 yards in seven straight games. He has averaged 374 passing yards per game in the Panthers’ four-game winning streak, and has tossed ten TDs and three interceptions over that period.

Prediction:

Georgia State has the better record and is riding an impressive winning streak, but the Panthers are one-dimensional on offense, having gained just 103.1 rushing yards per game this season. While the San Jose State defense has allowed 28.2 points and 369.2 total yards of offense this year, the Spartans have limited opponents to 153.6 passing yards per game – which ranks second in the nation.

Given Ervin’s playmaking ability with the football in his hands and Georgia State’s own issues stopping the run, San Jose State should pick up its sixth win of the season.

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