Poinsettia Bowl: Boise State vs. Northern Illinois TV info, live stream odds, predictions, and more
The Poinsettia Bowl features the Boise State Broncos taking on the Northern Illinois Huskies. Here’s the complete game capsule to get you ready for the game.
The Boise State Broncos (8-4) and the Northern Illinois Huskies (8-5) face off in the Poinsettia Bowl on two different ends of the spectrum. Boise State looks to capture their second win in a row while Northern Illinois looks to get back into the win column after suffering two straight losses to end the season.
For Boise State, they began their season on a high note, winning 16-13 over the Washington Huskies. Following the win, they hit a bump in the road losing to BYU, 35-24. That game appeared to be a wakeup call for the program as they proceeded to win four games in a row including a shutout win over Hawaii. The four-game stretch was a key reason they are in this bowl, and on display was their offensive firepower.
Freshman Brett Rypien played like a veteran over the course of the season, passing for 2,976 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. A Halloween contest against UNLV really opened some eyes as he went 35-52 on the day, passing for 469 yards and two touchdowns.
Sophomore running back Jeremy McNichols provided a dependable presence in the backfield rushing the ball 221 times for 1,244 yards and 18 touchdowns, scampering for at least 100 yards in seven contests this season. However, the underclassmen were not the only ones getting it done on offense. Junior wide receiver Thomas Sperback represented the upperclassmen well, catching 82 passes for 1,334 yards and eight touchdowns.
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At first glance you may say that the Huskies do not have what it takes to quell the three-pronged blitzkrieg that comprises the Broncos’ offense. However, they have one of their own.
Northern Illinois has gone through the gauntlet when it comes to injuries at the quarterback position. Drew Hare, Anthony Maddie and Ryan Graham have all been injured, but NIU hopes Graham can come back for the bowl. If he can’t rue freshman Tommy Fiedler who had to play in the MAC Championship Game loss, will get the start
Joel Bouagnon should get a big workload at running back as he did all season with 275 carries for 1,269 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Receiver Kenny Golladay proved to be a dependable target through the air with 71 catches for 1,122 yards and 10 touchdowns. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark three times and gained yards in bunches averaging 15.8 yards per catch.
- Date: Wednesday, December 23, 2015
- Time: 4:30 PM ET
- Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
- TV Channel: ESPN
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- Spread: Northern Illinois + 8.5
Prediction
The two trios will be lighting up the scoreboard in this affair as defense will be scarce in this contest. In the end, it is going to come down to who can exploit the weaknesses of the other the best and I think Boise State will get the better of Northern Illinois.
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Sperbeck will prove to be too much for the NIU secondary and in the end that will be a big reason why the Broncos will win their second bowl game in a row.