San Diego State vs. Army: 5 bold predictions for Armed Forces Bowl

4. A special-teams play could turn the result of the Armed Forces Bowl

Rashaad Penny is a generational talent that only got to break out this year because he was sitting behind a record-breaking talent the past few seasons. After Donnel Pumphrey moved on to the NFL, it opened the door for Penny to get more looks in the backfield as he burst to a 2000-yard season on the ground.

But he didn’t just do his damage running the ball. Penny also made his mark on the return game, fielding both kickoffs and punts to lead the country in all-purpose yardage by over 45 yards per game. He scored two kick return scores and once on a punt return. When added to his two receiving touchdowns and 19 rushing scores, Penny has reached the endzone two dozen times in 2017.

Penny could be bottled up on the ground a bit, though he should still hit the century mark in rushing. But he might just make his biggest mark in the Armed Forces Bowl returning the football. Look for Penny to score at least once on a return, as he tries to score as many ways as possible in his final college football game.

Army will counter with Jahvari Bourdeau, who has scored on a punt return once this year, and kick returner Kell Walker. Neither is quite as dynamic as Penny. Even if he elects to opt out of participating in this game, something less likely given the incentive for Group of Five stars to make one last impression for NFL scouts before the Combine, San Diego State has the talent to take advantage especially of a mediocre punt defense.