Texas Bowl: Syracuse vs. Minnesota

Matchup: Syracuse vs. Minnesota
Location: Houston, TX ~ Reliant Stadium
Line: Minnesota -4. Total 48.5

This will be a pretty brutal bowl game to watch. I'm going to leave it at that.

Keys to Victory for Syracuse
-For all their shortcomings throwing the ball, Syracuse actually runs the ball very well. They averaged 194 yards rushing per game behind Jerome Smith who had 840 yards rushing and 11 TDs along with dual threat QB Terrel Hunt.
-Hunt will have to move the ball effectively on the ground and pick his spots wisely when he throws the ball. It's no secret that he's struggled moving the ball through the air after throwing for just 1,450 yards with 10 TDs and 8 INTs this season. He did complete a respectable 61% of his passes and will need to keep it simple when asked to throw.
-The Orange front 7 face a tough task against David Cobb. However the Orange actually have a formidable run defense. The defense is led by Jay Bromley who recorded 11.5 TFL, 8 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles.


Keys to Victory for Minnesota
-The Gophers will need RB David Cobb to have a big game. This is actually a fairly meaningful game for Minnesota as they look to continue their progression from Big Ten cellar dwellar to a middle of the pack team. With the conference at arguably an all-time low point, they could certainly use the Texas Bowl as a springboard. Cobb, is undoubtedly there best player. The passing game is anemic, while Cobb ran for over 1,200 yards on just 235 touches.
-Defensive Tackle Ra'Shede Hageman is an absolute terror on the line for the Gophers. He recorded 10 tackles for loss and swatted down 9 passes this season. The big tackle projects as a 1st round overall pick and is highly motivated to have a big game.

Prediction: This is going to come down to which team can run the ball with better efficiency. My guess is as good as yours, but that under is looking intriguing.