Quick Lane Bowl 2014: Rutgers vs. UNC TV Info, Spread, Injury News, Time, More

The 2014 Quick Lane Bowl could very well turn into the Quick-Don't-Look-Away-From-The-TV Bowl, as both the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the North Carolina Tar Heels can put points on the board in a hurry.

Don't blink. You'll probably miss a touchdown.

But what makes these offenses so good? Jerry Izenberg of The Star-Ledger points out that UNC runs an offensive play every 12 seconds. He describes the Tar Heels as a "where-did-they-go-and-why-did-I-blink offense." That's because junior quarterback Marquise Williams can make all the plays with his arm and with his feet. He's a deadly weapon.

Rutgers relies heavily on senior quarterback Gary Nova and Leonte Carroo, his favorite target down the field. They have hooked up for 10 touchdowns this year, half of Nova's season total. 

Because these two teams boast potent offenses and defenses prone to giving up yards, we're in for an exciting inaugural Quick Lane Bowl.

When: Friday, Dec. 26

Where: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Time: 4:30 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Betting Lines (via Odds Shark on Wednesday, Dec. 24)

• Over/Under: 65.5
• Spread: UNC (-3)

Team Injury Updates

Team injury reports are courtesy of The Sports Network, via USA Today.

Player	Pos.	Details	Status	Injury
Taj Alexander	T	is probable for the Quick Lane Bowl Friday against North Carolina	Probable	lower body
Leonte Carroo	WR	is probable for the Quick Lane Bowl Friday against North Carolina	Probable	upper body
Chris Muller	G	is probable for the Quick Lane Bowl Friday against North Carolina	Probable	lower body
Dre Boggs	CB	is questionable for the Quick Lane Bowl Friday against North Carolina	Questionable	lower body
Kyle Federico	K	is questionable for the Quick Lane Bowl Friday against North Carolina	Questionable	upper body
Delon Stephenson	DB	is questionable for the Quick Lane Bowl Friday against North Carolina	Questionable	lower body
Andrew Turzilli	WR	is probable for the Quick Lane Bowl Friday against North Carolina	Probable	hamstring
Kam Lott	CB	is questionable for the Quick Lane Bowl Friday against North Carolina	Questionable	lower body
Nadir Barnwell	CB	is probable for the Quick Lane Bowl Friday against North Carolina	Probable	upper body
J.J. Denman	T	is questionable for the Quick Lane Bowl Friday against North Carolina	Questionable	lower body
Desmon Peoples	RB	will miss the Quick Lane Bowl Friday against North Carolina	Out	upper body
Nick Borgese	K	is questionable for the Quick Lane Bowl Friday against North Carolina	Questionable	lower body
Paul James	RB	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	knee
Logan Lister	TE	will miss the Quick Lane Bowl Friday against North Carolina	Out	lower body
Jacquis Webb	T	is questionable for the Quick Lane Bowl Friday against North Carolina	Questionable	lower body
Ruhann Peele	WR	is questionable for the Quick Lane Bowl Friday against North Carolina	Questionable	upper body
Savon Huggins	RB	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	shoulder
Tejay Johnson	WR	will miss the entire season	Out	leg

Player	Pos.	Details	Status
Khris Francis	RB	is expected to miss the remainder of the season	Out

Analysis

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

Having already touched on some of the key players, let's dive into statistics. First up is Williams.

The definition of a dual-threat quarterback, the UNC stud has carried this offense all season. His passing numbers are pedestrian. He tallied 20 touchdowns, nine interceptions and 2,870 yards and completed 62.7 percent of his attempts.

On the ground is where he thrives. He notched 737 yards (4.1 yards per carry) and found the end zone 12 times.

His cumulative numbers are spectacular. Many expect him to compete for the Heisman Trophy next season. Bleacher Report's Brian Leigh broke down why:

"

UNC's five leading pass-catchers are all eligible to return next season. So are all eight players who recorded a carry. If Williams can exploit the Scarlet Knights in Detroit, start full time over Mitch Trubisky next fall and play as well as he does in the second half of the season in the first half of the season, he's a sneaky Heisman dark horse.

"

There's reason to believe he can have his way against Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights rank 97th in total defense, as the accompanying graphic indicates. That's better than UNC, but it puts them roughly in the same tier.

The key for Rutgers is to tear up UNC's porous defense. They've been, in a word, horrific. The Tar Heels rank 118th in total defense, 117th in rush defense, 119th in scoring defense and 108th in passing defense. East Carolina dropped 70 against them, while four other teams also crossed the 43-point threshold.

It needs to be a complete effort from Rutgers, though. Nova and Carroo can exploit the secondary, but a career touchdown-to-interceptions ratio of 71-to-51 indicates he's turnover prone. Even a lackluster secondary can jump a route or two and come up with a pick.

It's those drives Nova must avoid. He can't march his team down the field and then throw a costly turnover in UNC's half of the field. Those plays can kill momentum and swing it in the opposite direction.

A 58 percent passer this year, Nova has been far from a sure thing. Carroo has made him far better.

Naturally, Rutgers must lean on the ground game. Head coach Kyle Flood has taken a committee approach to the running back position this season, as eight separate ball-carriers have accumulated 1,774 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Expect to see a combination of Robert Martin and Josh Hicks against UNC. The two freshmen combined for 126 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries in their last game against Maryland.

One player who hasn't gotten a carry this year is fullback Michael Burton, but Flood says he's a big aspect of the offense anyway, via NJ.com's Dan Duggan.

"There are a lot of plays on the tape when you watch it where Michael does a great job of either getting on a designated defender or cleaning the color of a defender who might be coming off another block," Flood said. "It's what all great fullbacks do. And he is a big reason why we were able to have success running the ball."

If he can block the defensive linemen of UNC and allow his running backs to break into the second tier of the defense, the Scarlet Knights will score some points.

While the Quick Lane Bowl doesn't feature the most successful teams in college football this season, it could easily turn into one of the most exciting bowl games on the schedule. High-octane offenses and underwhelming defenses mean the over/under of 65.5 could easily be surpassed.

The uncertainty surrounding Nova and the passing game of Rutgers makes it easy to think UNC will take this game, however. At least one team will notch 40 points—maybe both. But expect the Tar Heels to overcome their defensive shortcomings and celebrate in Detroit.

Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @kennydejohn