GoDaddy Bowl 2015: Toledo vs. Arkansas State TV Info, Spread, Time and More
Admittedly, this just doesn’t feel right.
College football fans witnessed two incredible playoff games on Jan. 1 and four other New Year’s Six bowls between some of the best and most high-profile teams in the country. The fact that Toledo and Arkansas State square off Jan. 4 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN isn’t really fair for two teams who deserve to be in the spotlight a bit more.
Had this game been slotted before the playoff games, like most of the smaller bowls, as something of an appetizer, it may have elicited more attention. Still, college football fans who tune in will witness a clash between two relatively evenly matched squads in a game that could come down to the final minutes.
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Here is a look at the essential information for the contest.
2015 GoDaddy Bowl
Matchup: Toledo vs. Arkansas State
Date: Sunday, Jan. 4
Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Spread: Toledo -3.5 (via Odds Shark, as of Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET)
Preview/Prediction
If there is one team in the country that should be confident heading to the GoDaddy Bowl, it is Arkansas State. The Red Wolves have won the past two games here and are looking for a third straight GoDaddy Bowl championship with a win over Toledo.
If they are going to accomplish that, they will have to find a way to stop dynamic running back Kareem Hunt, who eclipsed the 100-yard barrier in every game he played this year. He was third in the country with an average of 151.1 rushing yards per game and found the end zone on the ground 11 times in nine contests.
Throw in quarterback Logan Woodside’s 2,087 passing yards, and Toledo has a lot working in its favor on offense.
Arkansas State coach Blake Anderson discussed the matchup, per STATS LLC, via ESPN.com: "Toledo has an outstanding football team. There's no doubt that it will be a huge challenge for our defense. Offensively, we've got to keep them off the field. So both sides have to work together, and we know we're up against a good challenge."
Toledo was 17th in the nation in rushing yards per game behind Hunt and Terry Swanson, who added 732 yards of his own, and it finished 30th in the nation in scoring. It will look to push the tempo early and often, especially against an Arkansas State defense that was an abysmal 93rd in the country against the run.
This just isn’t a favorable matchup for the Red Wolves defense that allowed 37, 45 and 35 points in the last three games.
Mike Herndon of AL.com talked about Hunt’s meaning to the Toledo program and his overall season:
"Hunt's signing has proven to be a bonanza for the Rockets. With what Campbell describes as a "unique" blend of power and quickness, Hunt topped the 100-yard mark in every game he played this season, including a season-high of 265 in a 27-20 win over Bowling Green on Nov. 19. He's rushed for 1,360 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Rockets (8-4) despite missing three games with a high ankle sprain, and his 151.1 yards per game place him third in the Football Bowl Subdivision behind only All-American's Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin and Tevin Coleman of Indiana.
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If Arkansas State hopes to win against Hunt and company, it will have to outscore Toledo with its offense.
The Red Wolves were 22nd in the country in scoring offense and put up at least 27 points in every game since September. The rushing attack finished 24th in the nation thanks to running back Michael Gordon and dual-threat quarterback Fredi Knighten.
Gordon tallied 1,064 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground, while Knighten added 775 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns to go with his 2,874 passing yards and 19 touchdown tosses.
Toledo will counter with a defense that allowed more than 20 points in only one of the last four games.
Still, nobody is going to mistake the Toledo defense that finished 86th in the country in points allowed per game for the Legion of Boom of the Seattle Seahawks, but it at least played well down the stretch. In this matchup of two dynamic offenses against vulnerable defenses, that could be enough to garner a critical stop or two in the fourth quarter.
That may be all the Rockets need to come away with a victory, especially with Hunt controlling the clock against Arkansas State’s porous run defense. Look for a Toledo win in an exciting back-and-forth shootout.
Prediction: Toledo 38, Arkansas State 34
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