Cure Bowl 2015: San Jose State vs. Georgia State TV Schedule, Time and Odds
Few bowl games this year will carry more impressive storylines than the impending AutoNation Cure Bowl between the San Jose State Spartans and Georgia State Panthers.
The Panthers have existed for all of six years, and over the past three years before this season, they dropped 33 of 35 games. After starting this year 2-6, though, the Panthers used an explosive aerial attack to become bowl-eligible, finishing the year on a four-game winning streak.
For the Spartans, the bowl trip comes down to academics. One of just three teams with losing records (5-7) to make a bowl this year, the Spartans used one of the nation's best ARP records to reach bowl eligibility. The team, along with a strong defense, won't apologize for making it this far.
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Here's everything to know about a strength vs. strength matchup featuring top-tier storylines.
Game Details
When: Saturday, December 19, 7 p.m. ET
Where: Orlando Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida
Television: CBS Sports Network
Live Stream: CBSSports.com
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Over/Under: 56
Spread: San Jose State (-2.5)
Team Injury Reports
| Brad Kuh | TE | Out Sat |
| Chad Miller | S | Ques Sat |
| Thomas Tucker | RB | Prob Sat |
| Jared Leaf | LB | Out for season |
| Tyler Winston | WR | Out for season |
| Tyler Simonsen | OL | Ques Sat |
| Joel Ruiz | TE | Out for season |
| Kendrick Dorn | RB | Out indefinitely |
Injury reports via USA Today.
Getting Defensive
The Spartans won't make any qualms about it—if a team is going to beat them, it needs to be on the ground.
Spartans coach Ron Caragher has an elite pass defense on his hands, which ranks second in the FBS with just 153.6 passing yards allowed per game. That said, the team lost its last game of the season against Boise State in 40-23 fashion when the Broncos figured out the right balance and wound up rushing for 300 yards and a trio of scores.
Not that the Spartans can't post points when they need to. Quarterback Kenny Potter might not be a household name, but he's accounted for 1,895 passing yards, another 346 on the ground and 20 total touchdowns.
Flanking Potter is star running back Tyler Ervin, who has 1,469 yards and 13 touchdowns this season on a 5.6 per-carry average.
There's a proverbial chip on the shoulder of these Spartans, who missed original bowl eligibility before the ARP ratings kicked into the equation. To prove they belong, they'll have to shut down one of the nation's most overlooked passing attacks.
Airing Grievances
Nick Arbuckle has a problem with the Spartans.
Arbuckle has 4,160 yards and 26 touchdowns to 11 interceptions this year while completing 64.1 percent of his passes. More national attention for the Hollywood-esque Panthers would be nice, but for Arbuckle, this game is a tad personal.
"I do remember when San Jose State came multiple times to recruit some of the guys on the team and I was one of the guys they didn't look at," Arbuckle said, according to the Associated Press (via USA Today). "So it feels kind of good to have an opportunity to go against them now."
Small world, right? Not small is Arbuckle's arm, which not only has the program just emerging from infancy into a bowl game, but his top three targets ranking among the best of the best in the Sun Belt:
| Penny Hart | 71 | 1095 | 15.4 | 8 |
| Robert Davis | 60 | 979 | 16.3 | 6 |
| Donovan Harden | 35 | 662 | 18.9 | 4 |
For Arbuckle, Saturday is not only a chance to announce the program's arrival, but take on a worthy opponent, according to ESPN.com: "I know that they're a really good defense, they've done a really good job of defending the pass so far as well. They haven't really gone against a great passing team yet so it'll be a good challenge for them."
Call it a war of wills. Arbuckle might find himself shoved into a shootout against a rather potent San Jose offense, which would prove the perfect test he and the Panthers seem to desire.
It's doubtful any of them would have it any other way.
Prediction
Look for the Sun Belt Player of the Year to go out in historic fashion.
That would be Arbuckle, who has 300 or more passing yards in all but two games this year and 10 touchdowns to three interceptions over his team's four-game winning streak.
San Jose might have a strong ranking from a defensive standpoint, but the Spartans have leaked points since the start of November while losing three of four to originally miss bowl season.
Georgia State will conclude an epic season by fully announcing its arrival with a late victory.
Prediction: Panthers 35, Spartans 28
Statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified. All betting information courtesy of Odds Shark.
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