New Mexico Bowl 2017: Marshall vs. Colorado State TV Schedule, Time and Odds
Redemption awaits either the Marshall Thundering Herd or the Colorado State Rams in Saturday's 2017 New Mexico Bowl.
Granted, both teams boast seven wins and one of these teams is undefeated in bowl games dating back to 2009. But the familiar thread between the two programs going into the showdown is an unfortunate one—both face-planted near the end of October and haven't recovered.
The good news? One last shot at finishing a season strong should have both teams motivated for what could devolve into an offensive-minded affair between two talented quarterbacks with plenty of complementary weapons.
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Before things get underway, let's look at the critical info surrounding the contest.
New Mexico Bowl 2017
Date: Saturday, Dec. 16
Time (ET): 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Dreamstyle Stadium, Albuquerque
Watch: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Over/Under: 58
Spread: Colorado State (-6)
Team Injury Reports
Marshall
- Marcel Williams, WR, Probable
- Malik Gant, S, Probable
- Sandley Jean-Felix, OL, Questionable
- Tyre Brady, WR, Probable
- Nathaniel Devers, OL, Out
- Nyquan Harris, DL, Out
- Aaron Dopson, DL, Out
- Donyae Moody, LB, Out
Colorado State
- Tyler Bjorklund, OL, Questionable
- Izzy Matthews, RB, Probable
- Toby McBride, DL, Questionable
- Jamal Hicks, S, Out
- E.J. Scott, WR, Out
- Deonte Clyburn, LB, Out
- Braylin Scott, S, Out
Injury reports courtesy of USA Today.
Righting the Ship
If one man knows how to get the most out of a roster, it's Marshall head coach Doc Holliday. He's rejuvenated the program and is the reason the Thundering Herd are undefeated in bowl games dating back to 2009.
Still, this might be Holliday's toughest task yet. His team has careened off the side of a cliff, losing four of their last five. The only win in there was a 30-23 escape of a .500 Western Kentucky team, and perhaps the lowest point was an odd 9-7 loss to UTSA.
"Our kids understand the only good bowls are the bowls you win," Holliday said, according to Stats LLC (via ESPN.com). "You can win that bowl game, (tight end Ryan) Yurachek can walk out of here saying, 'You know what? We won three straight bowls.'"
To keep the undefeated streak going, though, Marshall will have to come up with a counterpunch to a Colorado State attack averaging north of 500 yards a game.
That is no easy task, though Chase Litton has put together another strong season with 2,853 yards and 23 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. Backing him is a potent running game led by Tyler King (714 yards, six touchdowns, 4.7 average) and Keion Davis (671, five and 4.2).
For Marshall, the key might be running an efficient ball-control offense to keep the Rams offense off the field. The roster is experienced and capable of blocking out all the noise of a bowl game, so Holliday is right to expect big things from his guys.
Avoiding the Upset
The Rams collapsed in unexpected fashion to close the year, losing four games in a row starting at the end of October to finish the year 1-4. In the process, they didn't look anything like the team that went 6-2 to start the season, one of those losses a respectable 41-23 margin on the road at the hands of then-No. 1 Alabama.
Colorado State's offense produces fireworks. Nick Stevens has completed 63.6 percent of his passes on the way to 3,479 yards and 27 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions. Wideout Michael Gallup is one of the best at his position in the nation and has turned 94 catches into 1,345 yards and seven touchdowns.
Interestingly enough, Gallup's incredible performance this year while earning the attention of the NFL has overshadowed the work of running back Dalyn Dawkins, who has 1,349 yards and eight touchdowns on a 6.2 per-carry average.
Yet despite all the gaudy numbers, Colorado State head coach Mike Bobo isn't shy about addressing the upset potential here.
"An opponent like Marshall I’ve got a lot of respect for, they’ve done a great job with that program," Bobo said, according to Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Post. "Coach (Doc) Holliday, I’ve known him for a long time from his days at Florida on the recruiting trail. It’s a talented football team."
The Rams know all about this, though, having lost three bowl games in a row—a stark contrast to Marshall's postseason success. Lining up and executing what has worked so far this year should see them through, but if that were so simple, they wouldn't have stumbled down the stretch.
Prediction
There is a slight allure here to picking the upset because the Rams lost offensive coordinator Will Friend to a different coaching job.
But at this point in the season, Friend's replacement has to come in and keep telling Stevens and Gallup to do what they've been doing—and few players in the country can line up and stop Gallup.
Marshall's inability to score with consistency or slow most opponents to close the season is a big red flag here. The Rams have a balanced attack, making big plays possible because defenders have just enough pause on fakes to hurt them.
This is one of those games where a player makes himself a household name, so keep an eye on Gallup as he puts the Rams ahead and then his strong running game sits on the ball.
Prediction: Colorado State 27, Marshall 20
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