Ohio vs. Utah State: Breaking Down the 2011 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

You won't find many other bowl games that have a more entertaining name than the Potato Bowl, but the question is, can Ohio and Utah State actually make this game as entertaining as its moniker?

Boise isn't exactly a great December vacation destination, as it's sure to be a little bit chilly up there in Idaho on Saturday afternoon, but both of these teams have the type of offensive playmakers, with guys like Utah State RB Robert Turbin and Ohio QB Tyler Tettleton, to really heat up Bronco Stadium.

This matchup has the chance to be pretty fun if both offenses play up to their potential, and it should be interesting to see how the Aggies will perform in their first postseason appearance since 1997.

Here's a breakdown of how both of these teams stack up in the key areas of the game.

Offense

This year, everyone around Utah State was eager to see how RB Robert Turbin would perform after returning from a serious knee injury that cost him the entire 2010 season.

As it turns out, Turbin didn’t miss a beat, as he racked 1,416 yards on the ground and scored 23 total touchdowns.

Turbin is truly one of the hidden gems of college football, and he's the true catalyst for Utah State's offensive success.

This year, the Aggies surprised everyone with how productive they were on offense, as they led the WAC in scoring offense with 34.5 points per game. 

Ohio has a few key offensive playmakers of its own, like QB Tyler Tettleton and WR LaVon Brazill, but Turbin is the most dangerous offensive weapon playing in this game—if he performs likes he's capable of, the Bobcats are going to have a tough time trying to slow him down.

Edge: Utah State

Defense

Neither of these defenses can exactly be categorized as "dominant," but if you look over the defensive statistics of both teams, you'll see that Ohio's defense has been just a little more stout this season.

Ohio has allowed 22.1 points per game and 354 yards per game this year, while Utah State has given up 28.3 points and 368 yards per game.

Leading the way for the Bobcats is one of the most underrated defensive players in the country, LB Noah Keller, who racked up 105 total tackles and seven tackles for loss in 2011.

Keller has been the lynchpin of a unit that has had to do some growing up this year, but as the season wore on, the defense continued to gel, and now it's at least a formidable group.

Edge: Ohio

Special Teams

Here's a look at the key special-teams numbers for both teams.

Utah State

Field-Goal Percentage: 6-of-10 (60%)
Yards per Punt: 44
Yards per Kick Return: 23.4
Yards per Punt Return: 8.2

Ohio

Field-Goal Percentage: 24-of-33 (72.7%)
Yards per Punt: 38
Yards per Kick Return: 21.7
Yards per Punt Return: 8.3

Edge: Ohio

Intangibles

Any time you see a team like Utah State make it to its first bowl game in over a decade, you always have to raise concerns about how the team's lack of postseason experience will play a role in the game (just look at what happened to Baylor against Illinois last year).

Ohio may be 0-2 in its last two bowl appearances, but the fact that the Bobcats have been to the postseason the last two years is definitely an advantage for them.

Edge: Ohio

Coaching

Utah State coach Gary Andersen has done a remarkable job with the Aggies in his third year at the helm, as he's managed to guide the team to its first bowl berth since 1997.

The season started off in encouraging, yet disappointing fashion, as Utah State came so close to pulling off an upset of defending national champion Auburn in the season-opener before giving up a double-digit lead late in the game.

The Aggies managed to recover from that heartbreaking defeat, though, and behind the play of RB Robert Turbin and a surprisingly explosive offense, they put together their first winning season in over a decade. A lot of the credit has to go to Andersen, who could become a hot coaching commodity in the coming years if he keeps building up Utah State. 

Edge: Utah State

Prediction

In my opinion, the real key factor in this game will be Ohio's attitude. The Bobcats are still reeling after a heartbreaking loss in the MAC championship game, and it will be interesting to see what their mindset will be for this game.

You do have to factor in that Utah State's lack of postseason experience could be somewhat of a hindrance, but it helps that they have the type of dangerous offense that can explode at a moment's notice.

The Bobcats have the type of offensive weapons, with guys like QB Tyler Tettleton, RB Donte Harden and WR LaVon Brazill, to keep pace with Utah State's offense—but if they get stuck sulking and looking back on that loss in the conference championship game, they could find themselves down in a hurry.

When looking at this game, what really stands out to me is Utah State coach Gary Andersen, and I like the type of momentum that his team finished the season with, as the Aggies reeled off five straight wins to end the year.

I could see this one going either way, but I'm going to stick with the team with the most positive energy right now, and that's Utah State.

Prediction: Utah State 38, Ohio 31