Northern Illinois and the University of Alabama Birmingham will meet up in the Boca Raton Bowl on Tuesday night at FAU Stadium.
UAB won the Conference USA with a 10–3 record, while Northern Illinois went 8–3 as the Mid-American Conference champions.
The Blazers have the stronger offense in this matchup and will look to sophomore running back Spencer Brown to help lead the way. Brown tallied 1,152 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns this season. Northern Illinois is seen as the underdog and could struggle going up against the Blazers's defense, which ranks as the 11th-best in the nation.After a five-game slate to kick off the FBS bowl season last weekend was followed by a two-day break to clear the way for NFL action, Tuesday marks the resumption of the bowl schedule, with only a few interruptions between now and New Year’s Day. Every morning there are bowls on, we’ll be setting them up here.
To get you ready for tonight’s action, we’ve compiled a handy, digestible guide to the game for those needing a primer on two conference champions.
CHERIBUNDI BOCA RATON BOWL: NORTHERN ILLINOIS VS. UAB (7 P.M. ET, ESPN)
Why You Should Tune In: UAB’s success is the most underrated story of this college football season and it isn’t close. The school’s president, Ray Watts, terminated the football program after the 2014 season in an effort to save money. Public outrage ensued, drumming up interest and financial support in the program, and after a two-year hiatus the Blazers returned to the field last season, then promptly went 8–5 while relying heavily on underclassmen and JUCO transfers. This year, UAB won its first Conference USA championship and have a shot at the first bowl win in school history. They’re led by bruising sophomore running back Spencer Brown and a strong front seven. Northern Illinois won a conference title of its own, storming back from 13 down to beat Buffalo by a point to win the MAC.
NIU somehow won its conference despite having one of the worst passing games in the country. The Huskies are 125th in passing S&P+; the next-worst team that will play in a bowl is Miami at 112. In their first 12 games, quarterback Marcus Childers threw for 1,696 yards (141.3 per game) with 11 touchdowns and nine picks. So, of course, he had 300 yards and four touchdowns against Buffalo. This Huskies team is also run-heavy (Childers is a weapon with his legs) and possesses a great defense. Junior defensive end and SI All-America first-teamer Sutton Smith leads the nation with 15 solo sacks after getting four against Western Michigan in the regular season finale and two against the Bulls. —Will Ragatz
Draft Prospect to Watch: Smith dominated his competition in his last two seasons and was named a first-time AP All-American. Despite a lack of size, and facing double teams, he still had 63 quarterback pressures. There isn’t a defensive end (listed at 6’ 0", 225 lbs) at the NFL level that is as small as Smith, so a position change may be in order once he reaches the league.