Arkansas State QB Ryan Aplin (photo courteys of ASU Sports Information)
QB Ryan Aplin (#16) and the Arkansas State Red Wolves head to Mobile, Alabama’s Ladd Peebles Stadium Sunday evening for a clash of conference champions with the Northern Illinois Huskies. Kickoff is slated for 9 p.m. on ESPN!
GoDaddy.com Bowl
Arkansas State Red Wolves (10-2)
vs. Northern Illinois Huskies (10-3)
When: Sunday, January 8, 2012, 9 p.m.
Where: Mobile, Ala.
TV: ESPN
Series: Huskies lead 6-1
Last Meeting: 1996, Huskies won 31-30 in Jonesboro, Ark.
Line: Arkansas State -1.5
Go Daddy!
The BIG DADDIES of the Sun Belt Conference this year are the Arkansas State Red Wolves. Not only the conference champs, but also the first team in Sun Belt history to win 10 games! Oh yes, Danica Patrick – GoDaddy.com spokesmodel, er, person – would be proud. As the Red Wolves have 10 more “W’s” this year than she has on the NASCAR circuit. Nonetheless, Northern Illinois actually has the upper hand in this one. ASU Coach Huge Freeze is off to Ole Miss, thus the Huskies are in less transitional flux.
PREDICTION: NORTHERN ILLINOIS 34-21
MUST KNOW INFO
NIU ranks ninth nationally in averaging 488 total yards of offense per game and eighth in rushing for 255 a game, while ASU comes in at 26th nationally in averaging 450 total yards of offense per game.
Northern Illinois QB Chandler Harnish (photo by Scott Walstrom/NIU Media Services)
BOWL BUSTER
Northern Illinois redshirt senior QB Chandler Harnish is the winner of the MAC’s Vern Smith Leadership Award, which is presented annually to the conference’s top football player. He ranks 15th nationally in both passing efficiency and rushing.
