International Bowl: Rutgers vs. Ball State

Analysis
The second pairing of the International Bowl is an interesting match-up between an upset-minded Ball State team and a Rutgers squad looking to close out another solid season in the Greg Schiano era with a victory. With a victory over the Cardinals, the Scarlet Knights would post back-to-back victories in bowl games for the first time in school history.

In order for the Cardinals to pull off the victory, defense will have to be the name of the game. Scarlet Knights running back Ray Rice has totaled 100 rushing yards or more in seven straight games, and he will be facing a Cardinal defense that has struggled against the run all year. Rice is the workhorse for this offense, but quarterback Mike Teel has thrown for 250 yards or more in eight games this season. Turnovers are critical for both sides, but the Cardinals picked off 18 passes this season and will likely need to force some turnovers to stay in this game. 

Considering Rice has been difficult to contain this season, the Cardinals may need to score on every possession. Quarterback Nate Davis is having a solid season, throwing for 27 touchdowns to only six interceptions, and under his guidance the offense has scored below 20 points only twice all year long. The Scarlet Knights secondary was the best in the Big East, but stopping Davis, receiver Dante Love and tight end Darius Hill will be a challenge.

Davis and his Cardinals teammates will not be intimated by the Scarlet Knights, especially considering they’ve played on the road against Nebraska, Illinois and Michigan over the past two seasons. Although the Scarlet Knights are clearly the better team on paper, the Cardinals have more to play for and would like nothing more than to claim their first bowl victory in school history.

Breakdown: Rutgers
Campus Location: Piscataway, N.J.
Distance to Toronto: 496 miles
All-Time Bowl Game Record: 1–2
2007 Season: 7–5, 3–4 Big East

NCAA Rankings (yards/points per game totals):
Rush Offense: 31 (190)
Pass Offense: 43 (247)
Scoring Offense: 42 (31)
Rush Defense: 62 (156)
Pass Defense: 2 (161)
Scoring Defense: 29 (22)
Turnover Margin: 92 (-0.50)

Additional Notes:
By accepting a bid to the International Bowl, this will mark the first time in Rutgers history they have played in three consecutive bowl games … Receivers Tiquan Underwood and Kenny Britt both topped the 1,000-yard mark this season, which is the first time in Big East history two receivers from the same team had over 1,000 receiving yards in the same season … Running back Ray Rice currently sits in second place in school history with 276 points scored in his career.

Breakdown: Ball State
Campus Location: Muncie, Ind.
Distance to Toronto: 512 miles
All-Time Bowl Game Record: 0-3
2007 Season: 7–5, 5–2 MAC

NCAA Rankings (yards/points per game totals):
Rush Offense: 66 (147)
Pass Offense: 21 (284)
Scoring Offense: 38 (32)
Rush Defense: 99 (197)
Pass Defense: 50 (222)
Scoring Defense: 57 (26)
Turnover Margin: 3 (1.42)

Additional Notes:
Ball State tallied seven wins for the first time since 1996, when they finished 8-4 … Quarterback Nate Davis ranks 17th in the NCAA in total offense with 298 yards per game … Receiver Dante Love became the fifth player in Ball State history to top the 1,000-yard receiving mark with 1,229 on the season … Punter Chris Miller became the sixth player in Ball State history to be named to an All-America First Team ballot when he was chosen for the American Football Coaches Association All-American team.

Prediction: Rutgers by 17