Cure Bowl: Western Kentucky tries to get a fourth-straight bowl win
AutoNation Cure Bowl
Western Kentucky (6-6) vs. Georgia State (6-5)
Dec. 16, 2:30 p.m. ET, Orlando (CBS Sports Network)
WKU -6.5, O/U: 52
HOW THESE TEAMS GOT HERE:
Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers like losing streaks. That’s not a good omen for Saturday. WKU lost in Weeks 2 and 3 vs. Illinois and Louisiana Tech. After winning four-straight games, a three-game losing streak vs. Florida Atlantic, Vanderbilt and Marshall followed. A win against Middle Tennessee State made the Hilltoppers bowl eligible, but they ended the season with a 41-17 loss to Florida International.
Georgia State: The Panthers made a bowl game despite having its game against Memphis canceled because of the Hurricane Irma scheduling shuffle. Georgia State really doesn’t have a signature win on the slate and it’s got a couple of bad losses. The Panthers opened the season with a loss to Tennessee State and ended the season with a loss against Idaho. GSU’s five wins over FBS teams came over opponents with a combined 15 wins.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Mike White, QB, WKU: The former South Florida quarterback has thrown for 3,826 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2017. Those stats are down significantly in coach Mike Sanford’s first year with the team. In now-Purdue coach Jeff Brohm’s offensive system a year ago, White threw for 4,363 yards (on 62 fewer completions) and averaged more than three yards more an attempt. White has to carry the offensive load for WKU because the team’s run game is anemic.
Penny Hart, WR, Georgia State: The redshirt sophomore wide receiver will be playing in the NFL in the near future. Hart has 73 catches for 1,094 yards and eight touchdowns — statistics that are nearly identical to the ones he put up in 2015. As a freshman, Hart had 71 catches for 1,099 yards and eight scores. He missed most of the 2016 season.
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH: Because it’s college football. And both teams are under the guidance of first-year head coaches. Sanford is a former offensive coordinator at Notre Dame while Georgia State coach Shawn Elliott is in his first year with the program.
WHAT’S ON THE LINE: Georgia State is making its second Cure Bowl appearance — and second bowl appearance overall. The Panthers lost to San Jose State two years ago. Western Kentucky is going for its fourth-straight Bowl win in its third-straight bowl game in Florida.
PREDICTIONS
Nick: Western Kentucky 37, Georgia State 17
Sam: Western Kentucky 31, Georgia State 20
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
