WKU vs Appalachian State: RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl Prediction, Game Preview

Pete Fiutak

December 13, 2021, 4:36 PM·5 min read

WKU vs Appalachian State: RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, December 18

WKU vs Appalachian State: RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl How To Watch

Date: Saturday, December 18
Game Time: 11:00 am ET
Venue: FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
Network: ESPN, Live stream on ESPN+
Records: Appalachian State (10-3), WKU (8-5)

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WKU vs Appalachian State RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl Preview

– If you’re looking for defense, wait for one of the other five bowl games over the rest of the day. It’s an early morning Saturday game that should crank up the offense and big plays right away with two of the most interesting attacks in college football.

– WKU had a stagnant attack last year, so head coach Tyson Helton imported the stars from the transfer portal to make his offense go from okay to amazing, leading the nation in passing offense and finishing No. 2 behind Ohio State in scoring. Star offensive coordinator Zach Kittley might be off to do the same thing at Texas Tech, but the WKU offense should still roll.

– The O goes fast, fast, fast and scores in bunches, but there’s no controlling the clock and – as UTSA showed in its win in the Conference USA Championship – the Hilltopper defense isn’t exactly a brick wall. QB Bailey Zappe and company will have to bomb their way to a win.

– Appalachian State lost the Sun Belt Championship, but the offense is balanced behind a great offensive line. Unlike WKU, the team has no problems controlling the clock and owning the pace. The only negative here for the Mountaineers is actually one of their biggest positives – the defense is built around stopping the run, and WKU doesn’t use the ground game.

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Why WKU Will Win The RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl

Passing, passing, and more passing.

Appalachian State hasn’t dealt with a whole slew of high-powered passing teams, and it struggled with those that could throw a bit. It was good for giving up at least 200 yards per game on the year, but the pass rush and playmaking on third downs helped keep the damage to a minimum.

Welcome to the Bailey Zappe show.

WKU spreads everyone out. goes 100 miles per hour, and the yards roll from there. The offense hit the 500-yard mark in two of the last three games, and there’s even a ground game, too – at least once in a while.

The offense will get the most attention, but the defensive side makes up for its issues with a whole lot of big plays. WKU was fourth in the nation in takeaways, and Appalachian State turns it over a whole lot.

It’s not like Zappe needs the extra possessions.

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Why Appalachian State Will Win The RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl

Grind, grind, grind.

WKU might strike quickly and efficiently, but it’ll also give up rushing yards in big chunks. The O flirted with 600 passing yards against UTSA, but the team lost the Conference USA Championship because the D allowed 304 rushing yards and five scores.

Appalachian State isn’t going to be tricky about this. It’s going to run early, run often, and it’s not going to take a lot of chances as the deep and talented backfield works in a good rotation to not only rip off big runs, but also grind out the clock a bit.

UTSA held the ball for almost 37 minutes in its win over the Hilltoppers. Army is an outlier with its offense, but it controlled the clock for almost 40 minutes in its victory, and even Indiana was able to keep the offense on the field for over 38 minutes.

No, this won’t be like last year’s performance by Appalachian State against North Texas in the Myrtle Beach Bowl – running for 500 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 13 yards per carry in the 56-28 win – but there will be a whole lot of home runs hit.

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WKU vs Appalachian State: RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl, What’s Going To Happen

There’s no way you won’t have fun with this bowl.

It’s right out of the gate early on a huge Saturday of games. By the time most of the people on the West Coast wake up, there should already be a few hundred yards and dozens of points on the board.

Appalachian State has to control the turnovers. If it doesn’t start giving the ball up in chunks, it’ll be fine with the running game taking over. The WKU offense will have its fun, but it’ll also go three-and-out in a hurry once in a while, and that should be the sliver of a break that App State needs.

WKU will throw for 400, Appalachian State will run for 300, and the Sun Belt program that’s 6-0 all-time in bowl games will keep the streak going.

RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl: WKU vs Appalachian State Prediction, Lines

Appalachian State 44, WKU 37
Line: Appalachian State -3, o/u: 68
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
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