College football's extra season continues tonight as the Military Bowl will see the Toledo Rockets take on the Air Force Falcons. In a matchup of high-scoring offenses, the game is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. start and will be televised nationally on ESPN. Currently the odds have Toledo favored by a field goal at -3 while the total is being set at 70.5 points. In what should be a high offensive affair, both teams will be looking to end the season on a high note.
Free Analysis: Toledo head coach Tim Beckman has left the team since the regular season ended for Illinois but offensive coordinator Matt Campbell is still in charge of the team. The Rockets enter tonight's game as the 8th ranked scoring team in the country at just over 42 points per game. Air Force averages 34 points per game and head coach Troy Calhoun is still calling the shots. That's important for the Falcons, who are playing in their fifth straight bowl game under their head coach. Gotta think that AF quarterback Tim Jefferson is going to play a major role in tonight's contest. The Falcons are second in the FBS at rushing yards per game at just over 320 per game and Asher Clark leads the way with 1,096 rushing yards, while Mike DeWitt has run for 543 and Jefferson at 492. Both DeWitt and Jefferson have 10 touchdown runs on the season, posing a threat for the Rocket defense. However, Toledo has been very good against the run this season giving up just 123 yards per game. The Rocket secondary, on the other hand, is just awful, ranking 109th out of 120 FBS schools in pass defense at 277.9. Air Force doesn't necessarily throw the ball a lot but they've proven to this point in the year that they can be successful at doing so. Jefferson is making his 43rd straight start so experience isn't a problem there. Toledo QB Terrance Owens has made just two starts this season after filling in for injured starter of Austin Dantin. Both have thrown for 15 touchdown passes this season. Owens has come on strong since Dantin's injury, completing 80.2 percent of his passes for 860 yards with nine touchdowns and one INT in the last three games. He'll be throwing to a very good wideout in Eric Page, who ranks third in the nation with 112 receptions for 1,123 yards and 10 TDs. Toledo can also run the ball very well. Adonis Thomas has totaled 648 rushing yards and eight TDs in the team's last four games. Thomas leads the Rockets in rushing with 963 yards and is tied with Morgan Williams for the team lead with 11 touchdown runs for the season. That's bad news for Air Force, which ranks 113th in the country in rushing defense, giving up almost 230 yards a game.
Free Pick: Toledo's balanced offense is going to come through in a big way tonight. I like both the running ability and the Rockets pass offense. Toledo can flat out score any way possible which I think gives them an edge. Air Force is a great running team, as usual, but I don't think they're going to bring the dynamic threat to beat Toledo tonight. Sure, both teams should be able to score points, so I think the total of 70 is pretty attainable. Entirely confident in the Rockets tonight, especially laying just a field goal. Air Force brings an offense that can obviously take some time off the clock, which could be a problem with the total. I think the best position here tonight is on Toledo as they're overall the better team in my opinion.
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