The inaugural Boca Raton Bowl takes place tonight in college football action when the Northern Illinois Huskies take on the Marshall Thundering Herd. The game is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN. Currently the odds for the game have Marshall favored by a comfortable margin to get the win.
Marshall nearly ran the table this season, but ultimately fell short by a 2-point conversion in their final regular season game against Western Kentucky. Now the Thundering Herd have to find a way to get mentally and physically prepared for this game after falling short of some lofty goals. They're laying more than a touchdown in this one against a pretty solid Northern Illinois team, but it's not the same Husky team of recent years that had a potential Heisman contender at quarterback. Marshall was able to rally up and knocked off Louisiana Tech in the Conference USA title game, so expectations should be high heading into this one.
Drew Hare is still pretty good, though. He guided a Northern Illinois team to 11 wins this season, throwing for nearly 2,100 yards and 17 touchdowns with only two interceptions. Hare also ran for 850 yards as well, scoring eight times. The dual-threat signal caller gives Northern Illinois an advantage over the competition in this one as Marshall's defense left a lot to be desired their next to last game out, surrendering nearly 70 points to the Hilltoppers. Northern Illinois' only two losses on the season came to Arkansas and Central Michigan, but Hare still played solid in both of those defeats. Marshall for the season only gave up 21 points per game,
Marshall has a great quarterback themselves in Rakeem Cato. He threw for better than 3,700 yards this season and 37 scores, adding nearly 500 yards on the ground with six more touchdowns. The Thundering Herd are no doubt one of the top offenses in all of college football, averaging 45 points per game by throwing for 287 and rushing for 275 per contest.
The Herd's big back Devon Johnson didn't play well against Louisiana Tech but ran for better than 1,600 yards and 16 scores this season. He got banged up in the Western Kentucky game but is expected to play tonight. His presence on the field is huge for Marshall as they can attack Northern Illinois both through the air and on the ground. Marshall is a very good offensive team and should be able to score points on the Huskies tonight.
Northern Illinois can score too, averaging better than 32 points a game this season. The defense was also pretty solid, allowing only 24 points per game to opponents. While this game may not end up like the Miami Beach Bowl in regards to total points, it should be an offensive showcase of two very talented team.
Free Pick: Marshall 41, Northern Illinois 31
College Football Free Picks: Northern Illinois vs Marshall
What college football bettors need to know about betting Northern Illinois Huskies vs Marshall Thundering Herd in the Boca Raton on Tuesday (12/23/14) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Teddy Covers with added insight from Pauly Howard.
$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for College basketball and the NFL with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!