Ohio @ Troy preview
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
The Skinny: Troy and Ohio fell short of their ultimate goals, but will get a chance to go out with a victory when they meet at the New Orleans Bowl on Dec.18.
Both the Trojans and Bobcats earned at-large bowl bids out of the Sun Belt and MAC, respectively. Troy (7-5, 6-2 Sun Belt) had to settle for a share of the Sun Belt title and has either won the conference outright or shared the conference title five consecutive seasons. The Trojans only earned a share of the title due to Florida International’s season-ending loss to Middle Tennessee.
Ohio (8-4, 6-2 MAC East) started the season 1-3, which included a loss to Toledo in its conference opener. The Bobcats then reeled off seven straight wins and were a victory away from the MAC title game before losing to Kent State in their season finale.
Ohio essentially earned this bid with its win over Temple. Both the Bobcats and Owls went 8-4 this season, but the Bobcats won the head-to-head and the Owls are one of two bowl eligible teams that did not get a bid.
Point Spread: The Trojans are a slight 1.5-point favorite and the oddsmakers expect some fireworks with the over/under total at 58.
Troy’s Edge: Troy has a balanced offense and ranks 24th in the country in total offense at 441.08 yards per game. The Trojans don’t just rack up yards, they put up points too, scoring nearly 33 per game (32.92) to rank 27th in the country.
Ohio’s Edge: The Bobcats are solid on defense and special teams, a pretty good combination that helps out any offense.
Ohio ranks 14th in rushing defense (115.0 yards) and 28th in total defense allowing 332.67 yards. The Bobcats also led the MAC and rank ninth in the country in net punting at 39.36 yards.
The Quarterbacks: Troy’s Corey Robinson had a solid season, throwing for 3,320 yards and 24 touchdowns with 15 interceptions.
His favorite target is Jerrel Jernigan who has 74 receptions for 755 yards and five touchdowns. If the Trojans win this game it is likely Jernigan will have his fingerprints all over it as he has a pair of rushing scores, a punt return touchdown and a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown this season.
While Robinson could win it for Troy, Ohio likely just wants Boo Jackson to be steady and not lose it.
Robinson completed 60 percent of his passes this season but threw for only 1,688 yards and 15 touchdowns with 16 interceptions. Limiting mistakes and keeping Robinson and Jernigan off the field will be key for Ohio.
NFL Prospects: Troy – WR Jernigan; RB DuJuan Harris. Ohio –CB Julian Posey; DT Ernie Hodge
Bowl History: The Bobcats will be playing in their fifth bowl game and their third under coach Frank Solich. Ohio is 0-4 in bowl games and lost the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit last year 21-17 to Marshall.
Troy is making its fifth bowl appearance in the last seven years. The Trojans fell in double overtime to Central Michigan in last year's GMAC Bowl.
Etc: The Trojans and Bobcats had two common opponents during the 2010 season. Both teams played and defeated Bowling Green and UL Lafayette.