Middle Tennessee @ Western Michigan preview

POPEYES BAHAMAS BOWL STORYLINES

1. Both Middle Tennessee and Western Michigan ended their regular seasons on a good note and look prepared to put up a boatload of points in the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl on Christmas Eve. Led by quarterback Brent Stockstill, who set the Conference USA passing record for a freshman with 3,678 yards, the Blue Raiders overcame a 3-5 start with four straight wins down the stretch, the last two by a combined 69 points. The Broncos' balanced attack ranked second in the Mid-American Conference in total offense and helped get the squad past then-No. 24 Toledo 35-30 in the finale of the regular season Nov. 27.

2. Western Michigan features a dynamic receiving duo in Daniel Braverman and Corey Davis, the first tandem in the nation to go over 1,100 receiving yards in the same season since 2012. The pair combined for 23 touchdowns and helped lead a Broncos' offensive attack that ranks second in the nation in time of possession (34.5 minutes per game). Junior quarterback Zach Terrell threw for 3,225 yards, third in the MAC, with 27 touchdowns against eight interceptions, five of which occurred in the first two games of the season.

3. The Blue Raiders' defense struggled early on but was pivotal in slamming the door on opponents down the stretch, limiting their last two foes to a combined 14 points. Linebacker T.T. Barber (11.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks) and safety Kevin Byard (four interceptions in 11 games) were both all-conference selections for a unit that tied for second in the league in picks with 16. Offensively, the run game left something to be desired, averaging 3.7 yards per carry and failing to get a single player over 500 yards on the ground.

TV: Noon ET, ESPN. LINE: Western Michigan -3.5

ABOUT MIDDLE TENNESSEE (7-5, 6-2 C-USA): Stockstill is the son of head coach Rick Stockstill, who has guided the program to five bowl games since taking over in 2006 but hasn't won one since the New Orleans Bowl in 2009. With his son in the fold and another freshman - wide receiver Richie James - as the other offensive star, the future is bright. James is one of three wideouts in FBS play to record 100 catches and one of 14 to reach the 1,200-yard mark.

ABOUT WESTERN MICHIGAN (7-5, 6-2 MAC): Head coach P.J. Fleck's name often comes up in discussions of coaching vacancies, and he will get a chance on national television to show off the progress he has made at Western Michigan. "This was kind of the year of the 'nevers,'" Fleck recently told the Detroit Free Press. "We’ve never been to back-to-back bowl games. We’re doing that. We never beat a Top 25 team. We’ve done that. We’ve never had back-to-back-to-back No. 1 (MAC) recruiting classes three years in a row. We’re doing that. But now, it’s a chance to have our first bowl win in the history of the program." Terrell threw for three touchdowns - all of them to Davis - in last year's loss to Air Force in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.



PREDICTION: Western Michigan 45, Middle Tennessee 40