Ohio @ Appalachian State preview

RAYCOM MEDIA CAMELLIA BOWL STORYLINES

1. Appalachian State will make its first bowl appearance since moving to Division I FBS when it faces Ohio in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. on Dec. 19. The Mountaineers come in with a three-game winning streak, with one of their two losses coming to No. 1 Clemson, while the Bobcats also enter having won three in a row. Ohio coach Frank Solich is a veteran of bowls, having taken the Bobcats to five straight before missing out last year, while Scott Satterfield is in his third season at the helm of the Mountaineers.

2. Appalachian State's defense has been one of the best in the country, ranking in the top 30 in total defense (318 yards per game), scoring (18.3 points), passing (184.4 yards) and rushing (133.6). Defensive lineman Ronald Blair is a beast, leading the Sun Belt with 18 tackles for loss - which ranked 11th nationally - and finishing second in the league with 7.5 sacks. Blair likes the spotlight, saving his best game of the season for the team's loss to Clemson as he recorded eight tackles, two sacks and two tackles for loss.

3. Ohio's offense has had its troubles at times this year, partially because of injury problems at quarterback. Senior Derrius Vick and junior JD Sprague both were injured late in the campaign, forcing junior Greg Windham into duty in the regular-season finale against Northern Illinois. Solich thinks all three will be healthy for the bowl game, so it will be interesting to see which of the three plays and for how long against a tough Appalachian State defense.

TV: 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Appalachian State -8

ABOUT OHIO (8-4, 5-3 Mid-American): The Bobcats have been to bowl games quite a bit under Solich, and they're hoping that's an advantage against a team making its first-ever bowl appearance. Solich says the experience of preparing for a bowl game in the past should be helpful to this year's team. "Obviously, if you practice too much, if you practice too hard, your players get beat down," he told reporters. "We know what we're doing. Hopefully, we'll get them prepared at a level that will allow them to play their best football."

ABOUT APPALACHIAN STATE (10-2, 7-1 Sun Belt): Appalachian State players and coaches are looking at the program's first bowl game as a way to build the program, to prepare next year's team to be even better. After some of their struggles during the transition to FBS, the Mountaineers want to continue to mold the team into a perennial bowl participant. "We want to carry momentum into next season," sophomore quarterback Taylor Lamb told reporters. "It's kind of looking to the future of the team."



PREDICTION: Appalachian State 34, Ohio 24