Bahamas Bowl: Western Kentucky set to put on an offensive display abroad

Miami Beach Bowl
Central Michigan (7-5) vs. Western Kentucky (7-5)
Nassau, Bahamas
Dec 24, 2014

There is probably no better reward for finishing 7-5 than heading to the Bahamas to play a bowl game.

Both teams were overjoyed at the opportunity to spend a week in the Caribbean, but will the bowl appreciate having two middling teams duke it out in Thomas Robinson Stadium?

The positive is f you were looking for a high-scoring bowl, this is it. Western Kentucky set 25 different school records this season, including total yards (6,303) and points scored (528). It comes into the game ranked third in the FBS in passing yards per game (365.0) and sixth in total offense (525.3) and scoring offense (44.0).

Most of those fantastic numbers are thanks to quarterback Brandon Doughty, who was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year after leading the FBS with school records of 4,344 passing yards and 44 touchdowns.

However, for as good as the Hilltoppers are on offense, they are equally as terrible on defense. They finished tied for 119th out of 125 FBS schools with 39.3 points allowed per game.

Central Michigan isn’t a high scoring team, but there is definitely an opportunity to put points on the board and keep pace with Western Kentucky in this game. However, it will be without running back Thomas Rawls, who will miss the game because of an academic issue. That's a huge deal considering he had 1,103 yards and 10 touchdowns despite missing three games this season. Without Rawls, the Chippewas will rely on quarterback Cooper Rush and receiver Titus Davis, the only player in FBS history to have at least eight touchdowns in four consecutive seasons, to carry the offense.

Defensively, CMU allows just 23.2 points per game and the last time these two teams met — in the 2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl — the Chippewas were able to hold the Hilltopper offense to below its average and come away with a 24-21.

Vegas odds: Western Kentucky (-3)

FUN FACT

This is the first bowl game between two universities from the United States to be played outside of the United State or Canada since Jan. 1, 1937. In that game, Auburn and Villanova tied 7-7 in the Bacardi Bowl in Cuba.

PREDICTIONS

Graham: I appreciate Central Michigan’s defense here and some of its better offensive weapons, but I don’t think it can keep pace with the Hilltoppers, who are playing with a lot of confidence right now. As long as the beautiful Caribbean views don’t distract it, Western Kentucky should win this one. Western Kentucky 42, Central Michigan 28.

Nick: Western Kentucky's air attack could be derailed because of greasy fingers from all the pregame fried chicken. But we're willing to risk the lack of wet wipes. Western Kentucky 41, Central Michigan 34.

Sam: The Chippewas haven't seen an offense that can throw the ball like Western Kentucky. WKU only got better as the season went on. I think CMU keeps it close for a while, but WKU pulls away in the fourth. Western Kentucky 42, Central Michigan 30.

For more Western Kentucky news, InsideHilltopperSports.com.

For more Central Michigan news, visit ChippewaCountry.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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