What: International Bowl
Who: Rutgers (7-5) vs. Ball State (7-5)
Where: Rogers Centre, Toronto
When: Saturday, noon
WagerWeb.com line: Rutgers -10.5 (60.5)
The Mid-American Conference's Ball State Cardinals will be making their first bowl appearance in more than 11 years when they face the Big East's Rutgers Scarlet Knights north of the border.
Rutgers will be attempting to end a disappointing season on a positive note; more was expected of the Scarlet Knights after finishing last season 11-2.
Junior RB Ray Rice had a stellar year for Rutgers, however. He finished third in the country with 1,732 yards and 20 touchdowns; he had nine 100-yard games.
And he could be in line for a big game as the Cardinals have allowed five teams to rush for 200 yards and two more to rush for at least 175. Ball State ranks 100th nationally in allowing 197.0 yards rushing per game, while Rice and Rutgers are 31st in the country, averaging 190.2 on the ground.
Rice, who has picked up at least 110 rushing yards in seven straight games, hasn't decided whether he will turn pro after the season.
"I definitely can't say I've decided at all," Rice said. "I'm actually focusing on Ball State. And since I still have that option of coming back, that doesn't make the game the deciding factor for me."QB Mike Teel had a decent year, throwing 2,844 yards with 17 touchdowns against 12 interception Teel has a pair of solid receivers, Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood. Both have eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark and have combined for 13 touchdowns this year.
Ball State's offense revolves around QB Nate Davis. He passed for 3,376 yards, breaking the school record for passing touchdowns with 27 and tossing just six interceptions.
"He's a playmaker," safety Devin McCourty said of Davis, the MAC's leading passer. "Watching him on film, you can see he has the ability to scramble out of the pocket and make plays on the run."
Davis is a dual-threat talent who also rushed for nearly 200 yards and five touchdowns. In three games against BCS-league opponents this season, Davis has thrown for 921 yards, five TDs and four interceptions.
He has six games with at least three TD passes and has thrown for at least one in every game. His top receiving threat is junior Dante Love, who hauled in 87 passes for 1,229 yards and nine scores.
Unfortunately for Davis on Co., however, the Rutgers pass defense ranks second in the nation in yards allowed per game.
Ball State doesn't try to run the ball much, having reached 100 yards rushing as a team just twice in the past six games.This is Rutgers' third consecutive bowl game and fourth in the school's 138-year history. Last year the Knights collected their first ever bowl win by pounding Kansas State, 37-10 in the Texas Bowl. As for the Cardinals, they last made a bowl appearance during the 1996 season when they lost to Nevada, 18-15 at the Las Vegas Bowl. In five bowl appearances, the Cardinals have lost four times and posted a tie.
Prediction: Rutgers is 27-18-1 all time vs. MAC teams while Ball State is 0-37 all-time against teams from BCS conferences. That makes the winner fairly obvious. Rutgers 31, Ball State 20.
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