The Sun Belt and Mountain West conferences will square off in the 2019 Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl. Wyoming and Georgia State both had surprising upsets this season and now will try to end the season with a win.
Georgia State Panthers (7-5)
Georgia State opened up their season with an upset win over Tennessee and got to seven wins on the season. They beat two bowl-eligible teams this season. Their losses to Texas State and UL Monroe gave them two defeats to teams with less than a .500 record.
The Panthers score 32.4 points per game, ranking 42nd in the country. They pass for 201.8 yards (ranked 93rd) and rush for 245.2 yards per game (ranked 14th).
Dan Ellington has been a star at quarterback for the Panthers and is even playing on a torn ACL. He has 2,291 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions on 65 percent completion. Georgia State has five receivers with over 200 receiving yards this season. Cornelius McCoy is their leading receiver with 65 receptions for 679 yards and three touchdowns.
Their leading rushing is Tra Barnett, who has 1,389 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Ellington is the team’s second-leading rusher and had 598 yards to go with five rushing touchdowns.
The defense allows 36.1 points per game, which ranks 120th in the country. They allow 238.3 passing yards (ranked 85th) and 211.6 passing yards per game (ranked 116th). Trajan Stephens-McQueen has been a star linebacker for the Panthers with 97 total tackles this season.
Wyoming Cowboys (7-5)
Craig Bohl has made Wyoming into a consistent program with another bowl appearance. This season they upset Missouri and also beat Nevada for their wins over bowl-eligible teams. All five of their losses came to bowl-eligible teams this season.
The Cowboys have the 96th-best scoring offense at 24.3 points per game. They rush for 208.5 yards (ranked 26th) and pass for 128 yards per game (ranked 125th).
A few players have been under center for Wyoming this year, but Sean Chambers has been the most recent starter. He has 915 passing yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions on 43 percent completion. Wyoming has three players who have over 200 receiving yards this season. Those three players are Raghib Ismail Jr., Austin Conway and Josh Harshman.
Xazavian Valladay is the leading rusher for the Cowboys this season with 1,061 yards and five touchdowns. Chambers is the team’s second-leading rusher with 567 yards and 10 touchdowns on the year.
Wyoming allows 17.8 points per game, which ranks 11th in the country. They allow 99.4 rushing yards (ranked sixth) and 265.1 passing yards per game (ranked 111th). Safety Alijah Halliburton has been all over the field for the Cowboys with 119 total tackles.
Prediction
Wyoming’s defense will be too much for Georgia State. Their offense should be able to score just enough and the defense will hold on for the rest of the game.
Wyoming Cowboys 16 Georgia State Panthers 13
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