The 2023 Camellia Bowl features the 6-6 Arkansas State Red Wolves against the 6-6 Northern Illinois Huskies. Here is the 2023 Camellia Bowl Preview.
The Red Wolves won six games to qualify for their first bowl game since 2019. They defeated two bowl-eligible teams this season: Louisiana and Texas State. All six losses were to bowl-eligible teams.
The offense scores 27.8 points per game, ranking 63rd in the country. They pass for 224 yards (ranked 65th) and rush for 151.5 yards per game (ranked 74th).
Freshman quarterback Jaylen Raynor has impressed in his first season. He has passed for 2,300 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions on 58.8 percent completion. Three players have over 500 receiving yards on the year. Courtney Jackson, Corey Rucker and Jeff Foreman have played well with 658, 598 and 521 receiving yards respectively.
Three running backs have over 300 rushing yards for Arkansas State. Ja’Quez Cross rushed for 688 yards and seven touchdowns to lead the team in both categories. Zak Wallace has backed him up with 556 yards and six touchdowns. Raynor has done some damage from the quarterback position with 324 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
Defensively, they allow 31.2 points per game, which ranks 104th in the country. They give up 261.7 passing yards (ranked 119th) and 183.8 rushing yards per game (ranked 115th). Charles Willekes, Javante Mackey and Trevian Thomas all have over 80 tackles on the season. Nate Martey leads the team with six sacks. Samy Johnson has a team-high with 13 passes defended.
Northern Illinois won six games to make their first bowl game since 2021. They have victories over three bowl-eligible teams: Boston College, Ohio and Eastern Michigan. The Huskies lost to an FCS team (Southern Illinois) and then four other losses were to teams who didn’t make bowl games.
They score 25.3 points per game, which ranks them 82nd in the country. The Huskies pass for 186.3 yards (ranked 107th) and rush for 178.8 yards per game (ranked 115th).
Rocky Lombardi returned as quarterback for Northern Illinois this season. He has passed for 2,074 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions on 57.4 percent completion. Three receivers have over 300 yards on the season. Top receiver Trayvon Rudolph is in the transfer portal. That means Kacper Rutkiewicz and Grayson Barners, the other top receivers, will need to step up.
Antario Brown has led the way in the running game for the Huskies. He has 1,164 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. Behind him, Gavin Williams has amassed 448 yards and three touchdowns.
Their defense allows 21.2 points per game, ranking them 28th in the country. They give up 152.3 rushing yards (ranked 68th) and 164.6 passing yards per game (ranked sixth). Raishein Thomas leads the team with 69 total tackles. James Ester has four sacks, which is good enough to lead the team. Javaughn Byrd has had a good season in the secondary with five passes defended an two interceptions.
Even with Rudolph in the portal, NIU still has a defense to cover up for their offense if they can’t score a ton. Rocky Lombardi will use his arm an his legs to get the Huskies the win.
Northern Illinois Huskies 24 Arkansas State Red Wolves 18
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