The 2023 Cure Bowl features the 11-2 Miami (Ohio) RedHawks against the 8-4 Appalachian State Mountaineers. Here is the 2023 Cure Bowl Preview.
Miami won 11 games including the MAC Championship Game this season. They defeated three bowl eligible teams: Bowling Green, Ohio and Toledo. Their two losses were to bowl-eligible teams in Miami (Florida) and Toledo during the regular season.
The RedHawks score 26.9 points per game, ranking them 68th in the country. They rush for 156.2 yards (ranked 69th) and pass for 174.8 yards per game (ranked 115th).
Starting quarterback Brett Gabbert was injured and ruled out for the season. Aveon Smith has filled in, passing for 638 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 50 percent completion. Smith has entered the transfer portal, so if he doesn’t return, Henry Hasson will likely take over, although he hasn’t thrown a pass this season. Four pass-catchers have over 300 receiving yards this season. Their impact player is Gage Larvadain, who has 38 catches for 643 yards and six touchdowns in 2023.
Three players have at least 250 yards rushing for the RedHawks this season. Rashad Amos has led the team in rushing this season with 895 yards and 12 touchdowns. His backup is Kenny Tracy, who has registered 250 yards and two touchdowns. Smith has been able to use his legs from the quarterback position for 280 yards and one touchdown.
Their defense allows just 16.2 points per game, which ranks them seventh in the FBS. They concede 128.8 rushing yards (ranked 34th) and 197.2 passing yards per game (ranked 27th). Matthew Salopek and Ty Wise have both been racking up the tackles this season with 134 and 110 respectively. Caiden Woullard leads the team with 9.5 sacks and Brian Ugwu isn’t too far behind with eight himself. Yahsyn McKee has a team-high three interceptions, while Raion Strader has 12 passes defended.
Appalachian State won eight games to make their first game since 2021. They have victories over four bowl-eligible teams: Marshall, Georgia State, James Madison and Georgia Southern. All four of their losses were to teams that qualified for a bowl game.
The Mountaineers score 34.9 points per game, which is tied for 19th in the FBS. They average 278.4 passing yards (ranked 24th) and 171.9 rushing yards per game (ranked 50th).
Joe Aguilar has been the starting quarterback for the Mountaineers this season. He has 3,546 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 64.3 percent completion. Seven players have at least 300 receiving yards on the year for Appalachian State. Kaedin Robinson is the leading receiver with 59 catches for 787 yards and 10 touchdowns. Christan Horn has also been impressive with 34 catches for 544 yards and six touchdowns.
Nate Noel leads the team in rushing with 834 yards and five touchdowns. Two other running backs have over 300 yards. Kanye Roberts has tallied 648 yards and seven touchdowns, while Maquel Haywood has 318 yards and two touchdowns.
The defense allows 27.9 points per game, which is 80th in the country. They give up 178.1 rushing yards (ranked 110th) and 212.3 passing yards per game (ranked 45th). Andrew Parker leads the team with 103 total tackles. Nate Johnson has a team-high 7.5 sacks. Tyrek Funderburk has been a standout in the secondary with eight passes defended and four interceptions.
Miami has the running game and the defense to win this game. They can benefit from some extra time before the bowl game to design plays to get the ball to Larvadain as well. The RedHawks can pull off the upset.
Miami (Ohio) RedHawks 25 Appalachian State Mountaineers 22
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