TicketCity Bowl Preview

By Guest Blogger Tyler Fenwick:

On January 1st, 2011, the TicketCity Bowl will play host to the Northwestern Wildcats and the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

The story for Northwestern has certainly been the play of Dan Persa. But that won’t be there for them against the Red Raiders, as he was injured in a thrilling win over Iowa just a couple of weeks ago.

Texas Tech then highlighted its season with a huge win over 12th ranked Missouri.

The biggest thing that popped out at me is the explosive offense of Texas Tech being compared to the hurt offense of the Wildcats.

In Northwestern’s final two games, when Evan Watkins took over for Dan Persa, the Wildcats weren’t able to do much. The passing game wasn’t there, but, maybe even worse, the running game has been invisible all year.

Who needs to have a big game? For Northwestern, this isn’t even really a question. If the Wildcats want to be in this game, Evan Watkins is going to have to elevate his game.

The Red Raiders don’t have a very strong defense, and he has an opportunity to really make a statement early.

For Texas Tech, Baron Batch needs to be on his A-game. Running the ball will be huge. If they can keep Watkins to minimul time on the field, that would more than likely put an upset out of the question.

What can we expect to see from either team? Well, starting with Texas Tech, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see them resort to a very balanced attack.

Taylor Totts is a very poised quarterback who, at times, has the ability to cover some ground with his legs.

But, like I said, this game could come down to how well Batch is able to run the ball. Without a doubt, he will be a huge part of the gameplan going into this one. As long as is able to execute, I see the Red Raiders having a very successful game.

Now, on the flip side, if Northwestern wants to stay in this one, Evan Watkins needs to be trusted with putting the ball through the air.

There is absolutely no ground attack with Persa out. So look for the young quarterback’s number to be called a lot in this one.