College Football Betting -- Camellia Bowl: South Alabama QB Struts Stuff For NFL Scouts

  • In Charles Jay
  • Sat, Dec 20th, 2014 6:35:05 pm
  • By Charles Jay - Exclusive to OSGA


Brandon Bridge will try to show NFL scouts that he deserves some consideration as he leads the South Alabama Jaguars into Camellia Bowl action against the Bowling Green Falcons.


Certainly "old school" college football fans wagering at BetAnySports are not fond of the fact that teams with 6-6 record can get into bowl games. But sometimes those encounters produce some very interesting matchups. That may indeed be the case on Saturday night, as the South Alabama Jaguars of the Sun Belt Conference meet up with the Bowling Green Falcons of the Mid-American Conference in the Camellia Bowl, kicking off at 9:15 PM ET at the Cramton Bowl stadium in Montgomery, AL.

While Bowling Green has been to bowl games the last two seasons (losing to Pittsburgh and San Jose State), this is the first bowl appearance for South Alabama, which has had a football program for only six years. Both of these teams have shown defenses that are rather pliable, so as college football betting action approaches, there will be a fair number of people looking very closely at the total.

There will be a home field edge for USA here, as their campus is just two and a half hours from the site, and this becomes a significant event, considering that the team has been at the FBS (Division I) level for only three seasons.

In the NCAA odds that have been established on this game by the folks at BetAnySports, the Jaguars are favored:

South Alabama Jaguars -3.5
Bowling Green Falcons +3.5

Over 54.5 points -110
Under 54.5 points -110

South Alabama's hopes will likely hinge upon whether senior quarterback Brandon Bridge has a strong outing. Bridge, who is a native of Toronto, stands 6'5" and is extremely athletic. After playing a season at Alcorn State (which has spawned former NFL star Steve McNair), he left for South Alabama when that program went to the Division I level. So far, the talk has been mostly about his potential, as he has passed for better than 200 yards only twice.

One of the concerns with Bridge is the fact that he is not necessarily very accurate (hitting only 52% of his passes), but he college football bettors should know that he does have size that makes NFL scouts interested, as well as the fact that he possesses the ability to pull the ball down and run with it. Indeed, according to coach Joey Jones (a former Alabama wide receiver), about 25 scouts have been to the campus to see the youngster. And to address those accuracy issues, for what it's worth, he attended the Manning Passing Academy in the off-season, and in the "Air-It-Out Challenge," an accuracy test, he beat out people like Baylor's Bryce Petty and Heisman Trophy winner Marcos Mariota of Oregon to finish second to Oregon State's Sean Mannion.

It is somewhat hard for BetAnySports patrons to tell what Bridge can really do, since the biggest tests have come in losses to Mississippi State and South Carolina, where his team has been outscored by a combined 72-15. But in the season finale against Navy, a wild 42-40 defeat, Bridge had four touchdown passes.

This is a spot where Bridge could really use some help from his running game. Kendall Houston and Terrance Timmons will rotate carries against a Bowling Green defense that has allowed 5.1 yards per carry. The Falcons lost their last three MAC games, and though they scored an upset victory over Indiana, they turned around and yielded 68 points to Wisconsin the following week. They have been without their best quarterback option, Matt Johnson, since early in the season, and while James Knapke has had his moments, his upside does not match that of Bridge.

Let BetAnySports be your headquarters for the entire bowl season, as you get welcomed with a healthy bonus, not to mention reduced juice wagering on all the college football action!


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