The Mountaineers of Appalachian State have had some moments this season, and in one of them, they pinned the only loss on nationally-ranked James Madison. The problem is that they just didn't have enough of those moments.

The Miami (Ohio) Redhawks were somewhat less than explosive this year, but they utilized what they had at their disposal to post an 11-2 record and win the Mid-American Conference championship.

Miami and App State will meet up at the Cure Bowl on Saturday afternoon at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, which is home of the UCF (Central Florida) Knights.

In the college bowl betting odds that have been posted on this game by the people at BetOnline, Appalachian State is laying points:

Appalachian State Mountaineers -6.5 (-105)
Miami-Ohio Redhawks +6.5 (-115)

Over 41 points -115
Under 41 points -105

When you talk about Miami, the name of the game is defense. The Redhawks have allowed just 16.2 points per game and did a really good job against opposition rushing attacks, permitting only 3.6 yards per carry. They have eleven wins already; Miami lost only to a Miami-FL team that was positioned as a ranked foe with a fresh offense in the season opener, and couldn't do very much when they had the ball in their hands. And they lost 21-17 to Toledo, which was in the Top 25.

But they were able to avenge the Toledo loss by a 23-14 count in the MAC title game. That won them the invitation to the Cure Bowl in Orlando.

This is a stingy team. They have allowed opposing offenses to convert only 29.6% on third down, and allowed 26 net yards on punt returns all season long.

What handicaps them a little here is that they have to go with a quarterback who was their #3 on the depth chart. Brett Gabbert, whose brother Blaine is Patrick Mahomes' understudy with the Kansas City Chiefs, was lost about midway through the season. Aveon Smith filled in and was a winner, rushing for 99 yards in what proved to be his last game in a Miami uniform. He has since placed himself into the transfer portal.

So it looks as if Henry Hesson, a sophomore, gets his first start, having played briefly in only two games. He'll have an uphill battle, but he's got a pretty good running back in Rashad Amos, who ran for 22 touchdowns this year.

Appalachian State had to turn to a backup quarterback this season as well. Ryan Burger got injured in the first game of the season, but Joey Aguilar came in and really stood out, throwing for 33 touchdowns.

Chuck Martin, the coach at Miami for ten seasons and an old school type, firmly believes his team can overcome the lack of an experienced starter. "Run the ball, play defense, play special teams," he says. "Plenty of bad quarterbacks have won Super Bowls."

We just hope he's not implying something about his new starter with the tail end of that statement.

But here's the thing - there is a considerable edge with the Miami defense. ASU allows FIVE yards a rushing attempt, and that is an invitation for Amos to do his thing. As Martin implies, the Redhawks can come up with some things to compensate for Hesson. And they're getting a nice spot from an opponent which lost five times. Plus, ASU running back Nate Noel entered the transfer portal recently, which makes the Mountaineers more one-dimensional.

So we'll take the points.

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