The Boise State Broncos face the Northern Illinois Huskies in the Poinsettia Bowl Wednesday afternoon. Boise State has been known as the dominant none power five program over the years, but they have struggled this season, and head coach Bryan Harsin will look to end the season on a high note with a win over Northern Illinois. The Huskies made it to the MAC Championship game but lost to Bowling Green and will look to rebound with a statement win over the Broncos Wednesday.
The Huskies have lost three starting quarterbacks over the course of the year and two to season-ending injuries. The Huskies played freshman walk-on quarterback Tommy Fiedler in the MAC title game, but they are expected to have third-string quarterback Ryan Graham under center against the Broncos. Graham has seen limited time under center this season, but he has shown some strong play in recent games.
The freshman third-string quarterback has thrown for 653 yards with six touchdowns to three intereceptions. Northern Illinois head coach Rod Carey will try to alleviate pressure on his young quarterback by creating a strong ground game with running back Joel Bouagnon.
The Huskies junior running back leads the team with 1,269 yards and has scored 18 touchdowns. Bouagnon is listed at 6-foot-2, 226-pounds and is a difficult challenge for any defense to matchup against. The junior running back struggled in the final two games of the season and will look to bounce back against the Broncos Wednesday afternoon.
The Broncos have also dealt with their own injuries at the quarterback position, as they lost starting quarterback Ryan Finely early in the season with a broken ankle. Freshman quarterback Brett Rypien has stepped up in his absence and has led the Broncos to some big wins this season. Rypien has thrown for 2,976 yards with 17 touchdowns to seven interceptions. The freshman quarterback finished the season strong, completing 75.8 percent of his passes with two touchdowns in their regular season finale against San Jose State.
Harsin will look to feature star running back Jeremy McNichols on Wednesday, as he is a dual threat out of the backfield. The sophomore running back has rushed for 1,244 yards with 18 touchdowns and will look to get the Broncos offense rolling. McNichols has also caught 46 passes this year for 364 yards with five touchdowns, and the Huskies defense will keep a close eye on the star back, as he can break loose at any point of the game.
It's an interesting bowl matchup between two none power five programs that consistently perform. The game starts at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to the Broncos' radio broadcast, click here, and for the Huskies' radio broadcast, go here.
