Liberty Bowl Preview

AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Kentucky vs East Carolina
Friday, January 2, 5:00
on ESPN
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium - Memphis

Why you should watch:

• A nice happy hour with football!
  
• East Carolina had a good start to the season and has been playing better of late
  

Why you shouldn't watch:

• There have been so many Bowl games already
  
• Neither of these teams is really worth watching

Streaks and Scheduling Notes:
Kentucky:

• 6-6 (2-6)
  
• 3rd straight bowl game (2-0)
• Lost 6 of 8 games and 3 straight
  
• 2-3 away from home this season
  

East Carolina:

• 9-4 (7-2)
  
• 3rd straight bowl game (1-1)
  
• Won 6 of last 7 games
• 5-3 away from home this season
  

Key Stats, Figures, and Players:
Kentucky:

• Offensively they are terrible. They rank 79th in rushing offense and 98th in passing. Not good.
  
• Defensively they are very good against the pass and average against the run. They won their early games thanks to their defense.
  
• QB Randall Cobb is a jack of all trades. He will line up all over the field and do everything. He has 542 passing yards, 316 rushing yards, and 197 receiving yards. He has accounted for 11 touchdowns.
  
• LB Micah Johnson is the leader of the defense. He is second on the team with 87 tackles and first on the team with 11.5 tackles for loss.
  

East Carolina:

• Offensively they rival Kentucky for suckiness! They are 64th in passing offense and 83rd in rushing offense.
  
• Defensively they are pretty average. They don't do anything great but do most things good enough.
  
• QB Patrick Pinkney is the leader of the offense. As he goes they go. He has over 2,300 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.
  
• DT C.J. Wilson is a force on the defensive line. He has 18.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks this season.

Who Wins:

East Carolina....I know Kentucky had some injuries and that helped their downfall but come on. They lost 6 of 8. Their two wins were over Arkansas and Mississippi State by a combined 2 points. I don't trust Kentucky at all. East Carolina started out good with upsets of West Virginia and Virginia Tech but then they fell apart. They win with solid play and defense. Hopefully they come through again.