The first bowl game of 2024 kicks off Saturday night in Montgomery, AL.
Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday, December 14 at 9:00 p.m. ET
- Network: ESPN
- Location: Cramton Bowl — Montgomery, AL
- Spread: South Alabama (-8.5)
- Over/under: 57.5
- All-time series: No previous matchups
- South Alabama last bowl: 2023 68 Ventures Bowl, 59-10 win over Eastern Michigan
- Miami (OH) last bowl: 2021 Quick Lane Bowl, 52-24 win over Nevada
- 2023 Salute to Veterans Bowl (Camellia Bowl) matchup: Northern Illinois 21, Arkansas State 19
Setting the scene
Bowl Season is upon us, and it’s starting earlier than usual.
Typically this weekend is reserved for the Army-Navy Game, but with the advent of the 12-team College Football Playoff, the entire complexion of the sport’s postseason changes drastically. With more playoff games required to showcase in premium television spots, bowls start earlier and end later.
The IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl kicks off 2024 bowl season Saturday night after the Army-Navy Game. Formerly known as the Camellia Bowl since its debut in 2014, this game features the MAC-Sun Belt matchup of Western Michigan vs. South Alabama. Both teams qualified for bowl season at 6-6 and look to cap their first winning season under their current head coach — Lance Taylor for the Broncos and Major Applewhite for the Jaguars.
South Alabama Jaguars outlook
Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images
South Alabama (6-6, 5-3 Sun Belt) is bowling for the third-straight year. That’s a feat accomplished for the first time since the program rose to the FBS level in 2012, and the Jaguars have done it under multiple coaches. After Kane Wommack stepped down to become Alabama’s defensive coordinator, Major Applewhite stepped into the role to continue the Jaguars’ streak.
It was an up-and-down season for South Alabama. The Jaguars won back-to-back games three separate times but never strung together a sustained winning streak. There were highlights such as a 48-14 rout at Appalachian State and a 24-22 upset at 10-win Louisiana. But the team finished 1-4 in one-score games, making this a season of what-ifs. Still, 170 miles northeast of its campus, South Alabama can put those woes to the side and finish on a high note with its second bowl win in program history — after demolishing Eastern Michigan 59-10 in the Mobile, AL last December.
South Alabama’s offense is led by Gio Lopez, who burst onto the scene last December as the 68 Ventures Bowl MVP with three touchdowns and only five incompletions in the blowout win. Lopez handled his first full season of starting duties well, throwing 18 touchdowns to five interceptions with a 66.0 completion percentage. He proved his ability to take over through the air in the opener with 432 yards, but he still awaits his first 300-yard showing since.
Lopez will need another contributor to step up and guide the run game with leading rusher Fluff Bothwell in the portal. Kentrel Bullock is the premier candidate after posting three 100-yard games this season in the nation’s 26th-ranked rushing attack. Another skill position player to watch on the Jaguars is wide receiver Jamaal Pritchett, the team’s lone First Team All-Sun Belt selection on offense. Pritchett, the Sun Belt’s top receiver, is eighth in the entire FBS in receiving yards at 1,127 and his 91 receptions rank sixth in the country. Pritchett has triple the amount of receptions and receiving touchdowns as anyone else on the roster and serves as the overwhelming No. 1 target in the nation’s 20th-ranked scoring offense.
On both sides of the ball, one area where South Alabama is at a severe disadvantage is the penalty department. The Jaguars committed 99 penalties in the regular season for fifth-most in the FBS while Western Michigan has the fourth-fewest as 49.
South Alabama’s defense is middle of the road in most defensive metrics, but pass defense is the main Achilles heel of the unit with over 253 yards allowed per game — 117th in the FBS. Still, the Jaguars possess bona fide star talent in its defensive backfield in the form of free safety Jaden Voisin. Voisin is omnipresent on the field with 74 tackles, three tackles for loss, five interceptions, and five pass breakups to secure the lone First Team All-Sun Belt spot on the Jaguars’ defense. Leading tackler Blanye Myrnick is another force on that side of the ball, totaling 92 stops and seven tackles for loss in a group that’s better at limiting production on the ground than through the air.
South Alabama typically benefits from the turnover battle, owning the 20th best margin in the country at +8. It’s one of 17 schools with at least 15 interceptions, and three of those turned into pick-sixes.
Western Michigan Broncos outlook
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
Western Michigan (6-6, 5-3 MAC) is finally bowling again after a two-year absence. The Broncos made significant progress under second-year head coach Lance Taylor this year, but reaching the finish line was the toughest part. Western Michigan started 5-3 and 4-0 in conference play, but the Broncos dropped three of their last four, requiring a rivalry win over Eastern Michigan on senior day to qualify for bowl eligibility.
Western Michigan lost its MAC Championship contention status during a November skid, but the Broncos still made it to Bowl Season thanks to that 26-18 win over Eastern Michigan. Now the program aims for its first bowl win since 2021 and third in history, entering this matchup with a historical record of 2-8 in bowl games.
The Broncos reached the 6-win threshold primarily by means of an effective offense. Western Michigan particularly excelled in the run, ranking 36th nationally with 188 yards per game. Jaden Nixon led the bunch with 874 yards and 12 touchdowns on 6.6 per carry, warranting a First Team All-MAC appearance in his first year with the team. Yet, there was enough production to go around the room where Jalen Buckley (a 1,000-yard back in 2023) produced 567 yards and Zahir Abdus-Salaam added 567 — all on an average of 5.5 or greater. Even backup quarterback Broc Lowry is occasionally inserted on designed runs, creating one of the most dynamic rushing attacks in the MAC.
While Western Michigan has never played South Alabama before, Broncos’ quarterback Hayden Wolff has starting experience against the Jaguars in the 2022 regular season finale when with Old Dominion. Wolff enjoyed starting duties all year, remaining quite efficient with a 67.0 completion percentage and 17 touchdowns to seven interceptions. When Wolff is at his best, so is Western Michigan, as the Broncos’ October four-game win streak involved all three of his 200+ yard outings against FBS competition this season.
Wolff loses his top target Blake Bosma to the transfer portal. The tight end led the team with 37 receptions, so Western Michigan may leaning more heavily on its wide receiver corps in Bosma’s absence. That includes Kenneth Womack and Anthony Sambucci who combined for 65 receptions and 832 yards on the season.
Western Michigan’s offense was the stronger component of the team this year considering the defense ranks 109th in points allowed per game (31.4), 101st in total yards allowed, and 111th in rushing yards allowed. The Broncos still withstood shaky defensive performances in winning efforts, defeating Ball State 45-42 and Buffalo 48-41. But the group made progress toward the end of the year, and after allowing 21+ in its first 10 games, Western Michigan held both of its final two opponents under 20.
The Broncos drew two All-MAC selections on defense. Strong safety Tate Hallock landed on the Second Team with 78 tackles, five sacks, and four of the team’s seven total interceptions. Hallock was an instrumental player on the back-end all year, and he’ll be of great assistance when containing South Alabama star receiver Jamaal Pritchett. Western Michigan’s other all-conference honoree is outside linebacker Donald Willis who racked up 99 tackles and six tackles for loss while also thriving in coverage at times.
Prediction
This one has the makings of a game on the higher scoring side. There is plenty of offensive talent to go around in this game, and the key focal points for viewers should be Jamaal Pritchett when South Alabama possesses the ball and the three-headed running back monster when Western Michigan is in control.
Neither defense has been the best at producing stops, and both teams have enough offensive balance to remain versatile throughout the game. Gio Lopez and Hayden Wolff don’t exactly 300-yard barnburners on a weekly basis but both are smart, efficient decision-makers who should propel the passing games quite well in Montgomery.
In the end, South Alabama has an extra gear of firepower, sending out Pritchett and a viable rushing attack. The Jaguars play from one step ahead throughout the second half and secure their second consecutive bowl win, celebrating their third-straight winning season in Sweet Home Alabama.
Prediction: South Alabama 41, Western Michigan 34