First Responder Bowl: What To Know

First Responder Bowl

Boston College (7-5) vs Boise State (10-3)

Date/Time: Wednesday, December 26th at 12:30 pm CT

Location: Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX

Bowl history

Originated: 2011

Conference tie-ins: Big Ten, Big 12, Conference USA

Last year’s result: Utah defeated West Virginia 30-14

Boston College bowl history

BC is 14-12 all-time in bowl games, including a 27-20 loss to Iowa in the Pinstripe Bowl last season.

The Eagles have lost six of their last seven bowl games after winning eight consecutively previously.

BC last played a bowl game in the state of Texas in the 1985 Cotton Bowl. This is the first trip to Texas overall since a 1988 game at TCU. 

Boise State bowl history

Boise is 12-6 overall in their bowl game history, including a 38-28 win over Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl last year.

The Broncos have only missed a bowl game once since 1999, which was in 2001. 

This is the first appearance in the First Responder Bowl for Boise, as well as their first bowl game in the state of Texas since 2003. 

Series history

The First Responder Bowl will be the second matchup between Boise State and Boston College.

Boston College won the only game between the two 27-21 in the 2005 MPC Computers Bowl.

Key player to watch for each team

Boston College: Defensive End – Zach Allen

Boise State: Running Back – Alexander Mattison

Game Notes:

Boston College

Boston College certainly underachieved a bit this year. That was partly due to A.J Dillon missing a couple of games while battling through injuries. Additionally, inconsistent play from quarterback Anthony Brown plagued them as well. Also, the defense did not perform nearly as well as expected, despite having an absolute star in Zach Allen.  Wyatt Ray and Hamp Cheevers stepped up, but overall the defense ranks just 72nd in the country. One good note is they ranked near the top of the nation in turnover margin. 

Boise State

Boise is led by star quarterback Brett Rypien and explosive running back Alexander Mattison. They finished with one of the best offenses in the country while advancing the Mountain West title game. The defense is solid enough to help them avoid shootouts, ranked 39th in the nation. The strength is run defense, which will come in handy against BC. 

Final analysis

Boise State has a balanced, potentially explosive, offensive attack to throw at BC’s weak defense. If BC can control the clock and get their running game going, they certainly have a chance in this contest. This should be a good competitive game. 

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– David Creekmur covers College Football/Basketball, WNBA and College Women’s Sports for Full Press Coverage. Like and follow on Twitter Follow @dmcreek Follow @FPC_College