Enjoy your Tuesday night with some bowl action as the Liberty Flames (8-4) take on the Toledo Rockets (8-5) in the Boca Raton Bowl. This game will be played at FAU Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 pm ET.
For Liberty, they are trying to get back in the win column after finishing the regular season with three straight losses. In their last game, back on November 26, they were dismantled by NM State 49-14. In the loss, Kaidon Salter threw for 101 yards and a touchdown, while TJ Green rushed for 55 yards and a score of his own.
Toledo comes into this game with some momentum after beating Ohio in the MAC championship back at the beginning of the month. In that victory, DeQuan Finn threw for 154 yards and a score. He also added 86 yards on the ground.
Toledo is the favorite in this matchup. They are -164 to win, while the Flames’ moneyline sits at +136. The spread features Liberty +3.5 (-114), and the over/under for total points is 53.5.
Flames Struggling To Focus As Season Winds Down
To say there is a lot for players to think about coming into this one for Liberty would be an understatement. They have lost three in a row, their head coach is heading to Auburn, and their leading running back, Dae Dae Hunter, is done for the season due to injury.
With all of the distractions, it is no wonder why they come into this one as underdogs. Still, they are going to try to stay undefeated in bowl games as they are 3-0 since 2018, when they joined the FBS.
This season, Liberty’s offense ranked 53rd in the nation, averaging 28.9 points per game. Over their last three games, though, they dropped to just 23 points per game.
The Flames’ best bet to win might have to come on the defensive side. They rank 50th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 25.4 points per game to opponents.
Toledo Looks For Back-To-Back Wins To End Season
After losing back-to-back games to end the regular season, the Toledo Rockets are looking to make it two wins in a row Tuesday night. After taking the MAC championship, they should come in with confidence against a struggling Liberty team.
Offensively, the Rockets had a really strong season. They rank 30th overall in scoring, averaging 31.7 points per game.
Under center, the team is led by sophomore DeQuan Finn. He has thrown for 2,127 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions this season. He has also rushed for 608 yards and eight touchdowns on 113 rushes.
Finn’s favorite target this season was wide receiver, Jerjuan Newton. He hauled in 48 receptions for 788 yards and nine scores.
On the defensive side, the Rockets rank 66th, allowing 27.7 points per game to opponents.
Take Toledo To Win And Cover
The Rockets just seem to have a lot going for them in this one. With all of the turnover in Liberty, it will be interesting to see how the Flames respond to having almost a month off after their three-game losing streak.
Looking at the trends, Toledo is 11-5 in their last 16 games as favorites. They are also 6-3 in their last nine games overall.
For Liberty, they are 2-5 against the spread in their last seven games; however, they are 10-1 against the spread in their last 11 as underdogs.
Both teams will look to end their season with a win, but only one can prevail. Expect Liberty’s offensive woes to continue with Hunter out of the lineup and for Toledo to take advantage.
Take Toledo to both win and to cover the modest 3.5 point spread (-106).
