Camellia Bowl point spread: Picking Arkansas State Red Wolves and Northern Illinois Huskies

The 2023 college football bowl season is here, and On3’s Andy Staples just revealed his picks and predictions for the upcoming slate of games. On Monday’s episode of the Andy Staples On3 Podcast, Staples broke down all of his picks and brought on his special guest — a coin flip — to provide a counterbalance.

One of the games that the duo “discussed” is the Camellia Bowl between Arkansas State and Northern Illinois on Saturday, December 23. ESPN’s matchup predictor slightly favors the Huskies of the MAC over the Sun Belts Red Wolves. And Staples finds that prediction to be off the mark by the prediction machine.

How to watch Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois

Time: Dec. 23,12 p.m.
Channel: ESPN or ESPN+, FuboTV (streaming)
Location: Cramton Stadium (Montgomery, Alabama)

“Northern Illinois is a 2.5-point dog to the Red Wolves,” started Staples.

Arkansas State and Northern Illinois both enter the contest with a 6-6 record and winners of their final game of the regular season. The Red Wolves took down Marshall in week 13 on the road 35-21. And the Huskies continue the abysmal season for Kent State, beating them on the road 37-27.

“I know what you’re thinking because you probably only watched one Arkansas State game this year, and it was probably the season opener against Oklahoma. That was the one where they lost 73-0. Well, I tell you what, Butch Jones’s team, brick by brick, with their five-star hearts… they did beat Texas State 77-31 in the season’s penultimate weekend.”

Senior quarterback Rocky Lombardi has led Northern Illinois, but he’s had some help out of the backfield with a +1000-yard rusher in running back, Antario Brown. Brown has received the lion’s share of the workload out of the backfield for the Huskies the season, carrying the ball 187 times for 1164 yards with 10 rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown. His biggest game of the season came when Northern Illinois needed it the most. With the Huskies on a four-game losing streak, Brown rushed for 280 yards on 13 carries with four rushing touchdowns in a 55-14 blowout victory over Akron on the road.

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“I’m not counting out the old Red Wolves. I’m not counting out Butch Jones. He had a heck of a run at the end of the season. Northern Illinois basically changed up their offense mid-season; that’s how they went 5-2 down the stretch to get into a bowl game… I’m still going with Arkansas State.”

Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor could be the key for the Red Wolves to pick up win seven. The freshman out of Kernsville, NC, has played impressively in his first collegiate season this season. Raynor finished the year completing 150 of his 255 pass attempts for a 58.8 completion percentage to go along with 2300 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and six interceptions. The freshman also was fearless in using his legs when needed, as he has been credited with 110 carries for 324 yards and five rushing touchdowns during the year.