Famous Idaho Potato Bowl 2012: Toledo vs. Utah St. TV Info, Predictions and More

The 2012 edition of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl will feature the Toledo Rockets and the Utah State Aggies facing off on the Smurf Turf of the Boise State Broncos.

While some bowls are already write-offs as ridiculously one-sided, this should be a battle that lasts until late in the game.

Let's take a look at everything from the depth charts to the final prediction, shall we?

Where: Boise, Idaho in Bronco Stadium

When: Saturday, December 15 at 4:30 p.m.

TV: ESPN

Radio: ESPN Radio

Live Streaming: ESPN3 (subject to blackout) 

Betting Line (via pregame.com): Utah State -8.5

Utah State Aggies

Utah State's memorable storyline is the 10-win season it has put together so far this season. An 11-win season would be huge for the Utah State program. In such a competitive season, to come away with 11 wins would be huge for any program.

Utah State's season really got going with the Week 2 win over the Utah Utes. That was one of the most brilliant finishes to a game in recent memory, and the suspense it gave was eerily similar to this entire season's level of suspense. Utah State's final game in Boise should provide at least as much entertainment as the rest of the season did. Can the Aggies finish it off with a win on the Smurf Turf?

Toledo Rockets

Toledo's storyline got an epic climax in the middle of the season when the Rockets took down the Cincinnati Bearcats. Toledo has been everywhere from an also-ran to ranked in the BCS this season. (Albeit for only one week before dropping a shocker to Ball State.) The Toledo Rockets' story has been one of success, and the question that remains is the same as the question for Utah State: Can the Rockets cap it all off with a win in the 2012 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl?

Toledo has a ton of talent on the 2012 roster, and the Rockets have amassed a 9-3 record to prove it. Toledo's depth chart (via utrockets.com) is as follows (injury/suspension information from collegeinjuryreport.com):

Offense

LT 56 Josh Hendershot Jr.

    65 Chase Nelson So.

LG 54 Jeff Myers So.

     57 Robert Lisowski So.

C 67 Zac Kerin Jr.

   61 Erik Carlson Jr.

RG 75 Greg Mancz So.

      76 Samuel Cherry Jr.

RT 60 A.J. Lindeman Sr.

     58 Colin Perchinske Fr. (R)

TE 3 Cordale Scott Sr.

     81 Alex Zmolik Fr.

QB 2 Terrance Owens Jr.

      4 Austin Dantin Sr.

RB 22 David Fluellen Jr. *Questionable (ankle)

     19 Cassius McDowell So.

WR-X 9 Alonzo Russell Fr. (R)

         26 Jimmy Davidson Sr.

WR-Z 14 Justin Olack So.

          17 Dwight Macon So.

WR-M 1 Bernard Reedy Jr.

          88 Zach Rogers Fr. ®

Defense

DE 46 Hank Keighley Sr.

      82 Colby Kratch Sr.

DT 8 Elijah Jones Jr.

     92 Danny Farr Sr.

DT 93 Phil Lewis Sr.

      (Nose) 91 Allen Covington Fr.

DE 30 Ben Pike Jr.

      (Leo) 15 Jayrone Elliott Jr.

LB 7 Vladimir Emilien Jr.

     (Star) 33 Junior Sylvestre So.

LB 32 Dan Molls Sr.

     (Mike) 31 James Gordon So.

LB 38 Robert Bell Sr.

     (Will) 40 Trent Voss Fr. (R)

FCB 6 Byron Best Sr.

        5 Chris Dukes Fr. (R)

SS 29 Jermaine Robinson Sr.

      47 Noah Key Fr. (R)

FS 43 Mark Singer Sr.

      21 Ross Madison Jr.

BCB 11 Cheatham Norrils So.

        20 Juwan Haynes Fr.

Special Teams

PK 85 Jeremiah Detmer So.

      87 Brad Dunavant So.

P 35 Vince Penza Jr.

    87 Brad Dunavant So.

Hold 35 Vince Penza So.

Snap 45 Matt Wall Jr.

         38 Robert Bell Sr.

KOR 1 Bernard Reedy Jr.

        19 Cassius McDowell So.

        11 Cheatham Norrils So.

PR 1 Bernard Reedy Jr.

      19 Cassius McDowell So.

Utah State is the only team in the Western Athletic Conference to finish the 2012 season with zero conference losses. The Aggies' two losses came by a combined five points to Wisconsin and BYU. The depth chart that got them there? It's right here (via scout.com):

*According to collegeinjuryreport.com, there are no Utah State injuries/suspensions to report.

Offense
QB 16 Chuckie Keeton SO OR

       2 Adam Kennedy SR

RB 25 Kerwynn Williams SR

      32 Joe Hill SO

WR(X) 4 Matt Austin SR

          85 Brandon Swindall RFR

WR(T) 80 Chuck Jacobs SR

           84 Cameron Webb SR

WR(Z) 8 Travis Reynolds JR

          7 Travis Van Leeuwen JR

TE(Y) 91 D.J. Tialavea JR

          86 Brad Theurer JR

TE(H) 81 Kellen Bartlett SR

         22 Keegan Andeen SO

LT 73 Kevin Whimpey SO OR

    79 Logan Molohifo'ou FR

LG 54 Jamie Markosian JR

      62 Bryce Walker SO

C 58 Tyler Laen JR

    75 Taani Fisilau RFR

RG 66 Eric Schultz JR

      74 Kyle Whimpey JR

RT 67 Oscar Molina-Sanchez SR

     78 Jorden Mattinson RFR

Defense

DE 90 Al Lapuaho SR

      72 Jordan Nielsen RFR

NG 70 Travis Seefeldt RFR OR

      57 Havea Lasike SR

      96 Elvis Kamana-Matagi SO

DE 40 Connor Williams JR

      99 B.J. Laen SO

OLB 55 Bojay Filimoeatu SR

        50 Jeffeon Court RFR

ILB 51 Jake Doughty JR

      53 Zach Vigil JR

ILB 16 Tavaris McMillian SO

      31 Parker Hausknecht SO

OLB 34 Terrell Thompson SR

        52 Kyler Fackrell RFR

CB 13 Jumanne Robertson SR

      10 Ladale Jackson RFR

SS 21 Brian Suite SO

      46 Frankie Sutera SO

FS 36 McKade Brady SR

       2 Cameron Sande JR

CB 1 Nevin Lawson JR

      5 Rashard Stewart SO

NICK 21 Terrance Alston SR

          3 Quinton Byrd SR

DIME 17 Will Davis JR

         14 Jamaine Olson SR

Specialists

PK 93 Nick Diaz JR OR

      19 Josh Thompson JR

P 88 Tyler Bennett SR OR

    38 Jaron Bentrude  SO

KR 25 Kerwynn Williams SR

      80 Chuck Jacobs SR

PR 80 Chuck Jacobs SR

      25 Kerwynn Williams SR

David Fluellen has gouged his way through the MAC to the tune or 1460 yards on 252 carries for an average of 5.8 yards per carry.

Whether you intend to or not, you will probably be watching him throughout the game. Whether or not you're a Toledo fan, he's going to make at least one highlight reel during his performance against the Utah State Aggies.

Fluellen is averaging over 120 yards per game, and the Utah State Aggies will not stand in his way for a full 60 minutes. At some point, Fluellen is going to make a momentum-shifting play in favor of the Rockets.

Whether the Aggies can weather that momentum shift is a question for a different slide, but the shift will happen.

Kerwynn Williams is the Aggies' leading rusher and their leading receiver. Williams has been responsible for over 1900 yards of total offense this season. (1277 on the ground and 663 through the air.)

Williams has played a key role in Utah State's 10-win season, and the bowl game in December will be no different. Williams has rushed for less than 50 yards in only two games this season, and the Aggies lost both.

Williams is the player to watch, because Utah State has lived and died by his sword so far. His success is what opens up the rest of the field for the rest of the Utah State offense.

When Utah State is on offense: Kerwynn Williams vs. Darius Polk (Kent State)

Williams, as discussed earlier, is the game-breaker for Utah State. At 5'8" and 185 lbs., Williams has one man that can match up with him very well in the Kent State secondary: Darius Polk at 5'11" and 189 lbs.

Polk will have to be in man coverage against Williams in order for him to have the maximum opportunity to shut Williams down. From the rushing attack to the deep ball, Polk will need to stick to Williams for the whole 60 minutes to help give Kent State a shot at the victory.

When Toledo is on offense: David Fluellen vs. Bojay Filimoeatu

Filimoeatu is the senior outside linebacker for the Utah State Aggies. His matchup against David Fluellen will be more than just man-to-man on the gridiron. Filimoeatu's responsibilities as outside linebacker and senior defender on the field will have him matched up against Fluellen whether or not he's assigned that coverage.

Filimoeatu will need to make sure that everyone on the defense knows where Fluellen is, and he will need to ensure that the defensive package is correct for shutting down Kent State's usage of Fluellen. If Utah State can shut down Fluellen without sacrificing the integrity of the rest of the defense, this game is winnable for the Aggies.

...it shuts down Kerwynn Williams. The recipe is that simple. It's a lot like sourdough bread; if you follow the simple instructions, you get the bread. However, if you miss the timing even by one hour, there is nothing that can save you from the mistake.

Utah State fields one of the most versatile players in college football. Toledo can win this game even if it doesn't eliminate Williams from the equation, but the guarantee comes with shutting down the Aggies' star player.

If Toledo can take Williams out of the equation, Utah State will essentially be playing with one arm tied behind its back. That's a very winnable situation for Toledo.

...it establishes Kerwynn Williams as the most dominant force on the football field. Behind Williams, Utah State has won every game they have played where he rushed for over 50 yards.

Once the Aggies get him going on the ground, it's only a matter of time before the game is theirs. Once he gets through the middle, it opens up the screen game and the deep ball. Guess who will be on the receiving end of all those passes? Yes, it's Williams.

It takes an entire team to win a game, but Williams is by far the most productive player in blue and white. They need to move him around, line him up in different spots and confuse the opposing defense. If they can open up the defense, Williams will have a field day in the end zone.

Utah State's scoring defense is eighth in the nation, and it's only allowing 15.4 points per game. That will likely be the ultimate difference between the two teams in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

Toledo's rushing attack will find success, as will Utah State's. The rushing yardage will open up passing lanes for both quarterbacks, and the entertainment value will be high for a little while.

After that, the Utah State defense will lock down against the Toledo attack. The Rockets will gain a ton of yards against Utah State in the first half, but that will grind to a halt in the fourth quarter.

Utah State will pull out a tough win against a valiant Toledo team.

Prediction: Utah State 42, Toledo 28