Two of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the Group of Five will meet in Orlando in the Cure Bowl on Friday when Ohio squares off against Jacksonville State.
College football betting odds have the Bobcats as a 3.5-point favorite.
Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro just guided the Bobcats to their first MAC title since 1968 and first-ever victory in a MAC Championship. Navarro shredded Miami (Ohio) — one of the best defenses in the league — in the 38-3 win, passing for 235 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 67 yards and two more scores.
Navarro was named the game’s MVP, an award to go with the second-team all-conference nod he received.
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Just as Navarro was lighting up defenses in the MAC all season, Jacksonville State QB Tyler Huff was doing the same in Conference USA.
Huff led the Gamecocks to their first-ever CUSA title in a 52-12 rout over Western Kentucky. The senior finished with 176 passing yards and two touchdowns while adding 167 yards on the ground, where he also found paydirt.
Like Navarro, Huff was named the conference title game MVP.
To go along with that honor, Huff was also named the CUSA Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.
He finished the season with 2,179 passing yards and 13 passing TDs to go with 1,343 rushing yards and 14 rushing TDs. The rushing yardage ranked third in CUSA while the passing yardage ranked sixth.
Huff wasn’t expected to be the starter entering the season, but he earned the job over Logan Smothers after Week 1. The Furman transfer made the most of the opportunity and turned it into a memorable season.
Now, Huff has the chance to help the Gamecocks secure double-digit wins in only their second season as an FBS member.
Part of Huff’s success this season can certainly be attributed to head coach Rich Rodriguez, who has produced a few talented, dual-threat quarterbacks including Zion Webb, who quarterbacked the Gamecocks in 2023. Most notably, though, is Pat White from Rodriguez’s first stint as head coach at West Virginia. Rasheed Marshall was also a notable dual-threat QB from that era of WVU football.
Both teams in this game will have interim head coaches for this contest. Associate head coach and offensive coordinator Brian Smith was named the interim coach for Ohio after Tim Albin left for Charlotte. Offensive coordinator Rod Smith will be the interim HC for Jax State after Rodriguez accepted the job at WVU.
That might make the teams’ preparation for this contest a little different, and it might bode well for each quarterback.
However, I’m not sure that Jax State has faced a rush defense this stout all season long. The Bobcats rank first in the MAC and fifth in the country, allowing a mere 95.8 yards per game on the ground. The Gamecocks rank fourth in CUSA, allowing 170.2 rushing YPG. Both teams lead their conference in rushing, with Ohio averaging 212.8 yards and Jax State rushing for 267.3 YPG.
I imagine both defenses will sell out to stop the rushing attack, even though I don’t know if these QBs can be contained — both are dual-threat quarterbacks. Huff had seven games on the year with at least one rushing and passing TD while Navarro logged six such games.
There should be plenty of action in this meeting as the Navarro vs. Huff matchup is an underrated one in this year’s slate of bowl games.
Cure Bowl Prediction
I predict Ohio will win and cover the 3.5-point spread.
The Bobcats’ defense has been better this season and Ohio hasn’t lost anybody to the transfer portal yet. They should be in full force for this contest.
