SAN DIEGO — The Holiday Bowl is a game of firsts.
It’s the first time either Northwestern or Utah has played in the Holiday Bowl; it’s also the first time the two programs have ever played each other. That makes for an interesting and unpredictable matchup, which means we need some help to evaluate these two programs.
While stats can never fully predict the outcome of a game, they’re the closest thing we have to equalizing talent in separate, distinct conferences. So here’s a statistical preview of Monday’s matchup between two teams unfamiliar with each other.
Neither program is known for its prolific offense, so don’t expect an onslaught of points in the Holiday Bowl.