If you’re a fan of defense, you’re going to love making your Meineke Car Care Bowl picks! The Clemson Tigers and South Florida Bulls can absolutely get after opposing offenses, and though neither offense is exactly proficient, this should still be a fantastic contest down on Tobacco Road. There are three major keys to this game that we have to discuss though, before you can beat the Meineke Car Care Bowl lines.

Key #1: Someone has to get a hat on Da’Quan Bowers
You’re not going to find a more interesting matchup in the bowl season than the South Florida offensive line against Clemson DE Da’Quan Bowers. Bowers is one of the best pass rushers in the nation, and he is certainly going to end up cashing in on a huge contract in the NFL in the near future. He has 15.5 sacks this year and has caused teams lose 112 yards on the year. Both numbers are easily the best in the nation. He also used his athleticism to pick off a pass earlier this year. QB BJ Daniels had a massive problem with sacks over the course of his first two seasons, as he has been taken down in the backfield a whopping 52 times in just 18 starts over the course his two years.

Key #2: Someone has to step up and be a star for Clemson
What we have found out this season is that QB Kyle Parker really isn’t capable of being a superstar on the gridiron, and perhaps he should have just stuck in the Colorado Rockies organization, where he might have thrived as a pitcher. Parker only threw for 2,080 yards and 12 TDs this year, and he only averaged 6.4 yards per pass attempt. The two men that really could be stepped up in this one are RB Jamie Harper and RB Andre Ellington. Harper is more of a grinder, but he has the capability to bust a big run when given the chance. He rumbled for 731 yards and six scores. Ellington was more explosive and has bigger play abilities. He rushed for 684 yards and had an average of 5.8 yards per carry. Ellington also has a kick return for a touchdown, and he could be used in every facet of the game to make those big plays happen. Regardless, against a defense that allowed just 308.1 yards and 19.5 points per game, and really held down some of the best offenses in the Big East this year.

Key #3: The Bulls can’t be grounded in the running game
What we don’t want to see out of the Bulls in this one is what we saw too often this year. QB BJ Daniels isn’t a man that should be handling the football 40 times in this game between throwing and passing, and you can bet if he has to do that, USF is in a lot of trouble. Instead, we want to see a lot more out of RB Moise Plancher and RB Demetris Murray. These two touched the ball 274 times between them on the campaign, and they rushed for 1,260 yards and eight TDs between them. The Bulls also run a lot of tricky play with the wide receivers on sweeps and the sorts, and this would help as well. Doing this also takes Bowers out of the game, as he is built a lot like DE Dwight Freeney for the Indianapolis Colts and isn’t all that effective against the rush. The Tigers allowed 120.2 yards per game this year on the ground, and though that ranks No. 24 in the land, we have to remember that a lot of these yards lost came from the sacks that Bowers and the gang picked up.