Chuckie Keeton’s last game features two great defenses in the Potato Bowl

A MAC team and a Mountain West team playing on a blue field, with a dancing potato on the sideline. This ... this is bowl season. This is what makes college football the most difficult sport to explain to non-Americans.

The last time Akron was in a bowl game, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was wrapping up its domination of the box office. J.D. Brookhart led the Zips on a surprising run to the 2005 MAC title; Akron finished the regular season 5-3 in MAC play, but late poundings of Ohio and Kent got the job done.

The Zips had another comeback in store. They entered the fourth quarter down 24-10 to NIU and trailed 30-24 in the closing seconds. But Luke Getsy hit Domenik Hixon for a stunning 36-yard touchdown with 10 seconds left, and the Zips took the crown.

The Zips lost the Motor City Bowl to Memphis, won 14 games over the next three seasons, then won only six games from 2009-12. Brookhart departed, Rob Ianello went 2-22, and Akron turned to an old hand. Terry Bowden took over in 2012 and brought veterans like Chuck Amato and Jeff Bowden, and after a slow start (1-11 in 2012) and some missed opportunities, Akron finally broke through with seven wins this fall.

Akron’s offense has been a hindrance, ranking 107th in Off. S&P+ and scoring just 38 points combined in five losses. But the Zips are bowling because of a defense that ranks 40th in Def. S&P+, eighth among group-of-five teams. They rank ninth overall in Rushing S&P+, allowing five carries of 20-plus yards all year (first in FBS).

A combination of transfers -- linemen Se’Von Pittman and Jamal Marcus from Ohio State, linebacker Darryl Monroe from Washington State, lineman Rodney Coe from Iowa State -- and well-developed five-year players has given Akron maybe the sturdiest front in the mid-major universe, such that fellow mid-majors haven’t even tried to run. Opponents are running 46.8 percent of the time on standard downs, the lowest rate among any FBS defense.

That could provide an interesting conundrum for Utah State, which has crafted a power identity and attempted run-pass balance.

Keeton has been around forever. His first game as a Utah State freshman came against Auburn in the Tigers’ first game post-Cam Newton. He completed 21 of 30 passes, and the Aggies nearly upset the defending national champions.

Five seasons later, Keeton’s career comes to an end.

His career has been marked by upside and injury; he missed the last five games of 2011, the last eight of 2013 and the last 10 of 2014, and after getting a fifth year of eligibility, he missed most of seven games this season. His body has abandoned him, and he has been justifiably Jamelle Holieway-esque in his declining production. After a magnificent 2012 (3,373 passing yards, 619 rushing yards, 35 combined touchdowns), he has managed a passer rating above 100 just twice in his last nine games. (100 is bad.)

Keeton gave way to exciting sophomore Kent Myers this season, and Myers has shown potential. This season he has completed 60 percent of his passes with 14 touchdowns to three interceptions, and he has averaged 6.2 yards per (non-sack) carry.

He’s also gotten hurt. A shoulder injury led to him missing most of the last two games, and he is listed as probable for part-time action, at least, against Akron.

But that’s par for the course in Logan, where three things have become constant: Injured quarterbacks, awesome defenses (this year, USU is 31st in Def. S&P+, fourth among mid-majors), and wins.

After averaging 3.3 wins per season between 1998 and 2010, the Aggies are bowling for a fifth straight year, and this year’s up-and-down 6-6 now represents disappointment for a once-destitute program. USU scored more than 50 points three times and less than 20 five times, and the defense grew leaky. But the D still grades out well, and here’s to hoping that, with a couple of school records within reach, Keeton’s career ends with at least a couple of bright moments.

Check out the monstrous stat preview here.

Both offenses have flashed impressive explosiveness.

USU running back Devante Mays is averaging 5.7 highlight yards per opportunity, and receiver Devonte Robinson has needed just 20 catches to gain 326 yards through the air. Akron’s leading receivers, Imani Davis and converted linebacker (!) Jerome Lane, have combined to average 16.6 yards per catch over their seven catches per game.

The problem has been when the big plays don’t come. Neither offense has been able to move the ball efficiently, which will be a problem against two of the more efficient defenses in the country. Expect quite a few third-and-long situations. The team that better avoids those (or, in theory, better converts them) will draw a significant advantage.