Players to Watch for in Saturday's Bowl Games

University of Louisiana-Lafayette quarterback Terrance Broadway is one of the most dynamic players in action on Saturday. (Kim Klement)

My guess is that you don't know much about the New Orleans Bowl or the MAACO Bowl. As it turns out, both bowls are being played on Saturday. You probably know even less about  East Carolina, University of Louisiana-Lafayette, Washington and Boise State. Well if you happen to love college football or are looking for something to watch on your day off from work and come across one of these two bowl games, I want to let you know about a dynamic player you should keep an eye on when their on the field. They are what you call gamechangers, and they could exactly that in their biggest game of the season.

New Orleans Bowl

Justin Hardy, WR, East Carolina
Hardy was a former standout high school quarterback, but came to East Carolina readt to work. He has put up impressive numbers in his two seasons with the Pirates. Hardy set East Carolina freshman records in receptions and yards. As a sophomore, he's made 83 receptions for 1,046 yards and 10 touchdowns. In the final game of the season against Marshall, Hardy had 16 catches for 171 yards. He needs only 78 more yards to surpass Dwayne Harris' single-season school record.

Terrance Broadway, QB, Louisiana-Lafayette
Broadway is a sophomore who transferred from Houston. He was pressed into starting duty when last year's New Orleans Bowl most valuable player, Blaine Gautier, broke his left hand in a win over Florida International back on September 29. Broadway said he wasn't fully ready, but he found his way on the big stage right away. He threw for over 2,500 yards and 16 touchdowns and ran for 661 yards and eight scores. Even more impressive was that Broadway nearly led the Ragin' Cajuns to an a colossal upset of Florida in The Swamp back in November. You can expect him to put up big numbers in the spotlight of New Orleans.

MAACO Bowl

Keith Price, QB, Washington
Unlike our other players to watch, Price has struggled this season in comparison to last season. He’s thrown 15 fewer touchdowns with the same amount of interceptions (11). In the red zone, Price's completion percentage has dropped from 74.1 percent to 57.6 percent. In four games against currently ranked teams, he has thrown only one touchdown compared to five interceptions. The reason that Price is on here is because he has shown in his collegiate career that he can be a star player. He's got one more shot to prove it this season. I am not saying that one great game will make up for Price's disappointing season, but at least it will have going into his senior season on the right foot.

Joe Southwick, QB, Boise State
Quarterback expectations are high at Boise State, and Southwick has had a challenge living up to them in his first year as starter. He did manage to finish the regular season strong. After throwing 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his first nine games, Southwick had seven touchdowns with no interceptions in the final three games. He still hasn't thrown for more than 311 yards in a game and struggled badly against strong defenses. There are some Bronco supporters who are still uncertain if Southwick can retain the job for 2013. He will take a big step in the right direction if he plays well and picks up a bowl win here.