While Milligan has not had a football team since 1950, students are still buzzing about Super Bowl LI.
Super Bowl LI is scheduled for Sun., Feb. 5, and will be hosted at the Houston NRG Stadium in Texas. The stage is set to be a high scoring battle between two of the most offensive teams in this year’s NFL: the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. The question is, how do these teams match up?
As far as the teams go, a stark difference is revealed when it comes to their Super Bowl experiences. The Patriots have won four of their eight appearances in the Super Bowl, while the Falcons have only had one appearance, in 1998, in which they came up short.
This gap in experience carries over to the teams’ players as well. For example, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been to six Super Bowls and led his team to their four wins. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has never been to the Super Bowl and does not have the experience on what to expect. While both quarterbacks had successful regular seasons throwing the ball, Brady with 28 touchdowns and Ryan with 38, the difference is revealed in quarterback sacks. Brady has been sacked 15 times for a loss of 87 yards where Ryan’s sacks totaled 37 for a loss of 235 yards. Some analysts say that this data coupled with Ryan’s lack of experience is what makes the Falcons the underdogs in Super Bowl LI.
Head coach of the Falcons, Dan Quinn is well aware of these differences in experiences between the two teams, but having some experience himself said in a press conference, “I’ve gone [to the Super Bowl] when things have gone well; I’ve been a part of it when it hasn’t.”
Quinn is hoping that his previous experience can be transferred to his team. “I want to outline some of the keys to playing well in the game and managing some of the things outside. That’s a part of the process where I can help, and I’ll share that with the guys.”
To see how these teams match up live on campus, catch the Super Bowl LI viewing party at 6:30 p.m. in the caf, where CAB will be providing wings, pizza from Papa Johns and more!