What a beautiful time of the year. Love the bowls. 35 games on the slate over the holidays and into the new year with the game that’ll decide it all, the VIZIO BCS National Championship, on Monday, January 6, 2014 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on January 6th at 8:30 PM ET/7:3o CT on ESPN with Brent, Herbie and Heather on the call. The No.2 Auburn Tigers (12-1), with their high octane running game and explosive passing game led by Nick Marshall and Tre Mason and a dominating offensive line, face Jameis Winston and the offensive juggernaut that is the Noles of Florida State (13-0). FSU plays some pretty good defense too, and AU has made plays when it’s counted on defense. The Auburn defense will be severely tested on January 6th. FSU’s defense will have their hands full as well. Will have more on the game in the next couple of weeks leading up to it.
Also, on Thursday January 2nd, the Crimson Tide (11-1) with Heisman finalist A.J. McCarron and a host of offensive weapons and a defense that was second in the country in scoring defense (11.3 ppg) and fifth in total defense (allowing 274.7 yards per game) will face an Oklahoma team that finished the season 10-2 and punctuated their season with a huge Bedlam upset of Oklahoma State, 39-24. Should be fun at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Or-leans on Jan.2nd, @ 8:30 PM ET/7:30 CT on ESPN with Brad, Todd and Holly on the call.
In the meantime, there are some excellent matchups in the prelims to the BCS bowls. Here’s a look at the four games going today with the New Mexico Bowl leading it off, followed by the Las Vegas Bowl, then the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and finally the New Orleans bowl tonight to finish off the day’s action. Should be a fun, exciting day of football.
After heavy research (serious about that), deep meditation, and some extensive soul searching, here are previews and predictions of today’s games. Will have a lot to talk about over the next three and a half weeks. Let’s get it started.
Bowl record last year: 25-10 (71%);
Overall record this season: 125-43 (74%)
Today’s games:
Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Colorado State Rams (7-6) vs. Washington State Cougars (6-6)
University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico (39,224)
2 PM ET/1 CT
ESPN
Broadcasting team: Mark Jones, Brock Huard, Jessica Mendoza
Weather: 41 @ kickoff, partly cloudy, wind, NW, 14 MPH
Refs: SEC crew: Ken Williamson, head ref
Line: Washington State by 6
I really like Jim McElwain’s coaching style. He reminds me a lot of that S style of coaching with a power running game and a physicality on both sides of the ball. Of course he was S’s offensive coordinator from 2008-11 and was part of two national championship teams (2009 and 2011). Mike Leach is a very good offensive coach and his teams always play hard. For Colorado State, they are led by running back Kapri Bibbs, who has rushed for 1,572 yards and second in the nation in rushing touchdowns with 28. He averages 6.2 yards per carry. Quarterback Garrett Grayson has completed 266-of-428 passes (62.1%) for 3,327 yards and 21 touchdowns against 10 ints. Wide receiver Rashard Higgins leads the team with 64 receptions for 795 yards (12.4 yards per catch) and six touchdowns. The offensive line averages 302 across the front. On defense, defensive end Shaquil Barrett has recorded 20.5 tackles for loss of 98 yards, fourth in the country. Barrett also has added 12 sacks for a loss of 77 yards, tied for third in the country. Barrett is a 6’2″, 250 pound senior. Junior middle linebacker Max Morgan (6’1″, 225) leads the team and is 10th in the country with 129 total tackles. Free safety Trent Matthews (6’3″,210) has picked off four passes for 25 yards.
The Cougars rely on quarterback Connor Halliday. He was 412-of-656 for 4,187 yards and 28 TDs against 21 interceptions. Gabe Marks is Halliday’s go-to receiver. Marks has caught 69 passes for 770 yards and six TDs. Marcus Mason leads the Cougars in rushing with 424 yards and two touchdowns and a 5.1 average yards per carry. The defense is led by senior free safety Deone Bucannon (6’1″, 215) who has 109 tackles and five interceptions for 102 yards on the season. Defensive tackle Xavier Cooper (6’4″, 303, sophomore) leads the team in sacks with 4.5 for 19 yards and tackles for loss 13 for 37 yards. Sophomore defensive end Kache Palacio (6’2″, 225) has added four sacks for -29 yards and 6.5 tackles for loss of 35 yards.
Final analysis:
This is a good matchup of power football versus throw it around, high tempo football. Colorado State gave Alabama a pretty tough game despite losing, 31-6, on Sept. 21, while Washington State gave Auburn a good game the first game of the season, losing 31-24 though Auburn wasn’t nearly the team they are now. I like the running game with Kapri Bibbs and a physical offensive line and defense to lead the Rams to victory.
Colorado State 34, Washington State 28
Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl
Fresno State Bulldogs (11-1) vs. USC Trojans (9-4)
Sam Boyd Stadium, Vegas (40,000)
3:30 PM ET/2:30 CT
ABC
Rece, Jess Palmer and Dave Pollack on the call
Weather:57, sunny @ kickoff, wind, NNW @ 4 MPH
Refs: American Athletic Conference-Tracy Jones, head ref
Line: USC by 6
Fresno State’s Derek Carr leads the country in passing yards with 405.5 per game and has thrown for a nation leading 48 touchdowns. He has completed 70% of his passes (424-of-605) and has thrown only seven ints. His leading receivers are Davante Adams who has pulled in 122 passes for 1,645 yards (second in the nation) and 23 touchdowns (leads the nation). Isaiah Burse may even be more exciting. He has caught 94 passes for 987 yards and five touchdowns, and he is explosive, both in receiving yards after the catch and in the punt return game. Josh Harper has 79 receptions for 1,011 yards and 13 TDs. The running game is led by Joh Quezeda who has rushed for 787 yards and six TDs. USC features a solid running game led by Tre Maddon (703 yards and three TDs) and Javorius Allen (609 yards and 12 TDs). Allen is the key guy with starter Silas Redd out for the game. Quarterback Cody Kessler has completed 214-of-331 passes ( 64.7%) for 2,623 yards, 16 TDs and six ints. Linebacker Devon Kennard leads USC with nine sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. For Fresno State, linebacker Ejiro Ederaine leads the Bulldogs with 10 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss.
Offensive coordinator Clay Helton will coach the Trojans as Steve Sarkisian gets settled in for recruiting and next season. Coach O packed it up when he wasn’t selected as the head coach for next year. Fresno State is led by Tim DeRuyter, who is in his second season and led the Bulldogs to a 9-4 mark last year with a loss to SMU in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, 43-10.
Final Analysis:
It’s the Facebook of football (Fresno State) versus the IBM of football (the men of Troy). I like the old school, power football to get it done in Vegas.
USC 34, Fresno State 27
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Buffalo Bulls (8-4) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (7-5)
Bronco Stadium, Boise, Idaho (37,000; the blue field)
5:30 PM ET/4:30 CT
ESPN
Clay Matvick, Matt Stinchcomb, Dawn Davenport
Weather: 31, mostly sunny, wind NW @ 6 MPH
Refs: Sunbelt Conference: Jeff Hilyer, lead ref
Line: San Diego State by 2
Buffalo is more used to playing in the cold weather. Running back Branden Oliver leads the Bulls with 1,421 yards rushing and 15 TDs on the season. Quarterback Joe Licata has completed 220-of-372 passes (59.1%) for 2,628 yards and 21 TDs against seven ints. Alex Neutz is the Bulls leading receiver with 58 receptions for 947 yards and 11 TDs. Buffalo is led on defense by d end Khalil Mack who has 19 tackles for loss on the season for -98 yards. He also has 10.5 sacks for -79 yards. Mack has added three ints on the season. I watched Mack against a good Bowling Green team that won the MAC title and wasn’t overly impressed. He didn’t really dominate like I expected him to. So we’ll see how he does against the San Diego State line.
The Aztecs are led by running back Adam Muema who has rushed for 1,015 yards this season and 12 TDs. Quarterback Quinn Kaehler has completed 60 percent of his passes (217-361) for 2,796 yards, 17 TDs and nine ints. Ezell Ruffin is an explosive receiver with 63 receptions on the season and three TDs. He averages 88.4 receiving yards per game. Ruffin is very dangerous after he catches the ball. Linebacker Nick Tenhaeff leads San Diego State with 13 tackles for loss of 54 and five sacks for -37 yards.
Final analysis:
The colder weather favors Buffalo, but I like the Aztecs’ offense and a pretty good defense under coach Rocky Long. Long is kind of a man of few words, in interviews at least, but he does a good job with his team and I like him over Jeff Quinn and his Bulls team. Should be a pretty good defensive game here.
San Diego State 28, Buffalo 24
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Tulane (7-5) Green Wave vs Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (8-4)
Mercedes-Benz Superdome (72,003)
9 PM ET/8 CT
ESPN
Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham, Jeannine Edwards
Weather: 70 degrees (indoors)
Refs: Big Ten, Dave Witvoet head ref
Line: Tulane by 2.5
Quarterback Terrance Broadway of La-Lafayette, who broke his arm Nov.30 in a 31-28 loss to La Monroe, is questionable tonight, but Tulane coach Curtis Johnson expects him to play. Before his injury , Broadway threw for 19 TDs and ran for another eight. Leading rusher Alonzo Harris has run for 868 yards and 13 TDs. If Broadway doesn’t start, Nick Haack will get the call. Haack has completed 21-0f-35 passes for 224 yards with one TD and one int. He started and played the entire final game against South Alabama, which La-Lafayette lost, 30-8. In the loss to La-Monroe, Broadway threw three ints, with a couple of costly ones.
Tulane is 19th in scoring defense in the country allowing just 21.2 points per game. The Ragin Cajuns are 68th at 26.9. The Green Wave are 16th in rushing defense and 72nd in pass defense, but are tied for 13th in the country in interceptions with 17. The Ragin’ Cajuns are 53rd in rush defense, and 82nd in pass defense. The Green Wave are 26th in the country in total defense and the Ragin’ Cajuns are 58th. Nick Montana is the quarterback for Tulane, and he’s been banged up a little bit. But he’s expected to play. Montana is 153-of-288 (53%) for 1,654 yards and 14 TDs against nine ints. Montana is, yes, the son of the great Joe. If Montana can’t start, Devin Powell will be the Tulane signal caller. Powell is 50-of-89 for 458 yards with five TDs and four ints. Orleans Darkwa is a powerful running back who ran for 780 yards and nine TDs for the Green Wave. The Green Wave beat La Monroe on the road, 31-14, on Sept. 28th.
Final analysis:
Like the job second year coach Curits Johnson–a New Orleans native and previous New Orleans Saints receivers coach under Sean Payton–is doing. Like the job Mark Hudspeth–who was previously at North Alabama before taking over the Ragin’ Cajuns program in 2011–is doing Hudpeth took North Alabama to three Division II national semifinal games and has won the last two New Orleans Bowl games at La-Lafayette. That’s impressive. He’s a coach on the rise, but with Broadway not 100 percent even if he starts and Tulane’s running game and defense, I like the Green Wave to get the job done tonight at home in the Big Easy.
Tulane 34, La Lafayette 31
Bowl previews kickoff again Monday with the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl pitting Ohio (7-5) and East Carolina (9-3) slated for Monday at 2 PM ET/ 1 CT.
