College Football Bowl Preview (Part I)

Nov 28, 2011; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins cheerleaders perform during the game against the Pepperdine Waves at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Bridgepoint  Education Holiday Bowl (December 27th)

Teams: Baylor vs UCLA

Baylor Team Preview:

Could the Holiday Bowl be in for another aerial assault?  Well, with Baylor, the nation’s most prolific offense averaging 578.8 yards of offense per game and UCLA, the nation’s 20th rated total offense at nearly 475 yards per game, it looks like the Holiday Bowl could be in for another shootout.  Baylor has been red-hot, winning 3 games in a row including defeating the nation’s #1 team, Kansas State and #23 Oklahoma State.

Baylor the nation’s most prolific offense, also ranked 5th nationally in scoring offense averaging 44.1 points per game.  Much of that offense is due to Baylor’s senior QB Nick Florence who led the Big 12 in passing yards (4121 yards) and passing yards per game (343.4 yards per game).  Much of those passing yards were to senior wideout Terrance Williams.  Williams led the Big 12 with 1764 receiving yards and averaged 147 yards per game.  Along with Williams, keep your eye on junior WR Tevin Reese and senior Lanear Sampson.  Both players combined for 102 receptions for over 1500 yards and 14 TDs.

The ground attack for the Bears is just as proficient as the passing game.  Baylor led the Big 12 in rushing yards per game with over 225 yards rushing per game.  The Bears feature a multi-headed rushing attack featuring sophomore Lache Seastrunk who leads the Bears with 874 yards rushing.  He has also scored 6 TDs.  Along with Seastrunk, Baylor will also give a significant number of carries to junior Glasco Martin.  Martin led the Bears with 12 rushing TDs.  Even dual-threat QB Nick Florence posted some eye-opening rushing stats.  He was the team’s 3rd-leading rusher going off for 531 yards and 9 TDs.

While this team may not be the offensive juggernaut that last year’s Baylor team led by Robert Grifiin III was, but they are certainly not far behind!  Look for Baylor to be working their offensive mojo in this game against a UCLA defense that has given up an average of 25.9 points per game.

Of note: With a Baylor victory in the Holiday Bowl, Baylor will have won back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 1985-1986.

UCLA Team Preview:

The Bruins are coming off back-to-back losses to the Stanford Cardinal.  It was their second loss to the Cardinal that cost the Bruins the Pac-12 title and a Rose Bowl berth.  How will head coach Jim Mora’s troops respond to not playing in the Rose Bowl?  Will they be motivated to play against an extremely efficient and high-flying Baylor team.

UCLA was one of the most surprising teams in college football this year.  They announced their arrival with a thunderous boom when they defeated Nebraska in week #2, 36-30.  The 2012 season also saw UCLA have two winning streaks of at least 3 games and saw them defeat crosstown rival USC for the first time since 2006.  This year’s campaign also saw there share of heartaches as well.  The Bruins had a shot to represent the Pac-12 in the Rose Bowl for the second straight season, but a 4th quarter collapse at Stanford cost them that shot.  Now, the Bruins will take on the Baylor Bears in the Holiday Bowl for a shot at a 10-win season.

On offense, the Bruins were paced by freshman Brett Hundley.  Hundley completed 292 passes for a 68.2% completion rate.  On the year he amassed over 3400 yards and 26 TDs.  Hundley was also the team’s second leading rusher going off for 365 yards and 9 scores.  His ability to run as well as throw, has kept defenses on their heels, and could keep Baylor from keying solely on RB threat Johnathan Franklin.  Watch out for Hundley’s run-pass ability in this game.

Speaking of Franklin, the senior RB was second in the Pac-12 in rushing yards this year totaling 1700 yards on the ground and rushing for 13 TDs.  In many of UCLA’s biggest games this year, Franklin also came up with his best.  For instance, against Nebraska, Franklin had 217 yards rushing, and against Stanford in the Pac-12 title game he amassed 194 yards on the ground.  Look for Franklin to be at his best against a Baylor team that has allowed teams to rush for nearly 200 yards per game.

On defense, the Bruins rank in the middle of the Pac-12 in scoring defense and total defense.  Look for Baylor to try and expose the Bruins pass defense which was the second worst in the conference allowing over 255 yards passing per game.  While the overall defense has struggled at times this season, individual players like sophomore LB Eric Kendricks has been a bright spot.  Kendricks led the Pac-12 in tackles with 137, nineteen clear of his next nearest competitor.  Alongside Kendricks is junior LB Anthony Barr who led the Pac-12 in sacks with 13.  Watch for these players to make some big plays to help get the Bruins defense off the field.

This game has all of the makings of another Holiday Bowl classic!  Both teams have enough offensive weapons to make plays down the field, and both teams possess defenses that have struggled at times this year.  While I don’t expect a repeat of Baylor’s 67-56 win over Washington last year in the Alamo Bowl, it could be a game where both teams reach 40 points.  In fact, the winner of the game could be the team that has it last!

Of note: With a win over Baylor, UCLA will have their first 10-win season since 2005.

Prediction:

Baylor – 41

UCLA – 45

Sep 8, 2012; Little Rock, AR, USA; Louisiana Monroe Warhawks cheerleader celebrates after a touchdown in the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at War Memorial Stadium. Warhawks defeated the Razorbacks 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

AdvoCare Independence Bowl (December 28th)

Teams: Ohio vs Louisiana-Monroe

Ohio Game Preview:

Ohio and head coach Frank Solich came into the season with a lot of high hopes and expectations.  They returned many key players from their 2011 squad that went 10-4 and won the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl last year.  To start the year, the Bobcats went to State College, PA and defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions in new head coach Bill O’Brien’s first game on the Penn State sideline.  While that was just the opening week, many in bobcat-nation thought was was just a harbinger of the good things that would come their way; perhaps even being feted with an undefeated season, a MAC Conference title, and even a BCS Bowl berth.  To that end, Ohio won their first seven games and even snuck into the top-25.  Then, the wheels began to fall off.  Ohio lost to Miami (OH) and would go on to lose 3 of their next 4 after that.  While they finished the year 8-4, many Bobcat faithful, including the players and coaches, were hoping for bigger things.  Ohio cannot afford to look past UL-Monroe.  The Sun Belt’s UL-Monroe Warhawks have already beaten a team from the SEC this year (Arkansas), and would like nothing better than to cap off their season by beating another team form a high-profile conference.

Offensively the Bobcats are paced by starting QB Tyler Tettleton.  On the season Tettleton completed 62.0% of his passes good for 2513 yards but a very impressive 16 TDs against only 3 INTs.  Tettleton maintains his poise in the pocket and doesn’t break a sweat when the opposition blitzes.  Tettleton can also keep the play alive by using his legs.  Tettleton has good speed and used his legs to rush for 210 yards on the season with 4 scores.

The major threat of the Ohio offense comes from junior Beau Blankenship.  Blankenship carried the ball 293 times during the regular season for 1500 yards and 11 TDs.  He also reeled in 20 passes for 177 yards and 1 score.  To put it mildly, Blankenship was the offensive MVP for Ohio.

On defense, Ohio was fourth in the MAC Conference in scoring defense giving up an average of 25.7 points per game, and fourth in total defense giving up an average of 395.0 yards per game.  While none of the Bobcat defenders have had a standout season individually, they have played well as a team.  Look for that to continue against UL-Monroe in the Independence Bowl.  Ohio wants to show that they belong in the conversation as one of the premier teams in the MAC Conference.  To do that, they need to beat UL-Monroe!

Of note: With a win over UL-Monroe, Ohio will have won back-to-back bowl games for the first time in school history.

UL-Monroe Game Preview:

UL-Monroe Warhawks out of the Sun Belt Conference burst onto the national landscape after their dramatic OT win over the #8 Arkansas Razorbacks.  They followed up that zany win by nearly defeating Auburn and Baylor the following two weeks.  Following the loss to Baylor in week 3, the Warhawks record stood at 1-2.  They then went on to win five consecutive games before losing back-to-back games to eventual league champion Arkansas State and league runner-up UL-Lafayette before ending the year on a two game winning streak.  Their final regular season mark was 8-4.  Now they get the chance to leave their mark once again by defeating the Ohio Bobcats, a team out of the MAC Conference.

The Warhawks posted the fourth leading total offense in the Sun Belt Conference.  The offense was led by “Mr. Everything” Kolton Browning.  Browning is the team’s QB, but he is also the team’s leading rusher.  On the year, Browning passed for 2830 yards with 27 TDs and 7 INTs, and he rushed for 441 yards and 7 TDs.  What makes the UL-Monroe team such an explosive offense, averaging 35.5 points per game, is their ability to spread the ball around to a plethora of playmakers.  Besides Browning, the Warhawks have gotten significant contributions from WR Brent Leonard who reeled in 97 passes for 1042 yards and 10 TDs.  On the ground, UL-Monroe had three players, including Browning, who rushed for over 350 yards and scored 6 TDs (Browning, Jyruss Edwards, and Monterrell Washington).

Defensively, the Warhawks ranked near the top half of the Sun Belt in scoring defense giving up an average of 27.8 points per game.  Senior LB R.J. Yougn led UL-Monroe in tackles with 90 while freshman DL Gerrand Johnson ranked in the Sun Belt’s top-15 in sacks recording 4 on the year.  Right behind Johnson was LB and fellow teammate Ray Stovall who garnered 3 sacks.  In the secondary, junior Isaiah Newsome was fourth in the league with 4 INTs on the season.

A scary trend for the Warhawks though is when they have played some of the lesser teams on their schedule, their defense has been up to the task and has not allowed many points to be scored.  Unfortunately, when they have faced the better teams on their schedule they have had the tendency to to give up over 30 points per game.  How will they do against a balanced Ohio University offense that does not turn the ball over all that often.  Limiting the Ohio offense may just be the key to a UL-Monrow victory.

Of note:  The 2012 Independence Bowl represents the first ever bowl game for the UL-Monroe Warhawks

Prediction:

Ohio – 28

UL-Monroe – 32

Dec 12, 2011; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights cheerleader during the second half at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. Tennessee Lady Volunteers defeat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 67-61. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

Russell Athletic Bowl (December 28th)

Teams: Virginia Tech vs Rutgers

NOTE: Insight and game prediction for this contest was provided by fellow VBR collegue Chuck Reynolds.

Virginia Tech Game Preview:

I realized Virginia Tech was favored in this game when I made my bowl picks and chose Rutgers then because of other than Temple (whose fans I despise) Rutgers is the BCS level college football team closest to me. However, in looking at this game in depth I tried to figure out why the Hokies would be favored. And my conclusion is-there is no reason.  This is a Virginia Tech team that had to beat mighty Boston College and a Virginia team PSU thoroughly dominated to get to “bowl eligibility”. And  neither game was easy-the BC win requiring overtime.

Of note:  With a Virginia Tech loss in the Russell Athletic Bowl, the Hokies would finish the season under .500 for the first time since 1992, the first year Virginia Tech was a member of the Big East Conference.

Rutgers Game Preview:

I am not saying Rutgers is great. Their 9-3 record is probably deceptive. They did not play well down the stretch-especially offensively. The fan base’s reaction to the play of QB Gary Nova is reminiscent of that of the PSU fan base at certain times-QB14 comes to mind. Yet statistically Nova is pretty even compared to Logan Thomas of the Hokies except for rushing yards. And Thomas has to be able to run-because unlike past years Virginia Tech has no quality running backs .

Of note: With a win over Virginia Tech, Rutgers will have won a bowl game in 4 of the last 5 years, and they will have won 6 consecutive bowl games dating back to 2006.

Prediction:

Virginia Tech – 14

Rutgers – 20

We’ve come to the end of Bowl Preview (Part I).  Check us out later in the week when we’ll unveil our Bowl Preview (Part II) as well as a closer look at some the Big Ten bowl games that are taking place prior to January 1st.

Until then, we always appreciate your thoughts and comments.  Please drop us a line, but make sure that it is civil and clean!

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