Late December: The Best Time for Bowling!
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| Jack Clayton - 12/18/2011 12:03 PM |
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by Jim Feist
As 2011 draws to a close, we find ourselves smack in the middle of the bowls. You shouldn't be bowled-out, either, as the bowls slowly build to the crescendo that is the Alabama/LSU showdown. Poinsettia Bowl (Wed., Dec. 21): A pair of teams with great passing offenses - but only one plays defense. Louisiana Tech (8-4 SU, 7-3 ATS) is on a tear, a 7-game win streak that got them a surprise WAC title. They have a great passing offense for coach Sonny Dykes, averaging 30.6 points and 247 yards passing, 150 rushing, behind freshman QB Nick Isham (8 TDs, 7 INTs) and junior QB Colby Cameron (11 TDs, 2 INTs, 1,403 yards). They also lost just 35-34 to powerhouse Houston and 19-17 to Southern Miss. The Bulldogs are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 games. TCU, even with two losses, came close to earning a berth to its third-straight BCS bowl. But the Horned Frogs are headed to the Poinsettia Bowl to face Louisiana Tech, the WAC champion. TCU (10-2 SU/6-5 ATS) has sophomore QB Casey Paschall (24 TDs, 6 INTs) and a strong ground game behind junior RB Matthew Tucker (684 yds) and sophomore Waymon James (824 yards, 7.7 ypc), averaging 41.7 points, 210 yards rushing and 233.8 passing. They are 8-3 over the total this season. The Horned Frogs are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 non-conference games. Las Vegas Bowl (Thurs., Dec. 22): Arizona State (6-6 SU, 4-7 ATS) has a lot of talent on a strong offense that averages 33.9 points and 310 yards passing behind 6-8 junior QB Brock Osweiler (24 TDs, 12 INTs) and 6-foot-4 senior WR Gerell Robinson (1,156 yds). However, they were huge disappointments, losing their final 4 games that cost Coach Dennis Erickson his job. The defense is a problem, allowing 26.3 ppg, and they were terrible in close games, losing 29-28 to UCLA, 17-14 to Illinois and 31-27 to rival Arizona. Throw in a 47-38 no-show home loss to Cal in the finale and you can see why they coach was axed. The Sun Devils are on an 18-6 run over the total. Boise State (10-1 SU/4-7 ATS) has a super-talented team led by senior QB Kellen Moore (41 TDs, 7 INTs). The Broncos average 43 points, 183 yards rushing and 297 passing. Moore has a strong offensive line behind senior offensive tackle Nate Potte. However, the Broncos lost 36-35 at home to TCU, allowing a TD pass with a minute left. The usually great defense got smoked for 506 yards (473 passing). Another run to a BCS bowl game, gone. It was Boise State's first home loss in nearly six years. The Broncos are 41-17-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record. Hawaii Bowl (Sat., Dec. 24): The running team against the all-passing one! Nevada (7-5) is tough to defend with that Pistol/Option attack for Coach Chris Ault, averaging 32.9 points, 271 yards passing and 251 yards rushing (8th in the nation) behind redshirt freshman QBs Tyler Lantrip (10 TDs, 6 INTs) and Cody Fajardo (6 TDs, 5 INTs), both excellent runners. Junior RB Mike Ball (704 yds, 5.2 ypc) and senior RB Mark Lampford (728 yds, 5.6 ypc) have carried the load in the backfield. The defense allows 25.3 ppg. They lost to Oregon (69-20), Texas Tech (35-34) and Boise (30-10). The Wolf Pack is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Bowl games. Southern Miss (11-2 SU, 8-4 ATS) is off a terrific 49-28 upset of Houston in the Conference USA title game. Coach Larry Fedora runs a wide-open spread offense he helped run at Oklahoma State. The Golden Eagles average 37.8 points, 263 yards passing and 207.8 rushing behind senior QB Austin Davis (28 TDs, 11 INTs, 3,331 yards) plus speedy senior WR Ryan Balentime (742 yds) and freshman RB Jamaal Woodyard (683 yards, 6.4 ypc). The defense is allowing 21.1 ppg and hasn't faced many strong offenses. They also held on for a 30-24 victory against Virginia. Independence Bowl (Mon., Dec. 26): Missouri (7-5 SU, 5-5 ATS) is playing well on offense behind sophomore QB James Franklin (20 TDs, 10 INTs), averaging 32 points, 225 yards rushing and 233 yard passing, though they recently lost dynamic soph RB Henry Joseph (knee, out for the season). He ran for 1,168 yards, a sizzling 8.1 yards per carry! QB Franklin is their second leading rusher with 839 yards. This defense was No. 6 in the country last season allowing 16.1 ppg, but worse this year, especially in the secondary, allowing 23.5 ppg. Baylor had a 42-39 victory over Missouri with 697 yards (291 rushing). The Under is 9-3 in the Tigers last 12 non-conference games. North Carolina (7-5 SU, 5-6 ATS) returned 10 starters on offense, 5 on defense for Everett Withers, the new head coach (former defensive coordinator). They started fast (5-1) but finished losing 4 of their last 6 games. Sophomore QB Bryn Renner (23 TDs, 12 INTs, 2,769 yards) runs the offense that has good balance, 28.3 points, 147.4 yards rushing and 249.2 passing. He has talented sidekicks in freshman RB Giovani Bernard (1,222 yds, 5.4 ypc, 13 TDs) and senior WR Dwight Jones (1,119 yds). The Tar Heels are 19-9 ATS in their last 28 games as a dog; the under is 9-4 in their last 13 vs. a team with a winning record. |
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