Showing posts with label NCAAFB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NCAAFB. Show all posts

Thursday, January 8, 2009

BCS Championship Preview



The Florida Gators are the hottest team in the nation right now. After suffering a loss to Ole Miss, Florida turned it on, winning 9 games in a row. The heart, soul, and energy is provided by Junior QB Tim Tebow. What can you say about him, he's willing to do anything to win the game, whether it's throwing to his receivers or running over a corner. On the season, he has throw for 28 TD's with 2,515 yards. Tebow's main man, Percy Harvin, has caught 7 TD passes this season. In the backfield, Chris Rainey, Jeffery Demps, and Emanuel Moody will look to find holes in the Sooner defense. Lineback Brandon Spikes is an All American who will clog up the holes, applying pressure on Sam Bradford. Florida can make it 2 championships in 3 years with a win over Oklahoma.

The Sooners are led by QB Sam Bradford. On the year, he has a 48 to 6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Missing in the backfield for the Sooners is DeMarco Murray, who will not suit up tonight. Wideout Juaquin Iglesias has been on the receiving end of 10 of Bradford's TD passes. Oklahoma's defense is fine against the run, but it lacks in pass defense. The defense will need to be able to match up with Florida's speed and quickness if they want to win this game. On special teams, they have struggled against stopping the return game. Tonight, they are facing the nation's best return game.

Chris's Pick: Florida, 41-28 Player 2 Watch: LB Brandon Spikes

Flip's Pick: Florida, 48-31 Player 2 Watch: WR Percy Harvin

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Another Buckeye Tragedy



Losing two consecutive National Championships is a real heartbreaker. But the loss last night may be the killer of them all. When Todd Boeckman found Terrelle Pryor in the endzone to get Ohio State within 2 points of Texas, the Buckeyes appeared to have every bit of the momentum. Then, a huge 3 and out for Texas resulted in Ohio State having a chance to pull ahead late. Well Daniel Herron capitalized, scoring a 15 yard TD run, giving the Buckeyes the 21-17 lead with 2:05 left.

Heisman nominee, Colt McCoy had the opportunity to show why Texas deserved a spot in the BCS Championship. On the drive, McCoy stayed calm and composed, a true talent of any NFL QB. Play after play, Texas kept gaining yards. Then came the biggest 4th down attempt in Longhorn history. McCoy threw a bullet to the right, with his receiver landing just on the 1st down mark. The call was made, and Texas had converted the down. At that moment, Ohio State saw flashes of past failures rising. Then, with 16 seconds left, Colt McCoy fired a dagger on a 5 yard slant by Quan Cosby. When catching the ball, Cosby turned upfield, shedding off an Ohio State defender, and bolting towards the endzone, finally diving in for the touchdown. The 26 yard pass was the 14th catch for Cosby on the night, but the one catch that Ohio State will never forget. The TD made all Buckeye fans cringe, failing once again in a bowl game.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Fiesta Bowl Preview



"The" Ohio State State Univesity is looking to end a its miserable bowl history. The Buckeyes have lost consecutive National Championship Games to SEC teams: LSU and Florida. Today, they will give the ball to Freshman Terrelle Pryor. He is a difficult QB to tackle, showing his phenominal mobility. With 152 passing attempts, Pryor has only thrown 4 INT's. Chris "Beanie" Wells has battled injuries this season, still rushing for over 1,00 yards with 8 TD's. Terrelle Pryor is also a running threat, scoring 6 TD's with his legs. Wideout Brian Robiski is a big part of the offense, with Pryor looking for him in key situations. On the season, Robiski has 419 yards with 8 TD's. On the defensive side, Senior LB James Laurinaitis is their heart and soul. Laurinaitis wants to erase his memories of two BCS blowouts. In the secondary, Malcom Jenkins is a quick corner who will look to contain Texas' passing attack. Look for Jenkins on special teams, as he has had big returns for the Buckeyes.

Texas can say that they deserve to be where Oklahoma is at. But since they are not in the Championship, the Longhorns must face reality and realize that they must show what they got against Ohio State. Heisman nominee Colt McCoy is everything for the Longhorns. He is their leading passer, leading rusher, and the big man on campus. On the season, McCoy has thrown for 3,445 yards with 32 TD's. He also leads the team on the ground, rushing for 576 yards and 10 TD's. Jordan Shipley just fell short of having a 1,000 yard season, but still recorded 11 TD's. Nagurski Trophy winner Brian Orakpo is back from knee injury. Look for him to be applying pressure all night on Terrelle Pryor. On special teams for the Longhorns, Shipley has the ability to break a big return against the Buckeyes. This game could come down to just one play, so be ready for the moment when Shipley or Jenkins breaks through daylight.

Flip's Pick: Texas, 49-30
Flip's Player 2 Watch: WR Jordan Shipley

Chris's Pick: Ohio State, 31-30
Chris's PLayer 2 Watch: LB James Laurinatis

Saturday, January 3, 2009

What About Utah?

When you finish the season undefeated, you usually are the #1. Not in Utah's case. Entering last night's Sugar Bowl matchup against 12-1 Alabama, Utah was against all the odds. Alabama was supposeded to b the faster, stronger, and better team. But it didn't matter to the Utes, they wanted to prove to the world why they were undefeated. Alabama didn't see this coming, just look at Nick Saban's face.

Utah got off to one of the quickest starts I have ever seen, scoring 21 unanswered points in the 1st quarter. Brian Johnson threw 2 TD's in the first quarter, while RB Matt Asiata scored on a 2 yard rush. Nick Saban was so shocked at Utah's quick start, he called a timeout, gathering all his players on his sideline. This must have worked, atleast for the 2nd quarter, as Alabama scored 10 points in the 2nd quarter. Going into halftime, Utah held a 21-10 lead. The second half was a great half for the Utes, scoring 10 points, while Alabama only scored 7 points. Utah was victorious, defeating the SEC giant 31-17. QB Brian Johnson was named Most Outstanding player, throwing for a career high 336 yards and 3 TD's.

Utah finished with a perfect record, but will not be in the #1 spot for the final rankings. How can you say that Utah doesn't deserve a slice of the National Championship? Why doesn't Utah get a matchup with Oklahmoa or Florida? These questions are going to be throw around for a while, until the BCS system has this flaw fixed. I say if your undefeated, you should get a shot at the champ, whether it's Florida or Oklahoma.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Sugar Bowl Preview

Alabama vs Utah, 8PM on Fox

The Crimson Tide are coming off a tough loss in the SEC Championship Game to the Florida Gators. Alabama was undefeated entering the game with Florida, but blew the lead in the 2nd half. The Tide are led by QB John Parker Wilson, who threw for 1,347 yards and just 6 TD's. Their offense relies on the running game, with Glen Coffee and Mark Ingram. Coffee ran for 1,347 yards and 10 TD's. Mark Ingram scored the most TD's on the ground for Bama, reaching the endzone 12 times. The Crimson Tide have one of the best lines in the nation, but will be without All American left tackle Andre Smith, who was suspended before the Sugar Bowl. Alabama will face a fast paced offense tonight. The Utes run no huddle, a problem that may cause the Tide's defenders to get tired.

Quarteback Brian Johnson has been a real treat for the Utes this season. He threw for 2,636 yards with 24 TD's. Running the ball for the Utes is Matt Asiata, who had 666 rushing yards with 11 TD's. Utah will look to run the ball laterally to force the big Alabama linemen to make plays with their feet. On defense, the Utes has 17 interceptions. All Conference cornerback, Sean Smith, will have primary responsiblity in covering Bama WR Julio Jones. Defensive End Paul Kruger will get a lot attention from the Crimson Tide's line, but he still has the ability to break off of double coverage and get pressure on the QB.

Flip's Pick: Utah, 42-35
Flip's Player 2 Watch: QB Brian Johnson


Chris's Pick: Alabama, 28-10
Chris's Player 2 Watch: WR Julio Jones

Cotton Bowl Preview

Texas Tech vs Mississippi at 2PM on Fox

The Red Raiders have one of the most explosive offenses in college football. QB Graham Harrell threw for 4,747 yards with 41 TD's. Harrell's favorite targer is Sophomore WR Michael Crabtree. During the season, Crabtree recorded 18 TD's and 1,135 yards. While the Red Raiders are a pass happy team, they will look to run the ball. RB Baron Batch rushed for 742 yards, while backup RB Shannon Woods scored 12 TD's. The big question for all the Big 12 teams is whether they can defend top teams. The Red Raiders secondary are led by safeties Darcel McBath and Daniel Charbonnet. The two players have combined for 11 interceptions on the season. The kicker for Tech has only attempted 1 field goal longer then 35 yards.

Mississippi QB Jevan Snead, a transfer from Texas, threw for 23 TD passes on the season. Jevan Snead may the 2nd best QB in the SEC, behind Florida's QB Tim Tebow. The RB's for the Rebels are Cordera Eason and Dexter McCluster. Eason led with 644 yards, while McCluster scored 5 TD's on the season. All American lef tackle Michael Oher will help make the running game get going. The leading receiver for the Rebels is Senior Mike Wallace, who had 704 yards and 6 TD's. All-SEC kicker Joshua Shene made 16 of 19 field goals for the Rebels. They are strong on the defensive line, led by All-SEC tackle Peria Jerry. Mississippi gave up 20 points in their last 4 games combined, including shutouts to Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State.

Flip's Pick: Texas Tech, 38-24
Chris's Pick: Texas Tech, 42-21

Flip's Player 2 Watch: PR Eric Morris
Chris's Player 2 Watch: QB Graham Harrell

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Orange Bowl Preview

Cincinatti vs Virginia Tech, 8:30 PM on Fox
Cincinatti QB Tony Pike has emerged after an injury to starter Dustin Grutza. Pike has thrown for 2,168 yards and 18 TD's. Their top playmakers are their wideouts, Mardy Gilyard and Dominick Goodman. Gilyard has 1,118 receiving yards and 10 TD's. Goodman has found the endzone 7 times, with 977 yards. While often looking for short passes, the Bearcats rushing attack is split between John Goebel and Jacob Ramsey. Goebel has 7 TD's this season, while Ramsey is averaging 4.3 yards a carry. Cincinatti has a great cornerback in Mike Mickens, but he is injured, but if he's ready for the game, Tyrod Taylor better be aware of him. The Bearcats were 1 of 15 teams to hold the opposition to fewer then 105 rushing yards a game.

The Hokies will need QB Tyrod Taylor to play smart tonight against a tough defense. Taylor has only 2 TD's and 6 INT's in the games he has played in this season. With an inexperianced QB, Freshman halfback Darren Evans must be ready to get a lot of carries tonight. Evans had a late surge this season, rushing for 1,112 yards and 10 TD's. If Evans has difficulty breaking runs, expect Tyrod Taylor to look for running lanes and make plays with his quickness. The Hokie defense was 7th in yards allowed and 13th in scoring defense. Cornerback Victor Harris has shutdown skills, and will
matchup with Dominick Goodman, the leading receiver for the Bearcats.
Flip's Pick: Virginia Tech, 23-14
Chris's Pick: Virginia Tech, 34-31
Flip's Player 2 Watch: CB Victor Harris
Chris's Player 2 Watch: QB Tyrod Taylor

Rose Bowl Preview

The Penn State Nittany Lions will battle the USC Trojans today at 4:30pm on ABC.
The USC Trojans are led by quarterback Mark Sanchez who threw for 2,794 passing yards with 30 touchdown passes. Sanchez will be looking for his main man Damian Williams. Williams had 707 receiving yards with 8 receiving touchdowns. USC needs to get the passing game going so they can hand it off to Joe McKnight. McKnight had 646 rushing yards with two rushing touchdowns. USC has one of the best defenses, if not the best defense in the country, so they need the offense to score points. Penn State has a good defense so it will be a tough for USC's offense. If USC's offense can make plays and stop PSU's offense then they will win this game.

Leading the way for Joe Pa's Nittany Lions is Junior Quarterback Daryll Clark. Clark threw for 2,319 yards with 17 passing touchdowns. Clark will be looking for the three amigos Derrick Williams, Jordan Norwood, and Deon Butler. These receivers have combined for 15 touchdowns. The running back for the Nittany Lions is Evan Royster. Royster has 12 rushing touchdowns on the season. The Nittany Lions will have to score points against USC's tough defense. They will have to keep an eye on the defensive player of the year Rey Maualuga, the leading tackler for USC. If Penn State can control the ball and stop the USC offense, then they will win.

My Pick- PSU, 31-17
Flip's Pick- USC,44-17

My Player 2 Watch- Coach Joe Paterno
Flip's Player 2 Watch- RB Joe McKnight

Gator Bowl Preview

Clemson vs Nebraska, 1PM on CBS

Clemson has two capable running backs, James Davis and C.J Spiller. Davis is a strong, inside runner who racked up 11 TD's and 4.6 yards a carry. Spiller has the ability to break big runs at any moment, reaching the endzone 7 times and 5.6 yards a carry. QB Cullen Harper started the season slow, but has finished strong. His stats are deceptive, 11 TD's and 12 INT's, but he has played well his last 3 games in wins against Duke, Virginia and South Carolina. Clemson has a great defense, only allowing 167 passing yards a game. Their run defense has struggled against good backs, going up against sophomore Roy Helu today.

Nebraska has a great passing game, overshadowed by other Big 12 offenses such as Texas Tech and Oklahoma. QB Joe Ganz has over 3,300 passing yards and 23 TD's. RB Roy Helu has helped the Cornhusker's offense by keeping defenses on their heels. He has 804 yards with 7 TD's. The Cornhuskers' defense has been stellar against the run, only allowing 134 yards per game. They must continue their dominance today against Clemson's thunder and lightning halfbacks. Wideout Nate Swift has 60 catches for 909 yards, expect QB Joe Ganz to look for him in crucial moments.

Flip's Pick: Clemson, 38-28
Chris's Pick: Nebraska, 21-14

Flip's Player 2 Watch: RB C.J Spiller
Chris's Playe 2 Watch: Nebraska's D Line

Capital One Bowl Preview


Georgia vs Michigan State, 1PM on ABC


The Bulldogs are led by star halfback Knowshon Moreno. He has rushed for 1,338 yards and 16 TD's. Georgia relies on passing for 65% of its offense. QB Matthew Stafford has over 3,200 yards with 22 TD's. Stafford looks for his two spectacular receivers, A.J Green and Mohamed Massaquoi. Both wideouts have 8 TD's and just over 900 receiving yards. The Bulldogs are 4th in the nation at punt returns, with a returner by committee system. Georgia's pass efficiency defense ranked next to last in the SEC. Today, the defense will need to keep RB Javon Ringer in check, and not allow him to break free.

Senior Javon Ringer is the workhorse of Michigan State's ground attack. Ringer finished the regular season as the nation's leader in carries, tied for 2nd in TD's with 21, and 3rd in yards. Quarterback Brian Hoyer has thrown 4 interceptions and no TD's in his last 3 games. He faces a Georgia defense that has allowed big passing games to QB's in the SEC. The Spartans average 26.2 points per game, ranked 53rd in the nation. Michigan State's defense hasn't faced anyone like Knowshon Moreno during Big Ten play. When the Spartans have played teams like Georgia, such as Ohio State and Penn State, they have been smacked.

Flip's Pick: Georgia, 37-24
Chris's Pick: Georgia, 28-17

Flip's Player 2 Watch: RB Knowshon Moreno
Chris's Player 2 Watch: WR A.J Green

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

INSIGHT BOWL PREVIEW

Kansas vs Minnesota on NFL Network at 6pm

Kansas Jayhawks will need quarterback Todd Reesing to have big game today throwing the ball. Todd has thrown for 3,575 passing yards and 28 touchdown passes. This is way the Jayhawks are ranked number 7 in passing yards. Todd's main target in this game will be Dezmon Briscoe. Dezmon has 1,206 receiving yards with 12 receiving touchdowns. Kansas will have to rely on there offense to score alot of points to win this game. There defense isn't that bad, but they need to score points or this game could get ugly. If there defense can make a few stops then they will beable to win. There offense is going to score some points, it is up to the defense to make a stand.

The Golden Gophers need wide receiver Eric Decker to have a big game tonight if they want to win. He had 925 receiving yards with 6 receiving touchdowns. Decker is one of the best receivers in the Big Ten and if he can't get going to night then Minnesota is going to have some problems. If Decker can get open, and start to dominant then they will start to double team him and that will leave other guys wide open. The guy throwing Decker the ball is Adam Weber. Weber threw for 2,585 yards with 14 touchdowns passes. Weber needs to find the open receiver and move around the pocket to make things happen. Minnesota needs to play a great game on defense. Kansas has a good offense and Minnesota needs to force turnovers if they want this game. They need there front four to get in the backfield and force pressure on the quarterback.

My Pick- Minnesota - 24-21
Flip's Pick - Kansas- 30-20

My Player to watch - WR Erik Decker
Flip's Player to watch - Todd Reesing

Chick-Fil-A Bowl Preview

LSU vs Georgia Tech, 7:30PM on ESPN

Georgia Tech is the hottest team in the nation. Their option offense is been unstoppable lately. RB Jonathon Dwyer has averaged 110.7 rushing yards, leading the 3rd ranked rushing offense. Dwyer averaged 7.0 yards a carry during the regular season. The Yellow Jackets had 4 TD passes, but their play action can catch defenses off guard. Georgia Tech has a great defensive line that can get pressure on the QB, without needing the linebackers to blitz. The game is virtually a home game for the Yellow Jackets, playing at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

LSU has not played like Coach Les Miles has wanted them too. Their halfback, Charles Scott, averaged 92.4 rushing yards a game, 4th in the SEC and scored 15 TD's. LSU QB Jordan Jefferson will will need to stay calm, make accurate throws, and avoid any turnovers that could give the Yellow Jackets momentum. LSU wideout Demetrius Byrd has posed a threat for the secondary, expect him to see a lot of attention from Tech's defense. LSU is the defending National Champs, they know how to win bowl games, expect the team to be fired up.

Flip's Pick: Georgia Tech, 36-27
Chris's Pick: Georgia Tech, 42-37

Flip's Player 2 Watch: Georgia Tech's Offensive Linemen
Chris's Player 2 Watch: RB Jonathon Dwyer

SUN BOWL PREVIEW

Oregon State vs Pittsburgh 2pm on CBS

Leading the attack for the Pitt Panthers is running back LeSean McCoy. LeSean had 1,403 yards rushing on the year with 21 rushing yards. If the Big O-Line can block for McCoy then he will run all over Oregon state. If they can run the ball then they can air it out with quarterback Bill Stull. Stull threw for 2,304 passing yards with 9 touchdown passes. Stull can't make any stupid throws or it will be a long day for the Pitt defense. Pitt's defense will have to play physical going up against a good offense from Oregon state. If they can force three and outs then they are in good shape.


The Freshmen Star Jacquizz Rodgers will be the got to go today for the Beavers. Rodgers rushed for 1,253 yards and had 11 rushing touchdowns. Rogers will need blocking today if he wants to have a big game. If they can get a running game going then they can air to Sammie Stroughter, and Shane Morales. It will be hard to contain these guys if they get out in the open field. Oregon State will need to contain LeSean McCoy on defense. If they can stop him and make Pitt throw the ball, then they can maybe force a turnover.

My Pick: Oregon State 27-17
Flippy's Pick: Pitt 31-30

Player 2 Watch
My Pick: RB Jacquizz Rodger
Flippy's Pick:K Conor Lee

Music City Bowl Preview



Boston College vs Vanderbilt, 3:30 PM on ESPN


Freshman QB Dominique Davis is making his 3rd career start for the Eagles today. In the games he has played, Davis has 4 TD's and just over 500 passing yards. Boston College's big offensive linemen will need to open up holes for RB Montel Harris. The Eagles will win this game with their defense. Defensive Tackles Ron Brace and B.J Raji are dominant, and will make it tough for Vandy to estabilish the run. Boston College has a very good pass rush, which will force the Commodores to make quick, accurate throws. Before last week's loss to Virginia Tech, Boston College had a streak of 7 games in which that had scored a touchdown on defense or special teams.

Vandy QB Chris Nickson hit 55% of his passes when Vandy was 5-0, but 44% since then. Today, he will need to make accurate throws to avoid hits and sacks. Expect Vanderbilt to bring out different blitz packages and mix up their coverage to confuse QB Dominque Davis. Vandy will be without top sacker Broderick Stewart, who is sidelined with a broken leg. Vandy should have leading rusher Jared Hawkins back for the game, but don't be surprised if you see WR Jamie Graham take some time in the backfield. Vanderbilt basically has a home game today, playing about a mile from their campus.

Flip's Pick: Boston College, 20-13
Chris's Pick: Boston College, 27-20

Flip's Player 2 Watch: DT Ron Brace
Chris's Player 2 Watch: QB Dominque Davis

BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCES BOWL PREVIEW

Houston vs Air Force 12pm on ESPN

Houston will look for quarterback Case Keenum to continue his dominant play when he takes on Air Force. Keenum threw for 4,768 passing yards with 43 touchdown passes. Helping Keenum out at the wide receiver positions are Tyron Carrier, and Mark Hafner who have combined for 20 receiving touchdowns and 1,869 receiving yards. Houston's defense is going to have to force turnovers to win this game. We know that there offense is going to score points, but they need to play good defense, or there offense is going to have to score alot of points.


Air Force will need Todd Newell, and Asher Clark to have a big day running the ball. The running backs combined have rushed for 1,125 yards, and have rushed for 9 touchdowns. Air Force is ranked #5 in the run so they will be running the ball alot today. The Falcons defense must play good if they want to win. They are going against the number 1 offense in passing yards and total yards. If Air Force can make some key stops, then they might win this game

My Pick- Air Force 42- 38
Flippy's Pick- Houston 38-24

My Player 2 Watch: RB Todd Newell
Flip's Player 2 Watch: QB Case Keenum

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Texas Bowl Preview

Rice vs Western Michigan, 8PM

Rice has a dominant passing game, led by QB Chase Clement. He threw for 41 TD's and over 3,800 yards. Senior WR Jarett Diller has 19 TD's along with 1,224 receiving yards. Clement and Dillard have connected for 50 career TD's, an NCAA record for a passing duo. Dillard has atleast 2 catches in all of his 48 career games. Chase Clement has also rushed for 11 TD's, proving he's a running threat for opposing defenses. The Owls average 144.4 rushing yards, ranked 61st in the nation. Rice has 14 sacks in their last 6 games, but ranked last in pass defense in Conference USA.

The Western Michigan Broncos will rely on their defense tonight. They ranked 2nd in the MAC at 140.9 yards allowed. Cornerback London Fryar is a 2 time All-MAC performer, and DB Louis Delmas is one of the hardest hitters in the nation. QB Tim Hiller led the MAC with 293.9 yards per game and 34 TD's. The Broncos played terrible in their two key MAC matchups against Central Michigan and Ball State, losing by 10 to Central Michigan and 23 to Ball State.

Flip's Pick: Rice, 36-23
Chris's Pick: Rice, 24-23

Flip's Player 2 Watch: WR James Casey
Chris's Player 2 Watch: WR Jarret Dillard

Holiday Bowl Preview

Oklahoma State vs Oregon, 8 PM

Oklahoma State is led by QB Zac Robinson. During the season, Robinson threw for 24 TD's with only 8 INT's. He is lost in the Big 12 quarterback list, with names like Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy and Graham Harrell getting all the media attention. Sophomore RB Kendall Hunter ran for 1,518 yards and 14 TD's. He is the Big 12's leading rusher in a conference dominated by Quarterbacks. Backing up Hunter is Keith Toston, who found the endzone 9 times this year. Standout Wide Receiver Dez Bryant is an animal at catching, reeling in 18 TD's and over 1,300 yards. The Cowboys have a great special teams unit, led by punter Matt Fodge.

Oregon will look for Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli to get thm going. Masoli threw for 1,486 and 12 TD's. The Ducks have a dynamic duo at tailback. Jeremiah Johnson, who rushed for 1,082, and Garrete Blount, who had 928 yards with 16 TD's, are a "Lightning Squared" threat. Wideout Terence Scott can threaten the secondary, along with big TE Ed Dickson. Oregon is riding all momentum into this game, with a big win over rival Oregon State. The Ducks have averaged 41.9 points per game, while the Cowboys average 41. 6.

Flip's Pick: Oklahoma State, 45-41
Chris's Pick: Oklahoma State, 35-31

Flip's Player 2 Watch: WR Dez Bryant
Chris's Player 2 Watch: QB Zac Robinson

Sunday, December 28, 2008

PAPAJOHNS.COM BOWL Preview

Rutgers will be taking on North Carolina State today at 3pm on ESPN. Rutgers started out the season 1-5, but got on a six game winning streak to end up 7-5. During there six game winning streak Rutgers played great offense and defense. The Scarlet Knights were averaging 40 points a game on offense, and were allowing 15 points a game on defense. Rutgers finished the regular season with a dominating performance against Louisville beating them 63-14. North Carolina State was 2-6 during the season and ended up going on a 4 game winning streak beating two ranked teams. North Carolina State beat Wake Forest in a close game 21-17, and then destroyed North Carolina 41-10. They ended the season with a 38-38 win over Miami FL. They faced three bowl teams and beat them. During there four game winning streak the wolf pack averaged 32 points on offense and allowed 18 points per game. This should be a good game to watch.

Leading the way for the Scarlet Knights is Senior Quarterback Mike Teel, who had 3,099 passing yards with 23 passing touchdowns. At the wide receiver positions are Kenny Britt, and Tiquan Underwood. Britt had 1,252 receiving yards with 6 receiving touchdowns. Underwood had 443 receiving yards and had 4 receiving touchdowns. The key thing for Rutgers in this game is to stop the pass on defense and score points on offense. They need to force pressure on defense and make North Carolina State run the ball. Mike Teel needs to play good in his last game.



The Wolf Pack leader is Quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson threw for 1,769 yards with 16 touchdown passes. Andre Brown is their halfback who will need to get loose for NC State. Brown had 164 carries for 728 yards with 6 rushing touchdowns. The key thing for the Wolf Pack in this game is to stop the passing game and make Rutgers run the ball. Rutgers is ranked 21st in passing, but is ranked 82 in rushing. So you can see that Rutgers isn't a good running team. They need to force turnovers and get there offense in good field position. If North Carolina State can score points on offense then it will put more pressure on Rutgers to score.

My Pick- Rutgers 31-21
Flippy's Pick- Rutgers 37-20

Player 2 Watch
My Pick- Rutgers defense
Flippy's Pick- WR Kenny Britt

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Emerald Bowl Preview

Miami (FL) vs California, 8 ET

California's star halfback, Jahvid Best, will look to rip apart the Miami defense tonight. Jahvid Best has rushed for over 1,300 yards and 13 TD's. The Golden Bears will have Senior QB Nate Longshore start tonight over Kevin Riley. California has averaged 33 points a game, 26th in the nation. Cal is 3rd nationally in interceptions on defense, which both Miami QB's are known to throw picks. Freshman punter Bryan Anger has one of the best legs in the nation. Expect to see him pin Miami deep in their territory.

Miami will go with QB Robert Marve, who has thrown 6 picks while playing in limited action. Graig Cooper and Javarris James are much more explosive then their numbers say, as both can easily break through the hole. Miami's young defensive line will need to get pressure on Longshore, especially with Cal's struggling offensive line. If the Hurricanes allow Pac 10 rushing leader Jahvid Best to get outside, they will be on the field for a while.

Flip's Pick: Cal, 40- 20
Jeezy's Pick: Cal, 28-13

Flip's Player 2 Watch: RB Shane Vereen
Jeezy's Player 2 Watch: RB Jahvid Best

West Virginia Wins A Thriller

Pat White entered today's bowl game needing just one more win to cap of his 4 bowl wins. No other collegiate player has ever won 4 bowls in his career, so White was playing for a record. Pat White certainly played like a champion, throwing for 332 yards with 3 TD's. White led the game winning drive with 7 minutes left, finding Alric Arnett for a 20 yard TD strike. Noel Devine rushed for 61 yards and scored the opening TD for the Mountaineers. The first quarter was a shootout with West Virginia scoring 21 points, tying a Meineke Car Care bowl record.
North Carolina had two TDs in the first quarter as well, both by Hakeem Nicks. North Carolina's receiver, Hakeem Nicks set a Meineke Bowl record with 217 receiving yards. North Carolina suffered a tough loss, hanging with the Mountaineers all game, but were unable to finish them off. T.J Yates threw 2 TD's with 209 passing yards. The Tar Heels had one last drive to make a comeback, but Yates was picked off by Pat Lazear.