Holiday Bowl: Oklahoma St. vs. Oregon

By ANDREW GARDA - PAC-10 INSIDER

December 30, 2008 * 8:00 * ESPN
Qualcomm Stadium * San Diego, California

This is an intriguing match-up between the second place Ducks from a mediocre Pac-10 conference, and the Cowboys, who finished fourth in the powerful Big 12 South. Oregon is looking to win back-to-back bowls after dropping four straight prior to last season’s win over USF, while Coach Mike Gundy of Oklahoma St. is looking to improve his bowl record to a perfect 3-0.

When the Ducks Have the Ball

Oregon has an incredibly prolific scoring offense, one which ranks seventh in the nation in overall scoring and fourth in the country in rushing. That rushing attack — led by a pair of studs in Jeremiah Johnson and LaGarrette Blount — is the engine that makes the offensive machine run by. Johnson, a senior, just completed his first 1,000-yard season while the junior Blount stands just 72 yards below that mark. Both have more than a dozen touchdowns to their name. They will face an equally talented run defense in the Cowboys. Oklahoma State can be stout, ranked 27th in the nation against the run. It’s the unstoppable force versus the immovable object. If the object starts winning, the Ducks will turn to sophomore quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. While Masoli doesn’t stack the yards up, he’s effective when he needs to be. While he was rarely called on to throw for more than 150 yards in a game, the last two games have required Masoli to show more and he responded, throwing for a total of 572 yards and five touchdowns. The Cowboys have a solid defensive squad but have given up more than 50 points twice in losses during the last three games. Both were to high-scoring offenses (Texas Tech and Oklahoma) and while the Ducks aren’t quite in that category, they can score and the Cowboys have shown that they can be scored on.

When the Pokes Have the Ball

As with the Ducks, the Cowboys are used to scoring at will, ranking eighth in the nation with 41.58 points per game and seventh in rushing with 256 yards per game. Sophomore Kendall Hunter has been their bell cow with 1,518 yards and 14 touchdowns to his credit this season, which put him atop the Big 12 in rushing. The Ducks could be up to the task of slowing him down as they rank 24th against the run. They will be tested though and Hunter has the talent to break a long run on occasion. When they aren’t running the ball, the Cowboys will turn to junior quarterback Zac Robinson. Robinson, like Masoli, can be called upon to throw the ball and be successful. He’s more consistent than Masoli and also capable of doing damage on the ground when called upon. Robinson’s most potent weapon is wide receiver Dez Bryant, a 6-2 210 beast who has totaled 200-plus yards twice this season. Robinson and Bryant give the Cowboys a slightly more dynamic overall offense than the Ducks. Tight end Brandon Pettigrew is a force both as a pass catcher and a blocker.

Final Analysis

Oklahoma State has scored over 50 points in a game five times this season, all wins. Oregon averages just 28 points allowed though, and will do everything they can to stifle the Cowboy offense. The Ducks will be eager to show that the Beavers and the Trojans aren’t the only Pac-10 teams that can play defense.

Oklahoma St. Cowboys (9-3, 5-3)
Pass: Zac Robinson – 2,735 yards, 24 TDs
Run: Kendall Hunter – 1,518 yards, 14 TDs
Catch: Dez Bryant – 1,313 yards, 18 TDs

Oregon Ducks (9-3, 7-2)
Pass: Jeremiah Masoli – 1,486 yards, 12 TDs
Run: Jeremiah Johnson – 1,082 yards, 12 TDs
Catch: Terence Scott – 626 yards, 5 TDs

The CFI Prediction: Oregon 41, Oklahoma St. 36

Photo Credit: College Press Box (Oklahoma St. University)

Holiday Bowl Notes: Arizona 31, BYU 21

Spread Offense:

Arizona quarterback and Holiday Bowl MVP Willie Tuitama – 24-of-35, 325 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions – spread the wealth against BYU in the Las Vegas desert. For the last two seasons, slot receiver Mike Thomas has been Tuitama’s top target with sophomore tight end Rob Gronkowski’s 672 receiving yards second on the team and his 10 touchdown receptions leading the way.

Naturally Thomas and Gronkowski were the receiving stars of the game, right? Not so much.

Lanky junior Terrell Turner, who had just one 100-yard game his season, hauled in four balls for 111 yards, including a 71-yard catch-and-run on the opening drive. Tuitama hit Turner in stride as he ran down the seam, allowing the Texas native to register the longest reception of his career. It wasn’t a perfect day for Turner--he allowed a potential 60-yard touchdown pass to sail through his hands later in the game on a perfectly thrown ball by Tuitama — but he had to be happy with his performance. Sophomore Delashaun Dean caught a season-high seven passes and his 88 receiving yards were the second most in his young career.

Meanwhile, Rob Gronkowski wasn’t even the most productive Gronkowski. Older brother Chris caught passes of 19 and 24 yards out of his fullback position to bookend a 65-yard touchdown drive which put the ‘Cats up 24-14 late in the third quarter.

Overall, Tuitama looked sharp, taking what the defense gave him most of the night. The senior did a nice job stepping up in the pocket to avoid pressure – pocket presence is still something he’s working on. The strong-armed signal caller will be remembered in Tucson for bringing home the Wildcats’ first bowl win in 10 years.

"This was five years in the making. It all came together in the last month of the season," Arizona coach Mike Stoops said afterwards. "I couldn't be more proud of these seniors who brought Arizona back."

Defensive Notes:

* You have to love the way Ronnie Palmer (8 tackles) plays football. The senior linebacker was flying all over the field, laying big hits on BYU quarterback Max Hall when asked to blitz. Against the run, he was able to penetrate the backfield, and delivered a big hit in coverage to break up a pass play. Simply put, he just loves to hit. At 6’3” and 245 pounds, the senior linebacker has good size but may lack the speed to play at the next level.

* Fellow linebacker Xavier Kelly does have the speed. Built more like a safety than a linebacker (5’11”/215 pounds), the junior out of Texas covered the most ground of any defender, recording a game-high 15 stops, including a sack and strip of Hall, one of three fumbles the ‘Cats forced.

* Senior Marquis Hundley had some nice coverage on the day, including covering everybody’s All-American Austin Collie one-on-one at times. He made a great interception by running with Collie stride-for-stride, turning when Collie looked for ball and finishing the play with a nice two-handed snag, showing off his ball skills. Watching, you got the feeling that Hall was used to completing that kind of pass in Mountain West play, particularly when throwing it to his favorite target, Collie.

* Filling in for Hundley after the senior got dinged up was freshman Trevin Wade, who almost had a pick of his own. His play should come as no surprise for anyone who follows Arizona football--Wade had four interceptions in a backup role and should be ready to take on more responsibility next season.

Record Setters:

Austin Collie turned in his 11th straight game with at least 100 receiving yards – an FBS record – wow! That’s serious consistency at a very high level for the BYU junior. What else can you say? Arizona’s Mike Thomas set the all-time Pac-10 receiving record with career grab number 257. It came when Arizona called a time out to throw a short route to Thomas on the game’s final play to pass Derek Hagan, who attended rival Arizona St. I understand why Coach Mike Stoops did it…not sure if I would have.

In-Defensible:

It appeared Arizona was taking advantage of busted coverages and missed assignments all game long by BYU. The Cougars’ DBs were often fooled by simple hesitations in the Wildcats’ routes, leaving targets wide open. A couple of times BYU defenders were caught peaking in at the quarterback as well. Play-action fakes left fullback Chris Gronkowski uncovered on both of his receptions.

All around shoddy tackling by BYU was also a factor in this contest. Not to be outdone, the offense was sloppy as well. A third-and-one at the Arizona 19-yard line turned into third-and-16 after the Cougars committed three straight penalties. Adding insult to injury, kicker Mitch Payne missed a 40-yard field goal attempt.

Photo Credit: Mark A. Philbrick/BYU

Non-BCS Football Fan's Four-Pack

The college football nation has collectively beaten the Playoff/BCS debate to death. Now it is bowl season, so sit back, relax and enjoy:

NON-BCS BOWLS TO WATCH: A FAN’S FOUR PACK

1. Poinsettia Bowl – Boise St. vs. TCU (December 23): Not quite the BCS Buster Championship we were hoping for (Boise taking on Utah) in a BCS Bowl, but we’ll take it. Led by Kellen Moore and Ian Johnson, the Broncos leave the friendly confines of the blue turf to take on one of the nation’s top defenses. Jerry Hughes and Jason Phillips are two of the best defenders you may not have seen much of.

2. Cotton Bowl – Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech (January 2): The Big 12 vs. SEC undercard and the final Cotton Bowl in the actual Cotton Bowl. This game will help answer the question of the 2008 season – what’s better, the Big 12 offense or the SEC defense? Michael Oher and Michael Crabtree are a pair of potential top 10 picks.

3. Holiday Bowl – Oklahoma St. vs. Oregon (December 30): Both teams know how to move the ball and put up points. Zac Robinson triggers the Pokes’ attack with Dez Bryant, Brandon Pettigrew and Kendall Hunter at his disposal. The Ducks hit opponents with the two-headed backfield of Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount, while Jeremiah Masoli has made as much progress as any quarterback in the nation this season.

4. Chik-fil-A Bowl – LSU vs. Georgia Tech (December 31): The Yellow Jackets had an impressive first season under their new headman Paul Johnson, running the triple-option as if they have been doing it for years. The Bayou Bengals have an extremely talented defense, which has not played to its potenital and must remain discplined if they are to finish the ’08 season on a winning note.

Photo Credit: Texas Tech Athletics

This Date in College Football History

Dec. 23, 1983: At the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, Brigham Young stuns Missouri as Cougar quarterback Steve Young (2001 College Hall of Fame inductee) drives his team 94 yards for the win. On a trick play, halfback Eddie Stinnett caps off the drive, throwing a 14-yard pass to Young with 23 seconds left in the game to seal the 21-17 victory.

Credit: The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame

This Date in College Football History

December 18, 1981: Brigham Young edges Washington State 38-36 to secure back-to-back wins at the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. Tom Holmoe (current BYU athletics director) intercepts a WSU pass and returns it 35 yards for a TD to give Brigham Young a comfortable 31-7 advantage in the third quarter, but a revitalized Washington State scores 29 points in the second half to close the scoring gap. BYU's Jim McMahon, the nation's leading passer and inaugural winner of the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns preventing the WSU comeback win.

Credit: The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame