This game might not be what is seems. First things first, let’s look at that 7-5 record for Nevada. Delving into the L’s, we see that 2 of those losses were to Boise and Oregon, no shame there. There are probably about 115 other teams in the nation that would also be 0-2 vs those juggernauts. That leaves 3 real earned losses, a 1-point loss to Texas Tech in a shoot out (hello, its Texas Tech), and a pair of consecutive 4-point losses to Louisiana Tech and Utah State. LT and USU of course are bowling this season, TT just missed it at 5-7 but Nevada faced the Raiders early in the season, when they were still beat-Oklahoma-good, before they were ravaged by injuries. Nevada led in the 4th Q in all 3 games. Read the rest of this entry →
Their recent run of success is not likely to be equaled by any team any time soon or possibly ever. You have to go back to 2007 to find a loss by more than a FG. You’d also have to go back to 2007 to find a season with more than 1 loss (they had 2 in 07). From 2008 through 2011 (Kellen Moore’s tenure oddly enough), Boise is an absolutely unbelievable 49-3 (yes, this will be their 50th win over the last 4 seasons!). After the 1-point bowl loss to TCU in 2008, the Broncos are mere inches from stringing together an unheard of 4-straight undefeated regular seasons (2 wide kicks in the OT loss to conference champ Nevada last year, and the one that barely missed as time expired in the instant-classic 1-point loss to conference champ TCU this season). Read the rest of this entry →
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl - Dec. 21, 2011
TCU vs Louisiana Tech
The big story line for the Frogs is going to be the dreaded Motivation.
After back-2-back BCS appearances including last year’s classic Rose Bowl victory over Wisky for perfection, exactly how motivated will TCU be for the ….ahem…Poinsettia Bowl? And this on top of being deserving of another BCS at-large bid this season that went instead to …ahem…Virginia Tech.
I guess we will find out Wednesday evening, but I am leaning towards the Frogs being more of the scrappy lunchpailers than the pouting prima donnas. Read the rest of this entry →
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl – Dec. 20, 2011 St. Petersburg, Florida
The Panthers have all the fantasy star-power in this game in sophomore RB Kendrick Rhodes, do-it-all WR TY Hilton, and savvy vet QB Wes Carroll, and if you’re into fantasy D you might also like to know that FIU has a Top-20-ish D/ST unit.
QB Carroll wont impress with his yardage totals (2200, yuck) but his 14:4 TD:INT ratio is where his value is. FIU plays smart football by not turning the ball over, playing great D and turning that into great field position with explosive return weapons, and then pounding away with a solid ground attack. Backing up Rhodes is former starter Darriet Perry, but make no mistake, Rhodes will get the lion’s share of the carries. He should end up with 25+ carries and could top 150 total yards with a score or two. Hilton is definitely an X-factor. The offense is just not passer-friendly this year, but Hilton is too dangerous to be forgotten about lest he burn you deep. He will be used to keep the defense honest and he might haul in a long gainer or two but shouldn’t crack 100 receiving yards. Of course, he is always a threat to take it to the house every time he steps on the field as a return man. But Marshall no doubt knows this and will try to kick it away as much as possible. QB Carroll will probably not be cracking 300, but he could have a nice stat line nonetheless as the Herd D collapses down on the running game in the Red Zone, Carroll should be able to connect on a few short TD passes. 2 or maybe even 3 TDs for Carroll is not out of the question. Read the rest of this entry →
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl – Dec. 17, 2011 New Orleans, Louisiana
San Diego State of course starts with All-American (3rd Team) RB Ronnie Hillman. He has been banged up but is expected to play, although he will not be 100%. And factoring in the fact that against the best RB that the Cajuns have faced so far the defense absolutely folded to Western Kentucky’s Bobby Rainey, allowing 206 yards on 32 carries (6.4!) and 3 TDs, Hillman might not need to be 100% to finish with nice numbers. Rainey is a great back, but Hillman is in that same picture (literally the same picture, Rainey is the other AA 3rd-teamer). Ronnie is not as bowling-ball-like as Rainey, so there might be fewer TDs, but Hillman definitely is more explosive than Lil’ Bobby, so a higher up-side with yardage. A healthy Hillman could go for 200, but being a bit less than 100% and the emergence of freshman Adam Muema as a legit backup probably means Hillman ends up south of 150 total yards (something like 110-ish + 30-ish receiving on 5 or so grabs). One score on the ground is a given, and he could easily add a second either on the ground or through the air. Read the rest of this entry →
