Discover Orange Bowl — Jan. 3, 2011
No. 5 Stanford vs. No. 12 Virginia Tech
5:30 p.m. (ESPN)
With a school-record 11-win regular season now on the back burner, Stanford and Heisman Trophy contender Andrew Luck will head to the Sunshine State to take on a Hokie squad that has won 11 straight games since losing a stunner to James Madison earlier in the season. On paper, it’s hard to find much fault with the Cardinal. Stanford’s scoring offense ranks eighth in the country at 40.3 points per game and 11th in scoring defense, surrendering 17.8 points per contest. The aforementioned Luck is universally considered to the best NFL prospect in college and will be the likely No. 1 pick in next April’s draft if he chooses to declare. For the season, Luck has thrown for 3,051 yards and 28 touchdowns against seven interceptions, and has played particularly well lately — he’s completed over 70 percent of his passes in Stanford’s last seven games. And lest anybody think the Cardinal are a one-dimensional offense, several Stanford running backs have combined to rush for 2,532 yards — the Cardinal rushing offense is ranked 17th nationally. But the real story of the 2010 Stanford football team lies in the defense’s improvement. First year defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has worked wonders — last season, the Cardinal were eighth in the Pac-10 in scoring defense and allowed 402 yards per game. This year, Stanford leads the Pac-10 in scoring defense and allows only 325.8 yards per game.
And while the Cardinal are considered among the hottest teams in the nation, having won seven games in a row, Virginia Tech is also on a roll. Since starting the year 0-2 with a disappointing loss to Boise State and an inexplicable defeat to lower-division James Madison, Virginia Tech has been unbeatable, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference in the process. Senior quarterback Tyrod Taylor has quietly put up a standout season, throwing for 2,521 yards and 23 touchdowns and running for an additional 637 yards and five scores. Virginia Tech’s real strength, however, lies in its 18th ranked rushing offense. Despite an injury prone season to last year’s breakout star Ryan Williams, Darren Evans, David Wilson and the rest of Virginia Tech’s running backs combined to put up 2,716 yards on the ground this season. For the year, Virginia Tech’s offense was 19th nationally in points per game with 35.5. As always, the Hokies’ Bud Foster was strong in 2010, terrorizing ACC foes with a defense that ranked 16th nationally in points allowed per contest. Despite losing to Boise State in the season-opener, Virginia Tech did hold Broncos’ star Kellen Moore in check — Moore was only 23 for 38 for 215 yards in the contest. That might bode well for Virginia Tech’s chances against Luck, another elite signal caller.
Valero Alamo Bowl — Dec. 29, 2010
Arizona vs. No. 14 Oklahoma State
6:15 p.m. (ESPN)
After beginning the year 7-1, Arizona (7-5, 4-5 Pacific-10 Conference) has been in a tailspin as of late. The Wildcats have lost four straight games, the last of which came in heartbreaking fashion to rival Arizona State in the Territorial Cup. To have a shot at knocking off the Cowboys, Arizona quarterback Nick Foles will need to live up to the high standard he set in the first part of the year, where he was a sparkling 28 for 39 for 303 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-27 win over then-No. 9 Iowa. For the season, Arizona is ranked ninth nationally in passing yards per game at 310, 47th in scoring offense at 29.8 points per game and 33rd in scoring defense with 21.6 points allowed per contest. Perhaps Arizona’s best shot at containing Oklahoma State’s powerful offense is for running backs Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin to get on track to help the Wildcats sustain long drives. While talented, Antolin and Grigsby are only averaging 4.7 and 4.6 yards per carry, respectively, and Arizona’s rush offense is ranked 85th nationally.
If not, it could be a long day for coach Mike Stoops and the Wildcats because of Oklahoma State’s offensive prowess. The Cowboys, who finished 10-2 overall (6-2 in the Big-12) have the nation’s third-ranked scoring offense, and are second in the country in passing (at 354.7 points per game). Former minor league baseball pitcher Brandon Weeden has been tremendous from the quarterback position, throwing for 4,037 yards and 32 touchdowns on the season. And it’s not like Weeden is doing it alone — he’s surrounded by possibly the best collegiate wide receiver in the country, Justin Blackmon, and running back Kendall Hunter. Blackmon has hauled in 102 passes for 1,665 yards and 18 touchdowns this season, while Hunter has rushed for 1,516 yards and 16 touchdowns. It all adds up to an offense that has scored at least 33 points in all but one of its 12 games this season. That said, the Cowboys aren’t nearly as proficient on the defensive side of the ball. Oklahoma State is only 68th nationally in scoring defense at 27.8 points per game, and hasn’t exactly faced a who’s-who of offensive powers in the process. When they have played solid offenses, Oklahoma State has been scorched —Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M combined to score 133 points against the Cowboys. If Foles and Arizona play like the Wildcats did back in September, this match up could be closer than some might anticipate.
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl — Dec. 30, 2010
No. 18 Nebraska vs. Washington
7 p.m. (ESPN)
As a reward for edging lowly Washington State in last weekend’s Apple Cup, Washington (6-6, 5-4 Pac-10) gets a rematch with Nebraska (10-3, 6-3 Big 12). When the teams met earlier this year back in September, it didn’t go so well for the Huskies. Nebraska throttled Washington 56-21 in Seattle, leaving no doubt as to the identity of the better team. If the score is to be different this time around, Washington senior quarterback Jake Locker will have to play the game of his life in his college finale. To date, Locker has put together a rather disappointing senior year, throwing 2,209 yards and 17 touchdowns, but only completing 56.6 percent of his passes and tossing nine interceptions. Washington’s passing offense is only ranked 77th nationally, at 200.3 yards per game. That said, Locker is still a highly touted NFL prospect for a reason — he certainly has the arm strength and mobility to succeed against Nebraska’s vaunted Blackshirt defense. Locker is supported by a decent core of receivers — Jermaine Kearse leads the bunch with 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns, and running back Chris Polk, who has rushed for 1,238 yards and eight scores this year. But for the year, Washington is only 93rd nationally in points scored, with 22.1 per game. Their defense, which surrendered 533 yards of total offense to Nebraska earlier this year, is also 93rd in points allowed, at 31.2 per contest.
Clearly, the raw stats favor Bo Pelini’s Huskers, who are coming off a 23-20 loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game. But if there’s one thing that does bode well for Washington, it’s a possible Nebraska letdown. The Huskers were three points away from playing in the Fiesta Bowl only to play what many consider a mediocre Husky team, and might not bring the same sense of urgency or enthusiasm into the contest as Washington, which is making its first bowl appearance since the 2002 season. Still, Nebraska’s talent advantage is undeniable. Despite the loss of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to the NFL, Nebraska still has the nation’s eighth best scoring defense, at 17.2 points per game. They’ve held all but two of their 13 opponents to 23 or fewer points this year, and are led by highly touted NFL prospects in cornerback Prince Amukamura and defensive lineman Jared Crick. While not as touted as its defense, Nebraska’s 28th-ranked scoring offense still has an array of dynamic weapons. Running backs Roy Helu, Jr., and Rex Burkhead average 6.8 and 5.7 yards per carry, respectively, and lead a potent rushing attack tha
t ranks 10th in the nation at 259.6 yards per contest. Quarterback Taylor Martinez was an early-season Heisman Trophy hopeful, and is a true dual-threat signal caller — Martinez has rushed for 942 yards and thrown for 1,578 on the year. If there’s an area with which the Nebraska offense struggles, it’s in the passing game. Martinez has been average throwing the ball, completing 58.3 percent of his passes and throwing only nine touchdowns to six interceptions. As a unit, Nebraska’s passing offense ranks 109th in the nation. But even if their aerial attack falters, the Huskers should be able to take advantage of Washington’s rush defense — the Huskies are eighth in the Pac-10 in that category, allowing an average of 198.8 yards per game.
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