Breaking News: All-America left tackle Andre Smith out of Sugar Bowl

This was posted on ESPN a few minutes ago, and Andre Smith who was a first team All American and the Outland trophy winner is suspended for at least the Sugar Bowl for violating team rules.

This is a huge blow for Alabama, because Smith has only allowed one sack all season and seven total in his 38 game career, and is projected as a top pick if he elects to go to the NFL. This really hurts Alabama because Smith was to match up against Utah’s own potential first round pick in defensive end Paul Kruger

Alabama has the athletes to put in Smith’s place, but none are as good as Smith has been in his career.

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New Mexico Bowl Recap

40 35

What a game this was, and if you liked offense then this was the game for you. As expected the running backs dominated the offense. Gattrell Johnson III from Colorado State was named the games MVP because of this stat line: 27 carries, 285 yards, 2 touchdowns plus he caught 5 passes for 90 yards for a total of 375 of total offense. On the Fresno State side they had two backs over 100 yards wit Anthony Harding who had 2 scores and 120 yards, and then Lonyae Miler also had two scores plus 113 yards.

Fresno was the team that got off to the fast start by scoring their first score within four minutes, and then the Rams countered with a similar drive and scored very quickly. The game went back and forth through the first three quarters, but it was the fourth quarter that separated the two teams. The Rams down 28-20 going into the fourth quarter and scored 20 unanswered points to put the game out of reach.

The rushing game gave up big yards per play, but the Rams nearly averaged a first down per play with 9.6 yards per rush attempt. Fresno was no slouch as they were able to rush for 6.4 per rush.

The difference in this game was that Colorado State quarterback Bill Farris played an exceptional game going 17 for 29 with 257 yards along with one score and pick. The passing game for the Rams yielded 15.11 yards per catch with 5 catches that went 69, 57, 22, 21, and 19 yards. Farris was also able to spread the ball around to eight different receivers, as well. The success in the rushing game was no surprise for the Rams, because running up the middle was Fresno's achilles, but they supposedly had great defensive speed and the Rams were able to still swing the ball to every part of the field.

Fresno State on the other hand was unable to beat the Colorado State secondary in the passing game. The Rams were well prepared after playing in the Mountain West where four of the teams pass the ball around and spread the field in their offense. That was the real difference because Colorado State was able to pass when they needed to and had big catches by Rashaun Greer who only had one catch but it was a 69 yard touchdown, and then super tight end Kory Sperry caught a 22 yard touchdown reception while being double teamed in the corner of the endzone.

The 77 yard rushing touchdown by Gattrell Johnson with 1:46 remaining, and this was the Rams first bowl win in seven years, and this was the first bowl win by a first year head coach at Colorado State. The Rams look to be in safe hands in the future after turning the program over from legend Sunny Lubbick to current head coach Steve Fairchild.

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Time for the Mountain West to prove itself… Again

Bowl season is upon us today, and along with the non conference schedule leagues have the chance to showcase how good their league is. As for the Mountain West they are arguably somewhere between the fourth to sixth best conference this season. The league went 5-1 against the Pac-10 and 10-4 overall against BCS leagues.

Most of that was forgotten once conference season came into play and people forgot how good the MWC did in BCS non conference games. Respect was earned because there was a time that a two loss MWC team would struggle to make the the top 25, but this year there are currently three schools the most in league history are in the top 25.

Now, this bowl season the MWC has two matchups against the WAC who battles the MWC for the premier non-BCS league, plus one Pac-10, one C-USA, and then Alabama from the SEC.

This time of the year is when the league needs get the chance to pound their chest by saying ‘We are better then your league.’ The MWC must win at least four of these bowl games, in my opinion, to keep getting talked about and out of all the bowl games the MWC is favored in 3 of them even though somehow BYU is a 3 point underdog.

The big game is obviously the Sugar Bowl which will be tough for Utah to pull off, but if the Utes win along with a few other bowls the league will get some more respect. Also, a reason to continue the leagues success is because this is year one of the four year cycle that determines what leagues get auto bids to the BCS. Those rules are very loosely based, but the MWC needs to perform well in this bowl season and the next few seasons for a chance to be even considered for the league to get an auto bid.

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Las Vegas Bowl Preview: BYU vs. Arizona

Now before I get into the game itself I am participating in the Gunaxin’s 2008 Blog Bowl Challenge which pits other bloggers against each other for a prize, but the great thing about this contest is that it brings together the best content for all of the bowls from multiple bloggers. So, to check out different perspectives on this bowl game and others then click the picture below and it will take you there.

#16 (10-2) (7-5)

Sam Boyd Stadium 5PM PT TV:

BYU is making their fourth straight Vegas Bowl appearance while Arizona is going bowling for the first time since 1998. The oddest thing on this game is that Arizona is a 3 point favorite despite BYU being ranked and having played a much tougher schedule then Arizona.

BYU must over come their devastating loss to Utah and again going to the Las Vegas Bowl. The upside is that BYU is looking for their third straight 11-2 season and have firmly brought back their winning tradition of the days of legendary coach LaVell Edwards.

BYU has the offense to move up and down on Arizona with Austin Collie who has 15 touchdowns and over 1400 yards receiving, and QB Max Hall who passed for 3600 yads. The offense has running back Harvey Unga and TE Dennis Pita who had a 1,000 yards at his position.

BYU will have problems defensively because their defensive backs are slow and not physical enough to cover receivers. Plus the defensive backs all year have been giving at least an eight yard cushion so that they will not be beat deep, so teams counter with crossing routes and short passes to chip away yards.

Arizona has a few good weapons of their own they have an All American tight end Rob Gronkowski who is a touchdown machine with 10 on the year. Then quarterback Willie Tuitama who is capable of making plays and elusive in the back field if their is pressure.

The Cats also have a 1,000 yard rusher in Nic Grigsby who also has 12 touchdowns. The Wildcat offense is very balanced and puts up nearly 37 points per game. The BYU defense is capable of making stops, but they must put pressure on the quarterback from Jan Jorgensen and David Nixon.

However the real pressure comes from the defensive backs being able to put coverage pressure and forcing Tuitama to hold on to the ball so the defense can get pressure.

Another main problem for BYU is the lack of adjustments that BYU coaches never seem to do. The word at the school is that if they execute the plays they will be fine and be able to run their plays. However once the other schools figures it out they will make adjustments while BYU does not.

Expect this game to be high scoring with each team scoring in the 30’s.

The Essentials

BYU
Offense - 444.07 ypg, 308.9 ypg passing, 135.17 ypg rushing
Defense - 350.3 ypg, 222 ypg passing, 207.25 ypg rushing
Wins versus Bowl Teams - Colorado State, Air Force

Arizona
Offense - 401.3 ypg, 237.25 ypg passing, 164 ypg rushing
Defense - 302.1 ypg, 169.75 ypg passing, 132.33 ypg rushing
Wins versus Bowl Teams - California

Prediction: BYU 38 Arizona 34

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New Mexico Bowl Preview: Colorado State vs. Fresno State

(6-6) (7-4)

New Mexico Bowl, University Stadium 2:30PM MT TV:




The ever so many bowl games are here and this game features two old WAC rivals, and gives this game some meaning to what league is superior. Fresno State was a team that fell of the map after being in the top 25 and being mentioned as a BCS buster.

Then the Bulldogs do what they do best which is beat a big name opponent at Rutgers and then played then number 10 Wisconsin to a close lose. After that Fresno did their typical thing and lose a few conference games and then get crushed in their biggest conference game against Boise State.

Colorado State was not expected to be this good with first year coach Steve Fairchild and a new quarterback, but the Rams were lead by their running attack of Gattrel Johnson III and Kyle Bell.

Fresno had their bowl game invited wrapped up in early November, but the Rams had to win their last two games to become bowl eligible and also has to defeat their rival Wyoming on the last game of the year.

What to expect in this game is a lot of points and the total to have at least 55. Both teams are pretty identical in total offense per game, with the Rams having a slight edge in the running game and Fresno having the edge in the passing game.

The Rams' ground attack is fueled by first-team All-MWC 225-pound RB Gartrell Johnson, who is a powerful between-the-tackles runner. Behind Johnson, 234-pound Kyle Bell provides excellent depth, and he too is at his best running inside. This doesn't bode well for a Fresno State run defense that's giving up an average of 5.3 yards per carry, so look for the Rams to try to control the time of possession and ride the running game.

Even if the running game gets stalled or the Rams have to pass they have one of the best tight ends in the country in Kory Sperry who catches anything thrown his way. If not for Dennis Pita from BYU, Sperry would be getting some big time recognition.

Rashaun Greer is another receiving threat for the Rams who has 1,045 yards on the year and a couple of scores, but the real strength is the running game of Colorado State.

Fresno will not back down from anyone and should look to pass against the Rams, because the Rams only have 9 sacks on the year. So, they will have plenty of time to find their main receivers in Chastin West, Seyi Ajirotutu and Devon Wylie should have plenty of time to separate from the coverage.

The running game could be another strength for Fresno, because Colorado State is not great in stopping the run as they gave up 5.2 yards per carry. However the main back for Fresno, Ryan Mathews has been hampered by a knee injury for the better part of the season, and it's unknown whether he'll be able play in the game. The replacement will be Anthony Harding and Jamal Rashad and the way the offensive line for Fresno will allow them to be able to run against the Rams defense.

The Essentials
Colorado State
Offense - 377 ypg, 247 ypg passing, 129 ypg rushing
Defense - 407 ypg, 222 ypg passing, 185 ypg rushing
Wins versus Bowl Teams - Houston

Fresno State
Offense - 383 ypg, 206 ypg passing, 177 ypg rushing
Defense - 393 ypg, 196 ypg passing, 197 ypg rushing
Wins versus Bowl Teams - Rutgers

Prediction: Colorado State 27 Fresno State 21

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Should I be smiling that Andy Ludwing left Utah?

In shocking news on Wednesday Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig is leaving Utah to take the same position at Kansas State, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. This is a shocking development somewhat, becasue Ludwig has had some success the team did average nearly 40 points per game this year and the school has won four straight bowl game wins in his tenure.

I think Ludwig out thought himself or the other coach when calling the plays, such as the fumbleruski against TCU this year. There were times when he was stale and would not adjust the offense when either Brett Ratliff or Tommy Grady played.

The only real beef with Ludwig is that he brought in Grady, who was at Oklahoma and transfered because of playing time. Grady was the worst fit for the Utes, he was a drop back passer with very little if any mobility. In my opinion Ludwig went after Grady because he was at Oklahoma and thought he would be fine for Utah.

The decision for Ludwig to leave stems from not being appreciated from most fans who despised him, or that after last season he was the only coach on the Utah staff to not receive a pay raise.

There is no doubt that the move to Kansas State to take the same position will result in a pay raise, and potentially a better head coaching job if he is able to help put Kansas State back near the top of the Big XII.

He most likely will have the same success at Oregon and Utah where he will be fairly successful but inconsistent and frustrating to understand his play calling. Ludwig will stay on to coach in the Sugar Bowl which is a plus, because keeping the same coaches in place will keep the team in the same groove they have been in all season.

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Blogger Q&A: Poinsettia Bowl Version

Here is a short five question and answer about the Poinsettia bowl. These five questions were asked by Tucker who writes over at Bleacher Report, and I asked him five questions about the Poinsettia Bowl. After reading this article go check out the questions I asked him regarding the Poinsettia Bowl.

1. With less than 175 difference between Rushing yards and Passing yards, it is obvious that TCU has a balanced offense. How have they been able to maintain that balance and how will that come in to play against a good Boise State defense?

TCU's quarterback play has been very steady this year with starter Andy Dalton and Marcus Jackson who filled in for a few games while Dalton was injured. The reason for the success is from the experience that Dalton received last year when he was a starter as a redshirt Freshman.

For the first time in a while TCU has a threat at the wide receiver spot in Jimmy Young who has had four games over 100 yards receiving plus a 226 yard game against Wyoming. Young can stretch the field and has averaged over 16 yards a catch, and that can open up plays across the middle.

The running game has always been strong and this year Aaron Brown was suspended for a few games, which lead to Joseph Turner getting experience and emerging as another weapon in the running game.
Aaron Brown is their star back, but both are good enough to split time and save each other from getting to fatigued late in games.

Boise's defense is very good and TCU has struggled against teams with good defenses when they lost to Utah and Oklahoma. TCU is a patient team and opportunistic team which means they will keep Boise State honest by trying to balance the play book.

TCU has the weapons on offense to be balanced and even in the games they lost they kept the plays even, so even with the good defense Boise has it will be difficult for TCU to get yards they will stick to their game plan.

2. The TCU defense is very good, but Boise State will be the second best offense they will have faced this season and Oklahoma was able to throw for over 400 yards and score 35 points. What will TCU do to keep the Broncos from putting up similar numbers?

The key for TCU is to get pressure on the quarterback and that starts with defensive end Jerry Hughes, who lead the nation in sacks and was second team AP All-American selection. The TCU defense was still coming together in the Oklahoma game, and if you look after the big first quarter they held their own, but that could be because Oklahoma was up so big.

Boise while they have good athletes do not have the same level of players that Oklahoma has, but if TCU can not get pressure on the quarterback then Moore will have a field day passing the ball.

Also, TCU does not want to give up the big play, but TCU has allowed the short and mid range gain. When TCU played Utah the Utes just keep running medium range routes to move down the field and had very few plays over 20 yards.

3. TCU is ranked 14 nationally in rushing yards but have zero backs with at least 500 yards. Of the eight players with at least 100 yards and 31 carries, who do the Bronco defense need to concern themselves with while the Frogs have the ball?

There are two backs the main is Aaron Brown, and the other is Joseph Turner. Brown would have had more yards but he was suspended for three games and by the time he got back the other running back Joseph Turner emerged as a threat. Both backs are legitimate starters and both needed to be accounted for. Also, TCU likes to put wide outs in the shot gun formation for designed draws, but that is maybe once or twice a game.

4. The Horned Frogs were very good at home but lost two road games and won a very close one at Colorado State. How will they overcome this in their travel to San Diego when they face a team that is, arguably, the second best team they will have faced and is a team that travels well?

The Colorado State game was a factor of TCU not caring with the next week games being the BYU game. Also, you need to look at who the road games which were Oklahoma who is in the title game and Utah who is in the Sugar Bowl. The other road games were blowouts, so the traveling factor will not really effect how TCU plays besides the quality of opponent they are playing.

5. TCU is arguably the best team in the MWC and just a couple of missed field goals from a possible BCS berth so how big is this game for the Horned Frogs?Especially with the rivalry between the WAC and MWC, what would a win do for TCU and the MWC? A loss?

TCU was very close to getting to a BCS game if they just could have finished off Utah, and this game is huge because TCU is full of young players. They will bring back their top running back, quarterback, wide out, and also their defense is a young and a win against a top 10 team could propel TCU to a high ranking next year. The same will be said for Boise State, and my opinion the winner of this game will be considered the front runner to make a BCS Bowl game along with BYU and Tulsa.

The conference rivalry is huge because if TCU wins it will show that the MWC is better then the WAC, just because Boise was the champ and TCU was not the champ. For the WAC if Boise wins it will validate how good Boise is and proves that they are most likely just as good as Utah and just build upon how good Boise is.

Final Score: TCU 20 Boise State 17

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