All Times EST
Saturday
EagleBank Bowl
Wake Forest (7-5) vs. Navy (8-4) at Washington, 11 a.m. (ESPN)
Line: Wake Forest by 3.
Series Record: Wake Forest leads 6-3.
Last Meeting: Sept. 27, 2008, Navy won 24-17.
What’s at Stake
Wake Forest is looking to avenge the loss in September and set a school record with its third straight eight-win season. Navy is seeking to win nine games for only the 12th time in school history, and for the third time in five seasons.
Key Matchup
Wake Forest’s defense against Navy’s vaunted triple-option offense. The key to Navy’s attack is quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, who thought about quitting earlier this season because of injuries, but came back to play well in a 34-0 win over Army.
Players to watch
oldin, who led the ACC with 77 receptions.
Navy: RBs Shun White and Eric Kettani both have more than 2,000 yards rushing in their career and rank in the top 10 on the school’s all-time list. They are part of a running game that is averaging a nation-best 298.3 yards.
Figures
The Midshipmen are making their school-record sixth straight bowl appearance. They lost the last two by a combined four points. … Wake Forest is making a third straight bowl appearance for the first time in school history. … With a victory, Navy’s Ken Niumatalulu will tie the school record for wins by a first-year coach. … The Demon Deacons rank second in the nation with 35 takeaways, one less than Boston College. … Navy gave up 36.4 points per game last year and has yielded 21.4 this season. The 15-point difference is the biggest improvement in the country.
—
New Mexico Bowl
Fresno State (7-5) vs. Colorado State (6-6), 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Line: Fresno State by 2 1/2.
Series Record: Colorado State leads 6-5.
Last meeting: 2006, Colorado State 35-23.
What’s at Stake
Fresno State coach Pat Hill is seeking eight-win season for the eighth time in 10 years. Colorado State hasn’t won a bowl game since beating North Texas 45-20 at the New Orleans Bowl in 2001.
Key Matchup
Jacobs, Fresno State’s leader with 106 tackles, versus Colorado State RB Gartrell Johnson, who had 1,191 yards rushing and averaged 4.7 yards per carry this season.
Players to Watch
Fresno State: NFL prospect Bear Pascoe holds school record for TEs with 10 career TDs and also has blocked four kicks. Nicknamed for his size as a toddler, he grew up on a 12,000-acre cattle ranch near Porterville, Calif.
Colorado State: LB Jeff Horinek, third on Rams with 84 tackles, was among 15 finalists for Draddy Award, the so-called academic Heisman Trophy. Four-year starter carries a 3.91 GPA.
Figures
First-year coach Steve Fairchild, a former Colorado State quarterback, has Rams in bowl for the first time since 2005 Poinsettia Bowl. … This is first neutral field meeting between former WAC rivals. … Bulldogs K Kevin Goessling made school-record 58-yard FG as time expired to beat Utah State 30-28 on Oct. 25. … Rams’ roster includes DB Klint Kubiak and QB Klay Kubiak, sons of Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak. … Fresno State is playing in 21st overall and 13th different bowl game. By contrast, Alabama is making NCAA-record 56th bowl trip this year and has played in 16 games.
—
Memphis (6-6) vs. South Florida (7-5), 4:30 p.m.
Line: South Florida by 11 1/2.
Series Record: Tied 2-2.
Last Meeting: 2004, Memphis 31-15.
What’s At Stake
A winning record for Memphis, which rebounded from an 0-3 start to win of six of its last nine to become bowl eligible. South Florida stumbled badly after winning its first five games and climbing into the Top 10. The Bulls dropped five of seven in Big East play and are looking to finish on a positive note after losing their regular season finale at West Virginia.
Key Matchup
Teams who have beaten USF have found a way to contain dual threat quarterback Matt Grothe, who’s thrown for 2,675 yards and 15 touchdowns, but also been intercepted 14 times. He’s the Bulls’ leading rusher as well with 508 yards and four touchdowns, so the Tigers’ need to tackle well and limit the number of big plays Grothe creates on the move.
Players to Watch
MEMPHIS-RB Curtis Steele is the fourth player in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards, finishing the regular season with 1,175 – the fourth highest total behind the three 1,000-yard season DeAngelo Williams had for the Tigers from 2003-05. Linebacker Greg Jackson and tackle Clinton McDonald are the leaders on a defense that yielded 341.6 yards per game.
tive runners and have rushed for a combined 14 TDs. WRs Jessie Hester (53 catches, 557 yards), Taurus Johnson (34, 458), A.J. Love (31, 370) and Carlton Mitchell (24, 345) have 11 TD receptions. DE George Selvie anchors a defense that held opponents to 291.75 yards per game, 13th in the nation.
Figures
The Bulls and Tigers faced each other four times from 2001-04, the last two seasons as members of C-USA. South Florida moved to the Big East in 2005. … Memphis, which lost last year’s New Orleans Bowl to finish 7-6, is in a postseason game for the fifth time in six seasons. … Coach Jim Leavitt, who started USF’s program from scratch 12 years ago, is a native of St. Petersburg.
—
Las Vegas Bowl
No. 17 BYU (10-2) vs. Arizona (7-5) at Las Vegas, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Line: Arizona favored, minus-3.
Series Record: Arizona leads 11-9-1.
Last Meeting: 2007, BYU won 20-7.
What’s at Stake
$1 million total payout; BYU would win its third straight Las Vegas Bowl, Arizona would win its first bowl game in 10 years.
Key Matchup
Arizona’s offense (37 points per game) vs. BYU’s offense (35.3 points per game). Both teams run versions of a spread offense tailored to get the ball into the hands of their playmakers.
Players to watch
merican wide receiver who ranks first nationally in total receiving yards (1,419) and receiving yards per game (118.25), and fourth nationally with 15 touchdown receptions.
Arizona: Tight end Rob Gronkowski, Arizona’s top target in the end zone with 10 touchdown catches on 43 receptions.
Figures
BYU’s five offensive line starters average 6-foot-6, 326 pounds. Arizona’s starting defensive line averages 6-foot-2, 259 pounds. … Arizona’s Nic Grigsby is the school’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2001. … BYU has not returned a kickoff for a touchdown in 130 games, since Oct. 17, 1998, against Hawaii. … BYU’s Collie, a junior, has not said whether he’ll remain with BYU for his senior season or declare himself eligible for the NFL draft. He declined to comment Thursday when asked by The Associated Press about his future.
Add A Comment