[bearmz]

I will try to keep these organized, but will be adding as perceived pertinent info is found. Some may be old and redundant, but just trying to keep in one thread. I will try to add to a team's info in the same block, so will add * to new info posted. Injuries will be updated closer to game date unless OUT for sure. Also will add specific game notes no later than day before schedule.

Something I read while spanning the globe: 54 UDogs have won SU in the Bowls the L4Ys.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy didn't mince any words when talking about how overmatched his interior linemen were in the latest installment of the Bedlam rivalry. He described how the Cowboys were mashed, pummeled and had the ball ran "right down our throat."
spend their bowl practices beefing up the young players who are already on campus.
The inside of Oklahoma State's defense was methodically exploited by Oklahoma, which ran the ball on 28 of its 35 first-half snaps on its way to 307 rushing yards, and the Cowboys' offensive line hit its low point when it couldn't clear enough space to allow for a conversion from first-and-goal at the 1-yard line in the second quarter.
Neither of the problems were a surprise. The Cowboys started the season without any experienced players at defensive tackle after Ryan McBean and Larry Brown finished their careers last season, with McBean getting selected in the NFL draft.
Then Oklahoma State lost experienced center David Washington in the third week of the season, and Gundy frequently referred to the line's play as average throughout the season.
Developing the defensive tackles who are already on campus could prove tricky. Shane Jarka (foot) and Tonga Tea Jr. (knee) were both injured in the game, and Gundy said he's concerned whether Jarka will be able to return when bowl practices begin in a week.
Quarterback Zac Robinson (shoulder) and linebacker Patrick Lavine (ankle) also could miss some practice time.
The absence of one of the Cowboys' top playmakers didn't slow the offense down much last week.
With receiver Adarius Bowman out with a right knee injury, Oklahoma State still amassed 545 yards of total offense. While the Cowboys' 202 passing yards were their second fewest in a game this season, they made up for it with their second-best rushing performance of the season -- 343 yards.
To get through 11 games and have exactly the same yardage totals in rushing and passing took quite the coincidence for Oklahoma State -- or maybe some meticulous planning.
*Zac Robinson QB, Oklahoma State Cowboys 12/05/07, Time: 1:42 pm
News: NewsOk.com is reporting Robinson should be able to play in the Cowboys upcoming bowl game against Indiana. Robinson suffered a bruised shoulder against Oklahoma and there were initial concerns it could be worse
****
Oklahoma State received a 10,500-ticket allotment for the Insight Bowl, and entering (12/7)Friday, had sold about 4,000 of those, university marketing director Kyle Wray said. The travel distance from Oklahoma to Arizona is a likely reason why the university's ticket sales for the game aren't progressing as rapidly as officials had hoped, he said.
But he noted an anonymous donor has underwritten a buy-one-get-one-free offer for Oklahoma State students who buy $55 tickets. A similar offer was made last year when the Cowboys went to Shreveport, La., for the Independence Bowl
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It seemed an unlikely concern for the Tide a few weeks ago after beating Tennessee and taking No. 5 LSU down to the wire. Alabama was still contending for a league title before the LSU loss.
Especially offensively. The Tide converted just 19-of-64 third-down tries (30 percent) in the last four games. The numbers were even worse in the fourth quarter of the last three games at a combined 1-for-13.
Alabama's offense produced just three touchdowns in the last three games.
The latest poor offensive performance against Auburn came despite the return of two offensive linemen and tailback Glen Coffee from suspension. Leading rusher Terry Grant was held out with a hip problem.
Colorado and the Crimson Tide will play for the chance to finish the season with a winning record.
The Buffaloes enter having beaten Nebraska 65-51 to become eligible, while Alabama closed out the season on a four-game losing streak.

****
Updated: December 8, 2007, 3:56 PM ET
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Wallace Gilberry was serving pancakes, Rashad Johnson worked at a grocery store and Darren Mustin was a transfer from Middle Tennessee.
That Alabama trio, which includes two walk-ons, has emerged as defensive stars for the Crimson Tide this season. They are the top three Alabama tacklers leading up to the Independence Bowl Dec. 30 against Colorado.
Gilberry, a defensive end, and Johnson, a free safety, were first-team All-Southeastern Conference picks. Mustin and Johnson were voted captains by their teammates following the regular season.
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GAINESVILLE, Fla.
Tebow broke his right, non-throwing hand Saturday night against rival Florida State and will be in a cast for at least two weeks.
He should be fine for Florida's bowl game, probably a New Year's Day matchup in Orlando or Tampa, but the injury could slow him during practice the next few weeks.
Tebow has accounted for 51 touchdowns this season, giving him a chance to become the first sophomore to win the Heisman.
Tebow has 838 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns, tying the NCAA record for quarterbacks set by Chance Harridge of Air Force in 2002.
Tebow also has completed 68.5 percent of his passes for 3,132 yards and 29 touchdowns. He has just six interceptions.
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It is Indiana's first bowl bid since the 1993 Independence Bowl. The school's last postseason win was in the 1991 Copper Bowl.
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While the Tigers believed they were worthy of a BCS game, playing on New Year's Day represents major progress.
In the final BCS standings, Missouri finished sixth - two spots ahead of Kansas and seven in front of Illinois, which was chosen for the Rose Bowl as the No. 2 team from the Big Ten Conference.
"We beat them (Illinois and Kansas), but we lost at the wrong time," Daniel said. "We can not hold our heads down. We gave it all, and like coach (Gary Pinkel) said, we are supposed to be here (in the Cotton Bowl)."
Missouri, which dropped from the top spot to seventh in the AP poll Sunday, was ranked first in the BCS standings last week. In a turn of events similar to 1998, when Kansas State was poised to play in the national championship before losing in the Big 12 title game, the Tigers are headed back to the Lone Star State.
For Kansas State, what followed was a monumental collapse to Purdue in the Alamo Bowl -- something the Tigers will try to avoid in their first appearance in a New Year's Day contest since the 1969 Orange Bowl.
Missouri (11-2) had hoped to land one of the at-large berths in the Bowl Championship Series after losing 38-17 to Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship, but will instead play the No. 25 Razorbacks (8-4) in Dallas.
This edition will be a rematch of the 2003 Independence Bowl won by Arkansas. Only this time, Razorbacks coach Houston Nutt won't be on the sideline.
Nutt resigned from Arkansas last week, hours later agreeing to become head coach at Southeastern Conference rival Mississippi. Arkansas defensive coordinator Reggie Herring will coach the team in the bowl game.
Daniel and McFadden, both juniors, were considered among the top contenders for the Heisman before Saturday's game. But going against a relentless Oklahoma defense, Daniel was held to just 219 yards passing and tossed a pivotal interception.
For the first time this season, Daniel didn't throw a touchdown. It also was the first time Missouri failed to score at least 30 points.
*Danario Alexander WR, Missouri Tigers 12/03/07, Time: 11:23 pm
News: ESPN is reporting Alexander suffered a torn ACL in the Big 12 Championship and won't be available for the Cotton Bowl.
********December 15, 2007
TE Chase Coffman, who missed the Big 12 championship game with bone spurs in right ankle, was a full participant in practice. "He didn't look bad," Pinkel said. "It's nice to see him back."

Arkansas ended its regular season by beating then-No. 1 LSU in triple overtime on Nov. 23.
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Lloyd Carr's career at Michigan will end, fittingly, on New Year's Day.
During his first dozen seasons as Michigan's coach, Carr took the Wolverines to 10 bowl games on Jan. 1, including a run of nine straight from 1997-2005.
The Wolverines (8-4) will face Florida (9-3) in a rematch of the 2003 Outback Bowl, Carr's last bowl win.
Michigan won 38-30, sealing the victory when then-Florida coach Ron Zook called for a pass by a wide receiver to quarterback Rex Grosssman, which was intercepted.
*December 5, 2007

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida defensive end Jermaine Cunningham and a former teammate were arrested Wednesday on a misdemeanor battery charge because they allegedly hit a restaurant worker with a sandwich and cups, police said.
Florida coach Urban Meyer, whose ninth-ranked Gators play Michigan in the Capital One Bowl on New Year's Day, said he would wait for more details before deciding whether to punish Cunningham.
Cunningham, a sophomore, is tied for the team lead with 6 1/2 sacks and is third with 62 tackles
Meyer, who has had nine players arrested since January, said he spoke to his team about making better decisions.
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SEC runner-up Tennessee (9-4) will play Wisconsin (9-3) after losing to LSU 21-14 in the conference title game.
The Badgers beat last season's SEC runner-up in the Capital One Bowl last season, winning 17-14 over Arkansas.
It marks the fourth straight year Wisconsin will play its bowl game in Florida. The Badgers also appeared in the Outback Bowl in 2005, suffering a 24-21 loss to Georgia.
*****December 15, 2007
Tennessee has struggled to win bowl games in recent years. The Vols have gone 2-5 since they won the 1999 Fiesta Bowl to take the national championship. Phillip Fulmer holds a 7-7 bowl game record as Tennessee coach.
But Tennessee has fared well coming off SEC championship game losses. The Vols lost in the 2001 and 2004 title games, but rebounded with a win over Michigan in the 2002 Citrus Bowl and another over Texas A&M in the 2005 Cotton Bowl. *****
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TCU will play Houston in the Texas Bowl at Reliant Stadium on Dec. 28.
The Horned Frogs (7-5, 4-4 Mountain West) are playing in the game for the second time in three seasons. They defeated Iowa State 27-24 in 2005, when the game was called the Houston Bowl.
The Cougars (8-4) will play in their fourth bowl since 2003 -- they've lost the previous three.
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The Golden Bears (6-6) lost six of their last seven games. Air Force (9-3) is in its first bowl game since 2002 after winning six of their last seven games.
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Purdue (7-5) and Central Michigan (8-5) will play in a rematch of a regular-season meeting won by the Boilermakers' 45-22
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Georgia Tech (7-5) will play in its its 11th straight bowl game, against Fresno State (8-4).
The Yellow Jackets will be coached by defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta after Chan Gailey was fired
It will be the second meeting of the two teams in five years. Fresno State beat Georgia Tech 30-21 in the 2002 Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, Calif.
The Yellow Jackets will make their second bowl appearance in Boise. In 2004, Georgia Tech beat Tulsa 52-10.
****
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Coach Mack Brown will bring Texas (9-3) to the Holiday Bowl for the fourth time in eight years. The Longhorns lost to Oregon in 2000, beat Washington in 2001 and lost to Washington State in 2003.
Texas will try to win its fourth straight bowl game
The Sun Devils are 0-2 in previous Holiday Bowls, losing to Arkansas in 1985 and to Kansas State in 2002
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The Auburn Tigers apparently settled two significant issues Sunday: They'll play No. 15 Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, and coach Tommy Tuberville is staying put
Clemson coach Tommy Bowden is a former Auburn assistant whose brother, Terry, preceded Tuberville as head coach of the Tigers.
Groves said Auburn players are content with their bowl trip, even though it's only about 90 minutes from campus
*****December 15, 2007
The No. 22 Tigers opened bowl practice Friday, but all the talk was about the spread offense the Tigers will be running -- next season. Tommy Tuberville's 21-minute news conference featured exactly zero questions about No. 15 Clemson, the opponent on Dec. 31.
The hot topic remains newly hired offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, mainly because it likely heralds a significant departure from Tuberville's past run-and-play-defense philosophy. So what if it's unlikely the Tigers (8-4) will make dramatic changes in 10 or so bowl practices?
The Tigers (8-4) have managed just 10 passing plays of 30-plus yards this season, struggling to connect on downfield passes. But Tuberville said the fault doesn't fall entirely on Al Borges' playcalling.
Blame it also on a shortage of speedy, consistent receivers and senior quarterback Brandon Cox's inconsistency throwing the long ball.
The short-term goal is figuring out what, if any, parts of Franklin's system can be implemented in time for the bowl game and who will call plays. Tuberville said he didn't expect those questions to be fully answered before the Tigers break for Christmas next week.
Franklin had 14 different players catch touchdown passes in his no-huddle offense this season. By contrast, Cox only threw for nine scores. *****
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The game will pit Penn State's Joe Paterno, who will coach in his 500th game, against Texas A&M interim coach Gary Darnell. The school has announced that Mike Sherman will take over next season. Penn State is 25-12-2 all-time in postseason play
Two Penn State football players face trial next year. Defensive tackle Chris Baker and backup linebacker Navorro Bowman to stand trial on misdemeanor charges of simple assault and disordery conduct as well as a summary violation of harassment and stalking. Baker, 20, of Windsor, Conn., and Bowman, 19, of District Heights, Md., are both still with the Nittany Lions, though it's unclear if they play in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29. Both sat out Penn State's regular-season finale Nov. 17 at Michigan State.
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Last year, Rutgers won the first bowl game in the program's 137-year history, defeating Kansas State 37-10 in the Texas Bowl. The previous year the Scarlet Knights lost 45-40 to Arizona State in the Insight Bowl.
Ball State coach Brady Hoke said he and Michigan athletic director Bill Martin have discussed the Wolverines' open coaching job, but it wasn't a formal interview.
Hoke said he also has had some contact with Washington State, where coach Bill Doba resigned at season's end. Hoke and Doba are Ball State alumni
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Richt said Troy was the only team on Georgia's schedule which comes close to matching Hawaii's commitment to the passing game. Geo beat Troy 44-34.
"Troy doesn't do it as good as Hawaii, but Troy does throw the ball an awful lot and they did spread it out quite a bit," Richt said. "They would be the closest thing to Hawaii. I'd say half of their offense was throwing little quick screens behind the line of scrimmage ... whereas Hawaii has short, medium and deep-ball opportunities.
This season, Brennan has thrown for 4,174 yards and 38 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. He also leads the team with eight rushing TDs.
He has led the Warriors to two fourth-quarter comebacks this season, first at San Jose State and then again against Washington in the season finale at home. Brennan was 42-for-50 for 442 yards and five TDs in the 35-28 victory over the Huskies. His game-winning scoring pass came with 44 seconds left.
*****December 14, 2007
No. 4 Bulldogs (10-2) can expect little credit if, as expected, they knock off unbeaten Hawaii on New Year's Day. That's to be expected when a traditional powerhouse from the big, bad Southeastern Conference takes on a BCS-crashing school from the WAC.
If Georgia beats the Warriors for its seventh straight win, look for a very high ranking at the start of next season.
And a high position at the start of the year might help the Bulldogs avoid getting bumped out of the BCS title game, as they were this year.
"We have a lot to gain with this victory," Richt insisted Friday.
While Hawaii's emergence has been compared to Boise State's run a year ago, Richt is more likely to remind his players of what happened at the end of the 2005 season. Georgia won its second SEC title in four years and was heavily favored to beat Big East champion West Virginia in the Sugar Bowl -- especially since it was played at the Georgia Dome while New Orleans recovered from Hurricane Katrina.
Instead, the Mountaineers raced to a big lead in the opening quarter and held off the Bulldogs 38-35*****


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December 5, 2007
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA (TICKER) -- When Bobby Bowden decides to retire, Jimbo Fisher will succeed him as coach at Florida State, according to multiple reports Wednesday.
While no official announcement has been made, the school has a news conference scheduled for Monday at 11:30 a.m. to address the coaching situation.
Fisher, who is in first season as the Seminoles' offensive coordinator, is expected to agree to a three-year contract.
Florida State has struggled in recent years - going just 13-11 in the last two seasons, including 7-5 this year - and some Seminoles' fans have called for his retirement.
******
Updated: December 10, 2007, 3:24 PM ET
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
Bowden, major college football's winningest coach, agreed to return for a 33rd season with options to stay longer.
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December 4, 2007
LINCOLN, Nebraska (Ticker) - Bo Pelini will help coach Louisiana State in the Bowl Championship Series national title game after all.
Pelini, who was named the football coach at Nebraska on Sunday, received permission from Cornhuskers interim athletic director Tom Osborne on Tuesday to continue working with the second-ranked Tigers in the BCS championship game against No. 1 Ohio State on January 7 in New Orleans.
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I will not bet against these:
UT,BYU,Boise,PU,ASU,BC,OreSt,Conn,PSU,US F,KY,IU,TT,USC, and Haw.
**** Banging Nev,USC, KY,OreST,Conn,Wis, and IU. Hitting BC,Haw,and PSU**** Adding TCU, MsSt,Col, BG, and OSU. Got off PSU, IU, PU, USF, TT, USC, and Haw. Final.

[bearmz]

Dennis Erickson and Mack Brown finally get to coach against other.
It's clear the two genuinely like each other.
Brown certainly knows that Texas fans remember when Erickson's Miami Hurricanes routed the Longhorns 46-3 in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1, 1991.
"We were inconsistent this year," said Brown, whose Longhorns(9-3) are coming off a 38-30 loss to Texas A&M. "We played up and down. We didn't play to our standard all the time. Our guys needed a really good opponent to get a challenge to get excited about. We got it. We got all we wanted. It's an exciting challenge for us," Brown said.
Erickson said the Sun Devils(10-2), who lost to Oregon and USC, are excited to play the Longhorns.
----------------------
Arkansas officials say the university has sold all the 17,500 tickets it received for the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1.
On Sunday, officials for the bowl announced No. 25 Arkansas would face No. 7 Missouri for the New Year's Day game in Dallas.
Arkansas officials say the school will sell another allotment of tickets to students beginning Dec. 10.
*****
Petrino hired at Arkansas hours after resigning as Falcons coach
December 12, 2007
Within days of one of his biggest victories at Arkansas, Nutt departed and defensive coordinator Reggie Herring was named interim coach.
Herring will coach the 25th-ranked Razorbacks when they face No. 7 Missouri in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1. Then Petrino is the only person in charge.
****December 14, 2007
Paul Petrino is joining his brother at Arkansas.
Petrino will be the Razorbacks' offensive coordinator next season under his older brother Bobby Petrino, who was hired as Arkansas' coach Tuesday after leaving the Atlanta Falcons.
Paul Petrino worked with his brother during Bobby Petrino's 13-game stint as Atlanta's coach. The younger Petrino was the Falcons' receivers coach.
Houston Nutt resigned as Arkansas' coach Nov. 26, but defensive coordinator Reggie Herring was named interim coach. Herring will coach the 25th-ranked Razorbacks in the Cotton Bowl against No. 7 Missouri, and most of Nutt's staff has been kept around for that game
Paul Petrino will recruit for Arkansas but won't be part of bowl preparation.
Paul Petrino, 40, is six years younger than his brother. He was offensive coordinator and receivers coach under his brother at Louisville for four years before the two went to the Falcons. Louisville went 41-9 under Bobby Petrino.****

[bearmz]

These inj only deal with OUT and Doubtful. There's plenty of (?) for games, but not concerned as games are a long way off.
Some inj are from early on, but it gives an idea of original/returning starters OUT.

ARIZONA STATE:*Running back Ryan Torain (12/3, Lisfranc sprain) will miss the Holiday Bowl on 12/27 against Texas.
BOSTON COLLEGE: *S Defensive end Alex Albright (12/3, broken arm, out Last g) will miss the Champs Sports Bowl on 12/28 against Michigan State. *SL Guard Ryan Poles (12/3, Achilles, out L5g) will miss the Champs Sports Bowl on 12/28 against Michigan State.
CLEMSON: *Wide receiver, PR, and KOR Jacoby Ford (12/3, ankle) will miss the Chick-Fil-A Bowl on 12/31 against Auburn. #4 All purpose yards for Clemson.
FLORIDA : *Defensive lineman Javier Estopinan (12/3, torn ACL)( started 13 g ’06 and 2 earlier TY) will miss the Capital One Bowl on 1/1 against Michigan. *L Tackle Phil Trautwein (12/3, stress fracture in right foot) will miss the Capital One Bowl on 1/1 against Michigan- started all g TY.
FLORIDA STATE: *Wide receiver Richard Goodman (12/3, broken right ankle)( started 6 of 1st 8 g TY) is expected to miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Running back Marcus Sims (12/3, broken right ankle)(started 1st 4 g TY- out since) is expected to miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky.
FRESNO STATE: *Running back Ryan Mathews (12/3, collarbone) will miss the Humanitarian Bowl on 12/31 against Georgia Tech.
GEORGIA TECH: Origianal S *Guard Nate McManus (12/3, shoulder) is expected to miss the Humanitarian Bowl on 12/31 against Fresno State.
HAWAII: *Defensive Back Keao Monteilh (12/3, broken shoulder blade) is expected to miss the Sugar Bowl on 1/1 against Georgia. Started 1st 8 g, out since.
L-S-U : BU DT Charles Alexander (12/3, knee) will miss the BCS National Championship on 1/7 against Ohio State.
MARYLAND: Injuries have decimated the offensive line. With the injury to RG Andrew Crummey (fractured fi bula),the Terps had just one returning starter from last season (C Edwin Williams) playing on the offensive line, though the group has quite a bit of experience. LG Jaimie Thomas, who was lost for the regular season in the Virginia game (Oct. 20), played in all 13 games last season, starting three, while Dane Randolph played in 11 games, mostly at right tackle. Randolph started four games there, including the Champs Sports Bowl. Williams and Randolph are the only lineman to start all 12 games in 2007. Starting left tackle Scott Burley missed all but three plays in the Clemson game (Oct. 27) with an ankle injury and true freshman Bruce Campbell got the start in his place, before he too had to leave with an ankle injury. Both were hampered over the last month of the year. Burley has played in each of the last three seasons, including eight games as a sophomore in 2005, but this is his fi rst chance to start. Junior Jack Griffin, meanwhile, who was penciled in as the No. 2 right tackle, redshirted last season, but did see action as a freshman and sophomore, though that came on the defensive line. Griffi n stepped into Crummey’s starting right guard role (Crummey returned vs. NC State). Sophomore Phil Costa served as the reserve center and guard. Costa started at right guard for Crummey vs. Virginia, but slid over to left guard to take over Thomas’ spot beginning with the Clemson game (Oct. 27). Friedgen considered the Terps to have seven starters along the o-line due to the skill and versatility of this group. Injuries to Crummey and Thomas have reduced that number to fi ve. • Crummey has started 35 games, which is tied for the team lead with Christian Varner, while Williams’ 25 consecutive starts lead the offense. Williams is the only offensive returnee to start all 13 games in 2006.
MISS STATE: *S Cornerback Anthony Johnson (12/3, broken left ankle) will miss the Liberty Bowl on 12/29 against UCF. 3 INTs and #5 in tackles TY. Started all but 4th g.
MISSOURI: *S SSafety Cornelius (Pig) Brown (12/3, ruptured right Achilles) will miss the Cotton Bowl on 1/1 against Arkansas. Started 1st 8 g with 70 Tackles and 3 INT’s. All Am candidate. - *Wide receiver Danario Alexander (12/4, torn ACL/MCL) will miss the Cotton Bowl on 1/1 against Arkansas.
OKLAHOMA: - *Cornerback/PR Reggie Smith (12/7, broken toe) will miss the Fiesta Bowl on 1/2 against West Virginia. Was #3 in tackles and starter wi
OREGON: Quarterback Nathan Costa (12/3, knee)(would have been BU to Dixon) is expected to miss the Sun Bowl on 12/31 against South Florida. Quarterback Brady Leaf (12/3, sprained ankles) is expected to miss the Sun Bowl. Quarterback Dennis Dixon (12/3, torn ACL) will miss the Sun Bowl on 12/31 against South Florida. Running back Jeremiah Johnson (12/3, torn right ACL)( 6 g played-5TDs) is expected to miss the Sun Bowl on 12/31 against South Florida. Wide receiver Cameron Colvin (12/3, broken right ankle)(3 starts 2TD) is expected to miss the Sun Bowl on 12/31 against South Florida. Wide receiver Brian Paysinger (12/3, right knee)(started 1st 3 g ) will miss the Sun Bowl on 12/31 against South Florida. Linebacker John Bacon (12/3, torn ACL)(started 1st 9) is expected to miss the Sun Bowl.
OREGON STATE: SLT Tavita Thompson (12/3, disciplinary)(Started 1st 7) is expected to miss the Emerald Bowl on 12/28 against Maryland. SRT Levitre moved to replace BU LT Ryan Pohl (12/3, ankle) who is questionable for the Emerald Bowl. Wide receiver Sammie Stroughter (12/3, bruised kidney) will miss.
PENN STATE : Defensive tackle Jared Odrick (12/3, broken ankle)( started 7 of 1st 8) will miss the Alamo Bowl on 12/29 against Texas A&M.
PURDUE: Wide receiver Selwyn Lymon (12/3, disciplinary)( #4 in rec 2TDs) will miss the Motor City Bowl on 12/26 against Central Michigan. Safety Torri Williams (12/3, Achilles)( played in 7 g 2 INT) will miss.
T-C-U: Running back Aaron Brown (12/3, ankle) will miss the Texas Bowl on 12/28 against Houston. BROWN SIDELINED
 2007 Preseason Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year Aaron Brown
saw his injury-plagued season come to an end against UNLV. Prior to his latest injury,
Brown had already missed two games and played sparingly in several others.
 Despite seeing limited action, Brown still tops the Frogs in rushing (490 yards, 4.6 per
carry) while placing second in receptions (24). He led TCU in receiving in four games.
 Brown rushed for at least 91 yards three times this season. The Frogs were 3-0 in
those contests.
 Brown’s streak of at least one reception in 11 straight games that he played came to an
end against UNLV. It was the longest current streak on the Frogs. He has a catch in 19
of his last 21 contests.
 Brown is just the 12th player in TCU history to surpass 2,000 career rushing yards. He
is 12th on the Frogs’ all-time list with 2,049.
 Brown posted the fifth 100-yard rushing game of his career in the 24-12 win over
Colorado State. TCU is 5-0 in those contests.
TENNESSEE: Cornerback Marsalous Johnson (12/3, knee)(started 1st 7) will miss the Outback Bowl on 1/1 against Wisconsin. Tackle Eric Young (12/3, knee)(started 1st 8) will miss. Cornerback Antonio Gaines (12/3, torn ACL)(started 1st 2) will miss.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The line has allowed only four sacks in 455 passing plays this season ... Tennessee’s four
sacks allowed is the best mark in the FBS ... Foster’s 118-yard effort at Kentucky was the seventh
100-yard performance behind the o-line this season ... The Vols are averaging 144.5 rushing
yards per game in the last five contests ... Chris Scott moved from right guard to left tackle
after the South Carolina game ... Jacques McClendon fills Scott’s void at right guard ...
Anthony Parker moved to left guard this season after starting 12 games at right guard a year
ago ... Chris Scott and Ramon Foster (RT) moved into starting positions at right guard and
right tackle, respectively, after playing primarily as backups last year ... Sophomore center Josh
McNeil was a unanimous Freshman All-SEC selection in 2006.
SECONDARY
The Vols gave up 430 yards through the air at Kentucky, but picked off two passes and posted
2.5 sacks from the secondary, including two from Ricardo Kemp ... Eric Berry has 25 tackles
and two interceptions in the last three games ... He posted 14 stops at Kentucky ... Berry
has four interceptions and 207 INT return yards this season, which is a single-season school
record ... Jonathan Hefney is fourth on the team with 78 tackles ... DeAngelo Willingham
moved into the starting lineup vs. South Carolina and has 34 tackles, three PBUs and two forced
fumbles this season ... Brent Vinson moved into the secondary for the Georgia game after
starting the season at wide receiver ... Vinson has 31 tackles in eight games.
TEXAS A&M - *Offensive lineman Yemi Babalola (12/6, personal/legal)(strted 1st4 and L2) is suspended indefinitely. Cornerback Danny Gorrer (12/3, torn ACL)(started 1st 7) will miss the Alamo Bowl on 12/29 against Penn State
TEXAS: SLTackle Tony Hills (12/3, fractured left fibula)(started all 12) will miss the Alamo Bowl on 12/27 against Penn State. Center Dallas Griffin (12/3, right knee)(started 1st 10) will miss. Wide receiver Limas Sweed (12/3, left wrist surgery)(started 1st 6) will miss.
TULSA - Safety Randy Duncan (12/3, neck)(started 4 g) will miss the GMAC Bowl on 1/6 against Bowling Green.
U-S-C : Running back C.J. Gable (12/3, abdominal surgery) will miss the Rose Bowl on 1/1 against Illinois. Cornerback Josh Pinkard (12/3, torn ACL) will miss.
INJURED TROJANS Already this season, 12 starters or projected starters have missed games with injuries: SCB Josh Pinkard (11 games), TB C.J. Gable (8games),
Wide receiver Travon Patterson (12/3, foot) is doubtful.
Also, a number of key backups have missed games due to injuries: WR Travon Patterson (7
VIRGINIA TECH: Tight end Sam Wheeler (12/3, torn left ACL)(started 1st 9 and played in Lg) is expected to miss the Orange Bowl on 1/3 against Kansas. Tight end Chris Drager (12/3, partially torn ACL)(played in 1st 4) is expected to miss. Running back Elan Lewis (12/3, knee)(played in all 13) is expected to miss.
WAKE FOREST: Fullback Rich Belton (12/3, knee)(played 4, started 1) will miss the Meineke Bowl on 12/29 against Connecticut. Rich Belton (Jr., FB) Listed as the 17th-best fullback nationally by Phil Steele.
Fullback Kevin Harris (12/3, wrist)(played in 9) will miss. WF uses WR/Te and FB/TE sets. Whatever
WISCONSIN: Defensive tackle Jason Chapman (12/3, knee)(started 1st 10) is expected to miss the Outback Bowl on 1/1 against Tennessee. Cornerback Allen Langford (12/3, knee)(started 1st 10) is expected to miss. Wide receiver Luke Swan (12/3, torn hamstring)(started 5 of 1st 6) will miss.

[LT Profits]

bearmz,

I just want to say that this thread is a great idea and keep up the fantastic work!

[bearmz]

Updated

[bearmz]

ILL vs USC:

Updated: December 8, 2007, 12:51 PM ET
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- When Illinois runs out onto the lush green of the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, it'll be facing a hostile road crowd and playing a game few expect the Illini to win.
"It's gonna be a similar environment to what it was in Columbus," Ill SQB Williams said. At Ohio State, "it was almost like it was Illinois versus the entire state."
Illinois ran for 260 yards against a defense that has allowed 225 total yards a game this season. Williams had 70 of those yards, plus four TD passes.
"When you play defenses that are at that next level," he said, "all those experiences I think help you."
The Trojan defense doesn't give up much, just 258 yards a game, and only 79 on the ground.
The Illini will face USC, ranked 7th in the BCS, at the Rose Bowl, one of the biggest stadiums in the country. Nine of USC's 11 national titles have been sewn up with Rose Bowl wins.
With almost all of the 25,000 tickets allotted to Illinois already spoken for, Zook expects more Illini fans in Pasadena than he saw in Columbus.
And he doesn't believe his 9-3 team, second in the Big Ten behind the Buckeyes and 13th in the BCS, will be overwhelmed.

[bearmz]

OKL vs WV:

NORMAN, Okla. -- The last time Oklahoma took a trip to the Fiesta Bowl, the Sooners got to see an unexpected attraction: the Statue of Liberty.
Underdog Boise State emptied its bag of tricks to beat Oklahoma in an exhilarating 43-42 upset in January: a hook-and-ladder to force overtime, a wide receiver pass to tie the game in the extra period and the Statue of Liberty play on a 2-point conversion to win it.
For some Sooners, the game that became an instant classic still stings as they prepare to return to Arizona to face No. 11 West Virginia (10-2).
Many of the key players on this year's third-ranked Oklahoma squad had little or no control over that Fiesta Bowl loss. Quarterback Sam Bradford, the nation's top-rated passer, and defensive end Auston English, the Big 12 sacks leader, were both redshirting. Receiver Malcolm Kelly was injured early and missed most of the game.
Oklahoma (11-2) earned its second straight Fiesta Bowl berth by beating No. 1 Missouri 38-17 in the Big 12 title game, and Stoops campaigned afterward that the Sooners deserved a chance to play for the national championship.
"I thought we had a shot, beating the No. 1 team in the nation," Lofton said. "I think everybody talks about how style points are a big factor in the BCS, and the way on a neutral site we beat them by 21 points and had a chance to go up by more than that, I thought we had a chance definitely to go to the national championship."
Most of those hopes fizzled after a 34-27 loss at Texas Tech on Nov. 17, when Bradford sustained a first-quarter concussion.

[pags11]

thanks for all of this bearmz...

[jackpot269]

Thanks for break down!!

[bearmz]

OK, time to get these game notes rolling. Hope this helps

[bearmz]

FAU vs Mem FAU 44-27

[bearmz]

Cin 31 vs SMiss 21

[bearmz]

NMex 23-0 Nev

NMU averaged 357 yards on offense in a conference more known for its defense (five teams ranked in the top 30 in the nation in total defense).
The Lobos, whose calling card is their defense, are actually better statistically at throwing the ball (third in the Mountain West Conference at 226.3 yards per game; seventh in rushing at 126.7), but they've been consistent in their rushing attack, and Long said their goal is always to establish a running game and let that open up the passing game
UNM-----OPP
RED-ZONE SCORES............... 32-37 86% 30-40 75%
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS........... 18-37 49% 24-40 60%
SACKS BY-YARDS................ 29-202--- 43-252
NEV----OPP
RED-ZONE SCORES............... 39-46 85% -----38-44 86%
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS........... 28-46 61%--28-44 64%

New Mexico is 9-5 in its last 14 road games overall
Punter Jordan ScottÊ
¥ Heads a punting unit that leads the MWC and ranks 9th in the nation in net punting
¥ Leads the MWC with 38 fair catches forced - 20 more than the nearest punter
¥ 12 punt returns allowed are the fewest in the league - 5 less than the nearest punter
¥ Fewest return yardage allowed in the league (82) - 35 less than the nearest team
¥ Opponents have recorded positive punt return yardage in just 6 games all year
¥ Tied for first in the MWC with 24 punts inside the 20 (9 inside the 10)

2007 PERSONNEL; MOST STARTERS BACK UNDER ROCKY LONG
The Lobos returned 42 lettermen in 2007, including 18 position starters,
eight on offense and 10 on defense.

Nevada is 6-6, with one of the worst defenses on the face of the planet.


New Mexico has 82 tackles for loss

Few defenses in the country were more generous than Nevada's. Opponents averaged 32.9 points against the Wolfpack, worse than 96 of Division I-A's 119 team

Ault's WAC coaching peers agreed, too, voting Kaepernick as the conference's Freshman of the Year.


One aspect critical to Nevada's success will be putting pressure on Porterie and trying to force him into mistakes.
Nev:SACKS BY-YARDS................ 23-173 Opps:23-147

The New Mexico Lobos have two All-Mountain West Conference first-team wide receivers.
The Nevada Wolf Pack has had its share of struggles in one-on-one coverage of receivers this season.
Anyone smell a mismatch?
The 6-foot-2, 214-pound Smith and the 6-3, 202-pound Brown are both seniors and three-year letter winners. The Lobo receivers have a distinct height advantage over the 5-10 Pratt, Walker (6-0) and Viser (6-1).
Modified: 12/20/2007
Nevada had only sold 95 of its 6,000 allotted tickets at the beginning of the week, according to Keith Hackett, Nevada's associate athletics director. However, the Pack expect to have about 1,000 fans in Albuquerque, N.M., for today's game, Hackett said.

[bearmz]

UCLA vs BYU

12/15/2007
BYU will appear for the first time on ESPN in front of a prime-time audience when the No. 19 Cougars (10-2) play UCLA (6-6) in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 22 at 6 p.m. The third straight appearance for the Cougars in Las Vegas and the team's 26th overall bowl appearance. BYU defeated Oregon 38-8 last year after losing its first trip to the game, 35-28, to California in 2005.
They realize a strong performance could help BYU start next season ranked in the top 25 and make their path to a potential BCS bowl game easier to navigate. Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com believes BYU's low TV profile is the reason it hasn't received as much national publicity. But as long as they do win, even against a disinterested bunch of Bruins, in front of a hugely pro-BYU crowd, the bowl game will position the Cougars for big opportunities next year. To keep going forward, they have to beat a Pac-10 opponent the way they pounded Oregon (38-8) in Las Vegas last December.
Overall, Pac-10 Conference teams have played in the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl seven times and hold a 4-3 record. Schools now in the MWC have combined to play in 11 such games and hold a 6-5 record, including an impressive 5-3 mark since splitting from the WAC and forming the new league in 1999.

BYU administrators anticipate more than 30,000 Cougar fans will be in attendance at the Las Vegas Bowl.
Both teams played their last games on Dec. 1, which is a change for BYU. The Cougars typically end a week earlier, but their game against San Diego State this season was postponed because of wildfires.
Although some teams take advantage of the pre-bowl layoff to squeeze in as many practices as possible, Mendenhall is satisfied with BYU's approach. BYU will hold seven practices before the game. The players spent last week and the early part of this week conditioning, conducting 7-on-7 drills and studying for upcoming finals.
UCLA is employing similar blueprint as it did when it played in the Las Vegas Bowl in 2004, says UCLA director of football operations Bob Lopez.
The Bruins are holding nine practices. They had two last weekend, and begin again today after the players were given time off to take final.

UCLA just fired its head coach and named defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker as the interim head coach for the bowl game. Walker will be learning how to juggle multiple responsibilities. BYU's staff has an entire season of continuity under its belt, and is as close to a rock of stability as you can get in college football under third-year coach Bronco Mendenhall.
LaVell Edwards twice faced teams with coaches in transition in bowl games. He said that because of the different circumstances surrounding the Midshipmen and Bruins, Utah will probably have a tougher go of it with Navy than BYU will have with UCLA.
"It's a heckuva difference, whether the coach was released [like UCLA's] or whether he left for a better, bigger job [like Navy's]," Edwards said. "Generally, teams that have coaches who have been released don't finish well."

As if repeating as Las Vegas Bowl champion isn't enough motivation, BYU also remembers the sting of losing to UCLA. The Cougars and Bruins met earlier this season with UCLA earning a 27-17 win over BYU at the Rose Bowl back on September 8.
BYU outplayed the Bruins statistically, only to have turnovers hurt them. The Bruins forced BYU into three, including Trey Brown's interception return for a touchdown. Defensively, UCLA held the Cougars to 44 net yards on 25 rushing attempts but BYU did throw for 391 yards. Offensively, UCLA was held to just 236 yards, 126 passing and 110 rushing. UCLA built a 20-0 lead in the second quarter, saw BYU draw to within three points in the third quarter, and then scored the game-clinching touchdown with 1:12 remaining to snap the
Cougars’ 11-game winning streak.
A victory would also give the Cougars just their second ever win against the Bruins. BYU won the teams' first matchup on October 1, 1983, a 37-35 victory behind Steve Young's 26-35, 270-yard performance. Since that win, the Cougars have lost seven in a row to UCLA
A victory over UCLA would give the Cougars a 3-2 record over teams from the Pac-10 over the past two seasons. Interestingly, the Cougars have outscored Pac-10 opponents 103-77 in the previous four match-ups.

After posting a 6-6 record in 2005, Mendenhall’s
Cougars have won 21 of their last 25 games over the past two seasons.
Like the 2006 season, BYU ranked among the nation’s leaders in several statistical
categories. The Cougars led the MWC and ranked 13th in passing offense, averaging
304 yards per game. The Cougars also led the league and ranked 15th in total offense,
averaging 457.6 yards per game.
Defensively, the Cougars ranked 10th nationally in total defense, allowing just 307.2
yards per game. During the season, the Cougars did not allow a single 100-yard rusher
and held teams to an average 92.1 yards rushing per game to ranked 9th in the nation.
One of Mendenhall’s jobs as the head coach and defensive coordinator is to manage
points. Defensively, BYU ranked 13th in the nation, allowing just 18.8 points per game.
BALL HOGS
BYU finishes the regular season ranked fourth in the nation in time of possession,
averaging 33:09 minutes per game.
UCLA:
Rushing Offense: 62nd in NCAA, 6th in Pac-10 (150.08)
Passing Offense: 99th in NCAA, 10th in Pac-10 (185.00)

The Mountain West Conference has the second-highest win total in the Football
Bowl Subdivision against non-conference automatic-qualifying BCS opponents
with eight wins.

The offensive line's protection was better in the second half of the season, and Hall learned to deliver the ball more quickly and avoid the rush. From those humble 1-2 beginnings, the Cougars won their last nine games - including all eight Mountain West contests, matching their perfect league record of 2006.
BYU's starting five offensive linemen weigh in at an average 318.4 pounds and average 6-feet-5. The front five will be going up against a UCLA defensive front that measures an average 6-feet-3, 272 pounds. Defensively, the Cougars' front three average 6-feet-3, 267 pounds, while the Bruins' offensive line tips the scales at an average 6-feet-4, 284 pounds per man.
BYU------OPP
SACKS BY-YARDS 29-207---- 17-106
UCLA-----OPP
SACKS BY-YARDS................ 36-254--- 33-242
BYU:
RED-ZONE SCORES 48-56 86% ----28-33 85%
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS 40-56 71% ----18-33 55%
UCLA:
RED-ZONE SCORES............... 32-39 82%--- 26-35 74%
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS........... 17-39 44%--- 21-35 60%

Enjoying size and great depth, BYU's offensive line has paved the way for BYU to average 153.6 yards rushing. The unit has become more in sync with Max Hall, and yielded only 17 sacks. Dallas Reynolds and Ray Feinga earned first-team all-MWC. The Bruins have had some injuries on their line, and have surrendered 33 sacks.
Two quality DEs will be on display. Senior Bruce Davis is the stabilizer of UCLA's line. The senior has 9 1/2 sacks, including two against BYU. BYU's Jan Jorgensen is a menacing presence. The sophomore defensive end has a conference-leading 12 sacks and 73 total tackles. UCLA suffered a big loss against BYU when senior tackle Brigham Harwell was injured.

UCLA's secondary features a lot of talent. Trey Brown was named a second-team All-American, and leads the nation in passes defended (23). Dennis Keyes is the team's defensive MVP and leads UCLA in total tackles (106). BYU's secondary has performed well in the face of adversity. The all-walk-on unit lost three starters to injury
The ability to stop the run has been BYU's signature quality this season. The Cougars were the only team in the Football Bowl Subdivision to not allow a a 100-yard rusher. BYU ranks No. 9 in the nation in rushing defense (92.08 yards per game).
In the final five games of the season, the Bruins' offense scored seven TDs. Having so many injuries hasn't helped. But with a few weeks to heal, UCLA needs to find a rythym.
UCLA has allowed nine sacks in the past two games.

While BYU has posted an impressive 12-game home win streak, the Cougars have been equally impressive on the road. BYU has won 9 of its last 11 road games, including eight straight road games, dating back to a 23-20, double-overtime loss at Boston College on September 16, 2006.
During the Bronco Mendenhall era, the Cougars are 23-3 when rushing for 100 (or more) yards and 15-2 when rushing for 200 (or more) yards.

The Cougars have scored 48 touchdowns on the season. Of the 48 TD's, 24 have been scored via the passing game while 24 have been scored on the ground. Running back Harvey Unga leads the team with 17 touchdowns, including 13 rushing touchdowns while sophomore receiver Austin Collie has a team-leading six touchdown receptions.

The Cougars held Arizona scoreless through 59 minutes. The Wildcats scored with just under a minute remaining in the game. Against Air Force, the BYU defense pitched a shutout through the better part of three quarters. The Falcons scored with 3:31 left in the third quarter, but would not score again.
The BYU defense has kept its opponent from reaching the endzone in 24 out of the 48 quarters it has played this season. The Cougars' opponents have also been held without a first-half touchdown seven times in 2007.

Throughout the 12 games of the season, the Cougars have been plagued with penalties, ranking 100th with regular-season an average of 7.42 penalties per game.

HARVEY UNGA
Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year
All-Mountain West Conference Second Team (Running Back)
MAX HALL
All-Mountain West Conference First Team (Quarterback)
RAY FEINGA
All-Mountain West Conference First Team (Offensive Line)
DALLAS REYNOLDS
All-Mountain West Conference First Team (Offensive Line)
DENNIS PITTA
All-Mountain West Conference First Team (Tight End)
BRYAN KEHL
All-Mountain West Conference First Team (Linebacker)
JAN JORGENSEN
All-Mountain West Conference First Team (Defensive Lineman)
AUSTIN COLLIE
All-Mountain West Conference Second Team (Receiver)
KELLY POPPINGA
All-Mountain West Conference Second Team (Linebacker)
------------------------------------------------------------
Despite falling to Florida State in last year's Emerald Bowl, UCLA has the most bowl victories -- 11 -- of any Pac-10 team in the last quarter century.

UCLA is playing without numerous starters on both offense and defense.
Starting wide receiver Marcus Everett (ankle) has missed the last six games and eight of the last nine (he played a handful of snaps versus Notre Dame) and is out for the season. Tailback Chris Markey (turf toe) missed the Notre Dame game and most of the California contest and sprained his foot/ankle early versus Arizona. Tailback Kahlil Bell (knee) was injured in the first quarter at Washington State and is lost for the season. HE leads the Bruins in rushing with 795 yards on 142 attempts (5.6 average) and a team-high five touchdowns in eight games. His average of 99.38 would be fi fth in the Pac-10 and his average of 113.63 all-purpose yards would be seventh. Bell also ranks fi fth on the team with 13 receptions. Defensively, tackle Brigham Harwell (knee) has missed the last 10 games and is out for the year. End Nikola Dragovic (groin, hip) has played in just one of the last 10 games and is out for the season .Tackle Chase Moline (neck) has missed the last seven games.
Quarterback Ben Olson, who will start against Brigham Young in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 22, said he is looking forward to ending a difficult season on an upbeat note. Olson missed one game because of a concussion and five more because of a knee injury -- the second straight year that his season was interrupted by injuries. He returned to the lineup after Patrick Cowan suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter against USC on Dec. 1. Cowan is unavailable for the bowl game. Defensive tackle Jess Ward will have surgery on his left knee.
Right tackle Brian Abraham also is unlikely to play against BYU because of a right-ankle injury suffered against USC. Wide receiver Joe Cowan (hamstring) returned to practice.

Over the past two seasons and 25 games, the Bruins failed to produce more than 300 yards of total offense 14 times.

Strong safety Chris Horton was named a first-team All-American by The Sporting News. Kick returner MATTHEW SLATER earned first-team All-America honors from SI.com and third-team acclaim from Rivals.com. Defensive end Bruce Davis and cornerback Trey Brown were second-team All-Americans on the Walter Camp Football Foundation team. Defensive tackle Brian Price earned second-team Freshman All-America honors from Scout.com and Rivals.com while place kicker Kai Forbath earned second-team Freshman All-America acclaim from The Sporting News.
UCLA had two players named to the first-team All-Pacific-10 Conference team for 2007. Strong safety Chris Horton and kickoff return man MATTHEW SLATER each merited first-team honors. Defensive end Bruce Davis was named to the second-team. The honorable mention All-Conference list included six Bruins: defensive tackle Kevin Brown, cornerback Trey Brown, place kicker Kai Forbath, free safety Dennis Keyes, punter Aaron Perez and cornerback Alterraun Verner

In 12 games, opponents have converted 57 of 199 (28.6%) third down opportunities and UCLA ranks third (tied) in the nation
UCLA has held its 12 opponents to 1,385 net rushing yards on 444 attempts (3.1 average) and ranks 25th in the nation (115.42) in rushing defense.
The Bruins are 20-2 when they hold the opponent under 20 points, including the last 16 times.

Varsity Statistics - B. Olson2007 Passing
Oppt. Att Comp Int Yds TD Lg
@Stanford* 29 16 0 286 5 77
BYU* 28 13 1 126 0 37
@Utah* 40 20 3 290 0 50
Washington Injured
@Oregon State* 25 14 1 220 2 69
Notre Dame* 10 4 0 54 0 19
California Injured
@Wash. State Injured
@Arizona Injured
Arizona State Injured
Oregon 10 4 1 64 0 29
USC 5 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 147 71 6 1,040 7 77

True senior tailback CHRIS MARKEY (#28) was on the preseason Watch List for the Maxwell Award, presented to the nation’s top player, and the Doak Walker Award, presented to the nation’s top running back. On the year, he has rushed for 598 yards (4.0 average) and three touchdowns and his average of 54.36 yards is 12th in the Pac-10. He shared position with Bell.
******December 21, 2007
A lot has changed in a little time since UCLA last faced BYU.
The Bruins were ranked No. 13 when they beat BYU 27-17 on Sept. 8. Now, they're a .500 team looking for a coach or unsure who will start at quarterback Saturday against the 19th-ranked Cougars in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Inter-rim HC Walker said he wasn't sure who would start at quarterback Saturday. Ben Olson, the former BYU player who transferred after a church mission, was still questionable after aggravating his left knee last week. If Olson wasn't healthy enough to play, sophomore Osaar Rasshan would get the start.
About all that has changed for BYU (10-2) since the meeting at the Rose Bowl three months ago is how well the Cougars are playing. Since losing two of the first three, BYU has won nine in a row and is back at the Las Vegas Bowl for the third straight year.
BYU is different from what it was in the September meeting. Quarterback Max Hall was playing in just his second college game and had to try to rally the Cougars from a 20-0 deficit. He still passed for 391 yards, one of five 300-yard games Hall had this season.

Getting to the BCS from one of the unaffiliated leagues is tough and beating a .500, injury-riddled team in UCLA wouldn't do much to bolster the Cougars' future claims. Losing, however, would be a definite strike against the MWC.
Last year's 38-8 win over Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl was BYU's first postseason victory in 10 years.******

********12/21/2007
LAS VEGAS -- Thirty hours before kickoff, UCLA coach DeWayne Walker still hasn't committed to a starting quarterback for Saturday night's Las Vegas Bowl against BYU.
During a bowl-sponsored luncheon Friday at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Walker said he was "leaning" toward Osaar Rasshan over injury-plagued Ben Olson as his starter
.
Before the season started, other BYU linemen such as center Sete Aulai and left tackle Dallas Reynolds were mentioned as the ones to watch. But as the Cougars head into Saturday's Las Vegas Bowl matchup with UCLA, Feinga is being lauded as just as effective. Feinga had made Sports Illustrated's All-America second team. He was recruited by most of the big boys in the west - USC, Oregon, Colorado and UCLA to name a few - before choosing BYU. He was named to the All-Mountain West Conference first team, along with Reynolds. Feinga has not allowed a sack all season, and had graded out at 82 percent or better in each of the nine games he has played this season.

December 21, 2007
Rhiannon Potkey
The most valuable advantage BYU has gained from its third straight trip to the Las Vegas Bowl is not being used to the field surface, but being used to the bowl activity routine.
BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall and wide receiver Matt Allen both said today that knowing exactly what things the teams are doing has helped them focus better. They are not surprised by anything and can plan their preparations ahead of time.
- Despite the game-time decision proclamations by Walker, most of the guys who cover UCLA on a regular basis don't expect quarterback Ben Olson to play tomorrow. They expect to see Osaar Rasshan get the start.
BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall once again said the Cougars are prepared for whatever quarterback UCLA throws their way. He described Ben Olson as more of a pure passer and "No. 11" (Osaar Rasshan) as more of a mobile quarterback and said BYU saw its share of mobile quarterbacks in its last few games (Brian Johnson, Kevin O'Connell, etc.)

LAS VEGAS - About the only people giving UCLA a chance to beat BYU tomorrow night are the most loyal of Bruin boosters, and even they might be having doubts.
December 19, 2007
Harvey Unga said his right ankle is at 80 percent. He said it was only at 60 percent before the San Diego State game
If the Las Vegas Bowl game comes down to a battle of kickers, UCLA would have the edge in field goals with Kai Forbath. But like BYU's Mitch Payne, Forbath has yet to hit a game-winning kick.
Forbath has made 22 of 26 field-goal attempts this season and leads UCLA in scoring with 95 points. He is a perfect 3 for 3 from 50 yards and longer.

By Chris Foster, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 22, 2007
UCLA interim Coach DeWayne Walker said it was likely Osaar Rasshan would start at quarterback against Brigham Young in the Las Vegas Bowl today, though he held out hope that Ben Olson's injured left knee would show enough improvement so he can play.
Rasshan, a sophomore, made his first collegiate start against Arizona State on Nov. 10 and played the first half against Oregon on Nov. 24. He completed 17 of 44 passes in five games.
The Bruins beat the Cougars, 27-17, on Sept. 8 at the Rose Bowl, but gained only 236 total yards. Olson, who was healthy in that game, completed 13 of 28 passes for 126 yards and had one pass intercepted.
UCLA will play without leading rusher Kahlil Bell and wide receiver Marcus Everett this time. Against the Cougars, Bell had 79 of the Bruins' 110 yards rushing and Everett led the team with five receptions for 66 yards.
In its last two games, UCLA had only 220 yards against Oregon and 178 against USC
UCLA officials said defensive end Nikola Dragovic was sent home from Las Vegas on Friday, as he did not complete the necessary six units to remain eligible. Dragovic sat out the last six games because of a sports hernia.

It could be argued that the Bruins' season peaked when they took a 20-0 lead late in the first half of the 1st game vs. BYU. The Cougars chipped away in the second half and were driving for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter when they turned the ball over.
UCLA defensive tackle Brigham Harwell was lost for the season in that game, a harbinger for the injury epidemic to come, and the offensive sputtered, gaining only 236 total yards in a preview of coming attractions.

You sort it out:
U-C-L-A - *Defensive tackle Jess Ward (12/21, knee) is expected to miss the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU. *Wide receiver Joe Cowan (12/21, hamstring) is questionable for the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU. *Offensive tackle Brian Abraham (12/21, ankle) is questionable for the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU. *Quarterback Patrick Cowan (12/21, knee) is expected to miss the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU. *Quarterback Ben Olson (12/21, knee) is questionable for the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU. Linebacker John Hale (12/17, hamstring) is questionable for the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU. *Running back Kahlil Bell (12/21, torn ACL) is expected to miss the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU. *Wide receiver Marcus Everett (12/21, high ankle sprain) is expected to miss the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU. Fullback Michael Pitre (12/17, knee) is questionable for the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU. *Tight end Tyler Holland (12/21, shoulder) is expected to miss the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU. Defensive end Nikola Dragovic (12/17, hip/hernia) is questionable for the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU. Linebacker Shawn Oatis (12/17, fractured vertebra) is questionable for the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU. Wide receiver Gavin Ketchum (12/17, fractured tibia) is questionable for the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU. Defensive tackle Brigham Harwell (12/17, knee) is questionable for the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU. Running back Raymond Carter (12/17, knee) will miss the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU. Cornerback Michael Norris (12/17, knee) will miss the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU. Defensive tackle Kevin Brown (12/17, ankle) will miss the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU. Tight end Ryan Moya (12/17, broken leg) will miss the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against BYU.

[bearmz]

Updated: December 16, 2007, 4:36 PM ET
Rich Rodriguez to Become Michigan Head Coach
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan has hired West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez as its next football coach. Rodriguez, who informed his players at a 1:30 p.m. ET meeting Sunday that he was leaving for Michigan, will formally be introduced by the Wolverines at a news conference on Monday morning at the Junge Family Champions Center on campus.
"The players are upset because he said he's going to leave before the bowl game," James Dykes, the father of West Virginia defensive tackle Keilen Dykes told ESPN's Joe Schad. "At least coach them in the bowl game. James just called to tell us and I know he is very upset about this."
Assistant head coach Bill Stewart and assistant head coach Calvin Magee ran West Virginia's one-hour practice on Sunday. Rodriguez was not present. "We tried to be excited," defensive end Keilen Dykes said. "We're all hurting right now, but we can't cry."
Prior to today’s announcement, some players indicated Rodriguez hadn't spoken to them about Michigan and that they were under orders to keep quiet.
"I'm not supposed to talk about that. I'm sorry," offensive lineman Ryan Stanchek said Saturday.
December 18, 2007,
Stewart, the Mountaineers' associate head coach, is in charge of football practices as the team prepares for the Fiesta Bowl and its administration starts sifting through a list of candidates to replace Rich Rodriguez
"I'm just an old ball coach trying to keep the herd together, I guess," Stewart said Tuesday
This task could be his toughest, even if it lasts only a few days.
"We've had sharp, crisp practices," Stewart said. "We have not had any young men late, or blowing off meetings, which is great. I think that day one, Sunday, was a shock for them. Some of them were very sad, but they have bounced right back and gotten to work. That's nice to see, the maturity."
Under Stewart's tutelage, quarterback Pat White was named the Big East offensive player of the year in 2006 and Rasheed Marshall earned the same honor in 2004.
Rodriguez announced that he wasn't going to coach West Virginia in the bowl game out of concern that it would create too much of a distraction. That would make him the first to take a team to a BCS game but not coach in it.
When Pittsburgh and Utah met in the Fiesta Bowl after the 2004 season, both coaches had already agreed to take other jobs but remained for the bowl game.
To complicate matters, Rodriguez introduced two of his WVU assistant coaches at his Michigan news conference and said he would like to bring more from Morgantown.
Offensive coordinator Calvin Magee declined comment at the news conference on his immediate plans and didn't immediately return a message Tuesday.
Secondary coach and recruiting coordinator Tony Gibson, whose WVU contract runs through June, said he planned to remain with the Mountaineers for the bowl game.*****

[bearmz]

Boise vs ECar:

Wednesday, December 12, 2007
After a four-year absence, ECU has earned back-to-back bowl invitations under the direction of third-year head coach Skip Holtz, which includes a 24-7 setback against Big East Conference member South Florida in the 2006 Papajohns.com Bowl.

After a one-year hiatus, Conference USA returns to provide a team for the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl - a contest which has gained a quick reputation for offensive shootouts. UCF and UAB each made their first bowl appearances in school history in Hawaii as the Knights fell to Nevada 49-48 in 2005 and the Blazers dropped a 59-40 battle to the home-standing Warriors in 2004.
In 2003, Hawaii prevailed, 54-48, in triple-overtime over Houston after Tulane represented C-USA in the inaugural Hawai'i Bowl, upsetting the Warriors 36-28 at Aloha Stadium a year earlier.

If he could, the third-year coach said he would bring as much of the Pirates' practice complex, staff and equipment as possible with him when the team leaves for Hawaii on Monday morning.
When the Pirates arrive in Hawaii, there will be luaus to attend and beaches on which to recline for parts of the five days leading up to the game.
But there will also be practice every day, even Monday afternoon after the Pirates deplane at Honolulu International."We'll arrive in Hawaii at 2 o'clock on Monday, and we'll go right to the stadium and have a light workout in shorts," Holtz said. "We're going to put on some workout gear and go right to the stadium and have some pass skel and run around and try to get the blood flowing through everybody's legs after 11 or 12 hours in the air."


Holtz fully understands this trip — about 5,100 miles to Honolulu for the Hawaii Bowl — dwarfs what ECU went through last year, when the Pirates spent the week in Birmingham, Ala., for the PapaJohns.com Bowl. “This is a whole different level. This isn't a road trip. There are some logistics that go into this one," Holtz said
"We've got a lot of work to get done before we ever get on the plane to go to Hawaii," Holtz said. "I don't want to go over to Hawaii and then say let's get ready for the bowl game. I'm a big believer in doing everything we can while we're here." "We don't have a lot of time out here, and that's what we've been trying to stress to (the players)," Holtz said. "They've had a lot of time off with the last week of school last week and finals this week. It's going to make it real hard to get any practice time in, but we're going to get our money's worth on the weekends."
Holtz said he watched fellow Conference USA member Southern Miss play at Boise in late September — a 38-16 Broncos win on the way to a 10-2 season — and said it became clear how good the team from southwest Idaho really was.
Holtz said Boise was simply playing at a higher level, and given the fact that Southern Miss accounted for one of ECU's two C-USA losses this season, he knows how tough the Broncos will be on Dec. 23 in Honolulu. Every starter on their front seven and offensive line is a junior or senior.

With games at top 10 Virginia Tech and West Virginia already under their belts, Holtz hopes that experience will pay off in the form of a win.
The Broncos made their way in the Western Athletic Conference by out-slugging their opposition on offense.
But the defense has quietly been the foundation of the team this season. The Broncos allowed a mere 114.9 total rush yards a game which, combined with limiting opponents to 211 pass yards, explains why they yielded just 33 touchdowns all season.
That's 10 fewer TDs than the Pirate defense, which gave up an average of almost 30 points per game.
While strength up the middle is the basis for Boise's success, big plays are common, as evidenced by the Broncos' 10 blocked kicks and 32 sacks.
The game will undoubtedly present the Pirates' quarterback duo some challenges. Pinkney and sophomore Rob Kass became equal parts in the ECU offense for most of the season

Injuries
The month away from the field leading into the Hawaii Bowl has nearly emptied the Pirates' injury list, according to Holtz.
Among the key players likely to return to full action in time for the game are linebackers Jeremy Chambliss (ankle), Nick Johnson (knee) and Danny Muhwezi (broken leg). Listed as questionable this week are safety Chris Mattocks (knee) and defensive linemen Khalif Mitchell (knee) and Brandon Setzer (knee).
Still out are defensive end Marcus Hands (shoulder) and center Fred Hicks (ankle).
Also set to miss the game due to long-term injury are offensive linemen Larry Lease (shoulder surgery) and Doug Polochak (shoulder surgery), wide receiver Erik Nowell (ACL surgery), linebacker Steve Spence (shoulder) and offensive tackle Terence Campbell (heart condition).

East Carolina senior RB/RS Chris Johnson was named First-Team All-America by Pro Football Weekly (kickoff return specialist) while also earning Honorable Mention All-America honors by CollegeFootballNews.com (KOR specialist and running back) and SI.com (KOR specialist) according to an announcement by the three media entities.
Five Pirates Land On Coaches All-Conference Teams
Eleven Pirates Named Honorable Mention
East Carolina placed senior Chris Johnson on the first-team as a kick returner and the second team as a running back. OL Josh Coffman was joined Johnson as an offensive selection, while DB Van Eskridge, DL’s Zack Slate and C.J. Wilson were named second-team on the defensive side of the ball.
Leading the way for the Pirates on the All-Freshman was return man Dwayne Harris. Harris has tallied 245 punt return yards on 29 attempts. He ripped off a career-long run of 46 yards against UTEP on October 13. He also returns kicks and has totaled 731 all-purpose yards so far this season. Joining Harris on the squad was OL D.J. Scott, DL Linval Joseph and DB Travis Simmons

The Pirates are led by running back Chris Johnson, who rushed for 1,244 yards and 16 touchdowns on 208 carries this season. Johnson also caught 34 passes for 496 yards and five scores.
However, Johnson will be up against a Boise State rushing defense that ranked first in the WAC with 114.9 yards allowed per game. The Broncos also led the conference in total defense (326.5) and scoring defense (20.0).



Closed year by scoring 30 or more points in six of the last seven C-USA games
The Pirates have only faced LooTech from the WAC
... This year, ECU’s 3-3 away record included falling at No. 9 Va. Tech (17-7) and No. 5 WVU (48-7) before bouncing back with wild 37-35, 45-42 and 56-40 triumphs at Houston, UTEP and Memphis, respectively, before dropping a 26-7 contest at Marshall.
In their last 22 games against Top 25 teams (since 1993), the Pirates have fashioned a 4-18 slate ECU’s last win over a ranked opponent occurred on Nov. 23, 2002 when the Pirates
handled No. 22 TCU 31-28 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
EAST CAROLINA IN THE ‘07 NATIONAL STATISTICS
A look at how the Pirates rank in the ‘07 FBS statistics (119 teams):
Rush Offense ...38th/171.3 Rush Defense ............ 53rd/145.8
Pass Offense ...75th/206.6 Pass Defense ...........115th/290.6
Pass Efficiency .. 64th/125.26 Pass Eff. Defense . 89th/135.74
Total Offense ..71st/377.9 Total Defense ............98th/436.4
Scoring Offense ..47th/30.2 Scoring Defense ......... 80th/29.8
Punt Returns .....75th/7.9 Kickoff Returns ........... 13th/24.2
Turnover Margin ..6th/+1.17 Net Punting................95th/32.9
Fewest Penalties ...110th/8.1 Fewest Yards Pen. ..102nd/64.8
3rd Down % ......71st/38.9 3rd Down % Defense ... 70th/39.7
4th Down % ....115th/27.3 4th Down % Defense ... 90th/57.9
Tackles For Loss ........... 11th/7.9 Sacks ..............................53rd/2.2

RB/RS Chris Johnson is 1st in all-purpose yards, 3rd in scoring, 14th in
kickoff return average

TIMES ECU INSIDE THE OPP 20-YARD LINE: 45
TIMES SCORED:................................. ......35
SUCCESS PERCENTAGE: ...........................77.8
TOUCHDOWNS BY RUN: ............................17
TOUCHDOWNS BY PASS: ...........................10
FIELD GOALS: ........................................ ..8
------------------------------------------------------------
TIMES OPP INSIDE THE ECU 20-YARD LINE: ..................... 41
TIMES SCORED: ........................................ ..................34
SUCCESS PERCENTAGE: ........................................ ................. 82.9
TOUCHDOWNS BY RUN: ........................................ ...... 12
TOUCHDOWNS BY PASS: ........................................ ....11
FIELD GOALS: ........................................ .................11

**************************************** ******
BSU -------------------OPPS
RED-ZONE SCORES 48/ 58 ---------------21/ 25
Percentage 82 ------------------ 84.0
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS 39/ 58 --------17/ 25
Percentage 67.2------------------- 68.0

ECU ------------OPPS
SACKS BY-YARDS......... 26-168---------24-153
BSU------------OPPS
SACKS BY...................32/ 203 -------18/ 95

Skip Holtz On Potential Scoring Margins In The Game:
"When I look at [Boise State] on offense, you can't say that you have to win a defensive game or a shootout. We said that we had to win by a baseball score against Virginia Tech and a basketball score against a team like Houston. I liken Boise State's offense to Houston as they are putting up big numbers and can really run the ball. At the same time, they are not one-dimensional because they are throwing for 280 yards. That is why they are as good as they are, winning five WAC championships, going undefeated and beating Oklahoma. A lot of the teams in Conference USA all have strengths but also have weaknesses. Boise State doesn't have a lot of weaknesses so I don't know if it is going to be high scoring game. Because of their defense, I don't think we will score 40 or 50 points and win that way but we most likely not hold their offense to 10 or less points either. In order for us to be competitive, the scores will most likely have to be in the middle."
------------------------------------------------------------
12/07/2007 - 2:51pm
Boise State coach Chris Petersen also met with the Boise media Friday. He has not gotten much scouting done because he has been recruiting.
The Broncos practice Friday through Sunday this week and next. They will do some game-plan work next week but will do most of that in Hawaii.
Petersen expects junior cornerback Orlando Scandrick to play in the bowl game. He had surgery on the thumb he injured at Hawaii.
That status of safety Jeron Johnson (back) and tailback D.J. Harper (ankle), both freshmen, remains uncertain. Coaches will wait to see how their bodies react before deciding whether they’ll play.
With kickoff returner Rashaun Scott out for the game with a knee injury, the Broncos will audition kick returners during bowl preparations. Candidates include Austin Smith, Jarvis Hodge, Titus Young and Ian Johnson.
Will the Broncos' Hawaii Bowl game against East Carolina on Dec. 23 in Honolulu be OL Clady's last college game? Clady, a 6-foot-6, 317-pounder, in several online mock drafts, falls between No. 8 and No. 12 in the first round. One scout said Clady would be "in the top 20, at worst." Clady earned several All-America honors this season and his second consecutive All-WAC first-team selection. Boise State ranked fifth in the country in scoring and ninth in total offense, numbers that Clady helped make possible.
Boise State junior cornerback Orlando Scandrick will spend the holidays trying to make a life-altering decision: Return to the Broncos' football team for his senior season or leave a year early for the NFL. Scandrick, like teammates Ryan Clady and Ian Johnson(slim chance), sought the advice of the NFL College Advisory Committee. The committee gave him a fifth-round grade, which is an early estimate of his draft value. He started his first game as a true freshman in 2005 at Georgia, came off the bench the next week and has started 36 straight games since. He has blocked a team-high four kicks. His greatest asset is his speed, which allowed him to run a 4.36-second 40-yard dash and makes him almost unblockable on the Broncos' field-goal block team.
Scandrick also has two interceptions, a forced fumble and six pass breakups this year. He was not named to the All-WAC first or second team. Scandrick missed most of the second half in the regular-season finale at Hawaii with a thumb injury that required surgery. He expects to return to practice Friday and play in the Hawaii Bowl.

Pettis, a true freshman wide receiver for Boise State, leads the team in November catches with three straight monster games. He has accumulated 23 receptions for 260 yards and five touchdowns in that span. He is a big target at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds.
And he has vacuum-like hands.
Pettis has fit well in the receiver corps with his quiet confidence and lively sense of humor. He and Young have combined for 70 catches and 13 touchdowns, sophomore Jeremy Childs is about to set the school record for receptions in a season (he has 74) and none of them has said a boastful word all year.
SFB Brockel (6-foot-2, 249 pounds), already an effective blocker, became a prominent member of the passing game in November. He made seven catches for 73 yards and three touchdowns in the last three regular-season games, scoring once in each game, and had another touchdown erased by penalty.

Only eight seniors are regular starters for the Broncos, and only four of those are multi-year starters.
The class includes four first-time starters (Tharp, Gore, Smart, tight end Ryan Putnam), five of the Broncos' top special-teams performers (Ia Falo, Josh Bean, Austin Smith, Rashaun Scott, Michael Lose), one former starter who serves as the sixth offensive lineman (Pete Cavender),
Offensive linemen Jeff Cavender and Tad Miller are the only four-year starters. Defensive end Nick Schlekeway and safety Marty Tadman are three-year starters who were part of the 2004 class, but played as true freshmen.
To a man, these seniors say they heard whispers - maybe even louder talk - that BSU could not sustain its success after losing 22 seniors and 14 starters off of last year's Fiesta Bowl championship team.
Tharp, the first senior starting quarterback in school history who had not started a game previously. He's on track to set several school records, including single-season completion percentage.
Smart leads the four-man tackle rotation with 21 tackles and two sacks. Gore, who was a defensive tackle until the end of fall camp in 2006, when he switched to offensive tackle.

The Broncos' block parade has prevented opponents from making a field goal since Louisiana Tech hit a 19-yarder Oct. 20. The next five opponents were a combined 0-for-5 on field goals, including three blocks. BRONCOS BLOCK 11 KICKS DURING REGULAR SEASON
East Carolina is 11-for-20 on field goals with no blocks. The Pirates have had two punts blocked.

JOHNSON EXCELS ON ESPN:
In eight games on ESPN or ESPN2, Johnson has averaged 184.3 all-purpose yards per game, and 150.3 yards rushing per game. Johnson has put together two games of 200 or more all-purpose yards with 261 against Oregon State last season and 256 against Nevada this year. He also had a pair of games of more than 190 all-purpose yards with 192 at New Mexico State last year and 191 against Southern Miss this season. Johnson has also scored 23 touchdowns in the eight games on one of the ESPN networks, an average of 2.9 per game.
BRONCOS 25-5 ALL-TIME ON NATIONAL TELEVISION:
Boise State’s 4-1 record on ESPN or ESPN2 this season.

BRONCOS PLACE FIVE ON ALL-WAC FIRST TEAM, FOUR
MORE ON SECOND TEAM: Boise State had five players named
first-team All-WAC in a vote of the league’s coaches. On offense,
Jeremy Childs, Ryan Clady and Ian Johnson earned the recognition.
Clady and Johnson were named to the first team for the second
straight season. On defense, Nick Schlekeway and Marty Tadman
received first-team honors. Tadman was a second-team selection in
both 2005 and 2006. Taylor Tharp and Tad Miller earned second team
honors on offense, while Kyle Wilson was a second-team pick
on defense and Kyle Brotzman was the second-team kicker.

BRONCOS HEADED TO SIXTH STRAIGHT BOWL GAME; BOAST 5-2 BOWL RECORD:
Boise State has won 14 of 15 (14-1) games against current Conference USA members

**********December 18, 2007,
Top Boise State Broncos receiver Jeremy Childs and two other backup players will miss the Hawaii Bowl game for violating team rules, coach Chris Petersen says.
"Initially, I was devastated," SQB Tharp said.
He called Childs his "go-to guy" this season.
Besides Childs, who set a school record for receptions this season, cornerback Keith McGowen and linebacker Ben Chandler will miss Sunday's postseason matchup against East Carolina in Honolulu.
Without him, the Broncos (10-2) will rely on receivers Titus Young and Austin Pettis, who combined for 74 catches and 11 TDs this year.**********

Updated: December 18, 2007, 10:55 PM ET
HONOLULU
Boise State was greeted by a big banner that read "Western Athletic Conference champions" as it opened practice in preparation for Sunday's Hawaii Bowl.
Broncos coach Chris Petersen said he hopes the Warriors' sign will serve as motivation for his team, which finished the regular season 10-2 and faces East Carolina (7-5) in the Hawaii Bowl.
As if the banner didn't sting enough, the Broncos practiced for about 20 minutes next to the Warriors' workout. The two WAC powerhouses glanced at each other, but didn't exchange any pleasantries.

[bearmz]

December 14, 2007
Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow had the cast removed from his broken right hand Friday and practiced without any problems.
Tebow sustained a non-displaced fracture in his non-throwing hand Nov. 24
"I was able to do everything," Tebow said. "It's weird, obviously, for the first time using it and being able to move the wrist and everything. It'll be back to normal. It was fine."
Also Friday, Florida coach Urban Meyer said senior fullback Eric Rutledge had been dismissed from the team and will not play in the bowl game. Meyer said freshman tight end Aaron Hernandez fill Rutledge's role against the Wolverines.

[bearmz]

PU vs CMU:

December 15, 2007
Purdue (7-5) plays Central Michigan (8-5) again Dec. 26 in the Motor City Bowl. The Boilermakers won 45-22 Week 3 in Ross-Ade Stadium. By the end of the first 15 minutes, the Boilers had raced to a 24-0 lead, outgaining the Chipps 300 to 46. Purdue gained 583 yards of total offense, the fifth-best mark in the Tiller Era, and won despite five turnovers, including four fumbles. Purdue led 38-0 early in the second half, then held on after CMU scored 22 straight to close to within 16 early in the fourth. In the second half, CMU quarterback Dan LaFevour got the Chipps offense rolling. After the anemic first half, LaFevour was much improved in the second, finishing with 364 yards passing, with a couple touchdowns and a pick. Purdue finished with 223 rushing. CMU had 465 yards, 364 through the air and 101 on the ground. The Chippewas played without senior strong safety Curtis Cutts and backup E.J. McLaughlin in the secondary, both of whom suffered injuries during CMU's win prior week against Toledo. The injuries forced cornerback Eric Fraser to start at safety alongside sophomore Calvin Hissong. But Fraser was injured early in the second half and was replaced by sophomore Kirkston Edwards.
Two of Painter's three touchdowns came in the second half.

Both coach Joe Tiller and athletic director Morgan Burke breathed a sigh of relief.
Both admitted, after Purdue closed the regular season with three consecutive losses to finish 7-5, they were worried the Boilermakers might get shut out of postseason play.
Purdue is only the second Big Ten team to appear in the Motor City Bowl. The first was Northwestern, who lost to Bowling Green, 28-24, the 2003.

Sunday, the Boilers will scrimmage, which has been an infrequently used — if ever — drill for bowl preparation over Tiller's decade at Purdue. Generally, full-scale scrimmages are reserved for spring practice and training camp.
The Boilers will practice 14 times between 12/8 and the Dec. 26 Motor City Bowl, down from the 20 or so that have usually comprised their bowl preparation. "You'd like to have a few more practices for (the younger players), but the game is actually determining our number of practices because it's an earlier game," Tiller said. "Typically, we've been around 20 practices, and our thought was to cut to 15.
Following a morning practice on Dec. 23, the team will leave for Detroit, the site of the bowl game.
"We want to scrimmage a little bit," said Tiller, whose team has been outscored 69-0 in first quarters since the 2000 Outback Bowl, "pick that tempo up, instead of always playing pass and tap. We'll try something a little different. Purdue has failed to score a first-quarter touchdown in its last five bowl appearances.

PU has lost three bowl games in a row, and six of the last seven. PU’s 3-6 in bowls under Tiller. Purdue is 12-2 against current Mid-American Conference schools under Tiller


Tiller said Saturday that he hopes to have Jordan Grimes back practicing early this week. The starting right guard has been sidelined the first week of bowl prep, still recovering from an ankle injury suffered Nov. 3 at Penn State. Earlier in the week, co-offensive coordinator Bill Legg expressed concern over whether Grimes would be good for the bowl. If he's not ready, redshirt freshman Justin Pierce, who started in Grimes' place vs. Michigan State and Indiana, will likely get the nod.
Backup tight end (Goal line tight end) Jerry Wasikowski, whose been out with an ACL sprain, is expected to return soon as well.
• With starter Selwyn Lymon booted from the program last month after his second DUI arrest, Jake Standeford will get the start against CMU. It will be the senior's third start of the season. Ouch…"Outside of that," Tiller said, "(the loss of Lymon) doesn't mean anything."

There are some rumors circulating that at least one and perhaps more players aren't thrilled about going to the Motor City Bowl. Co Off Co’s Leggs’s remarks to the rumor: “..They can stay home. The No. 1 thing that we need to do as a football team is we need to rally the troops, circle the wagons and we need to get ourselves ready to go play to the best of our ability. We're going to play a football team that is much improved over the team we played earlier in the year. They are going to have a chip on their shoulder just like we would have a chip on our shoulder had the outcome been different earlier in the season.”
This will be your first game since receiver Selwyn Lymon was dismissed from the team. How will his absence change the offense? Will Jake Standeford get those additional snaps? "Obviously Jake has been in a normal rotation with Greg (Orton) and Selwyn. He was what we felt like was our third-best outside receiver so he'll then become the starter at that position as long as he performs the way anticipate him to perform. Now what we have to find is who is going to back him up. We may not be able to use one guy like we did with Jake, who backed up both Greg and Selwyn.
Is there any concern whatsoever about getting these guys up for this game and ready to play especially since it's not a marquee bowl game with a marquee opponent?
Def Co. Spack: "That's always a concern when you're dealing with young guys. "They'll (CMich) have a lot of motivation to play and we're playing them basically on their home field. I think they've played their (at Ford Field) four times in the last two years so they're very familiar with the facility.
"In football it's hard to beat a team twice in the same season so we'll have our hands full that's for sure."
December 8, 2007
Idle for three weeks following the end of the regular season, the Boilermakers were back at practice Saturday afternoon in preparation for their bowl appearance in the Motor City.
Purdue dropped three straight to end the season

Purdue athletic director Morgan Burke is hoping the fact that there are 250,000 Boilermaker alumni within a five-hour drive of Detroit will translate into more ticket sales between now and the game. Ticket manager Ake’”If I had to guess, I'd guess that we'd end up close to 5,000, hopefully more. But I really don't know because it's so close, it's an easy driving distance for many of our fans. Normally, some wouldn't go to a bowl game because of the distance and the cost. From that standpoint, this is really kind of an attractive bowl."
Central Michigan University’s Athletic Ticket Office has sold more than 10,000 tickets for the Motor City Bowl on Dec. 26.

Tom Kubat
Kubat covers Purdue football for the Journal & Courier.
“It's become obvious this past week that there's not much of anything about the Motor City Bowl that has endeared it to many of Purdue's football fans.
First, they don't like the fact that the Boilermakers have fallen so low on the bowl totem pole. Second, they're not happy with the opponent, Central Michigan, a team the Boilermakers beat 45-22 in the third game of the season.
Third, it's Detroit. In the winter.”

Don't talk to Purdue running back Jaycen Taylor about having any problems getting fired up to play Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl. Taylor carried only three times in that game, although he managed to rush for 28 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown run, before leaving with a broken arm late in the first quarter. The injury caused him to miss four games, so he doesn't want to hear any talk about not being ready for the rematch against CMU. Taylor, who is from Hawthorne, Calif., admits he initially was disappointed when he found out Purdue's bowl destination was Detroit for the Dec. 26 game in Ford Field.
Dorien Bryant, Purdue's leading receiver, admitted that he initially was disappointed about the Boilermakers going to the Motor City Bowl, but now he's glad the team has a chance avoid ending the season with a loss to arch-rival Indiana. "I was a little shocked at first. After the short period of maybe thinking, 'Why?,' you have to be thankful, because we could have played ourselves out of (a bowl).
12-11-07
It's very early in the Purdue football team's preparations for its Dec. 26 date with Central Michigan in the Motor City Cowl, but the Boilermakers insist there will be no letdown.
"A lot of people see that we're going to the Motor City Bowl and think that we're really mad and we don't want to play. The guys out here have been flying around and excited to be playing in a bowl game."
"Anytime you play a team that you've already beat, they're going to come back and they're going to be fired up," Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter said. "For some teams, it might be a challenge to stay motivated, since you've already beat them, but I think we're excited about this game. Painter had a good day, completing 29 of 39 passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns vs. CMU.
"The natural tendency is to be comfortable with your opponent if you've already beat them," Purdue linebacker Dan Bick said. "They're going to come out motivated. They know what we do and they're going to attack us where they think they can beat us.
"Knowing that we've already beat them is something that can really hurt us. But, as a veteran team, I don't think that's the case here. We have so many seniors and we know this team is capable of beating us if we don't come out and play our game."

Many fans are arguing that it's time for a change, time to replace coach Joe Tiller. Many are unhappy with the way the 2007 season ended. Three consecutive losses resulted in the 7-5 Boilermakers having to settle for a trip to the Motor City Bowl, a lower-level and unglamorous postseason outing in Detroit. The past seven years under Tiller (49-38), the first four seasons (33-16). Barry Alvarez, Wisconsin AD, offered this evaluation of Tiller, at the end of the 2007 regular season. "Joe doesn't have as big a stick as many teams in this league," Alvarez said. "That's very difficult for fans to recognize. They don't care, but he doesn't have access to players like Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State.

The Boilermakers have defeated the CMU Chippewas three times during the Joe Tiller era. Purdue has won the three previous meetings by a combined score of 151-38 all at PU.
They are 45-7 against unranked opponents and 7-11 against ranked opponents. The Boilermakers are 27-30 in road games (3-18 against ranked opponents) and 3-6 in neutral site games (2-5 against ranked opponents).

Under Joe Tiller, the Boilermakers have scored 40-plus points 32 times and have a perfect 32-0 record in those games.
The Boilermakers have nine scoring drives (all touchdowns) of one minute or less, the 11thmost in the nation. They have 18 scoring drives (11 touchdowns and seven field goals) of two minutes or less, the 19th-most in the nation.

PURDUE
TEAM STATISTICS PUR OPP
Points/Game 32.9 24.8
First Downs 286 253
Rushing/Game 136.1 149.4
Passing/Game 287.2 235.9
Total Offense/Game 423.3 385.3
Fumbles-Lost 22-12 22-13
Pen.-Yds/Game 71-48.7 74-51.8
Time of Possession 30:00 30:00

CENTRAL MICHIGAN
TEAM STATISTICS CMU OPP
Points/Game 33.8 35.8
First Downs 307 318
Rushing/Game 182.8 165.4
Passing/Game 265.1 284.8
Total Offense/Game 447.9 450.2
Fumbles-Lost 15-10 23-11
Pen.-Yds/Game 79-62.7 76-49.7
Time of Possession 27:48 32:12

NCAA TEAM RANKINGS (119 teams)
CATEGORY PUR CMU
Rushing Offense 77 34
Passing Offense 17 32
Passing Efficiency 56 46
Total Offense T-35 22
Scoring Offense 31 26
Rushing Defense 55 72
Pass Defense 72 111
Pass Efficiency Defense 23 105
Total Defense 60 106
Scoring Defense 47 107
Net Punting 40 102
Punt Returns 100 51
Kickoff Returns 7 44
Turnover Margin 32 43

Dorien Bryant ranks 15th in the country with an average of 28.5 yards per kickoff return (33 returns for a school-record 941 yards) and is tied for third with two returns for touchdowns. He led the Big Ten in receptions in 2005 and 2006 and is atop the leaderboard again this season with an average of 6.8 per game. He is tied for 17th nationally. Bryant was one of 12 semifi nalists for the Biletnikoff Award, presented to the nation’s outstanding receiver.
Dustin Keller ranks fourth nationally in receptions and seventh in receiving yards among tight ends. with averages of 5.1 receptions and 60.9 receiving yards per game.

Curtis Painter ranks 18th in the nation with 275.0 passing yards per game, tied for 19th with 26 touchdown passes (also three other players) and 25th in points responsible for (14.5). Painter has fewer passing yards than 2006, but his control has significantly improved as he has just nine interceptions after throwing 19 in 14 games last year
Purdue quarterbacks have been sacked 23 times, the fifth-fewest in the Big Ten, while throwing 540 passes, the most in the conference.

The 2006 Boilermakers ranked 81st nationally in pass efficiency defense, 90th in scoring defense
and 114th in both rushing defense and total defense – out of 119 schools. This year, those
rankings have improved to 23rd, 47th, 55th and 60th.

The Boilermakers are tied for 22nd nationally with 27 turnovers gained (14 interceptions and 13
fumble recoveries)

After making just 8 of 20 field goal attempts as a true freshman walk on a year ago, Chris
Summers has made 15 of 19 attempts this season. He has made all 50 of his PAT attempts.

Second Team All-Big Ten
Cliff Avril, DL (coaches)
Dorien Bryant, WR (coaches and media)
Dustin Keller, TE (coaches and media)
Terrell Vinson, DB (media)
Honorable Mention All-Big Ten
Cliff Avril, DL (media)
Jordan Grimes, OG (media)
Anthony Heygood, LB (coaches)
Curtis Painter, QB (coaches and media)
Robbie Powell, C (media)
Sean Sester, OT (coaches and media)
Terrell Vinson, DB (coaches)
------------------------------------------------
LeFevour became only the second player in NCAA Division I history to throw for 3,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards in the same season, joining Young, the former Texas quarterback and current Tennessee Titan. The sophomore is also just the second MAC quarterback to win back-to-back championship games, joining Chad Pennington, who won three in a row at Marshall from 1997-99.
Top Two Targets
Antonio Brown (92 receptions) and Bryan Anderson (78 receptions) have both eclipsed CMU’s single-season receptions record this season. Anderson set the previous mark with 73 catches in 2006. He had 10 receptions for 101 yards against the Boilermakers in September.
Brown’s 92 catches are the seventh-most in a single season in Mid-American Conference history. He has accounted for 2,009 all-purpose yards this season, the most for any freshman in MAC history


Central Michigan University receiver/kick returner Antonio Brown (Miami, Fla./North Carolina Tech) and center Colin Miller (Centreville, Va./Centreville HS) have been named to the Sporting News Freshman All-America team.
Brown was a second team selection as a receiver, while Miller was an honorable mention honoree. CMU was one of just three Mid-American Conference programs to place two individuals on the squad.
Junior left tackle Andrew Hartline, senior linebacker Red Keith and freshman receiver/kick returner Antonio Brown were named to rivals.com's All-MAC squad. Hartline has started all 13 games at left tackle, replacing NFL first round draft pick Joe Staley, while Keith leads the Chippewas with 139 tackles in 2007.
Secondary Shake Up
CMU has seen nine different players start at least one game in the secondary
this season. The Chippewas have started eight different quartets in the secondary in
12 games in 2007.
CMU---------OPPS
SACKS BY-YARDS................ 22-160-------16-108
RED-ZONE SCORES............... 51-62 82%--- 53-62 85%
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS.......45-62 73% --43-62 69%
PU---------OPPS
SACKS BY-YARDS................ 24-177 ----23-159
RED-ZONE SCORES............... 47-54 87% -38-46 83%
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS...... 35-65% ----26-46 57%

Central's pass defense, while it ranks last in the MAC with 284.8 passing yards allowed per game, held opponents to 254 passing yards or fewer in the last three games.
While CMU has improved in defending the pass, it didn't face an offense like Purdue's.
CMU has not beaten a Bowl Championship Series team since 1992, when it beat Michigan State 24-20. It lost 52-7 to Kansas on Sept. 1, 45-22 to Purdue on Sept. 15 and 70-14 to Clemson on Oct. 20.

Central Michigan is familiar with Ford Field, beating Middle Tennessee State 31-14 in last year's Motor City Bowl. In addition, the Chippewas have played in the past two Mid-American Conference championship games at Ford Field. They defeated Miami (Ohio) 35-10 this season and beat Ohio 31-10 last year.

[bearmz]

TX vs ASU:

December 03, 2007
The 17th-ranked Longhorns accepted an invitation to play in the Holiday Bowl against 12th-ranked Arizona State, a team that was snubbed at the last minute by the major bowls in the Bowl Championship Series mix.
The Sun Devils had believed they were headed to the Fiesta Bowl, but those plans were thwarted early Sunday when Hawaii earned an automatic at-large BCS berth, thanks to the Warriors' 21-point comeback victory over Washington.

The Holiday has been a popular postseason destination for the Longhorns, who will play there for the fourth time in eight seasons. The three games have all been close affairs, being decided by a total of 17 points. The Horns defeated Washington, 47-43, in 2001, while falling to Oregon, 35-30, in ’00 and Washington State, 28-20, in ’03.
The Horns have won five of their last six bowl games and have a 6-3 record in bowl contests under Mack Brown. A group of 24 seniors has been one of Mack Brown’s most
successful at Texas. They are looking to be the first class in UT history to win four straight bowl games.

It will be the first meeting between the Horns and the Sun Devils. Like Arizona State this year, the Longhorns in 2003 believed they were headed to the Fiesta up until an Oklahoma upset the day before the bowl bids were issued.

Texas is riding a three-game bowl winning streak and needs a victory over ASU to finish with at least 10 wins for the seventh consecutive year. With a bowl victory, the UT senior class would become the first in school history to go undefeated in the postseason.

Texas will practice twice this week and will have eight workouts in Austin before breaking for the holidays. The team will meet in San Diego on Dec. 22.

Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson, who is in his first year with the team, chose not to dwell on his team's BCS snub.
The BCS is "something (the players) have to deal with, and they dealt with it and they did the best they can do with the system. This is just how it is."

December 04, 2007
Texas gave up 116 points in its last three games and got run over by rival Texas A&M 38-30 in the regular-season finale, prompting head coach Mack Brown to erase his depth chart.
"I told the kids today, 'All jobs are open,' " Brown said during a Monday teleconference. "We're going to grade them every day."
Brown is taking this stance after the Longhorns' lackluster performance against the Aggies at Kyle Field.
If they had won that afternoon, chances are the Longhorns would be headed to a BCS bowl while riding a six-game winning streak. Instead, they're preparing for a Dec. 27 date in San Diego with the 10-2 Sun Devils, a team that also had seemed destined for a BCS game before Hawaii claimed an automatic bid.
Twelfth-ranked Arizona State likely will be Texas' second-toughest opponent this season after Oklahoma.
The Texas pass defense ranks 109th in the nation, allowing 275.5 yards per game. In the last three games, that average ballooned to 419.3; in the last four games, the Longhorns gave up 13 touchdown passes. Arizona State counters with a passing attack that led the Pac-10 in passing efficiency and averaged 319.6 yards. Rudy Carpenter threw for more than 3,000 yards with 23 TDs -- at least one in every game -- and only eight interceptions.

Senior DT Frank Okam was selected third-team All-America by The Associated Press and junior RB Jamaal Charles was tabbed honorable mention All-America by SI.com.
Okam and Charles join senior OT Tony Hills as Longhorns named to All-America teams. Hills picked up first-team honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation.Senior S Marcus Griffin was named to the ESPN.com All-America Team.

ALL-BIG 12 HONOREES: Texas had 13 players named All-Big 12 in 2007, including
three on the first team and two on the second team. Junior RB Jamaal Charles, senior S Marcus Griffin and senior OT Tony Hills earned first-team honors, while senior DTs Derek Lokey and Frank Okam were named to the second team.

Texas has had 10 different starters miss at least one game due to injury and 12 starters miss significant action. All totaled, that group has missed significant
action totalling 41 games. All totaled, the Longhorns have had 17 members of their two-deep miss a total of 34 games due to injury. Additionally, 17 members of their two-deep have missed significant action totalling 56 games.

The Longhorns have won 33 of their last 36 true road games. Texas is 38-8 (.826) overall on the road and 32-5(.865) versus unranked road foes during the Mack Brown era. UT is currently
riding a school-record non-conference road winning streak of eight

UT has produced at least 400 yards of total offense in eight games and at least 500 yards in five, while scoring at least 30 points in eight of the 12 games.

The Horns have held their opponents under 300 total yards five times and only allowed six teams to reach 100 yards rushing. UT has posted five non-offensive TDs in 2007.
After holding seven of its first eight opponents to under 400 yards of total offense, the Longhorns' last four foes all gained at least 447 yards and two gained more than 500 (Oklahoma State, Texas A&M). Texas has given up only 11 rushing touchdowns all season. The 'Horns have 99 tackles for loss, 25quarterback sacks, 14 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries.

Senior center Dallas Griffin beat out 14 other finalists for the Draddy Trophy. Griffin started 10 games in 2007 before tearing the ACL in his right knee on Nov. 3 against Oklahoma State.

Colt McCoy has gone 255- of-393 (64.9%) for 3,129 yards (No. 3 on
UT’s single-season list) and 21 TDs for a passer rating of 140.2 (24th NCAA) in 2007. McCoy also is the team’s second leading rusher with 408 yards, including at least 40 yards rushing in five of the last six games. McCoy passed for 3,129 yards and 21 touchdowns, but his 18 interceptions should be a concern against an Arizona State defense that picked off 17 passes.

Despite losing two players who combined to start 83 games, UT has plenty of starting experience
along the defensive front in 2007. All totaled, seniors DTs Frank Okam (38 starts/49 games) and Derek Lokey (20 starts/42 games), junior DT Roy Miller (six starts/35 games) and junior DEs Aaron Lewis (nine starts/31 games) and Brian Orakpo (nine starts/34 games) have combined
to start 82 games and play in 191 contests
Texas’ linebacking corps boasts three returning starters and a trio of youngsters who all saw
action in 2006.
The Longhorn secondary lost three of its four starters from 2006. senior S Marcus Griffin, the lone returnee and twin brother of Michael Griffin, has taken over as the veteran leader in 2007. Joining Griffin (48 games/22 starts) are seniors CB Brandon Foster (45 games/12 starts) and S Erick
Jackson (40 games/nine starts) and junior CB Ryan Palmer (36 games/12 starts). In addition,
sophomore Ishie Oduegwu has steadily earned more playing time during 2007.

Junior walk-on Ryan Bailey took over as the place-kicker during the Nebraska game in 2006. Since then, he has gone 23-of-27 on field goal attempts (.852/No. 1 on UT’s alltime list), including nine makes from 40 yards or more.
--------------------------------
Arizona State finished 10-2 and ranked 11th in the final BCS standings.

The Sun Devils will be making their third all-time appearance in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl. They played in the 2002 game, falling 34-27 to #6 Kansas State. They also appeared in the 1985 game, losing 18-17 to Arkansas.
The Sun Devil faithful are certainly excited as, despite the game being two days after Christmas, the allotted 11,000 tickets were sold out early

• The ASU defense has allowed an average of 1.8 points in the fourth quarter this season. One
of the major reasons why Texas is 9-3 in 2007 has been its ability to execute in the
fourth-quarter. The Horns have scored 147 points in the final stanza, the most of any
quarter this season, and held an 88-34 edge during their late-season, five-game winning
streak.

Pac-10 Awards: 15 Sun Devils earned All-Pac-10 honors this season, including four First Team
members. Center Mike Pollak, linebacker Robert James, kicker Thomas Weber and wide receiver
Kyle Williams all earned First Team honors. Williams was named to the First Team as a punt
returner. Dexter Davis, Justin Tryon and Troy Nolan all earned Second Team honors.
Groza Award Winner: Redshirt freshman kicker Thomas Weber has been named the Lou Groza Award Winner, given to the nation's top kicker.

Erickson’s NCAA Record In bowl games 5-5. In his career, Coach
Erickson is 27-17 against Top 25 teams, including an 8-5 record against teams in the Top 5. Texas enters the Holiday Bowl ranked #17 in the nation.
DENNIS ERICKSON MONTH-BY-MONTH DECEMBER 2-4

The Sun Devils are led by quarterback Rudy Carpenter. Carpenter hasn't had much help from his blockers. ASU has allowed 51 sacks, which ranks 117th out of 119 teams.
Arizona State's defense is best at stopping the run, ranking 13th nationally at 100.92 a game. The Sun Devils are 27th in total defense at 334.42 yards per game.
Sun Devils quarterback Rudy Carpenter could be poised for a big performance against the Longhorns, who allowed 275.5 passing yards per game - one of the worst marks in the country.
Carpenter has thrown seven touchdown passes and only one interception in his last five games.

ASU's lone weakness seems to be in pass protection, where it has given up a school-record 51 sacks. It has two more offensive linemen hurt so that is a huge area of concern heading into the bowl.

The Sun Devils have been very good at taking away a team's strength this season, but against teams that have been good at both the run and the pass, they have struggled. Oregon and USC are examples. Texas presents similar woes. Longhorns tailback Jamaal Charles is averaging 121 yards per game. Quarterback Colt McCoy throws for almost 300 yards. The Sun Devils don't have the speed nor the raw skills to stay up against a lethal rushing attack without help from the linebackers and safeties. But, on the other hand, the secondary, although it has been able to make teams throw everything in front of them most of the time, may run into trouble if safety Josh Barrett (knee) can't get back into the lineup to defend speed receivers like Nate Jones. USC exploited the Sun Devils with play-action passing. Oregon (with Dennis Dixon) spread the defense out. ASU didn't have answers. Texas' versatility is the No. 1 priority until kickoff.
Dec. 17, 2007
Arizona OT Brandon Rodd is still recovering from a pair of ankle sprains that forced him to need help walking off the field in the regular season finale against Arizona.
The Sun Devils still don't know if offensive guard Paul Fanaika, who suffered a leg injury against the Wildcats, will be able to go against the Longhorns.
Safety Josh Barrett should be ready by bowl time after missing the regular season finale with a knee sprain.
TB Keegan Herring used the days off to recoup from a minor sprained ankle. He should be able to start in the Holiday Bowl. That could be big with preseason starter Ryan Torain already out for the year with a foot injury.


ASU---------OPPS
RED-ZONE SCORES............... 43-49 88% --28-32 88%
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS........28-49 57% --17-32 53%
SACKS BY-YARDS..................27-189----- 51-341
UT---------OPPS
SACKS BY-Yards………………………….25-205 …………23-120
RED-ZONE SCORES____________39-47 83% ___31-41 76%
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS ______31-47 66% ___21-41 51%

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
TEAM OFFENSE ....................................... Pac-10 (Nation)
Rushing ...........................146.6 .................................7th
Passing ...........................259.1 ................................ 3rd
Pass Efficiency ................ 149.31 .....................1st (11th)
Total Offense ...................405.7 .................................4th
Scoring ............................32.2 ..................................2nd
First Downs .....................266 ................................... 3rd
3rd Down Conv. ..............39.3% ................................5th
4th Down Conv. ............... 68.8% ................................1st
Sacks Against .................51 ....................................10th
Red Zone Offense ........... 87.8% ................................1st
TEAM DEFENSE ....................................... Pac-10 (Nation)
Rushing ...........................100.9 ......................3rd (13th)
Pass Efficiency ................ 108.49 ................... 2nd (16th)
Passing Yards .................233.5 ................................ 3rd
Total Defense ..................334.4 ................................ 3rd
Scoring ............................20.1 ..................................2nd
Opp. First Downs ............ 210 ................................... 3rd
Sacks ..............................27 .................................. T-7th
3rd Down Conv. ..............31.3% ................................4th
4th Down Conv. ............... 35.7% ................................4th
Red Zone Defense ..........87.5% ................................9th

[bearmz]

December 18, 2007
Multiple suspensions looming for FSU
Florida State could be severely shorthanded when it faces Kentucky in the Music City Bowl on December 31.
ESPN.com reported Tuesday that as many as 20 players will be suspended for their roles in an alleged cheating scandal involving an Internet-based course.
"If the players fight the suspensions, they'll risk losing all of their eligibility," a source told ESPN.com.
According to the report, Florida State officials are expected to announce the results of the investigation this week.
"Naturally we're having to make a lot of adjustments," Bowden said. "We've got some guys who will be playing positions they haven't played before."
While few players were willing to even discuss the sanctions, quarterback Drew Weatherford was optimistic.
"There's a lot of guys who will have opportunities now who haven't had it in the past and they'll get a chance to show what they've got," he said.
The latest academic suspensions are not the first Bowden has had to deal with in a bowl game.
Star receiver Snoop Minnis didn't play in the 2000 national championship game loss to Oklahoma and quarterback Chris Rix was suspended a couple years later in another loss -- to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Running back Amp Lee didn't play in the 1991 Cotton Bowl win over Texas A&M.
*****December 20, 2007
Florida State coach Bobby Bowden isn't concerned the Seminoles will have to forfeit games for using ineligible players this season.
"We didn't intentionally play an ineligible player," he said Thursday. "We didn't know anyone was ineligible. We held out two guys, (Kevin) McNeil and (Joslin) Shaw. We felt like it was the right thing to do."
About two dozen Florida State players have been suspended for the Music City Bowl against Kentucky for cheating on an online exam. Bowden and his coaches are reconstructing a team that expects to be without some top players.
Several starters were among the players in a music history class last spring where students were apparently given answers during an exam.
Florida State officials reported the incident to the NCAA in September and are eager to get it resolved without sanctions that could darken Bowden's final seasons at the school.

Here you go if you wanna sort these out:
FLORIDA STATE - *Cornerback J.R. Bryant (12/22, academics/disciplinary) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Wide receiver Joslin Shaw (12/22, academics/disciplinary) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Defensive tackle Justin Mincey (12/22, academics/disciplinary) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Defensive end Neefy Moffett (12/22, academics/disciplinary) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Linebacker Marcus Ball (12/22, academics/disciplinary) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Defensive tackle Paul Griffin (12/22, academics/disciplinary) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Defensive tackle Budd Thacker (12/22, academics/disciplinary) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Defensive tackle Letroy Guion (12/22, academics/disciplinary) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Tight end Charlie Graham (12/22, academics/disciplinary) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Guard Jacky Claude (12/22, academics/disciplinary) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Tackle Daron Rose (12/22, academics/disciplinary) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Tackle Caz Piurowski (12/22, academics/disciplinary) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Cornerback Patrick Robinson (12/22, academics/disciplinary) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Linebacker Dekoda Watson (12/22, academics/disciplinary) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Quarterback Xavier Lee (12/22, academics/disciplinary) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. Running back Antone Smith (12/19, left shoulder) is probable for the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Running back Jamaal Edwards (12/22, shoulder) is questionable for the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Linebacker Toddrick Verdell (12/22, broken foot) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Linebacker Rodney Gallon (12/22, sore left ankle) is probable for the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Wide receiver Richard Goodman (12/22, academics/disciplinary) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Running back Marcus Sims (12/22, broken right ankle) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Offensive tackle Antwane Greenlee (12/22, neck) is questionable for the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Fullback Matt Dunham (12/22, left ankle) is questionable for the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. Tight end Jonathan Hannah (12/3, academics) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. Safety Mister Alexander (12/3, torn ACL) is expected to miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Defensive end Kevin McNeil (12/22, academically ineligible) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky. *Fullback Joe Surratt (12/22, academics/disciplinary) will miss the Music City Bowl on 12/31 against Kentucky.



Why did line go from Ky-1 to just -3 with so many perceived starters OUT?

This might splain, Ricky:
December 20, 2007
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY (TICKER) -- Kentucky running back Derrick Locke will miss the Music City Bowl due to a fractured rib he sustained in practice, coach Rich Brooks announced on Thursday.
The 5-10, 180-pound freshman, Locke led the Wildcats with five rushing touchdowns and was second in rushing yards with 521. The Hugo, Oklahoma native also made 13 tackles on punt and kickoff coverage.
Doubtful for Kentucky's matchup against Florida State on December 31 are senior wide receiver Keenan Burton and sophomore cornerback Paul Warford.
The 6-2 Burton, who could miss his final collegiate game because of a knee injury, was the Wildcats' leading receiver with 59 catches for 685 yards and nine touchdowns. He had battled a sprained ankle since the second game of the season and then incurred a knee strain in a loss to Florida on October 20.
The 5-11 Warford has an injured shoulder. He was second on the team with two interceptions and seven passes defended, and had 36 tackles on the season.

[bearmz]

Some bowl teams happier than others

By Rivals.com Staff

A team's mind-set can go a long way toward determining whether it wins its bowl game.

A team can have more talent than its opponent, but if it doesn't care – and thus doesn't play well – it doesn't matter.

Here's a look at six teams who should be happy where they are and six who might not be.

Happy to be here …

Hawaii
The Warriors parlayed their 12-0 record and WAC title into a BCS bid. Now they get a chance to show they belong with the big boys with a date against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Hawaii has nothing to lose; Georgia has more talent and depth and is expected to win. Thus, Hawaii likely will be embraced as the plucky underdog. When you're considered the plucky underdog, it's all good.
Illinois
Raise your hand if you thought the Illini would be in a New Year's Day bowl this season. (And if anybody has their hand raised, they're lying.) Everyone expects USC to trounce the Illini – the Trojans are two-touchdown favorites – but everyone expected Ohio State to trounce the Illini, too. We know how that worked out. All the pressure is on USC. The Illini should be laid-back and enjoying the moment.
Indiana
Hoosiers players, coaches, officials and fans have to be ecstatic they're in the Insight Bowl, fulfilling former coach Terry Hoeppner's quest to "Play 13." Hoeppner's wish has become a rallying point for the Hoosiers, and you can bet the team will be sky-high to further honor his memory when they hit the field in Phoenix.
Kansas
The Jayhawks are 11-1 and in the Orange Bowl, but detractors still remain – including some in their own league (the Big 12) who wonder why Missouri isn't in Miami instead of the Jayhawks. KU is another team with nothing to lose. Everyone expects Virginia Tech's defense to rule the day, so KU can play loose and let it fly.
Mississippi State
The Bulldogs are in a bowl for the first time since the 2000 season, and coach Sylvester Croom is the SEC's coach of the year. The Bulldogs have some big wins this season, and they also don't want to be the team that gives up the yardage that enables UCF's Kevin Smith to become the all-time single-season rushing leader.
UCF
The Knights are on a mission – they want junior TB Kevin Smith to become Division I-A's single-season rushing leader. He's 181 yards away. UCF also wants to show it can hang with the big boys. UCF was 1-2 against BCS-league schools this season, beating NC State on the road and losing to Texas at home and USF on the road.

Wanted more …


Boston College
The Eagles have been ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation and lost in the ACC Championship Game. Their reward? A trip to the Champs Sports Bowl. Now, there's nothing wrong with being in Orlando between Christmas and New Year's, but you have to figure BC is tired of falling this far down the pecking order every bowl season.
California
The Golden Bears were one play away from being ranked No. 1 in the nation at midseason. Instead, they come in having lost six of their past seven, and a trip to Fort Worth, Texas, for the Armed Forces Bowl isn't exactly the most exciting postseason trip.

Cincinnati
The Bearcats are 9-3 and were ranked 22nd in the final BCS standings. Yet their postseason destination is the Papjohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, Ala. (Hey, didn't the Bearcats leave Conference USA so they wouldn't have to play in bowls like the Papajohns.com?) To make matters worse, Cincy's opponent in the bowl is Southern Miss, which figures to be jacked up because it will want to send longtime coach Jeff Bower – who already has been replaced – out with a victory.

Missouri
What's a team have to do to get in the BCS? Mizzou won the Big 12 North by beating Kansas, fell to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game, then was ranked sixth in the final BCS standings. Yet the Tigers are headed to the Cotton Bowl and Kansas – which finished eighth in the BCS – is headed to the Orange Bowl.

Oregon
The Ducks had … well, they had their ducks in a row. QB Dennis Dixon was a Heisman front-runner and the team itself was in the hunt for the national title. But Dixon tore up his knee and the Ducks lost three in a row to end the regular season. A team that dreamed of playing for the national title instead ended up in El Paso.

Purdue
The Boilermakers started 5-0, and folks were starting to take notice. But they won just two of their next seven and head to the Motor City Bowl on a three-game losing streak. Worse, their opponent in Detroit is Central Michigan, whom the Boilers beat by 23 in mid-September. In other words, Purdue has everything to lose and nothing to gain – and may not care anyway.

[bearmz]

By Mike Huguenin, Rivals.com College Football Editor

Florida QB Tim Tebow is the first Heisman winner not to be playing in a national-title game since USC quarterback Carson Palmer in 2002. Tebow hopes to be able to do what Palmer did that season: win a bowl as the Heisman winner.
Palmer and USC quarterback Matt Leinart (2004) are the only Heisman winners this decade to also win their bowl games.
A look at how Heisman winners have fared in bowls
The 2000s
2006: Ohio State QB Troy Smith
BOWL RESULT: Lost 41-14 to Florida in BCS National Championship Game. Smith was 4-for-14 for 35 yards with one interception. He also ran 10 times for minus-29 yards.
2005: USC TB Reggie Bush
BOWL RESULT: Lost 41-38 to Texas in the Rose Bowl. Bush had 279 all-purpose yards and one touchdown. He ran for 82 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, caught six passes for 95 yards and had 102 yards on five kickoff returns.
2004: USC QB Matt Leinart
BOWL RESULT: Won 55-19 over Oklahoma in Orange Bowl. Leinart was 18 of 35 for 332 yards and five touchdowns.
2003: Oklahoma QB Jason White
BOWL RESULT: Lost 21-14 to LSU in the Sugar Bowl. White was 13 of 37 for 102 yards and two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.
2002: USC QB Carson Palmer
BOWL RESULT: Won 38-17 over Iowa in the Orange Bowl. Palmer was 21 of 31 for 303 yards and one touchdown.
2001: Nebraska QB Eric Crouch
BOWL RESULT: Lost 37-14 to Miami in the Rose Bowl. Crouch ran for 114 yards on 22 carries and completed five of 15 passes for 62 yards and an interception that was returned for a touchdown.
2000: Florida State QB Chris Weinke
BOWL RESULT: Lost 13-2 to Oklahoma in Orange Bowl. Weinke was 25 of 51 for 274 yards and two interceptions.

[bearmz]

Clemson, SC (Sports Network) - Clemson starting linebackers Nick Watkins and Tramaine Billie, along with starting offensive tackle Christian Capote, have been ruled ineligible for the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Auburn on New Year's Eve.
All three were fifth-year seniors who will sit due to poor academic performance.
Watkins led the defense in tackles the past two seasons, recording 116 in 2006 and 118 this year. Billie, meanwhile, was third on the team with 79 tackles this season.
Capote started all 12 games at right tackle and had 71 knockdown blocks.
There's also a chance Clemson could be without its third starting linebacker. A school spokesman said Bowden has yet to determine the status of linebacker Cortney Vincent, arrested earlier this month on drunken driving charges.
According to Clemson's depth chart, sophomore Kavell Conner would take over for Watkins and freshman Scott Cooper for Billie. Freshman Chris Hairston is likely to play for Capote on the offensive line.


12/18/07






12/18

[bearmz]

Previous bowl records are important by Jeff Frank, Contributing Editor

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - There will always be upsets in bowl games, such as Boise State's improbable victory over Oklahoma in last year's Fiesta Bowl. On the other hand, heavy favorites can also cruise to easy wins, as LSU proved in its 41-14 Sugar Bowl romp over Notre Dame.

Favorites have had an easy time capturing straight up wins in postseason play the last two years, taking about two-thirds (39-20) of all bowl games. Unfortunately, the high winning percentage has not carried over against the spread, as underdogs have the 57% advantage with a 33-25-1 mark.

It's sometimes hard to decipher which bowl games showcase the most winnable wagers, and which ones are best just to watch and enjoy. What follows is some key information regarding how some clubs have fared in recent years and which might garner more support than originally anticipated.

Cincinnati is 2-3 SU in its last five bowl games with a pitiful 1-4 ATS mark. The Bearcats are in the state of Alabama for the Papajohns.com Bowl on December 22 against Southern Miss, a team ready to do battle in what will be Jeff Bower's final game as head coach of the Golden Eagles. Bower and his Eagles have won five of their last seven bowl games (including three straight) to go along with a 4-2-1 ATS record.

The Bearcats are 11-point favorites, an extremely high number after winning just three of their final six games. They benefited from a +15 turnover differential to go 6-0 in their first six contests, but will not be so lucky here against the ball-control offense of Southern Miss.

Another game that looks too good to be true comes from Houston, Texas where the Houston Cougars hook up with TCU. Houston is 0-7 (2-5 ATS) in bowl action since winning the 1980 Garden State Bowl, while the Horned Frogs are 3-1 in their last four, 3-0-1 ATS. In addition, TCU won and covered the last four meetings between these two clubs when both were Conference USA members.

The Frogs have gone 18-6 the past three seasons in the Mountain West Conference, a tougher league with a higher profile than Conference USA. In fact, the latter conference ranks as the third-worst in my power ratings, only ahead of the Sun Belt and MAC, and the C-USA West Division finished the regular season with an even lower average than the West Division from the MAC.

TCU is favored by 3.5 points and will easily win this one by at least a touchdown.


OTHER IMPORTANT NUMBERS

New Mexico hosts Nevada in the New Mexico Bowl on December 22. The Lobos are 2-7-1 lifetime in postseason play, 0-4 both SU and ATS in their last four. They even lost at home in this very same bowl last year to another WAC club in San Jose State. Nevada's last five bowl games have been decided by three points or less, including three by just one, and the Wolf Pack are getting three points in this one.

Boise State takes on East Carolina in the Hawaii Bowl. The Broncos are 5-2 both SU and ATS in their seven lifetime bowl games, while the Pirates are 1-3 both SU and ATS in their last four, losing by 14 points or more in two of the three defeats. In addition, East Carolina certainly does not have any advantages in this one, having to go to Aloha Stadium, a place that Boise is somewhat familiar with having played there two of the previous three years. Expect the Broncos to be all business while the Pirates may soak up too much sun on the Honolulu beaches.

Penn State and Texas A&M square off in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, TX on December 29. The Nittany Lions are 23-12-2 in their bowl history, including five wins in their last seven games. On the flip side, the Aggies have been the antithesis of the Lions with a 1-6 SU record since a 1997 Cotton Bowl loss to UCLA. They are also a measly 1-4 ATS in their last five.

Clemson is 3-4 SU and 2-5 ATS in seven bowl games under head coach Terry Bowden. More importantly, the Tigers are 1-3 ATS as favorites over that span and they're favored by a deuce in the Chick-fil-A Bowl against the Auburn Tigers, who have won four of their last five bowl appearances with a 3-2 ATS mark.

The New Year presents many intriguing matchups, including Wisconsin vs. Tennessee. The Badgers have been ultra-impressive of late with a 6-2 SU mark in their last eight postseason contests, 5-1 as underdogs. They'll be in that role once again against Tennessee.

The Volunteers are actually favored in this game despite the Badgers' impressive postseason resume and the expected return of running back P.J. Hill. Given that, one would think the Vols have had rock-solid success in bowl action, but they have been won only two of their last seven, both straight up and against the spread.

Michigan and Florida meet in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, a site that has to favor the Gators. Head coach Urban Meyer, who has won and covered his last four bowls - two each with Florida and Utah, looks to make it five straight, a marked contrast from Florida's previous regimes that had won only one of the previous six contests prior to Meyer's arrival.

The Wolverines have been easy prey for their opponents this decade, losing and failing to cover five of the seven games played. They are also 0-4 SU and 1-3 ATS as underdogs, the same scenario they find themselves in against Florida and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.


12/12 10:32:35 ET

[bearmz]

December 20, 2007
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Two players from No. 1 Ohio State have been suspended for the Buckeyes' national championship game against LSU for violating team rules, according to several media reports.
Donald Washington, a starting cornerback, and backup Eugene Clifford will miss the BCS national title game in New Orleans on Jan. 7 for the unspecified violations, according to reports by WCMH-TV on Wednesday night and The Columbus Dispatch on Thursday. Both reports cited unnamed sources.
Washington is a sophomore who has started every game for the Buckeyes (11-1), and Clifford is a top reserve who played in four games.
With him out of the lineup, redshirt freshman Chimdi Chekwa will most likely move into the starting position.
Clifford was listed as Malcolm Jenkins' backup at border corner on the Buckeyes' latest two-deep chart
Columbus station WCMH-TV and The Columbus Dispatch reported earlier that Clifford, a freshman, and starting cornerback Donald Washington had both been suspended for the game on Jan. 7 in New Orleans.
The school released a statement later stating only Clifford would be suspended.

[bearmz]

December 19, 2007, 11:09 PM ET
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State linebacker Morris Wooten will not play in the Holiday Bowl because of an unspecified team rules violation, coach Dennis Erickson said.
Wooten, the team's sixth-leading tackler with 47, will be replaced by sophomore Mike Nixon. Wooten is a transfer from Glendale Community College.
December 19, 2007, 8:19 PM ET
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- A misdemeanor battery charge against Florida defensive end Jermaine Cunningham was dropped Wednesday. Cunningham, a sophomore, is tied for the team lead with 6½ sacks and is third with 62 tackles. He is expected to play Jan. 1, when the ninth-ranked Gators face Michigan in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando.
December 19, 2007
Carr will coach the Wolverines on Jan. 1 against Florida in the Capital One Bowl, then retire after 13 seasons as Michigan's head coach. Carr said Rodriguez would have all the access he wanted, welcoming him to watch practice as well as talk to Michigan assistant coaches and players.hmmm
Updated: December 19, 2007
The quarterback position is a concern for many Ohio State fans these days, ever since Tressel stunningly revealed that Boeckman's backup, Robbie Schoenhoft, has been working out at tight end. That means third-stringer Antonio Henton -- suspended earlier this season before pleading guilty to a minor misdemeanor -- apparently is now the backup for the bowl game.
Boeckman was leading the Big Ten and was sixth in the nation in passing efficiency through the first 10 games, all wins by top-ranked Ohio State. Heading into the Nov. 10 game at home against unranked Illinois, Boeckman had completed 66 percent of his passes for an average of 197 yards, with more than two TD passes and less than an interception a game.
Then over the last two games -- a 28-21 loss to the Illini and a 14-3 win at Michigan -- Boeckman looked like a scared rookie. He completed 56 percent of his passes over those two games, for a total of 206 yards with four interceptions and no touchdowns.
As for Schoenhoft's curious move to tight end, Tressel said the big, burly junior was just helping out on the scout team and had not changed positions. But wide receiver Brian Hartline said "it is going to be as permanent as he (Schoenhoft) wants it to be."
Henton has played only sparingly this season, and never with a game in the balance. But no matter who backs up Boeckman, the replacement would not be a seasoned vet.
"It wouldn't really matter if Boeckman goes down anyway (because) we might be in some trouble," Hartline said. "Both guys (Henton and Schoenhoft) are going to be good but they're not ready yet."
December 19, 2007
Oklahoma State's preparations for the Insight Bowl have not significantly been affected by the recent departure of offensive coordinator Larry Fedora, head coach Mike Gundy said Wednesday.
A week earlier, Fedora was named the head coach at Southern Mississippi. But before Fedora left Oklahoma State, he assisted Gundy in developing much of the Cowboys' game plan for the Dec. 31 bowl game against Indiana (7-5).
Gundy said he has assumed the duties of scripting offensive plays for the Cowboys' practice sessions, but that it otherwise would be difficult to notice much change within the program since Fedora left.
Oklahoma State (6-6) has averaged 33.4 points and 484.1 yards per game this season using Fedora's single-back, no-huddle offense. Gundy said the Cowboys are familiar enough with the system now that they should have no trouble running the offense in the bowl game.
Still, someone will have to replace Fedora as the primary play-caller. Gundy said it hasn't yet been determined if that responsibility will fall to one person or a committee of coaches. He acknowledged toying with the idea of handling it himself, at least for the bowl game.
One luxury we have in our offense is a lot of what we do, we call at the line. We would like to be able to make some of those decisions at the line and do it as a group, but ultimately, somebody will have to come up with an original play call to start the system.
"I'm not trying to tell you we're going to make group play calls. I'm just trying to tell you we're not sure yet exactly how we're going to do it. ... Up until Sunday, nobody has been in the room together. We've all been gone recruiting. We're just now getting in there and trying to kind of figure out what we want to do." Huh?
December 18, 2007,
Oklahoma could have been playing Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl if an agreement between the teams, their conferences and the Orange and Fiesta bowls had been approved by BCS officials, according to an SI.com report.
SI.com reported late Monday night that Oklahoma athletic director Joseph Castiglione contacted Fiesta Bowl officials after the Sooners won the Big 12 title on Dec. 1 about the possibility of using that clause to get OU matched up against the highest-ranked team available.
"If we weren't going to be in the 1 vs. 2 game, we wanted to know if there was a possibility to play the highest-ranked team out there," Castiglione told SI.com. "At that point, we didn't know which team that would be."
The Sooners finished third in the BCS standings behind Ohio State and LSU. The Buckeyes and Tigers will play in New Orleans on Jan. 7 in the BCS national championship. Virginia Tech was fourth.
According to SI.com, after the pairings were set on Dec. 2, but before they were made public, the Orange and Fiesta bowls agreed to swap Kansas and Oklahoma, with the approval of all the teams and leagues involved in those two games.
There's a clause in the BCS bylaws -- which has never been invoked -- that allows the commissioners to "adjust the pairings ... after the completion of the selection process."
The alterations failed to gain approval from all the conference commissioners who oversee the BCS and the original pairings remained.
Is Okl ever happy?

December 26, 2007
PHOENIX (AP) -- Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops confirmed Wednesday that starting defensive back Lendy Holmes will not play in the Fiesta Bowl, leaving the third-ranked Sooners depleted in the secondary for their game against No. 11 West Virginia.
Holmes started nine games for Oklahoma (11-2) this season and had been expected to move from his primary role at safety to fill in for starting cornerback Reggie Smith, who broke his toe in the Big 12 championship game.
Stoops said redshirt freshman Dominique Franks or sophomore Brian Jackson would likely start at the vacated cornerback position opposite Marcus Walker.
"We'll see how those guys work through the week. We have a lot of confidence in both of them," Stoops said. "We'll continue to play like we always have."
Senior Darien Williams is expected to start at safety in place of Holmes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


December 18, 2007
Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said Tuesday that he has yet to meet with wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor to discuss his future with the team.
Taylor, now in his third year as an assistant for the Volunteers, has interviewed for the offensive coordinator position at his alma mater, Baylor. He also could be a candidate to replace Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe, who was introduced as head coach at Duke on Saturday.
Tennessee receiver Austin Rogers said Monday that Taylor had told players he had been offered the job at Baylor on Sunday and planned to talk Monday night with Fulmer before reaching a decision, but Fulmer disputed that claim.
"I don't know where that came from," Fulmer said, adding that he planned to meet with Taylor at some point.
Fulmer said the uncertainty surrounding the coaching staff "is a distraction" for the Vols as they prepare to play Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1 in Tampa, Fla., but any potential staff changes might not be such a bad thing for the program.
********December 19, 2007
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -- Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy hired Tennessee receivers coach Trooper Taylor on Wednesday to be the Cowboys' co-offensive coordinator.

[bearmz]

TCU vs HSTN:

• Texas Bowl, Dec. 28, TCU (7-5) vs. Houston (8-4): TCU endured a disappointing midseason collapse. The Cougars want to show they can thrive in their hometown bowl without coach Art Briles, who left for Baylor.

Last Meeting.... Oct. 23, 2004; TCU 34, UH 27; Fort Worth,TX
Last Meeting in Houston.. Oct. 25, 2003; TCU 62, UH 55; Robertson Stadium, Houston, Texas
Despite losing the last seven in the series, the Cougars still own a 13-11 advantage in the head-to -head meetings. This is the first meeting at Reliant Stadium.

For third straight season and fourth in the last five, the University of Houston is bowl eligible

Welcome, Kevin Sumlin. Make yourself at home as the 11th head football coach in UH history. Sumlin has worked under Bob Stoops, R.C. Slocum, Dennis Erickson and Mike Price. He has spent the past five seasons at Oklahoma under Stoops, working up from special-teams coordinator/tight ends coach to co-offensive coordinator/receivers coach.
Sumlin, 43, will complete the season with OU, which plays West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2 before assuming the helm at UH, his first head-coaching job.
The UH players, who are preparing for their Dec. 28 appearance against TCU in the Texas Bowl, are relieved to have the search finally come to an end.

TCU (7-5) brings in one of the stingiest defenses in the nation. The Horned Frogs rank 16th in the nation in total defense, allowing 320 yards per game. With the exception the 56-7 loss to Tulsa on Nov. 10, the Cougars scored against their opponents almost at will this season, but TCU should present some challenges. The Cougars rack up 513 yards per game and they know they need to establish their offense.

Turnovers were the story during the Cougars' losses this season. Houston is ranked 106th out of 119 teams in turnovers. They gave the ball away 30 times in 12 games, and in the four losses, the Cougars turned the ball over 15 times.

Horned Frog quarterback Andy Dalton hasn't been too impressive on the season. Dalton has thrown 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions with a 58.9 completion percentage.
Running back Joseph Turner leads TCU in rushing with 587 yards and six touchdowns. Turner has an impressive 5.2 yards per carry, however his yards don't add too much to their offense.

The Cougars haven't won a bowl game since 1980, downgrading from the Southwest Conference to Conference USA in the process. Houston (8-4) has lost seven straight bowl games dating back to the early 1980s. History is surely not on Houston's side, but interim head coach Chris Thurmond said the Cougars are not focused on what is in the record books.
Briles, who doubled as the offensive coordinator, led the Cougars to four bowl games in his five seasons in Houston. Briles called every offensive play from the sidelines during his tenure, leaving one of the nation’s most potent offenses in limbo.
Houston secondary coach Chris Thurmond hasn't worked as a head coach since leaving Charles Page High School in Sand Springs, Okla., in 1982. A quarter-century later, Thurmond was named the Cougars' interim coach after Art Briles left for Baylor. Houston co-offensive coordinators Randy Clement and Philip Montgomery also resigned and left for Baylor, leaving the Cougars shorthanded as they prepare to play TCU in the Dec. 28 Texas Bowl. Thurmond elevated two graduate assistant coaches to replace them.

"We'll do the same things," Thurmond said. "This offense was fourth in the nation and we went up and down the field on a lot of teams. We do not anticipate making any changes."
One way Thurmond took control was by allowing live hitting during the Cougars first practice. This was quite a change of pace for Houston since Briles never allowed hitting during practice

Donnie Avery WR, offensive linemen Jeff Akeroyd and Dustin Dickinson, defensive lineman Phillip Hunt and safety Rocky Schwartz were named First-Team, All-Conference USA. Alridge was the lone member of the Second Team, while safety Kenneth Fontenette was an All-C-USA Third-Team pick. Defensive lineman Ell Ash rounded out the Cougar selections with a Fourth-Team selection

Houston -------TCU
36.3 Points Per Game 26.6
313 First Downs 269
2,879 Rushing Yards 2,029
239.9 Avg./Game 169.1
3,279 Passing Yards 2,632
399-268-15 A-C-I 413-238-11
273.2 Avg./Game 219.3
6,158 Total Yards 4,661
513.2 Avg./Game 388.4
33-15 Fumbles/Lost 29-16
30 Total Turnovers 27
95-807 Penalties-Yds. 75-668
46-39.0 Punts-Avg. 60-42.8
32:18 TOP-Game 30:22
87 of 182 3rd Down Conversions 77-196
29.9 Points Allowed Per Game 19.2
1,702 Rushing Yards Allowed 1,313
141.8 Avg./Game 109.4
2,686 Passing Yards Allowed 2,527
360-182-13 Att-Comp-Int 427-227-16
223.8 Avg./Game 210.6
4,388 Total Yards Allowed 3,840
365.7 Avg./Game 320.0
22 Turnovers Forced 21

UH Team Stats (Avg.).... NCAA......C-USA
Rushing Offense (239.92)............10th................ . 2nd
Passing Offense (273.25)............27th................ .. 5th
Passing Efficiency (147.74)..........15th................. 2nd
Total Offense (513.17)................4th............. .... 2nd
Scoring Offense (36.33)...............17th.............. .... 3rd
Rushing Defense (141.83).............51st............... ... 4th
Pass Efficiency Defense (131.72)....78th.................. 3rd
Total Defense (365.67).................49th........... ...... 2nd
Scoring Defense (29.92)...............82nd.............. .... 4th
Net Punting (31.4).......................113th...... .......... 11th
Punt Returns (9.1).......................57th........ .......... 6th
Kickoff Returns (21.33).................65th............ ...... 6th
Turnover Margin (-0.67)................101st.............. .... 9th
Passing Defense (223.83)............ 53rd.................2nd????

TCU
Category Average Rank / NatlRank
Sacks By 36 T-1st T-14th
Punt Returns (yards per attempt) 13.1 1st 18th
Pass Defense Efficiency (rating) 104.7 2nd 9th
Net Punting 37.9 2nd 13th
Opponent Third-Down Conversions 32.7% (65-of-199) 2nd 13th
Rushing Defense (yards per game) 109.4 2nd 18th
Rushing Offense (yards per game) 169.1 2nd 40th
First Downs 269 2nd N/A
Opponent First Downs 207 2nd N/A
Scoring Defense (points per game) 19.2 3rd 16th
Total Defense (yards per game) 320.0 3rd 16th
Sacks Against 21 3rd T-44th
Total Offense (yards per game) 388.4 3rd 64th
Scoring Offense (points per game) 26.6 3rd 66th
Pass Offense (yards per game) 219.3 4th 61st
Field-Goal Percentage 80.0% (20-of-25) T-4th N/A
Time of Possession 30:32 5th 46th
Kickoff Coverage 40.7 5th N/A
Pass Defense (yards per game) 210.6 6th 34th
Penalties (yards per game) 55.7 6th T-54th
Third-Down Conversions 39.3% (77-of-196) 6th 65th
Kickoff Returns (yards per attempt) 20.9 6th 76th
Pass Efficiency (rating) 116.2 7th 85th
Turnover Margin -0.50 T-7th T-92nd

4: Losses this season by the Cougars and all four are bowl teams in 2007.
(Oregon, East Carolina, Alabama and Tulsa.)
54: Fourth-quarter points allowed by the Cougars this season for an average of 4.5 points per game.. The touchdown by UTEP on Oct. 27 was the first TD put on the board in the 4th quarter against the UH defense since Tulane on Sept. 15. Houston has outscored the opposition 108-54 in the fourth quarter.
The TCU Frogs have allowed a first-quarter touchdown just seven times in their last 30 games. Allowed just 40 1st Q pts TY for a 3.3 avg. TCU has allowed 64 4th Q pts for a 5.3 avg.

69.8: Pass completion percentage of Case Keenum, who completed 164-of-235 passes en route to being named the
Conference USA Freshman of the Year.

147.70: Current passing efficiency rating of the UH quarterbacks, as Blake Joseph and Case Keenum who have completed 67.2 percent (264-390) for 3,248 yards and 22 touchdowns.
QUARTERBACK DUO IS QUITE EFFICIENT
Both Case Keenum and Blake Joseph have been quite efficient running the Cougar offense in 2007. Despite splitting duties with Joseph, Keenum is ranked 16th in the nation with his passing efficiency of 148.3. As for Joseph, his passing rating is 150.3, which would rank him 13th if he had the requisite number of passing attempts per game (he needs 15.0 but he is averaging 12.8). Keenum threw more interceptions than Joseph but played a little more down the stretch because of his ability to scramble and make good things happen.
DEFENDING THE PASS
 TCU, which has allowed just 12 touchdown passes, is second in the MWC and ninth
nationally in pass defense efficiency with a rating of 104.7.

Anthony Alridge remained the Cougars’ main man no matter who was at QB.
130.7: Average yards rushing per game by Anthony Alridge, who has 1,568 yards rushing on 244 carries entering the Texas Bowl game versus TCU. He is ranked seventh in the nation.

The Cougars have 25 scoring drives of two minutes or less this season, including 12 that occurred in less than a minute. The Cougars have 20 plays of 25 yards or more that have resulted in touchdowns this season, a number that ranks fourth in the nation behind Oklahoma (25), Nevada (22) and Arkansas (21).
TCU is tied for 15th nationally with seven scoring drives (four
touchdowns) in one minute or less.
The Frogs are in a deadlock for 20th in the country with 17
scoring drives (nine touchdowns) in two minutes or less.

Entering the Texas Bowl game versus TCU, Houston is fourth nationally with 499.5 yards per game, trailing just Texas Tech, Tulsa, Hawai’i, Missouri and Oregon.
In 2004, the Cougars played twice in Reliant Stadium, serving as the visitor in a 10-7 loss to Rice and then as the home team in a 38-13 loss to Miami (Fla.) in a nationally-televised
game on ESPN. Then in the 2005 season opener, the Cougars squared off against Oregon in Reliant Stadium, a game won 38-24 by the Ducks. That contest, too, was broadcast on ESPN.

Overall, Houston is 0-3 at Reliant Stadium.

Plethora Of Returnees
The Cougars returned 15 starters from last season’s Conference USA championship team.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Cougars return the dangerous trio of running back Anthony Alridge and wide receivers Donnie Avery and Jeron Harvey, as well as three
offensive linemen: Jeff Akeroyd, Michael Bloesch and Dustin Dickinson. Tight end Mark Hafner rounds out the offensive starters.
On defense, the Cougars have eight starters coming back, including 2004-05 starting strong safety Rocky Schwartz, who missed most of 2006 with a knee injury. Joining Schwartz in the secondary are Kenneth Fontenette and Ernest Miller, while linebackers Trent Allen, Cody Lubojasky and Brendan Pahulu also return in ’07. A pair of defensive linemen – Phillip Hunt and Cody Pree – completes the returning starter list.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The TCU football team will make its ninth bowl appearance in the last 10 seasons when it faces Houston in the 2007 Texas Bowl.
TCU defeated Iowa State, 27-24, in the 2005 Houston Bowl at Reliant Stadium.
Five of TCU’s nine bowl victories have come since head coach Gary Patterson came to TCU in 1998 as defensive coordinator.
The Frogs are 5-3 in bowls with Patterson on staff and 3-3 with him as head coach.
The Frogs had a school-record 782 yards in a 62-55 victory at Houston in 2003.
The Frogs set the following TCU bowl record last season: • Most Points Scored (37)

FROGS PROMINENT ON 2007 ALL-MWC TEAMS
 TCU had 11 players on the 2007 All-Mountain West Conference
football team.
 Defensive end Chase Ortiz and return specialist Brian Bonner
were first-team selections, while center Blake Schlueter, linebacker
Jason Phillips and safeties Stephen Hodge and David
Roach were named to the second team.
 Honorable-mention picks were linebacker Robert Henson,
placekicker Chris Manfredini, offensive tackle Marshall
Newhouse, cornerback Rafael Priest and punter Derek Wash.
SENIORS MAKE THEIR MARK 9-2 overall record in games against teams from leagues with automatic BCS bids

DALTON RECORD WATCH
 Quarterback Andy Dalton, who already holds TCU’s freshman passing mark with 2,210 yards, is closing in on several other standards in the Frogs’ record book.
Quarterback Andy Dalton led TCU in rushing in two of the last three games after running for just 22 yards on the season through the opening nine contests.

SIGNAL CALLER DEPTH
 Coming off-the-bench, Marcus Jackson has led touchdown
drives in three of the last four games.
 Jackson has completed 15-of-21 (71.4 percent) pass attempts
for 130 yards in the last three contests.

 TCU is 7-0 when rushing for at least 142 yards this season.
 The Frogs are 5-1 when passing for 205 yards or less. TCU is 2-4 when throwing for
more than 205 yards.
 The Frogs are 5-0 when rushing for more yards than passing. TCU is 2-5 when it
throws for more yards.
 TCU had 512 yards of offense at Stanford before losing 18 yards running out the clock.
 The Frogs average nearly the same number of rushing yards (219.9) and passing yards (211.6) in their seven wins. TCU is 5-0 when Joseph Turner rushes for at least 56 yards.

THE TWO-HEADED MONSTER
 Joseph Turner and Aaron Brown, TCU’s top-two ground gainers, have run for a combined 1,077 yards on a 4.9 per carry average. They represent 53.1 percent of TCU’s season rushing total. The remainder of the Frogs have totaled 952 yards with a 3.0 per carry mark.
 Turner (587 yards) and Brown (490 yards) have both missed significant playing time due to injury this season.
 2007 Preseason Mountain West Conference Offensive Player
of the Year Aaron Brown saw his injury-plagued season come
to an end against UNLV. Prior to his latest injury, Brown had
already missed two games and played sparingly in several
others.
Despite seeing limited action, Brown places second on the
Frogs in rushing (490 yards, 4.6 per carry) while placing in a
tie for third in receptions (24). He led TCU in receiving in four games.

STINGY D
 TCU has allowed 12 or fewer points in five of its seven wins.
 The Frogs are surrendering just 290.2 yards per game over
the last five contests.
 TCU is 42-5 under head coach Gary Patterson when holding
its opponent under 100 yards rushing.
 During his 86-game tenure as head coach, Patterson has
seen just 17 100-yard rushing games by opposing players.
 Nearly half (71) of Air Force’s 146 rushing yards came on one
carry. The other 41 attempts gained 75 yards (1.8 per rush).
 Only 11 of TCU’s last 28 foes surpassed 86 yards rushing. During that span, TCU has surrendered 79.0 yards per game.
 The Frogs are tied for the Mountain West Conference lead and 14th nationally with 36 sacks.
 TCU has 35 sacks in its last 10 games. The Frogs had just one sack in their opening two contests.
 TCU is 19-1 in its last 20 games when allowing less than 333 yards of offense.
 TCU is one of four teams (Boise State, LSU, Penn State) in the nation to record two shutouts this season.
 In its last 20 games, TCU has allowed only 21 touchdowns on the opponent’s 54 trips (38.9 percent) to the red zone. Six failed possessions came from Frog interceptions.
 TCU’s MWC-leading 16 interceptions are by 10 different players.
 TCU is 20-11 (.645) in road and neutral-site games since 2003, placing 12th nationally.
 The Frogs have allowed only 14 first-half touchdowns through 12 games this season.
 TCU has surrendered just 19 touchdowns in the opening three quarters.
 In the first half of its last 20 contests, TCU has outscored its opponents 382-126 (an
average margin of 19-6). TCU’s advantage is 190-113 in 2007. That includes a 150-55
difference in the second quarter.
TCU--------OPPS
RED-ZONE SCORES............... 44-57 77% --27-36 75%
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS.......28-57 49% --16-36 44%
SACKS BY-YARDS................ 36-267------21-168

HU………………OPPS
RED-ZONE SCORES................. 45-58 78%… 33-38 87%
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS..........35-58 60%…. 29-38 76%
SACKS BY-YARDS....................23-150.…….. 29-189

TCU's offense also improved in the final month of the season. The Horned Frogs averaged 32.6 points while going 4-2 after scoring 20.5 per contest during their 3-3 start.
Dalton, though, has failed to throw a TD in his last two games. That proved not to be a problem as the Horned Frogs rushed for 627 yards in their last two contests - including a season-high 376 in a 45-33 win over San Diego State.

The Frogs’ slow start could partially be blamed on the absence of defensive end Tommy Blake, who left the team for an extended period for stress-related reasons.
Blake came back to anchor the defensive line as the Frogs won three of their final four games and clinched a bowl berth. Blake recorded a quarterback sack in each of the final three contests, a sign that he’s finally on his game. Fellow defensive end Chase Ortiz recorded eight sacks on the season and can’t be keyed on when Blake mans the other end of the line.

[bearmz]

By BETH RUCKER, Associated Press Writer
December 21, 2007

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee coaches are concerned about the academic eligibility of a few players for the Outback Bowl, including two starters on defense.

A university official said linebacker Rico McCoy and defensive tackle Demonte Bolden are among those who could be ruled out for the game after the school releases fall semester grades Friday afternoon.
The person did not want to be identified because the academic report had not been released.
Coach Phillip Fulmer said Thursday during practice that he was concerned about the eligibility of "three or four guys, and maybe a couple more than that."
McCoy, a sophomore, has started all 13 games this season and is second on the team with 106 tackles.
Bolden started each of the 12 games he played in this season, but was suspended against Louisiana-Lafayette for an unspecified violation of team rules.
No. 16 Tennessee (9-4) faces No. 18 Wisconsin (9-3) on Jan. 1 in Tampa, Fla.
******December 21, 2007
The Vols' leading receiver, Lucas Taylor, is ineligible to play against Wisconsin on Jan. 1 as well as reserve receiver Kenny O'Neal, reserve defensive back Ricardo Kemp and freshman linebacker Chris Donald. ESPN.com reported on Thursday that defensive starters Demonte Bolden and Rico McCoy failed to meet the necessary academic requirements to play in the Outback Bowl, too.
Taylor caught 73 passes for 1,000 yards and five touchdowns this season and was quarterback Erik Ainge's favorite target. Kemp was a regular in the Vols' "Mustang" package at cornerback when they went to six defensive backs.
McCoy, a sophomore, has also started each game this season and is second on the team with 106 tackles. Bolden, a junior, started all 12 of the games he played, but was suspended against Louisiana-Lafayette for an unspecified violation of team rules.*****
Kemp has played in every game this season and has two sacks. O'Neal caught two passes for a total of 59 yards this season.

[bearmz]

December 20, 2007
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- Rich Rodriguez fired Michigan's assistant coaches Thursday, his second day as an employee of the school.
"I can understand that he wants to bring in the people that have been with him for years," defensive coordinator Ron English told The Associated Press after having dinner with the coaching staff. "But when you lose your job, it's hard."
English was fired along with Mike DeBord, offensive coordinator; Fred Jackson, wide receivers and associate head coach; Erik Campbell, wide receivers and assistant head coach; Vance Bedford, defensive backs; Scot Loeffler, quarterbacks; Andy Moeller, offensive line; Steve Stripling, defensive line; and Steve Szabo, linebackers.
While helping Michigan prepare to play the Gators, the assistant coaches are free to pursue other jobs.

"Rodriguez could come in and kind of be a distraction for us and want to talk about what he wants to do and talk about next year, but he really hasn't," cornerback Morgan Trent said. "He understands we're trying to win a game here."

I'm just wondering how his attendance at practices and firing of coaches are affecting the players. Looks as though players may be looking over their shoulders. With a new offensive philosophy coming in, who's really safe? Doesn't feel good

******December 21, 2007
Fred Jackson was brought back as Michigan's running backs coach on Friday, a day after new coach Rich Rodriguez fired all the assistants on Lloyd Carr's staff.
Some of Rodriguez's coaches from West Virginia are expected to join him in Ann Arbor. He introduced offensive coordinator Calvin Magee and secondary coach and recruiting coordinator Tony Gibson at his Michigan news conference on Monday.

[bearmz]

December 21, 2007, 1:37 PM ET
EUGENE, Ore. -- Oregon Ducks coach Mike Bellotti has discussed UCLA's open head coaching position with Bruins officials, a university spokesman said.
"He's acknowledging that they have spoken with him," assistant athletic director for media services Dave Williford told the Eugene Register-Guard on Thursday night.
Southern California newspapers first reported on their Web sites that UCLA administrators had met with Bellotti. The Los Angeles Daily News said Bellotti had been contacted by the Bruins earlier in their search but had balked.
*****December 21, 2007
Oregon football coach Mike Bellotti, approached by UCLA in its search for a head coach, said Friday he's staying put.

[The Seer]

I'm just wondering how his attendance at practices and firing of coaches are affecting the players. Looks as though players may be looking over their shoulders. With a new offensive philosophy coming in, who's really safe? Doesn't feel good

I think this game could get real ugly.

[bearmz]

Mary vs OreSt:

Given the choice of someplace blue, a state they knew and someplace new, the Terrapins overwhelmingly decided upon a trip to San Francisco to play Oregon State in the Emerald Bowl on Dec. 28
This will be the first meeting between Maryland and Oregon State. The Terrapins haven't faced a Pac-10 team since a 21-20 loss to Washington in the 1982 Aloha Bowl
The big question for Maryland is: Will Terrapins fans want to make a trip across the country between Christmas and New Year's?

December 20, 2007
Injuries have punctured deep holes in his roster, most notably along the offensive line. But news that the Terrapins were chosen to play in the Emerald Bowl also brought renewed hope that the unit will be intact for the Dec. 28 game against Oregon State.
Whether the line can send out all of its starters from the opener depends on Jaimie Thomas, the 339-pound junior left guard who fractured his right fibula and suffered ligament damage in his ankle against Virginia two months ago. Thomas made a nice bookend opposite senior right guard Andrew Crummey, a third-team All-American who fractured his left fibula two weeks earlier.
Crummey returned for the final regular-season game against North Carolina State, though he lasted only one half. The senior guard has been selected to the Associated Press All-America team as a third-team selection.

"I feel pretty good," said Thomas, who has a metal plate and six screws in his leg. "Most of the soreness is out. It's coming along day-by-day. Right now, it's too soon to know. As the week goes on and early into next week, we'll know for sure."The Terps should know by Friday whether left guard Jaimie Thomas will be healthy enough to play. He’s still recovering from a fractured right fibula and is a “long shot,” according to coach Ralph Friedgen.

Left tackle Scott Burley, a junior from Woodlawn, is hobbled by foot and ankle injuries but continues to start. When the pain becomes too restricting, freshman backup Bruce Campbell replaces him until he, too, is forced to the sideline because of an ankle injury.
Crummey's still not full speed, but he's better than what he was against N.C. State, and Scott's doing better right now. I think Campbell's better. We're not at full speed yet, but we're a lot better than we were."
Junior Jack Griffin and sophomore Phil Costa have been invaluable as emergency starters at guard, and their contributions might be critical against an Oregon State defense that ranks second in the nation against the run. Everyone will be needed, healthy or otherwise.
"Before the season, a lot of questions were asked about the depth of the offensive line," said Crummey, who joins junior center Edwin Williams and junior right tackle Dane Randolph on the starting unit. "We had a good offensive line, but we had no backups. One thing I always said is we had a good first seven. We had seven guys who could play well. And that was tested."
Cornerback Nolan Carroll pulled his hamstring, making him questionable for the game. And Friedgen doesn’t know if freshman receiver Laquan Williams will play because of a knee injury. Williams can run straight ahead but is having trouble making cuts.
In all, 16 members of the two-deep have missed at least one game this season due to injury. The Beavers enter the game with starters, as listed for the season opener, missing a combined total of 24 games.

Four Terps earned All-ACC honors from the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA) and the Associated Press. On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Erin Henderson and tackle Dre Moore were first-team selections.
On offense, guard Andrew Crummey was a second-team choice for the second-straight year, while senior running back Keon Lattimore drew an honorable mention nod.
Three Maryland freshmen were selected to the 2007 Sporting News Freshman All-ACC Football Team. Wide receiver LaQuan Williams, linebacker Adrian Moten and punter Travis Baltz

Maryland was one of only four teams to defeat two top-10 opponents this season.
The Terps upset then-No. 10 Rutgers 34-24 on Sept. 29 and then-No. 8 Boston College 42-35 on Nov. 10 to join No. 2 LSU, No. 13 Illinois and Kentucky as the only teams to accomplish the feat.
Terps will likely rely heavily on their running game. Maryland is one of only four teams in the country with two running backs to each compile at least 750 rushing yards this season. Keon Lattimore totaled 789 with 13 touchdowns and Lance Ball had 763 with 12 TDs to help the Terps rank third in the ACC with 147.3 rushing yards per game. The Terps are one of only two teams in the nation to have two players with 12 or more rushing touchdowns, and one of only five to have two players with more than 10.
Lattimore and Ball, however, will be facing one of the nation's toughest run defenses. The Beavers allow 74.9 rushing yards per game to rank second in the Football Bowl Subdivision. They give up only 313.0 total yards per game, 12th-fewest in the FBS.

The Terps blew leads against Wake Forest and Virginia, and Friedgen believes they should have beaten North Carolina and Florida State. The Terps lost those four games by 19 points combined.
"We win those games and who knows where we are," Friedgen said. "We're 10-2, and I said there's a 10-2 team playing for the national championship. And we had the 11th-toughest schedule in the country. {(According to the NCAA, the Terps’ 2007 schedule is tied for 27th-most difficult in the nation, based on records of their opposition (65-51/.560. In 2007, the Terps again faced eight teams that were selected to bowl games (West Virginia, Wake Forest, Rutgers,
Georgia Tech, Virginia, Clemson, Boston College, Florida State)}. We're not that far away, but we gotta win those games, and we gotta be able to finish."
Oregon State’s schedule heading into the Emerald Bowl ranks as the 21st most difficult in the nation based on the combined records of its opponents -- 59-21

Friedgen compared the Beavers to a previous Terp foe. "They are a lot like Wake Forest," Friedgen said. "Run a lot of misdirection plays, a lot of flanker sweeps. They do a good job with the counter game. They got a real good dimension of running the football."
Stopping Wake Forest wasn't much of a problem for the Terps for three quarters, but the team melted down in the fourth for its most heartbreaking loss of the season. We'll see if the Terps react the same way in the bowl game as they did in September against the Demon Deacons.

Oregon State's run defense is second best in the nation, as the Beavers allow just 75 yards per game from opposing rushers.
The number one run defense in America? Boston College, whom the Terps ran on for 135 yards, as part of the Terps' best offensive performance of the season.
Friedgen is aware of how stout the Beavers front seven is, so expect a whole lot of passing plays. After all, the Terps were most successful this season when they opened things up through the air. {WR Danny Oquendo injured a knee in
practice prior to the BC game (Nov. 10) and was lost for the season. Fellow wideout LaQuan Williams hurt his knee and missed the final two regular-season games.} The Beavers have two players who rank in the top-10 in the Pac-10 Conference for quarterback sacks -- defensive ends
Victor Butler (3rd/9.5) and Slade Norris (6th/9.0). Butler is second in the Pac-10 for accumulated yardage lost with 96 -- tied for fourth nationally. Maryland has allowed 3.2 sacks per game, 107th in the nation (119 teams).

The Terps offense, which was decimated by injuries in the regular season (only three players started all 12 games), came together over the last month of the year, averaging 424.3 yards during the final three games, including a season high 472 in the upset of No. 8 Boston College (Nov. 10). The Terps surrendered an average of 69.7 rushing yards over the last three games.

Maryland is one of just four teams in the nation to have two running backs with at least 750 rushing yards. Keon Lattimore has a team-high 789, while Lance Ball has 763. Oklahoma (DeMarco Murray, 764; Allen Patrick, 927), Michigan State (Javon Ringer, 1,346; Jehuu Caulcrick, 813) and Arkansas (Darren McFadden, 1,725; Felix Jones, 1,117) join the Terps on that list.

Friedgen’s three bowl wins are the most of any Maryland coach. He is 3-1 in bowl games. Maryland has out-scored its last three bowl opponents 95-17.
2001 – Orange Bowl (Florida 56, Maryland 23)
2002 – Peach Bowl (Maryland 31, Tennessee 3)
2003 – Gator Bowl (Maryland 41, West Virginia 7)
2006 – Champs Sports Bowl (Maryland 24, Purdue 7)

Md…………………..OPPS
RED-ZONE SCORES............... 44-49 90% ..32-36 89%
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS.......31-49 63% ..21-36 58%
SACKS BY-YARDS................ 23-164.…………. 38-269
OSU…………………OPPS
SACKS BY-YARDS................ 42-348.………. 31-212
RED-ZONE SCORES............... 42-53 79%.. 25-32 78%
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS........30-53 57%…. 16-32 50%

-------------------------------------------------------
December 12, 2007
The Oregonian’s Paul Buker was kind enough to answer questions regarding the Beavers.
Were the Beavers bitter at the apparent bowl snub?
The Beavers were not bitter. They thought it kind of stunk that an Oregon team that lost three straight to finish the season was REWARDED, while a team that won 6 of its last 7 was DROPPED in the bowl pairings. But it is more of a reflection on the Pac-10's lousy bowl arrangements. ... the comment I heard the most was ‘thank God we're not going back to El Paso.’ The people were friendly, but it was BORING
How has quarterback Sean Canfield looked in his first season as a starter, and will he be ready to go in the Emerald Bowl?
Canfield has his ups and downs and at one point was leading FBS schools in INTs. He dinged his shoulder Nov. 3 in the 24-3 loss at USC and hasn't played since. Moevao, the backup, doesn't have the classic look of a Div. I quarterback (he looks more like an inside linebacker at 5-11, 225) but he's 3-0 as a starter since Canfield went down. Riley said Monday that Moevao will start the Emerald Bowl, even if Canfield (who returns to practice this week for the first time since the injury) is ready.
Running back Yvenson Bernard seems to have gone from unknown to underrated to forgotten in the span of four years – at least from a national perspective. How has he done this year? Is he still being overlooked?( ranks third in the Pac-10 with 103.7 rushing yards per game, missed two games)
Maybe I'm biased, but I think Bernard is very, very good, and will make somebody's NFL team next season even if his speed is suspect. He runs, he catches, he is a terrific pass-blocker. ... but he's been banged up for much of the season, and missed the Civil War game with a knee injury. He had the knee scoped the Tuesday before the Oregon game and hasn't practiced since. He was still walking with a limp on Monday and Tuesday. He promises he will be ready on the 28th, but who knows? ... the shocker came when back-up tailback Matt Sieverson, a former walk-on, had 142 yards rushing vs. the Ducks. .. .but Bernard is a HUGE part of the OSU offense. He had 237 carries, 1,037 yards and 12 rushing TDs this season. ... should have been first-team all Pac-10, but the coaches voted in Cal's Justin Forsett instead.
How about the OSU defense? What are their strengths, weaknesses?
I think coach Friedgen and his staff would agree on this. The OSU defense is very good. A nine or 10-man rotation up front, good speed on the edges, good athletes in the secondary, a vicious hitter in safety Al Afalava.
The media that cover the Pac-10 seem to agree that OSU is just below USC in terms of overall defense, and better than the Trojans at some positions. The overriding attribute of this group is speed.
I think Maryland fans will be very impressed with OLB Derrick Doggett, who might be the best pure athlete on the team. Doggett is one of the fastest OLBs in the country. He is projected to be a safety in the NFL
Any prediction for the game?
From this viewpoint, we keep saying that the Pac-10's No. 3 shouldn't lose to the ACC's No. 5 or No. 6. This is an interesting game, simply because an Oregon State and a Maryland would normally never get within 2,000 miles of each other.
I think OSU wins this game 30-21 if Yvenson Bernard plays. If the Beavers are without their starting tailback, I think it gets a lot closer.

Opening Pac-10 play with losses to then-unranked Arizona State and UCLA teams seemed to put Oregon State's hopes of a bowl bid in serious jeopardy, especially with road games against California, Southern California and archrival Oregon remaining.
The Beavers (8-4), however, won two of three games against those ranked foes, beating then-No. 2 California 31-28 on Oct. 13 before defeating then-No. 18 Oregon 38-31 in overtime on Dec. 1 to close the regular season with their sixth win in seven games.
Their lone loss in that stretch was a 24-3 defeat at then-No. 13 USC.
Riley's team is in a familiar position after making a similar comeback last season en route to the Sun Bowl. The Beavers were 2-3 after losing their first two conference games, but won seven of their last eight.
Oregon State then beat Missouri 39-38 to improve to 3-0 in bowl games under Riley.
Like Oregon State, Maryland (6-6) has won its last three bowl games. The Terrapins' postseason success, however, has been more pronounced. They've outscored opponents by a 95-17 margin during the win streak, which includes a 24-7 victory over Purdue in the Champs Sports Bowl last Dec. 29.

The Beavers have outscored their opponents 127-16 in the first quarter of games this season. Extending back to the team’s last 21 games, the Beavers have outscored their opponents 207-40 in the opening quarter. No team in the Football Bowl Subdivision has allowed fewer first quarter points. Maryland has been quick out of the gate most of the season, outscoring its opponents 80-40 in the opening quarter.

Headed into the Emerald Bowl, third-year offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh called this the most difficult season he has faced in his 21 years of coaching. Preseason publications listed the line as one of the best in the nation. Four of the five projected starters were veterans, guards Roy Schuening and Jeremy Perry have good chances at the NFL, and senior center Kyle DeVan is a third-year starter.
All had been going well until starting left tackle Tavita Thompson was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for an undisclosed reason after the seventh game. Redshirt freshman Ryan Pohl tried to fill in, but that lasted two games. He did fine against Stanford, but Southern California was difficult. When Perry returned for the Nov. 10 Washington game, Speer moved over to Schuening’s right guard spot and Schuening moved to right tackle, pushing Andy Levitre to left tackle for Pohl. Once the quarterbacks and receivers developed a rapport, holes for the running backs opened wide. Yvenson Bernard ran for more than 1,000 yards for a third straight year, and backups Matt Sieverson and Clinton Polk were able to move the ball when Bernard was out for more than two games with injuries. The line still looks drastically different from what was planned, but it hasn’t showed in the team’s three-game win streak.
Roy Schuening is one of the top-rated guards for the next NFL draft. Schuening, a 2007 Pac-10 First Team selection, was also honored last week by Pro Football Weekly as a first team All-America. He has already earned more postseason honors than any Beaver offensive lineman has in four decades.

THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 10-DECEMBER 16
Riley’s going to start quarterback Lyle Moevao (Was originially recruited out of high school as a defensive end/linebacker) instead of Sean Canfield, who is expected back to practice this week for the first time since injuring his throwing shoulder at Southern California on Nov. 3.
Moevao is on a three-game winning streak as a starter with victories against Washington, Washington State and Oregon.
He has been efficient by completing 45 of 87 for 556 yards and two touchdown passes, but most significantly he has gained the trust of the team.

Starting senior tailback Yvenson Bernard is still recovering from minor knee surgery on Nov. 14. He won’t practice this week, but is expected to return full speed next week.
“We anticipate him having a good week of working out and practicing full speed next week,” Riley said.

Oregon State has sold approximately 7,300 tickets for the Emerald Bowl. It’s going to be the best fan showing since the 2001 Fiesta Bowl.
RB Yvenson Bernard (knee) returned to practice for the Oregon State football team Tuesday, and QB Sean Canfield (shoulder) looked good for the second practice since his return. Bernard worked in lightly and reported no pain, while Canfield was winging the ball deep and accurately.
CB Gerard Lawson (back) remains on the sidelines after a week. He worked on his agility with WR Sammie Stroughter on the side.

December 20, 2007
Coach Riley said TB Yvenson Bernard is looking good after returning to practice (right knee scope, hasn't played since Wazzu). "He appears to be very quick and running very well but I don't think he's back yet,'' said Riley, who will run the vets through two more workouts before the team disembarks for S.F. and the Dec. 28 Emerald Bowl. ... Riley thinks 'Ev' will be ready by next week. He said the last two practices, he's been able to make his usual cuts without thinking about his right knee shattering like a Ming vase. "No problems,'' he said
O-line coach Mike Cavanaugh said LG Jeremy Perry's knee is acting up now and then, so he can't say with certainty that Perry will start vs. the Terps. ... if Perry can't go, the Beavers will pull off another O-line shuffle.

OSU has won three consecutive bowl games, the longest active streak in the Pac-10 Conference. Beaver head coach Mike Riley has never lost a bowl game that he has been involved in (6-0). Riley’s offenses have generated an average 42.7 points and 441 yards per game in the six bowls.
Oregon State and Maryland both posted victories over Associated Press top 25 teams during the course of the season. The Beavers had victories over then No. 2 California and then No. 18 Oregon -- both on the road.

ALL-PAC-10: Offensive lineman Roy Schuening and defensive tackle Dorian Smith
earned first team All-Pac-10 honors, as selected by the conference coaches. Second
team honors were landed by RB Yvenson Bernard, OL Andy Levitre, DE Jeff Van Orsow,
LB Joey LaRocque, LB Alan Darlin, LB Derrick Doggett, CB Brandon Hughes
and PK Alexis Serna. Honorable Mention accolades were earned by C Kyle DeVan, DT,
Curtis Coker, S Al Afalava, S Daniel Drayton, KR Gerard Lawson and DT Gerard
Lee.

The Beavers are first in the Pac-10 and second in the nation (Troy is first) on third down defense allowin 28.3 (54-191) percent. The Beaver offense has improved on converting third downs of late at 43.2 (16-37) over the last two games -- 35 percent for the season (68-192).

Heading into its Oct. 6 game vs. Arizona, OSU had committed the most turnovers in the nation with 21 and was a negative-10 for turnover margin -- 116th in the nation (119 teams overall). Since then the Beavers are plus-14 (7 games), are tied for seventh in the nation and first in the Pac-10 for forced turnovers with 32.

Oregon State’s depth chart on defense might be among the deepest in the nation. The Beavers routinely play 10 defensive linemen, eight linebackers and nine defensive backs. That depth has resulted in 18 players recording tackles-for-loss and 12 individuals with sacks.

Maryland Category Oregon State
147.3 Rushing Offense 166.6
203.2 Passing Offense 204.1
350.6 Total Offense 370.7
24.9 Scoring Offense 28.4
136.7 Rushing Defense 74.9
219.2 Passing Defense 238.1
355.9 Total Defense 313.0
21.6 Scoring Defense 23.3
74-180 (41%) Third Down Conv. 68-192 (35%)
6-14 (43%) Fourth Down Conv. 9-14 (64%)
23-164 Sacks By-Yards 42-348
38-269 Sacks Allowed 31-212
66-532 Penalties-Yards 79-702
14-6 Fumbles-Lost 21-11
31:31 Avg. Time of Poss. 32:16

[ritehook]

Terrific job, Bear, in gathering this mountain of information all in one place. You're an asset to the board.

A virtual encyclopedia of getting the lowdown on the bowl games. I don't read on all of them, just the ones I'm betting or thinking of betting, but if anyone bets without checking out this thread they may find a few less dollars in their pockets come Jan 8.

[bearmz]

hook,
Appreciate the comments. That was the whole idea behind this thread. I'm not trying to sway anyone which way to play, but to hopefully hit on some facts/info that can help. I have the time right now to do the spanning of the globe and realize we all don't.
Others here post the same updates, but since I might hit on something else, I also include it here. Kind of a one stop shop. I also hope this might bring up a point that may send someone digging even deeper. I don't have it all here, but I'm sure as hell trying to get all I can and save others time.
College FB makes the blood boil, so I'm lovin it.

[bearmz]

I think this game could get real ugly.

Yeah, I'm starting to get a bad gut feeling about Mich...and that's no small feeling. Just as at GT where the WR's are worried about next year under new HC Johnson's offense.
I'd hate to be Mallet at Mich right now. No way he fits Rod's scheme and all the rumors have the WV high recruit QB following him to Mich.
Players brought in by a HC who leaves and is replaced by a totally different scheming HC should be allowed to transfer w/out a year's benching. I'm pretty sure Rod never recruited Mallet.
GL on your plays.