December 22, 2010
We finally got a good game last night between Louisville and Southern Miss. I missed the score prediction by a touchdown, but I got the margin of victory right at least to go 4-0 in bowl picks. Lookin to go 5-0 tonight with a nice matchup of Boise State and Utah in Las Vegas. And as many of you know, I've been on the Boise Bus all year.
Maaco Bowl Las Vegas: Boise State (11-1) vs. Utah (10-2), 8:00pm on ESPN
We’ve got two teams with a combined 21-3 record playing in a bowl game before Christmas? Amazing.
Most of you probably know that I’ve been on the Boise Bus all year, and like I’ve said just because the Bus broke down doesn’t mean I got off. I’m still sitting in my same seat.
Boise State over Utah in this game is my number one lock. No disrespect to Utah but the Utes never should have been ranked in the top five at any point this season. At the time, TCU got a lot of credit for beating a top five team in Utah but the weeks that followed proved Utah isn’t who everyone thought they were. I didn’t think there were high hopes at all for this Utah team and I refused to rank them very high. Now they’re going against a Boise State that’s trying to make a statement.
A lot of people believe Boise won’t be motivated for this game. They were one win away from the Rose Bowl and instead find themselves with one loss and playing in a pre-Christmas bowl. That’s a huge, huge downgrade. Those people don’t think Boise will show up with very much enthusiasm in this game.
To me, if Boise doesn’t come out and blow the doors of Utah, I don’t know what to expect then.
Utah is without sophomore quarterback Jordan Wynn, but Terrence Cain is 9-1 as the starter and provides that extra dimension to the offense.
Offensively, Utah’s got weapons with Cain, Matt Asiata and Eddie Wide running the ball, and playmakers on the edges with DeVonte Christopher and Jereme Brooks, not to mention do-it-all Shaky Smithson. When Boise State lost to Nevada, Nevada’s effective running in the second half opened up the passing game, mostly to Rishard Mathews. Utah has two quality receivers.
Boise State’s offense is like clockwork. And great teams find a way to win. They did it against Virginia Tech, they did it against TCU last year and they did against Nevada—until Brotzman blew it.
Kellen Moore, just a junior, is on pace to shatter Colt McCoy’s NCAA all-time wins mark and is the most accurate quarterback in the nation and has one of the best receiving duos of Austin Pettis and Titus Young. And I love Boise’s defense. I’m all about secondary play and Jeron Johnson is one of the best safeties in the country and Brandyn Thompson is one of the best corners.
This is the game that I have most looked forward to and it might end up being a non-competitive game. I don’t believe Utah’s going to throw the towel in right away, especially with all the talk leading up to this game hyping Boise. Utah has huge upset on its mind. But I don’t believe Chris Petersen will allow his team to come into this game and not be motivated to play and impress the nation. Wouldn’t you rather play Utah in Las Vegas than Boston College in the Hunger Bowl? Honestly, beating Boston College would have proven nothing. By blowing the doors off Utah, Boise can make their statement that they’re still a top-five team, still better than TCU.
No matter what the score is, Boise State is one of the most fun teams to play. I’ve watched them in nine games this year and only two of them were close. They’re just that fun to watch and this Boise State team is a once-in-a-while type team. They won’t be this good again for another three or four years.
I'm interested to see how Utah comes out. Is Utah going to treat Boise State like Alabama? If they do, they could win. Will they treat Boise like TCU? Then there's no chance. And all of America would rather watch Boise State-Alabama instead of this, but the system doesn't work that way.
Boise's going to stop the Utah run, force turnovers and have big plays on offense. I like Boise, big.
Prediction: Boise State 41, Utah 10
Recapping last night.
Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl, Dec. 21
Prediction: Louisville 24, Southern Miss 21
Louisville QB Justin Burke’s first throw should have been intercepted—it wasn’t. Yet, Southern Miss came out the more energized team but turnovers killed momentum. A 21-21 game at halftime stayed that way through the third quarter before both teams scored touchdowns in the first twenty seconds of the fourth quarter. Southern Miss did a great job of defending the run in the first half, but Louisville gained a lot of yards through the “Wildcard” formation with Bilal Powell and were able to ice the game. This was one of the more evenly matched games and it didn’t disappoint. Louisville CB Johnny Patrick is my MVP and had a crucial blocked field goal while Jeremy Wright’s 95 yard kickoff return turned all the momentum Louisville’s way. Those were the two most exciting plays of the night, both favoring Lousiville.
Result: Louisville 31, Southern Miss 28
My MVP: Johnny Patrick, CB, Louisville
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