Wednesday
Las Vegas Bowl
8:00 PM ET ESPN: #19 Utah 10-2 vs. #10 Boise State 11-1 (-17) - This isn't the BCS Bowl game that Boise State had hoped for, but seeing as how they lost to Nevada on back-to-back missed field goals, it'll have to do. The Broncos defense gets a bit of a break as they won't be facing Utah QB Jordan Wynn, who is out with a right arm injury. Starting in his place will be Terrance Cain, a senior with a 70.8|PERCENT| completion rate and 6/2 TD/INT ratio this season. He also presents a different set of problems as he's more mobile than Wynn. The Boise State pass defense has been fantastic this season, so the Utes will have to establish the run with senior RBs Eddie Wide & Matt Asiata so as to not put too much pressure on Cain. Offensively, the Broncos will be led by their Heisman Trophy nominee, QB Kellen Moore. Moore ranks 2nd in YPA (10.2), 3rd in completion percentage (71.0|PERCENT|), and 4th in TD passes this season (33). Together with RBs Doug Martin & Jeremy Avery and WRs Titus Young & Austin Pettis, they form one of the best offenses in the nation. Utah's best plan to stop them will most likely be to drop everyone into coverage and bait Boise State into running towards their 8th ranked run defense. Utah coach, Kyle Whittingham is 5-0 in bowl games and is a master of getting his teams ready to play in these situations (double digit wins in three bowls games as underdogs), thus I expect this game to be closer than the line suggests.
Utes Offense: 404.8 ypg (41st), 6.3 yards/play (21st), & 44.4|PERCENT| 3rd Down (34th)
Pass: 248.0 ypg (37th), 8.0 ypa (26th), 63.6|PERCENT| comp. (29th), 24 TDs, & 12 INTs
Run: 156.8 ypg (41st), 4.71 yards/carry (32nd), & 27 TDs
Broncos Defense: 259.3 ypg (4th), 4.0 yards/play (1st), & 29.8|PERCENT| 3rd Down (4th)
Pass: 155.8 ypg (3rd), 5.4 ypa (2nd), 51.9|PERCENT| comp. (6th), 8 TDs, & 14 INTs
Run: 103.5 ypg (6th), 2.88 yards/carry (4th), & 12 INTs
Broncos Offense: 519.5 ypg (4th), 7.5 yards/play (2nd), & 49.6|PERCENT| 3rd Down (11th)
Pass: 319.4 ypg (6th), 10.0 ypa (2nd), 70.3|PERCENT| comp. (2nd), 36 TDs, & 5 INTs
Run: 200.1 ypg (24th), 5.36 yards/carry (13th), & 33 TDs
Utes Defense: 319.7 ypg (20th), 5.1 yards/play (36th), & 35.4|PERCENT| 3rd Down (23rd)
Pass: 215.5 ypg (59th), 7.6 ypa (88th), 60.0|PERCENT| comp. (71st), 18 TDs, & 11 INTs
Run: 104.2 ypg (8th), 3.01 yards/carry (5th), & 8 TDs
Friday
Hawaii Bowl
8:00 PM ET ESPN: #24 Hawaii 10-3 (-10.5) vs. Tulsa 9-3 - When you talk about high scoring offenses, you talk about Hawaii and Tulsa. Vegas has this game as the second highest over/under total of the bowl season at 73 points (the National Championship is 74 points). The biggest reason Hawaii scores as many points as they do is because of their passing game. QB Bryant Moniz leads the nation in passing ypg (356.1) and TD passes (36). His WRs Greg Salas & Kealoha Pilares are both top ten in the nation in receiving yards per game and receiving TDs. The run game is almost non-existant for the Warriors as they are last in the nation in rushing attempts per game (21.6). The Tulsa defense is 2nd to last nationally at stopping the pass, so expect Moniz to put up some ridiculous numbers. Unlike Hawaii, Tulsa has balance on offense as they're 20th in the nation in rushing attempts per game (42.2) and 24th in passing attempts per game (36.4). QB G.J. Kinne is a dual threat as he leads the team in passing (275.6) and rushing yards per game (46.4). The Hawaii defense is better against the run than they are against the pass, but they've been burnt on both ends this season. Maybe the biggest factor in this game is the obvious home field advantage that Hawaii has. They'll not only have their own beds to sleep in and their own fans to cheer them on, but they won't have to deal with the distractions that the beaches of Honolulu present. Tulsa's Todd Graham is 2-1 in bowl games, while Hawaii's Greg McMackin is 0-1.
Warriors Offense: 496.8 ypg (8th), 7.7 yards/play (1st), & 38.7|PERCENT| 3rd Down (73rd)
Pass: 387.8 ypg (1st), 9.0 ypa (10th), 64.8|PERCENT| comp. (20th), 39 TDs, & 12 INTs
Run: 109.1 ypg (106th), 5.05 yards/carry (20th), & 23 TDs
Golden Hurricanes Defense: 442.6 ypg (107th), 6.2 yards/play (103rd), & 42.9|PERCENT| 3rd Down (91st)
Pass: 305.7 ypg (119th), 8.1 ypa (104th), 61.2|PERCENT| comp. (83rd), 30 TDs, & 19 INTs
Run: 136.9 ypg (40th), 4.03 yards/carry (56th), & 15 TDs
Golden Hurricanes Offense: 503.5 ypg (5th), 6.4 yards/play (17th), & 49.4|PERCENT| 3rd Down (12th)
Pass: 284.2 ypg (16th), 7.8 ypa (30th), 60.2|PERCENT| comp. (52nd), 29 TDs, & 11 INTs
Run: 219.3 ypg (15th), 5.20 yards/carry (15th), & 29 TDs
Warriors Defense: 344.2 ypg (38th), 4.9 yards/play (25th), & 38.2|PERCENT| 3rd Down (47th)
Pass: 212.4 ypg (53rd), 6.7 ypa (44th), 59.3|PERCENT| 3rd Down (65th), 21 TDs, & 23 INTs
Run: 131.9 ypg (32nd), 3.48 yards/carry (18th), & 17 TDs