I'll be doing some small bowl recaps and updating you on how I'm doing in my battle with Phil Steele and all of his followers. I might try to find some of the other ESPN personalities and post their picks as well. Just so we can get some comparison going on.
Anyway, I'm obviously 2-0. I mostly follow the SEC now, so you'll have to forgive me if I'm a little off on games involving teams from other conferences, but I felt like I had a beat on the first two games.
Check out my breakdowns after the jump.
Arizona 49, Nevada 48
My Pick: Arizona 34 -28
I said that Arizona would win a close shootout over Nevada and that is exactly what happened. I called for over 1,000 yards of offense and the two teams didn't disappoint putting up 1,237 combined yards of offense. I'll admit, I didn't think the score would be as high as it was, but I'm not upset about calling for a lower score.
Take away his two picks and Matt Scott would have been a candidate for the all-bowl team at the end of the holiday season, throwing for three touchdowns and 382 yards, while also scampering for 21 more and another score. But the game ball has to go to the NCAA's leading rusher in RB Ka'Deem Carey who picked up 172 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. Scott did throw two touchdown passes in :46 seconds to win the game, but if it wasn't for his two interceptions I don't think Arizona would have been in that position.
I was a little nervous at the beginning after Nevada raced out to a 21-0 lead, but Arizona showed some fight on the sidelines and came back to outscore the Wolfpack 49 to 27 the rest of the way.
Props go to Arizona WR Austin Hill (8rec 175 yds 2td) who picked up his fifth 100+ yard receiving game and fourth multi-touchdown performance, and to Nevada QB Cody Fajardo (396 yds of total offense and four touchdowns; 2 picks) who had a great game as well.
No. 22 Utah State 41, Toledo 15
My Pick: Utah State 31-13
My predicted score looks close and my preview appears to have been spot on, calling for Utah State to control this game fairly comfortably, but if not for the fourth quarter efforts of Aggie RB Kerwynn Williams this would have been a much closer game. In fact he tried to make it a close game, fumbling inside Utah State's own 30 setting up a Toledo FG to bring the game within four early in the fourth. From there he would rush for 182 of his 235 yards score three times to pull the Aggies away.
Toledo had the disadvantage of playing a team that had not been to a bowl game in a very long time, was also playing with a hampered Terrence Owens, who has been their leader throughout the season. Owens was still able to play, picking up 44 yards of total offense, but was just 6-for-17 through the air. The Rockets never got into rhythm, only sustaining three of their 14 drives for longer than 50 yards. They found some success on the ground, averaging over four yards per carry, but were a poor 6-for-17 on third downs.
Toledo only held one lead throughout the entire game, up 3-0 in the first quarter. Game ball goes to Williams, but the efforts of Aggie QB Chuckie Keaton can not go unnoticed. Keaton completed over 67 percent of his passes for 229 yards while also rushing for 92 yards and a score.
I'll be back in a couple of days with my preview for the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl (I love that name).
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