by Doug Kroll
12/08/06
3:oo pm est
As
a coach, if you aren’t going to make a BCS bowl game, what’s
better than a trip to Vegas? This year, the question can be asked
to Oregon and BYU, as they will meet in the Pioneer Purevision
Las Vegas Bowl on December 21st. It will be the second straight
trip for the Cougars to the West’s version of the City that
Never Sleeps. BYU fell to Cal, 35-28 a year ago and are looking
to break a four bowl game losing streak. The Cougars are in a
stretch that has seen them go 3-11-1 in their last 15 bowl games.
BYU will see a familiar face on the Ducks’ sideline, as
former head coach Gary Crowton is the offensive coordinator in
Eugene. Crowton resigned from BYU after catching criticism from
many about not believing in the principles that BYU stands for.
Don’t think that Cougars fans forget the scandals that led
to Crowton’s departure.
Aside from that storyline, it should be quite a battle. BYU finished
the season ranked No. 19 in the nation, going 10-2 overall. One
of those losses was a tough 23-20 loss at Boston College in the
third week of the year, in a game that was controlled by the
Cougars. But since then, they have reeled off eight straight
wins, and current head coach Bronco Mendenhall is a finalist
for National Coach of the Year.
BYU puts up over 35 points per game and has an offense that averages
458.6 yards. Quarterback John Beck has been superb this season,
throwing for over 319 yards per game and 30 touchdowns. Beck
has only thrown six interceptions. If those numbers don’t
knock you out of your chair, how about his completion percentage
sitting at 70.4-percent. Johnny Harline has been his go-to guy
when it comes to touchdowns, bringing in 11 on the season, while
running back Curtis Brown leads the team with 55 receptions.
Oregon was a national title contender this season, including
picking up a win over Oklahoma in a while finish earlier in the
year. But things cooled off, including a loss to in-state rival
Oregon State. One of the most interesting things to watch for
on the Ducks’ side will be which uniform they come out in.
With hundreds of different combinations of the Yellow and Green,
it will certainly be interesting to see which Nike uniform they
come out in.
When it comes to stats, Dennis Dixon has stepped in at QB and
has struggled at times, throwing 13 INT’s and 11 TDs, not
the ratio one wants in their quarterback. However, Dixon has completed
61 percent of his passes and thrown for over 2,000 yards. Jaison
Williams has been by far the best receiver, averaging 89.5 yards
per game and making six TD catches.
It will be a Pac-10-MWC battle in Vegas, and we’ll see if
Oregon is truly happy to be there after having much higher aspirations
heading into this season. If BYU puts up its normal offensive
output, Oregon may not have the same type of guns to keep up.
Doug Kroll is an independent contributor to College Football
Poll.com.
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