USC (8-4, 5-4 Pacific 10) vs. Boston College (8-4, 5-3 ACC)
December 26, 2009 8:00 PM ET
AT&T Park, San Franscisco, California
Among the things that make me happy (along with Fresno State fans forgetting their place in the college football pantheon) is being able to look at the above data and see USC at 5-4 in the PAC 10, and playing in a bowl sponsored by a sack of nuts.
Good times, good times. Here’s a preview of the game; at least the commercials:
So- this game also is an old standby, a part of the bowl scene since January of 2002. Interestingly enough, the defensive player of the game was a kid named Anthony Schlegel- wonder what ever happened to him?
Played in “Giants Stadium” (according to the people who live on the Left Coast), some of the more interesting moments have come due to the unique configuration; the end zone/warning track combination is certainly atypical.
Bowl Commissioner
This has always been a marquee matchup: Florida State, Miami, Maryland, Cal, Oregon State… all major schools from major conferences (read “Not Fresno State”). As such, this game almost feels like a
Christmas present; a January 1 game in December.
And this year is no different. Boston College was in the thick of the ACC hunt all season, but didn’t seem to be able to pull it together in the end. This is, however, the eleventh straight bowl appearance for the Eagles, and their first trip to San Francisco (as a team, it’s not anyone’s business what they do in the off season).
The Eagles are led on offense by Montel Harris; the running back became only the second BC player to rush for 2000 yards for their career earlier in the season. They also boast an amazing kicker- Steve Aponavicius finished the year 13-14 on field goals, and has made 81 straight extra points.
Defensively, the story has been freshman linebacker Luke Kuechly. Named the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, the linebacker from Cincinnati had 19 tackles and 2.5 sacks against North Carolina, as well as an interception return for a touchdown against Central Michigan. Coach Spaz has developed his team into one that will definitely preform well in the Bay Area.
Offensively, it begins and ends with the running game- and with that, it’s obvious that the offensive line for USC is one of the keys to the game. Even from the beginning of the season, these five were being identified as future NFL stars, so it seems to matter not who’s running behind them. However, given the academic problems the Trojans are having (hey! we’re not the only ones!), it will be interesting to see how well the running game develops.
Defensively, the Trojans have not appeared to even be the same program, giving up enormous numbers to Stanford and Oregon (yeah, I said it). Again, plagued by injury, a healthy Taylor Mays and linebacking corps will be needed against the Eagles. It seems that one position to watch would be the cornerback- with Josh Pinkhard out, sophomore TJ Bryant seems to have the position locked up heading to San Francisco.
The Eagles and Trojans have one shared opponent; BC fell to Notre Ame, while USC held off the Irish late in the game for the win. One advantage that the Men of Troy will have is the ever-present “west coast” phenomenon. SC Fans will not have far to travel in order to create a home field advantage for their team.
A lot depends on which Trojan team shows up for the game. If it’s the squad looking for redemption, with the swagger that they’re known for, then this won’t even be close. However, it will be quite a game if USC comes out and looks like the group that gave up on themselves late in the season.
Either way, I think that Southern Cal has too many horses for the Eagles to stay with.
