Pac-10 seeks to repeat
bowl showing of ’97
Four teams join Oregon
in postseason bowls after
the conference won five
of six last season
By Tim Pyle
Oregon Daily Emerald
Rose Bowl
No. 6 UCLA (10-1) vs.
No. 9 Wisconsin (10-1)
Although losing out on the na
tional championship sweepstakes
surely stings, the Bruins do not
get a bad consolation prize.
In making its 12th Rose Bowl
appearance, UCLA will try to start
a new streak after its school
record 20-game winning roll was
blown away by Miami49-45 in a
Hurricane
of scoring
the last
weekend
of the reg
ular sea
son.
This
game is a
rematch
of the
1 OUrl Rncu
Bowl, which was also the last
time either of these teams ap
peared in the “Grand daddy of
’em all.” In that game, the Badgers
completed a 9-1-1 season with a
21-16 victory over the Bruins,
who finished 8-3.
In keeping with general Mid
west-West differences in style of
play, Wisconsin will play physi
cally and try to bulldoze the
UCLA defense with enormous
tailback Ron Dayne, while the
Bruins will air it out offensively
with quarterback Cade McNown.
It should prove to be a classic
clash in contrasts.
The key for UCLA will be de
fense. If they can relatively con
tain Dayne and the Badger offense
— a big if—the Bruins should re
bound on the strength of the Me
Nown-charged offense.
Holiday Bowl
No. 5 Arizona (11-1) vs.
No. 14 Nebraska (9-3)
The Wildcats would rather be
smelling roses in Pasadena, but
San Diego and its Dec. 30 bowl
will have to do.
To cap a stellar season, Arizona
will have to hand the Corn
huskers their first four-loss season
since 1968. Nebraska has also not
failed to win at least 10 games in
a season since 1992.
For Arizona to secure its first
12-win season, quarterback tan
dem Keith Smith and Ortege Jenk
ins will have to continue its ster
ling play against Nebraska’s
hulking defensive line and fast
secondary.
Sun Bowl
Southern California (8-4) vs.
Texas Christian (6-5)
After a one-year hiatus, the Tro
jans return to postseason play
Dec. 31 in El Paso, Texas, against
the Big 12’s Horned Frogs.
Coming off a 10-0 defeat of
Notre Dame in its last regular-sea
son game, USC will try for its first
nine-win season since 1995.
Pac-10 defensive player of the
year Chris Claiborne and corner
back Daylon McCutcheon are the
ring leaders of the Trojans' stingy
defense. Big-play wide receiver R.
Jay Soward and speedy tailback
Chad Morton pace the USC of
fense.
Oahu Bowl
Washington (6-5) vs.
No. 16 Air Force (11-1)
Quarterback Brock Huard will
try to make his Husky finale a
winning one after the junior an
nounced he will enter the NFL
draft next spring.
Meanwhile, the Western Ath
letic Conference cJtampion Fal
cons will be seeking revenge
against the Pac-10 for the 41-13
loss Oregon dealt them in last sea
son’s Las Vegas Bowl.
Ememlil
Brendon Ayanbadejo (50) and the rest of the UCLA defense face Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl afer missing a chance to be national champs.
Game of the Year
By Tim Pyle
Oregon Daily Emerald
Fiesta Bowl
No. 1 Tennessee (12-0) vs.
No. 2 Florida State (11-1)
Fiesta Bowl, the nation turns
its busy eyes to you.
When the dust cleared after a
hectic ending to the regular sea
son, these two teams were left
standing in the chase for the na
tional championship. They will
settle matters in the Bowl
Championship Series’ initial
season Jan. 4 in Tempe, Ariz.
The Seminoles get a shot at
their second championship in
six seasons despite having one
loss, much to the chagrin of fel
low one-loss power Ohio State.
Florida State’s only slip this
season came early on in a 24-7
loss at North Carolina State on
Sept. 12.
Seminole wide receiver Peter
Warrick is maybe the nation’s
most exciting player. In addi
tion to grabbing 61 catches for
1,232 yards and 12 touch
downs, Warrick has rushed 13
times for 85 yards and one score
and even threw a 46-yard
touchdown pass.
Marcus Outzen has taken
over the offense as quarterback
after starter Chris Weinke went
down with a season-ending in
jury. Tailback Travis Minor pro
vides an ample ground attack as
he has rushed for 857 yards and
six touchdowns.
But the Seminoles’ strength is
their defense, which is ranked
No. 1 nationally.
Florida State has used its out
standing defensive speed to
limit opposing offenses to less
than 215 yards per game and
just 11 points per outing.
The Volunteers have also
been forced to overcome a sea
son-ending injury to a key of
fensive player as star tailback
Jamal Lewis went down early in
the season.
But quarterback Tee Martin
has performed consistently as
No. 1 NFL draft pick Peyton
Manning’s replacement. Martin
has thrown for 2,164 yards and
19 touchdowns.
Wideout Peerless Price is
Martin’s favorite target, and he
has hauled in 61 passes for 920
yards and 10 touchdowns. Tail
back Travis I lenry has replaced
Lewis adequately, rushing for
970 yards and seven touch
downs.
Overall, Tennessee averages
34 points per game while allow
ing opponents just 14.
The multitude of superior
athletes and clutch performers
on both these teams should give
ABC's national television audi
ence the kind of dramatic, hot
ly contested showdown it de
sires.
But the guess here is that a
suffocating defense and War
rick’s big-play tendencies will
vault the Seminoles to another
crown.
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