Plenty more on the Poinsettia Bowl at Utah blog, Block U, and our Cal blog, California Golden Bears.
Poinsettia Bowl: No. 23 Utah Set To Battle Cal In San Diego
GAME NOTES: Losers of two of their last three games to close out the regular season, the Utah Utes try to get back on track Wednesday night when they challenge the California Golden Bears in the fifth annual Poinsettia Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.
Utah came into the 2009 season sporting the longest win streak in the country after finishing 2008 as the only undefeated program in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The team won two straight out of the gate but then bowed to Oregon on the road, 31-24. Down the stretch, after putting together a six-game win streak, Utah lost to both TCU (55-28) and BYU (26-23 in OT) in Mountain West Conference action. As a result, the Utes finished 9-3 overall and 6-2 in conference.
As for the Golden Bears, all four of their setbacks this season came against Pac-10 opponents. In those four decisions California, which finished 8-4 overall and 5-4 in league play, posted a total of 30 points as it was outscored by a combined 72-6 in back-to-back meetings with Oregon and USC early in the season.
The Bears are making their school-record seventh straight bowl appearance, beginning with a 52-49 win over Virginia Tech in the Insight Bowl back in 2003 and leading up to a 24-17 triumph versus Miami in last year’s Emerald Bowl. As far as overall postseason history is concerned, Cal’s involvement stretches all the way back to the 1921 Rose Bowl in which the squad shut out Ohio State, 28-0. Overall, the Golden Bears have a 10-8-1 mark in the postseason.
As for the Utes, their 31-17 upset win over Alabama in last year’s Sugar Bowl was a national-best eighth straight postseason victory and pushed the team to 11-4 in bowl opportunities dating back to the 1939 Sun Bowl.
“We are looking forward to playing in the Poinsettia Bowl for the second time in three years,” says Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. “We had a great experience when we played there in 2007 and our players and staff are excited to be going back. We have around 25 players on our roster from Southern California and we hope for a big turnout from our fans, as is typical anytime we play in Qualcomm Stadium.”
Utah has won just two of the six all-time meetings with the Golden Bears, the most recent of those taking place in 2003 with the Utes claiming a 31-24 win at home in Salt Lake City.
Despite his freshman status, Jordan Wynn is slated to make the start at quarterback for the Utes in this contest. Clearly, coach Whittingham has confidence in the youngster to pick him over juco transfer Terrance Cain, but don't think that Cain won't make an appearance should the need arise. Wynn started four games late in the season for the Utes, responding with 991 yards and five touchdowns through the air, while Cain converted 63.7 percent of his attempts for 1,624 yards and 11 TDs.
No matter which player has been under center for the Utes, the likely target down the field has been David Reed who leads the program with 75 catches for 1,085 yards, resulting in five touchdowns. Jereme Brooks is responsible for 49 catches for 620 yards, resulting in a team-best six scores.
With the loss of Matt Asiata early in the season the team had to fall back on Eddie Wide and he has not disappointed with an average of close to six yards per attempt and 12 of the unit's 23 rushing scores.
With several changes in key positions on offense, the strength of this group is on the defensive side of the ball this season for coach Whittingham. The group ranked second in the MWC and ninth in the nation in pass efficiency defense with a rating of 100.1, permitting a mere 172.8 ypg through the air. Although he had a total of only 28 tackles in 12 games, Christian Cox actually led the team with his 5.5 sacks and was one of the top men on the roster with eight tackles for loss. Another key figure is Robert Johnson who posted five interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries, all while placing third on the team with 66 tackles.
The big story for the California offense at this point is that running back Jahvid Best will not be available for the squad. Head coach Jeff Tedford will instead have Shane Vereen coming out of the backfield according to the depth chart.
“Jahvid is doing excellent, but he’s been out a long time and since this game is so early, to get him back in game-ready form I don’t feel like that’s something that we can get done to have him ready to play,” coach Tedford said of the possibility of getting his star running back onto the field. “He’s doing excellent with his rehab, but this game is so early.”
Vereen, who has been the focal point of the running game since Best went out with an injury the first week of November, handled the ball 88 times for 443 yards and four touchdowns in the final three games of the regular season for the program. Overall, Vereen has been credited with 10 rushing TDs and 830 yards on 163 carries this season.
Vereen's strong play will provide some comfort for quarterback Kevin Riley who has completed 54.6 percent of his pass attempts for an average of 219.7 ypg and a total of 17 touchdowns, against just six interceptions. The team lists eight different players with double-digit receptions this season, with Marvin Jones at the top of the list with his 38 grabs for 607 yards and six scores, while Vereen is third with 22 grabs for 224 yards and another two TDs.
The run defense for the Golden Bears has responded this season by limiting foes to just 117.1 ypg, fourth-best in the Pac-10 and 27th in the nation heading into bowl season. Mike Mohamed may lead the unit with his 105 tackles, of which seven have come behind the line of scrimmage, but Tyson Alualu (60 stops) is the one who has had the more significant stops with team highs of 10 TFLs and 7.5 sacks in 12 appearances.
Mohamed also paces the program with his three interceptions, yet the pass defense overall for Cal has been less than stellar, permitting 260.9 ypg to rank last in the conference and 108th in the country.
The key to this game will be how well Wynn will be able to handle the pressure in the spotlight for the Utes. Having Best out of action yet again will certainly not help the Cal effort, but Vereen has shown that he can still play a significant role, even if it does come in a loss.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Utah 31, California 20
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