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 Las Vegas Bowl
(18) Oregon State vs. (14) BYU
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 8 PM ET ESPN
Two senior quarterbacks go head to head in this one. Both Sean Canfield of Oregon State and Max Hall of BYU have flown quietly under the radar for most of the season, although both have gained a little notoriety at times (Hall in the Oklahoma win and Canfield in the Civil War).
The battle through the air will be interesting to watch, but the BYU defense must zero in on sophomore Jacquizz Rodgers if they want to win this one. He's among the quickest backs in the nation and at 5'7 is deceptively strong. BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall notes, "He's short but not small. And there are players that are small and there are players that are short. He's short and very powerful and very fast and very quick. He has a unique combination of quickness, speed and power, all packed together."
Trouble is, if they stop the younger Rodgers, they'll have to deal with big bro. While just as short as his younger brother, wide receiver James Rodgers has managed 1,004 yards this year and has found the end zone 9 times. The junior is also used on the ground, averaging 8.6 yards on 150 career carries, adding 8 rushing touchdowns.
 BYU will look to take advantage of the Oregon State pass defense. Don't let Hall's 14 interceptions fool you. Ten of those 14 came in the first 5 games of the season. He's been much more efficient with the ball since. And remember, the Badgers have picked off only 8 passes all year. I don't see the Oregon State defense changing that by forcing Hall into making bad passes. They've sacked the quarterback only 15 times this year.
Again, as interesting as the air battle will be, don't forget to look out for the Cougars ground game. Running back Harvey Unga is a Provo native that has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of the last three seasons. The Cougars will rely on Unga to provide solid production on the ground to allow the passing game to further exploit the Oregon State pass defense.
This is only one of four non-BCS bowl games between two top 25 teams. Expect a close one and keep in mind that both Canfield and Hall will be looking to impress NFL scouts in their last collegiate game.
Check out bowl picks and commentary from myself and Dr. Roto for more bowl coverage. - Danny Hobrock
Danny is a sports journalist who primarily covers college football and professional baseball. He is a contributor for several sports related blogs and is the former editor of a political and current events website.
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