West Coast/Pac-10 Bowl Games

[Conan]

Uh Oh... I may have to buy back the OSU bet if Quizz is unable to play.

<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle">RB woes: Francis departure, Quizz question </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="primaryimage" valign="top">

JEREMY FRANCIS
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</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td valign="middle" nowrap="nowrap">By the staff of BF.C

Posted Dec 16, 2008
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JEREMY FRANCIS has left Corvallis for Florida to take care of his ailing mother according to reports. With OSU head man Mike Riley issuing his strongest remarks yet on whether Jacquizz Rodgers will be available for the Sun Bowl, with things trending towards the pessimistic side there, the Beavers suddenly could have only one of their top three running backs -- Ryan McCants -- for the Sun Bowl.
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It's 15 days before the Sun Bowl but that might not be enough time for the ailing shoulder of Jacquizz Rodgers to heal up fully enough.

"I have some real doubts about playing him," Riley is quoted in the Oregonian on Quizz.

The freshman running back strained his shoulder in the penultimate game of the season and missed the Civil War. Riley's reticence comes from not wanting his star running back to re-injure it and potentially put more rehab time on the plate during the offseason.

The Beavs' No. 3 running back, Jeremy Francis, emerged late in the season, especially as a viable receiving threat coming out of the backfield but Oregon State will be without his services in El Paso.

"He was a good teammate, he worked hard, and everyone is going to miss him," said Riley of Francis, a junior.

Ryan McCants was the Beavs' third leading rusher this season, with 79 carries for 314 yards, behind Quizz (1,253 yards) and his brother James Rodgers (46 carries, 408 yards), the latter who has already been ruled out for the Sun because of a broken collarbone.
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[UoweDucks]

This is why I have been waiting on that game. I think without Quizz I couldn't back OSU.

 

[Conan]

This is why I have been waiting on that game. I think without Quizz I couldn't back OSU.

As the article mentions, Jeremy Francis has left the team to be with his ailing mother in Florida. He may not be returning at all.

Bottom line, the Beavers may be stuck with only one RB out of 3 and James Rogers is also out of the Sun Bowl. Either Lyle Moevao will need to have the game of his life or the Beavers chances don't look very good. They are principally a rush first team despite their impressive passing numbers. I just don't see how they will be able to manage a balanced attack and be depended on to move the ball.

This means I can't back OSU as a side but I might be interested in looking at a total. (under) No way this will remain as a Pac-10 bowl game of the year. I may as well remove it now and I'll be looking at the total as well as perhaps another side bet somewhere else.

Update:

USC-10/PSU*
ALA-10/Utah*
BYU+3/AZ* (or SU ML)
Cal-6.5/Miami**
Hawaii-1.5/Notre Dame*

 

[BernieVegas]

So far love the Alabama and CAL plays

Playing Oregon State would be wise since it would be a BET AGAINST Dave "THE STIFF" Wannestedt in a big game---go figure LOL...Coach Riley decided advantage over the STIFF!!!....Betting on PITT in a big game would be like pissing up a rope LOL. Although my wager would be AGAINST a Wannestedt coached team in a big game, Oregon States health at running back is still questionable which is a big unknown in this game...

USC vs Penn State interesting match-up...Stellar defense of USC with the punchless offense of USC vs a well coached Joe PA team happy to be in Rose Bowl. Also, a Penn State team that totally dismantled a bowl bound Oregon State team that beat Trojans. Looks to be a defensive battle to me with each team struggling to score. Line looks somewhat inflated but are they baiting for Penn State action??? INTERESTING GAME to say the least...

CONAN good luck...


Yours in Winners
Bernie

Pick for the Post....Georgia Bulldogs by 21....Michigan State is in way over their head in this affair

 

[Conan]

Nice to see you Bernie. Long time.

I have already bought back all of my OSU bets except for one that's about 1/2 unit. I think I'll keep it because I figure that McCants will be worked into the game a lot better now that he gets all the reps in practice... save for Daryll Catchings, another speedy receiver on the team who might be able to run a fly sweep or 2 to pick up where James Rogers left off. We'll see.

Also, the difference in coaching could be enough to put the Beavers back in the driver's seat. They won 9 games last year on defense and they can win this one the same way.

Moevao has plenty of weapons still left at his disposal. They've used 8 receivers in more than one game before so he has plenty of choices, including Sammie Straughter and Shane Morales.

But that defensive angle is intriguing, the under is looking better all the time.


PS... I'm already on UGA, GA Tech too. I got a good price on both way back when.

 

[ProphetablePicks]

So far love the Alabama and CAL plays

Playing Oregon State would be wise since it would be a BET AGAINST Dave "THE STIFF" Wannestedt in a big game---go figure LOL...Coach Riley decided advantage over the STIFF!!!....Betting on PITT in a big game would be like pissing up a rope LOL. Although my wager would be AGAINST a Wannestedt coached team in a big game, Oregon States health at running back is still questionable which is a big unknown in this game...

USC vs Penn State interesting match-up...Stellar defense of USC with the punchless offense of USC vs a well coached Joe PA team happy to be in Rose Bowl. Also, a Penn State team that totally dismantled a bowl bound Oregon State team that beat Trojans. Looks to be a defensive battle to me with each team struggling to score. Line looks somewhat inflated but are they baiting for Penn State action??? INTERESTING GAME to say the least...

CONAN good luck...


Yours in Winners
Bernie

Pick for the Post....Georgia Bulldogs by 21....Michigan State is in way over their head in this affair

Bernie, good to see you here, hope all is well!

 

[Uno]

thanks for a great year Conan!

 

[GoSooners]

Let's get the bowl season started out right with a BYU win. BOL Conan.:toast:

 

[Conan]

Good luck to you in the bowls Uno.

GoSooners, thanks and lets get some winners today. Go Cougars!

:toast:

 

[Conan]

After all this, the writer Ted Miller picks BYU to win 30-24. I've been reading his column all year and he's pretty tuned into the teams. I think SU he's been about 78%.

Pretty good stuff...

Las Vegas Bowl: Arizona (7-5) vs. BYU (10-2)
December 20, 2008 11:38 AM
Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller
First ... can we PLEASE ... get a "Go Spiders!" from everyone?
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</td></tr></tbody></table> Thanks.


Let's jump into the bowl season, what do you say? Up first: Vegas, baby!


Who to watch: Willie Tuitama and Mike Thomas
These two are four-year starters who took the Mike Stoops era from the dregs to the program's first bowl game in a decade. Along the way, they combined to rewrite the school's passing record book and earn spots on the Pac-10's all-time list. But can they go out winners?


What to watch: Arizona's D vs. BYU's 239-pound running back Harvey Unga
Unga is a load, and his offensive line is one of the biggest in the country. The Arizona defense is quick but undersized and it has struggled this season against power running games -- see losses to New Mexico and Stanford. BYU also has a high-flying passing game, so if Unga gains great chunks of yardage, it's going to be a long evening for the Wildcats.


Why to watch: Because this is the best game -- by far -- of the first day of the bowl season. The Pac-10 would like to take a bite out of that 1-6 regular-season record versus the Mountain West Conference. And Arizona coach Mike Stoops would add another level of security with a bowl victory after whipping Arizona State. He might even get a raise.

My comment: It ain't gonna happen.

 

[AlwaysKeen]

was with you on BYU...thought that Tuitama played a great game and Arizona did play hard, I congratulate all Arizona backers...that being said we had every opportunity to cover the game...it appears to me that Mendenhall is having trouble recruiting defensive athletes with enough speed to hang with the big boys...BYU is still a nice little team with some good skill position guys but to have the ball four times inside the Arizona 40 and come away with zero points was especially frustrating...at any rate, GL the rest of the bowl season...

 

[Conan]

Well Pags, it looked like BYU's 25-26 year old Mormon dads got their butts whupped by a few opportunistic Wildcats. I think I mentioned that Utah couldn't keep up with their own bonehead mistakes mounting up one quarter after the next. That's nothing I would never have expeted to see from someone like Max Hall,

It's on to TCU/Boise tonight. I have no play on tonight's ga, but I think the game total over 46 has to happen. Maybe just a slight lean towards the Broncos because the lose lat the rate of 3 tiimes every 5 years. That's something too powerful to ignore. They may play in a somewhat easy conference but they've beaten all comers on any field they've played on. You know some of their quality wins over the last 5 years. None of that was expected from them. I think they are one of the most underrated top 10 teams of all time.

 

[AlwaysKeen]

Merry Christmas Conan...

 

[Conan]

Thanks and same to you Pags

Maybe a coincidence that I'd be ready for this pick right after you posted in this thread.... maybe a good omen?

A big shift in my view of the Sun Bowl....

From all indications, I think the Beavers are going to come up short. Despite the fact that Riley has a very good bowl record and Wanstadt has had a reputation for blowing it when the chips are down , the Beavers are nonetheless coming into this game with literally 1/2 of their offense on the sidelines injured. Yes I am referring to the Rogers brothers, both who happen to have inujured shoulders.


So I'm picken Pitt.+3/Or St.*

Anyone looking for a 2 team teaser that looks like it can't miss should get on Cal-2 and Pitt.+9**. Simply, Cal will mow down Miami and even if Oregon State's defense can keep them in the game, a low scoring sort of thing--+9 points will be huge in that situation. I'm dumping a ton on it because everything seems to point to a nice hit.

 

[AlwaysKeen]

with you on Pitt my friend...definitely an omen...

 

[Conan]

USC-10/PSU*
ALA-10.5/UT*
BYU+3/AZ* (L)
HI+2.5/ND (L)
Cal-6.5/Miami** (W)
Pitt.+3/Or St.*
Cal-2 and Pitt.+9** (teaser)

I almost feel a little guilty talking Cal up and then seeing Longshore blow it so all the late bettors lost their wager on Cal. I'll take the win but it goes to show that getting the best line is worth it. Anyone who bet Cal when they were 7 or 7.5 and bought it down under a TD should win sharp of the year award. I didn't need that because I bet this one early, however you can do that a lot of places like Bookmaker. 7 turned out to be a critical number.

Personally I am glad to see Longshore go. He cost a lot of people money tonight. I think the Bears would have covered all if Riley had started.

 

[sparticus]

had cal -3 in 6 different teasers hit 3 & still have 3 alive, f--- cal qb is terrible.

 

[Conan]

had cal -3 in 6 different teasers hit 3 & still have 3 alive, f--- cal qb is terrible.

I had the same feeling about the number climbing 4 points since it opened. That kind of siding by the bettors scared me. Don't believe all that garbage about 10% vig s what makes them rich. Public losers are what makes books rich. I have them teased every which way from Sunday and I'm glad I didn't play them again - the points after my opening bet.

Sun Bowl update:

Anyway, here's something I just saw about the Beaver's stand in RB, Ryan McCants. He's a beast and when he feels it, he's next to impossible to bring down, but I've only see him play with that kind of intensity once or twice all year and only for a few plays per game at most. The rest of the time he shows poor vision and seems to miss the holes too often. I think he'll ramp it up for this game but he won't be nearly as consistent as Quizz so it's going to hurt Oregon State's rushing game which is the backbone of thier offense.

Also remember that Quizz's brother James is also out of the game so the Beaver's probably won't show that fly sweep they are famous for. Even if #3 RB Jeremy Francis has a pretty good game, it won't be enough.

Pitt is the call. Probably on the ML.


Burden falls on McCants
By Cliff Kirkpatrick<but>
Corvallis Gazette-Times</but> EL PASO, Texas — OK, so there’s no Quizz.

The Oregon State football team would love to have its star running back pounding the ball between tackles for the Sun Bowl, but there has been enough time to adjust to him being out with an injury.

Most of the rushing burden falls on redshirt freshman Ryan McCants. For the No. 24-ranked Beavers to do well against No. 18 Pittsburgh on Wednesday he’ll need his best game of the season.

“I’m not concerned about having a big game, I just want to come out and have a good game,” McCants said. “We want to run the ball to help out the passing game. But I don’t feel that much pressure.”

It didn’t go well for McCants in the last game against Oregon on Nov. 29, when Jacquizz Rodgers missed the season finale due to a fractured bone in his left shoulder.

With more than two weeks of bowl practice the Beavers hope the outcomes ends up better this time.

“We’ve worked hard in the extra time in practice, working out the kinks,” McCants said. “With the extra practice I’m more comfortable with the plays we are running.”

Players and coaches have faith in McCants from the work he put in the last year in practice, during the season when he received the chance in games.

McCants has been focused during bowl practice in Corvallis, and even more so here. He’s looking to redeem himself after that last game.

“I think he’ll be as well-prepared as you can be,” coach Mike Riley said. “He always worked extremely hard. And I anticipate him being ready to go.”

McCants carried the ball 79 times for 314 yards and two touchdowns this season.

Most of his playing time didn’t come in a pressure situation, but there were three pressure games.

He didn’t do much starting the season opener at Stanford, running for 11 yards on four carries. His best game came in relief after Rodgers was injured at Arizona; McCants ran the ball 15 times for 52 yards.

After that he had 10 carries for 32 yards against Oregon. There was nowhere to run against the Ducks because of a bad game by the offensive line.

“Ryan has done a great job running the ball,” quarterback Lyle Moevao said. “There’s no different preparing this week as any other game. The main thing is he’s feeling more comfortable as a starter, and he’ll do a great job coming out of the gate. We expect nothing but big things from him, and he’ll live up to it.”

There’s added pressure on McCants since third-string running back Jeremy Francis missed early bowl workouts in Corvallis while tending to his mother, who had heart surgery.

He joined the team in El Paso on Friday, so he’s behind in training. Other than those two there are no viable running backs.

Staying healthy leading up to the game is just as important to performing in the game because of limited depth. McCants is trying to keep that out of his mind.

“The more you think about not to get hurt the more likely you’ll get hurt,” McCants said “You just have to play carefree.”

No matter how well McCants does in the Sun Bowl, the chances of him regaining the starting job are slim. Rodgers established himself as a national sensation, winning the Pacific-10 Conference Player of the Year and being name a third-team All-American.

And they are both freshmen. If all things remain the same McCants will be behind Rodgers his entire career. Concerns of him transferring, or even looking for a position change, are valid, but not at this point.

“We haven’t crossed that bridge at all,” Riley said. “I don’t know how he feels about it. There has been no question or thought about it on that subject. He seems extremely happy. And as the year went on with Quizz playing we were getting a feel of the rotation and he was playing quite a bit. As we know things change in a blink of an eye. From my viewpoint, it will be a great duo for a while.”

McCants said before the Civil War that transferring or changing positions were not in his thoughts, and he reiterated that this week.

If that changes later remains to be seen.

“It hasn’t been a tough season,” McCants said. “It was fun to be part of a winning team. Quizz did a great job in the season. We are just trying to finish out on a positive note.”

 

[Conan]

A small play on La Tech today.

I like what Derek Dooley has done for that team since he took over last year. He's busted into a tough conference (WAC) for teams of that caliber to advance and he's caused many of them problems this season taking them from perennial loser to a bowl game. That was an especially tall order considering that the WAC is a conference with only 3 bowl tie-ins. They have some pretty big boys playing up front and that should pose a problem to N.Ill. They should own TOP in this game. They are playing this game in their own back yard.

 

[Conan]

I'll take my 1/2 unit on a small play for La Tech.

The bullogs will be a team to watch next season in the WAC. Dooley is moving this team along at a break neck pace. I don't think they are ready to challenge Boise St. but you never know when Boise's on the road what could happen. File La Tech in the much improved file for '09. Phillip Livas is something else to watch behind those big guys blocking and their QB play will only improve. Not a bad rushing defense either.

Sure hope Missou takes care of business tomorrow.