2011 Sugar Bowl: Why Ohio State-Arkansas Is the Most Intriguing BCS Matchup
The best college football bowl game of the season will happen on January 4 in New Orleans when the Arkansas Razorbacks meet the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
With all due respect to the BCS National Championship game, the Sugar Bowl provides numerous story-lines and the potential to be a closely contested game between two of college football’s most popular teams.
The game will have two great teams, with plenty of star power on display for the entire world to see. Here are ten reasons why the Sugar Bowl will be the most intriguing BCS game of the year.
SEC Vs. Big Ten
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The Sugar Bowl features two of the best conferences in college football. That alone is enough reason why this is one of the best BCS bowl games on the schedule.
These two conferences boast the most teams in the BCS rankings and is the only head-to-head game in the top ten.
These conferences are notorious for producing great football games and the Sugar Bowl will be no different.
Coaching Match-Up
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The coaching match-up for this game will be extraordinary to watch.
Bobby Petrino is the head coach for the Razorbacks and brings an explosive offense and bold coaching philosophy to this game.
Jim Tressel is one of the most respected coaches in the country and always brings a team that is disciplined and focused on the game at hand.
In a game that could come down to the final minutes, coaching may make all the difference.
Ryan Mallett
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Quarterback Ryan Mallett is the heart and soul of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
He has flourished under Petrino's offense and has put up great numbers this year.
Mallett has a history with Ohio State, albeit a brief one. Mallett left Michigan after his freshman season when Rich Rodriguez was hired as the Wolverines' coach, bringing with him an offense that didn't fit a pocket passer like Mallett.
Mallett instead transferred to his home state to play in a wide-open offense and it has paid off for Mallett and the Razorbacks.
The Hogs led the SEC in passing at 338.4 yards per game and averaged 37.3 points per game. As the field general for the Hogs, Mallett has completed a single-season school record 242 passes on 364 attempts for 3,592 yards and 30 touchdowns. He is just the fourth quarterback in SEC history to throw for 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in consecutive seasons and just the third in conference history to eclipse 3,500 passing yards in back-to-back seasons.
The Razorbacks are pinning their hopes for a Sugar Bowl victory on Mallett's arm.
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Terrelle Pryor
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Terrelle Pryor is one of the better quarterbacks in college football, possessing a strong throwing arm and the ability to run the ball.
Pryor is the leader of this Buckeye offense, but has been overshadowed this year, even in his own conference, with the emergence of Denard Robinson. The Razorbacks would be making a huge mistake if they overlook Pryor in this game.
Pryor is a playmaker that can control the outcome of games and lead his team to victory if not properly accounted for.
At the start of the season Pryor was considered mostly a running quarterback, but he matured into a passing quarterback during the season. Pryor completed almost 66 percent of his passes this season for 2,551 yards and 25 touchdowns. He rushed for 639 yards and four touchdowns, and he did all of this with an injury that he has been nursing throughout the year.
The Razorbacks faced another mobile quarterback this season in the SEC, and if they are not prepared the end results could be the same.
Knile Davis
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Knile Davis may not be a household name around the country, but he will be after the Sugar Bowl.
Arkansas started the season with a talented trio of running backs and the starter would be the back that stood out above the rest. It may have taken six weeks, but that running back is Knile Davis.
Davis had to wait for injuries to get more carries, but once he did, he made the most of it. He finished the year with 1,183 rushing yards, which ranked him third in the SEC behind only Cam Newton and Marcus Lattimore.
That number is really impressive when you consider he split carries and running time for the first six weeks of the season. Davis went on a tear to end the season and finished the year with five games of 100 yards or more on the ground, including 110 against South Carolina, 187 against Mississippi State and 152 against LSU.
Davis is one of the reasons that the Hogs finished the year strongly as the rushing game opened up passing lanes for Ryan Mallett.
Buckeye Defense
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The Buckeyes' defense will get a huge challenge in the Sugar Bowl and be under pressure to finally shut down a high-scoring SEC team in a bowl game.
Ohio State may be up to the challenge as they are stout upfront, and rank in the top five in the country in points and yards per game, allowing just a measly 13 points a game and 251 yards per game.
Defensive end Cameron Heyward is an anchor that disrupts the running game and puts pressure up front.
Brian Rolle and Ross Homan solidify the linebacker core and can cause havoc on any offense.
Jermale Hines, Devon Torrance and Chimdi Chekwa compose a secondary that is fast and attack the wideouts disrupting the opposing offense.
The defense is disciplined and always well prepared for any game, and expect a great effort in the Sugar Bowl. .
The Ohio State Vs. SEC Streak
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One of the biggest storylines in this game will be the losing streak that the Buckeyes have against the SEC in bowl games.
The Buckeyes will be making their eighth appearance in a BCS bowl over the last nine seasons, which is an impressive statistic, but they have been shut out against teams from the SEC.
They are 0-9 in bowls against the SEC, including back-to-back losses to Florida and Louisiana State in the national title games. Ohio State has yet to play Arkansas, so although the streak may not be relevant to the outcome of the contest, it will be in the back of the minds of the players.
Current head coach Jim Tressel is 0-3 against teams from the SEC and will be focused on getting this monkey off his back with a win in the Sugar Bowl.
The media will nag the Buckeyes about the streak until kickoff, when Ohio State will try to snap the streak on the big stage.
No Cam Newton
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Cam Newton is arguably the best player in college football and won the Heisman Trophy, but enough already.
You can’t watch a college football game or an episode of Sportscenter without hearing a report about the controversial quarterback.
Although I am sure his name will be mentioned during the Sugar Bowl telecast, the fans will not be saturated with Can Newton stories, which is all but inevitable for the BCS Championship game.
The Sugar Bowl has two great signal-callers who will get the attention they deserve.
Location, Location, Location
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The Sugar Bowl is held in New Orleans, and there may not be a better venue for a college football game.
The city endured Hurricane Katrina and came back stronger than ever. The city is known for its many traditions such as jazz music, great food, and, of course, big football games.
The city will be the perfect host and the pre-game and post-game parties will be second to none. The fans will travel from all over the country to attend this game and the players will get the thrill of a lifetime.
The location alone will make this the best BCS bowl game of the year.
Fan Frenzy
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Both programs boast loyal fanbases that will travel to any location to watch their favorite team play.
Arkansas had 24,000 pre-orders for its 17,500 seats and will not be having a public sale, while Ohio State took a different route.
Since they didn’t sell all 17,500 tickets for the BCS National Championship in New Orleans three years ago, the Buckeyes changed things up, offering a public sale.
This opened the door for Hog fans to buy tickets sold by Ohio State, and it will be interesting to see what fanbase has home-field advantage for the Sugar Bowl.
This is just one of the many reasons why the Sugar Bowl will be the best BCS game of the year!
Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews and predictions. Feel free to contact Matt at mregaw@gmail.com.
Other College Bowl Game Articles:
New Mexico Bowl: Miners to Challenge Cougars
Sugar Bowl: Five Reason the Hogs can beat the Buckeyes
New Orleans Bowl: Bobcats Can Run Against Trojans
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