2010 Military Bowl, Texas Bowl and Alamo Bowl: Previews & Predictions
Wednesday looks like it should enjoy a very interesting afternoon of college football.
Maryland-ECU
The action kicks off at 2:30 pm Eastern Time as Maryland takes on Eastern Carolina. This is almost home game for the Terps, as Maryland's campus is about 10 miles from RFK Stadium. This is East Carolina's fifth straight season with a bowl appearance. For the Pirates watch their athletic quarterback Dominique Davis produce a lot of yards, touchdowns and "wow moments".
The guy has passed for 36 touchdowns this season and 3,699 yards. Maryland will need to slow down Davis's favorite receiver, Dwayne Harris. He caught 93 passes this season.
Maryland's freshman quarterback Danny O'Brien threw four touchdown passes to receiver Torrey Smith in the season finally win against NC State.
Prediction: Maryland finished the season with a nice win over NC State. Eastern Carolina lost four of its last five. Athletically, ECU holds its own by passing a lot, but Maryland comes in with momentum and wins one final game for coach Ralph Friedgen.
Maryland 28, ECU 20
Baylor-Illinois
Baylor and Illinois should just save money on travel costs and not bring their defenses. Offense figures to steal the show. Headlining will be Baylor QB Robert Griffin III; he of 3,000 passing yards, 500 plus yards on the ground and 29 total touchdowns. I like that he threw only eight interceptions and helped Baylor stay relevant throughout its Big 12 schedule. Beating Texas was huge for this program's growth.
Illinois stayed extraordinarily balanced on offense and kept every game entertaining this season. The Illini's triple-overtime thriller in Michigan this season was amazing. Fans hope to see this game have a similar offensive explosion. Freshman Nathan Scheelhaase is a fun QB to watch, but Illinois needs a great game from RB Mikel Leshoure to beat Baylor.
Prediction: Illinois has experience playing in shootouts heavy on offense. Robert Griffin III has been salivating for about a month in anticipation of this Illinois defense. I expect Baylor to outlast Illinois in a game that could break the scoreboard by halftime.
Baylor 52, Illinois 44
Oklahoma State-Arizona
The Alamo Bowl pits Oklahoma State against Arizona, in a matchup of a couple of underrated teams that fell victim to great conference opponents. Watching Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon reminds me of Anquan Boldin in his time at Florida State, but maybe even better. Slot receiver Josh Cooper appears destined to take Wes Welker's job one day for the Patriots.
If that wasn't enough offensive firepower, let's throw in a calm, mature QB in Braden Weeden and a future NFL running back in Kendall Hunter. Because of all these talents, the Cowboy's highlight reel defense doesn't get much national attention.
Side note: Google "Oklahoma State sideline interception" if you want to see why tip drills are something every defense should practice.
Arizona was a "good-not-great" team in a stacked Pac 10 this season. Nick Foles is one of those guys that somebody will steal in the NFL draft, after being criticized for not being physically or athletically freakish in the pocket. He's a smart QB who will need to play a great game to keep up with OK State.
Prediction: I feel like I made this pick too quickly. Counting Arizona out is something a lot of people did early this year like before they whopped Iowa. They lost a couple games to Oregon and Stanford and are now flying dangerously under the radar. I've been sold on Justin Blackmon and Oklahoma State's offense for quite some time. I think they still win this game.
OK State 38, Arizona 28
