California vs. Texas: What You Need to Know About the 2011 Holiday Bowl

A bowl game battle between two 7-5 teams usually doesn't sound too enticing, but this year's Holiday Bowl, pitting California and Texas against each other, is actually worthy tuning in for.

The Longhorns and the Golden Bears didn't exactly have very consistent campaigns in 2011, but they're two teams that have a ton of intriguing young talent, and they're two squads that have the potential to make some noise next season.

This game will be all about building for the future, while still trying to also salvage this season.

If both teams show up and play with the right attitude and effort, this game actually has a shot to turn into a pretty entertaining affair, and it will be interesting to see which team can build a little early momentum for 2012. 

Here's a look at what you need to know about the two teams competing in the 2011 Holiday Bowl.

The Basic Details

Date: Dec. 28, 2011

Time: 8:00 p.m. ET

Channel: ESPN

The Spread: Texas (-3)

Sponsor: Bridgepoint Education

Conferences Represented: Texas—Big 12, California—Pac-12

Stadium: Qualcomm Stadium

City: San Diego, California

2010 Result: Washington 19, Nebraska 7

California's 2011 Resume

Overall Record: 7-5

Conference Record: 4-5

Sagarin Schedule Rank: 27

Who They Beat: Fresno State (36-21), Colorado (36-33), Presbyterian (63-12), Utah (34-10), Washington State (30-7), Oregon State (23-6), Arizona State (47-38)

Who Beat Them: Washington (31-23), Oregon (43-15), USC (30-9), UCLA (31-14), Stanford (31-28)

Texas' 2011 Resume

Overall Record: 7-5

Conference Record: 4-5

Sagarin Schedule Rank: 4

Who They Beat: Rice (34-9), BYU (17-16), UCLA (49-20), Iowa State (37-14), Kansas (55-17), Texas Tech (52-20), Texas A&M (27-25)

Who Beat Them: Oklahoma (55-17), Oklahoma State (38-26), Missouri (17-5), Kansas State (17-13), Baylor (48-24)

California by the Numbers

Offense

Points Per Game: 29.8

Yards Per Game: 418

Passing Yards Per Game: 251

Rushing Yards Per Game: 167

Yards Per Play: 5.8

 

Defense

Points Per Game: 24.4

Yards Per Game: 339

Passing Yards Per Game: 209

Rushing Yards Per Game: 130

Yards Per Play: 5.2

 

Special Teams

Field Goal Percentage: 86%

Yards Per Punt: 43.6

Yards Per Kick Return: 19.8

Yards Per Punt Return: 5.2

Key Numbers

Turnovers (Gained vs. Lost): 23-19

Third-Down Conversions: 40%

Red-Zone Percentage: 89%

Texas by the Numbers

Offense

Points Per Game: 28.7

Yards Per Game: 404

Passing Yards Per Game: 194

Rushing Yards Per Game:210

Yards Per Play: 5.4

Defense

Points Per Game: 23.3

Yards Per Game: 315

Passing Yards Per Game: 211

Rushing Yards Per Game: 104

Yards Per Play: 4.7

Special Teams

Field Goal Percentage: 85 %

Yards Per Punt: 37.7

Yards Per Kick Return: 24.1

Yards Per Punt Return: 14.9

Key Numbers

Turnovers (Gained vs. Lost): 21-26

Third-Down Conversions: 45 %

Red-Zone Percentage: 73 %

California's Key Player: RB Isi Sofele

With so many quality running backs in the Pac-12 this year, Cal's Isi Sofele didn't get a ton of national publicity before the season started, but he certainly made a name for himself with his performance in 2011.

Sofele was the star of Cal's offense this year, as he rushed for 1,270 yards and scored nine touchdowns.

The 5'8'', 190-pound junior isn't the biggest back around, but he's got the strength and physicality to run in between the tackles, and he also has the speed and shiftiness to make things happen on the outside.

Texas' Key Players: RB Malcolm Brown

Malcolm Brown arrived at Texas this year with high expectations, and the former 5-star recruit certainly didn't disappoint in his first season.

The 6'0'', 215-pound freshman missed three games due to injury, but he still managed to rush for 707 yards and score five touchdowns.

Brown has as much natural ability as any other back in the country, and he's got the potential to be a star in 2012.

It will be interesting to see how he fares in the Holiday Bowl against a tough Cal defensive front seven.

If Brown has a big outing, it will help him build some momentum going into 2012.

Breakdown/Prediction

This will be a matchup of two 7-5 teams that share a lot more similarities than just their record.

These two squads both have two tough, stout defenses, they both have two emerging star running backs in Isi Sofele and Malcolm Brown and they have two young, inexperienced quarterbacks who had a lot of growing up to do this year.

They're also two teams that are led by coaches who have seen their better days.

It was just a few years ago that Texas' Mack Brown and Cal's Jeff Tedford were two of the most respected coaches in college football, but after a few lackluster seasons, both coaches have started to face some heat and criticism.

Going 7-5 isn't going to win you a lot of support amongst your fanbase, but a big bowl win will always help to ease some of the unrest, and that's why this game is so important for both Brown and Tedford.

An interesting factor to follow in this game will be Texas' motivation.

The Longhorns had three no-show performances against Kansas State, Missouri and Baylor in the final few weeks of the season, and this team hardly resembles some of the great Texas teams we saw last decade.

Even though the defense has been steady throughout the year, the offense has been abysmal at times this season, and the quarterback play has been weak basically all year long.

That's what actually makes this game worth tuning in for, though. Personally, I'm interested to see what type of Texas team shows up—the one that plays up to its potential and talent level or the one that mails it in.

Cal's a quality squad with some intriguing developing offensive playmakers like QB Zach Maynard, RB Isi Sofele and WR Keenan Allen.

If Texas' defense doesn't come to play, the Longhorns are going to be in some serious trouble.

Prediction: California 27, Texas 21