2011 Bowl Predictions: Holiday Bowl Preview, a Tale of Two Seasons

For Texas, a 7-5 season and sixth place finish in the Big 12 is probably a bit of a disappointment.

For Cal, a 7-5 season and fourth place finish in the Pac 12 North is probably a source of optimism.

No doubt a contributor to these feelings were preseason expectations. But a more important component could be the way the teams finished.

Cal won three of their last four, their only loss coming to Stanford by three. Texas lost three of their last four, their only win a two point victory against Texas A&M.

For Cal, the difference has been the development of their rush attack. In their first eight games, the Bears averaged 135.75 yards per game rushing, in the final four, they averaged 230.

That increase in rushing took the pressure off of QB Zach Maynard. In the first eight games Maynard turned it over 10 times, but he turned it over just once in the final four.

Cal will be tested by the Longhorns stout rush defense. The Horns allowed only 3.34 yards per carry and 103.7 yards per game. They are led by Jackson Jeffcoat and Alex Okafor along the front line, who combined for 27 tackles for loss on the season.

Texas has struggled down the stretch due to an inept offense. In their final four games they averaged only 17.25 points per game, bottoming out with a five point contribution against Missouri.

The defense played well enough to beat both Kansas State and Missouri, but the offense combined for just 22 points in those two games.

The Horns were hampered by injuries down the stretch. Their entire stable of running backs broke down at one time or another in the final four games.

Fozzie Whittaker was lost for the season against Missouri, Bergeron missed the final two games due to an injured hamstring and Brown battled through nagging knee and toe injuries.

Throw in an injury to receiver Jaxon Shipley, and Austin has looked more like a MASH ward than a football city.

With the backs out, Texas achieved the opposite with their quarterback than Cal did with theirs. Texas put more pressure on sophomore Case McCoy, and as a result he struggled, throwing four interceptions against Baylor.

The Horns will get a boost from the time off, and both Bergeron and Brown are expected to play against Cal.

The teams have been trending in opposite directions, but anything can happen following a long layoff. Texas will certainly be aided by the return of two of their backs.

The question now is if Cal can continue to run the ball as effectively as they did down the stretch.

Stay tuned in the upcoming days for more in-depth coverage of the Holiday Bowl. Until then, enjoy the holidays.