Poinsettia Bowl Utah vs. Cal thread

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Silly Cal fans....

[John McClain]

For my Ute brethren, a few unity avatars!





And while this picture has nothing to do with Kal, it has motivational utility!

You just can't argue with USC football tradition

[BoylenOver]

Lya reporting that Eliapo will be back for the bowl game.

http://blogs.sltrib.com/utes/index.p...&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

That's great news for him. I'm happy for the kid.

[TripletDaddy]

I was invited today to attend the POIN next week.

Apparently, our stake YM leader bought a bunch of tickets, including some field passes (not sure how he landed those) and has turned it into a YM activity. They need help chaperoning the activity and since I work with the youth and they know I love college football, they asked if I wanted to attend for free.

A couple of people are driving RVs down and there will be tailgating fun all day, culminating in the game itself. Based on the reaction of the YM today, sounds like they are excited to go to a football game and goof around all day.

Should I go? We get back from Vegas at about noon that day. I would basically say hello to my kids and then head straight down to San Diego. Not sure that sounds appealing.

[il Padrino Ute]

Yes, you should go and support the YM in your ward.

[CJF]

I was invited today to attend the POIN next week.

Apparently, our stake YM leader bought a bunch of tickets, including some field passes (not sure how he landed those) and has turned it into a YM activity. They need help chaperoning the activity and since I work with the youth and they know I love college football, they asked if I wanted to attend for free.

A couple of people are driving RVs down and there will be tailgating fun all day, culminating in the game itself. Based on the reaction of the YM today, sounds like they are excited to go to a football game and goof around all day.

Should I go? We get back from Vegas at about noon that day. I would basically say hello to my kids and then head straight down to San Diego. Not sure that sounds appealing.

Sounds like fun. Take the kids or at least your son. If the game gets boring, head home early. But it would give you a chance to get him hooked on the football experience. It also gives 3M a few hours to finish up Christmas things without her 4 kids pestering her.

[PaloAltoCougar]

This morning's paper includes a tidbit that of the 226 players on the Cal and Utah rosters, only one has experienced a bowl loss (LT Mike Tepper of Cal). Tepper is a sixth year senior and was on the Cal team that lost to Texas Tech in '05. That's pretty impressive and reflects a couple of very good coaches who approach the post-season with intensity. But Cal will be without its top offensive player, and perhaps its top defensive player, SydQuan Thompson.

I have mixed feelings about tonight's game. I was a huge Cal fan growing up and we're hosting Cal fans Christmas Eve. On the other hand, I'll be watching the game with my Ute Princess daughter and she has friends on the team and has become a very avid fan. Applying the SU Principle and my generous nature, I'm tempted to wish for a Ute loss for the benefit of our Ute brethren here. I think I'll just hope for an exciting game.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/cal-bears/ci_14051963

[SeattleUte]

I'm trying to figure out which team is happiest to be here. Clearly OSU didn't want to be in the veg; it had its heart set on the Rose Bowl then was totally deflated after the loss to Oregon. This gave BYU a huge advantage because BYU has an entirely different perspective on the veg. I'm hoping Wynn has a lot of fire and can lift the team. Every game is crucial for his career.

[TheBYUGuy]

Clearly OSU didn't want to be in the veg;

No team wants to be in any bowl when they have been punched in the mouth like that, they're down by three or 4 touchdowns, and God keeps holding them down through the elements. The Beavers wouldn't have wanted to be in the Super Bowl under those circumstances.

Nice job turning this into a BYU thread, BTW.

[myboynoah]

Does anybody seriously think that Utah will not kill Cal tonight? To me this is the easiest game to call. Utah by double digits. Anything less should be a huge dissapointment for the Utes and their fans.

[SteelBlue]

Anything less should be a huge dissapointment for the Utes and their fans.

Channeling your inner SU. I love it.

[il Padrino Ute]

The offenses of the U and Cal are almost identical. They average very similar in total yards. Their scoring offense is exactly the same.

The U offense - 389.6 ypg
Cal offense - 399.0 ypg

The U rushing - 169.4 ypg
Cal rushing - 175.6 ypg

The U passing - 220.2 ypg
Cal passing - 223.4 ypg

The U scoring - 29.2 ppg
Cal scoring - 29.2 ppg

Defense is the difference. The U is better against the pass and in scoring while Cal is better against the run.

The U defense - 314.2 ypg
Cal defense - 378.0 ypg

The U rush d - 141.3 ypg
Cal rush d - 117.1 ypg

The U pass d - 172.8 ypg
Cal pass d - 260.9 ypg

The U score d - 19.7 ppg
Cal score d - 24.5 ppg

The U is the best team in the country when it comes to winning bowl games. 8 straight and counting. Whittingham has proven that when he has more than a week to prepare for a game, he's going to get the win.

This should be a fun game tonight.

[myboynoah]

Channeling your inner SU. I love it.

I never write anything here that I don't sincerely believe.

[BoylenOver]

Cal's best corner, Syd'quan Thompson, is questionable for the game. If he's out, Reed and Brooks will have it that much easier in the passing game.

I'm also curious to see if Roderick will have any gadget plays, a la Ludwig. Last year, of course, the trick play was scoring on Alabama.

[Coach McGuirk]

That had to be the worst pre game show ever. Talk about covering your ass preparing for a PAC 10 loss tonight.