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Holiday tradition
High-powered ground games are set to clash

Kendall Hunter and the OSU Cowboys are ranked seventh in the nation in rushing offense. Oregon is fourth. Daryl Wilson/Tulsa World

 
By BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Published: 12/30/2008  2:23 AM
Last Modified: 12/30/2008  3:28 AM

Listen to press conferences from Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and Oregon coach Mike Bellotti from the Holiday Bowl in San Diego.



SAN DIEGO — This college football season has been defined by spread-it-out, air-it-out offense.

In Division I-A this season, 28 teams passed for at least 250 yards a game.

Only eight teams — including Oklahoma State and Oregon — average at least 250 rushing yards.

The Cowboys and Ducks are among the scores of programs that deploy a spread attack, but they are among the few that sustained a strong emphasis on the ground game.

The 15th-ranked Ducks average 41.9 points and 227.8 rushing yards (6.1 per attempt). The 13th-ranked Cowboys average 41.6 points and 256.0 rushing yards (5.6 per attempt).

Statistical twins OSU and Oregon clash in Tuesday's 31st annual Holiday Bowl, set for 7 p.m. at 71,500-seat Qualcomm Stadium. Both teams are 9-3.

"We're very confident," Cowboy All-American wide receiver Dez Bryant said. "Any team that goes up against a Big 12 South team, they're going to have trouble."

As of Monday, slightly more than 65,000 tickets had been sold. The game is televised by ESPN.

Of all of the 34 bowls, Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said, "This may be the best matchup in college football right now, and you can quote me on that."

During its 30-year history, the Holiday Bowl has become known for big scores and tight finishes. The Holiday heritage includes Indiana 38, BYU 37 in 1979; BYU 46, SMU 45 in 1980; BYU 38, Washington State 36 in 1981; Iowa 39, San Diego State 38 in 1986; Penn State 50, BYU 39 in 1989; Oregon 35, Texas 30 in 2000; and Texas 47, Washington 43 in 2001.

The OSU-Oregon contest has the potential for big scoring and a dramatic fourth quarter.

Oregon thrives with a three-man rush attack. Running back Jeremiah Johnson has run for 1,082 yards, averaging 6.9 per attempt while scoring 12 touchdowns. His backup, LeGarrette Blount, has 928 yards, averaging 7.1 per carry with 16 TDs. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has contributed 612 rushing yards and seven TDs.

"(The Ducks) do a nice job of spreading you out and pitching the ball on the perimeter, and they force you to tackle in space," Cowboy coach Mike Gundy said. "Tackling will be very important in this game."

The Cowboys counter with sophomore running back Kendall Hunter, the Big 12's leading rusher with 1,518 yards. Backup Keith Toston has run for 658 yards (7.0 per carry) and nine touchdowns, and quarterback Zac Robinson added 508 rushing yards and seven TDs.

"We talk a lot about our quarterback being the best point guard in the Pac-10 football league, and I think their quarterback Zac Robinson is the (Big 12's) best point guard in terms of distributing the football," Bellotti said. "The mobility of the quarterbacks, in my mind, is the difference-maker for both of these football teams.

"These guys are not running just to (escape pressure). They're running to get first downs and touchdowns. They're very viable in that regard."

ESPN's cameras will be focused on Bryant, a prominent contributor both in OSU's passing game (74 catches and a school-record total of 18 touchdowns) and on punt returns (17.9-yard average and two touchdowns).

"Dez Bryant, to me, is the one difference-maker," Bellotti said. "I think the running backs are very equal. The tight ends are great receivers. The quarterbacks are mobile and able to do their thing.

"But Dez Bryant, we've got to find a way to contain him. Pick your poison. If you double-cover him, you are singling the other side or losing a man in the box, in terms of the running game. And they run the ball very well. Certainly, the team that runs the football best in this game is going to have a leg up."

Gundy predicts Bryant will be chased by two defenders on every snap.

"I think they'll do what the last six or seven teams did against him — they'll play a guy on him and a guy over the top," Gundy said. "I would say that they're going to try to take Dez out of the game."

RECORD-SETTING COWBOYS



When Oklahoma State defeated Wyoming 62-14 in 1988, the Cowboys set 11 Holiday Bowl records that still stand:

Most total yards: 698.

Best third-down efficiency: 81.8 percent (9-of- 11).

Yards per play: 8.7.

Most rushing TDs: Six.

Most points in a quarter: 28.

Most points in a half: 45.

Fewest punts: Zero.

Individual rushing TDs: Barry Sanders, five.

Longest run from scrimmage: Barry Sanders, 67 yards.

Highest completion percentage: Mike Gundy, 83.3 percent (20-of-24 passing).

Most receiving yards: Hart Lee Dykes, 163.



Bill Haisten 581-8397
bill.haisten@tulsaworld.com
By BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer

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COMMENTS 
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7 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
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If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you.  -- Web Editor Jason Collington
 

 
Report Comment
GrannyTazzy, Tulsa (12/30/2008 6:14:58 AM)
Go Cowboys! and Congrats to Missouri
Report Comment
Bixby Jeff, (12/30/2008 9:23:50 AM)
Go Pokes! And great job Mizzou in getting the Big XII off to a good start last night.

P.S. Does Oregon average at least 250 yards rushing per game? Or just 227.8? The story says both.
Report Comment
pat, Kiefer (12/30/2008 11:00:19 AM)
Go Cowboys! If you think Missouri won that game decisively you didn't watch the whole game! They flat out got lucky! NW was all over a much better team! Glad the big12 won, but it wasn't a pretty game!
Report Comment
Have that, America (12/30/2008 11:04:27 AM)
this article is off on its numbers...

O State: 256.0 Rushing yards per game
Oregon: 277.8 Rushing yards per game

O State: 233.3 passing yards per game
Oregon: 200.3 passing yards per game
think it may just be a typo on the 227.8 rypg stated...and I think the point of mentioning the 28 teams that passed for 250+ was saying that these teams aren't like those teams and that these two do things differently than most. yet are still very successful offensive teams.

either way...the first part of this is kinda poorly written.

GO POKES!! I really think that both of these teams will get the offensive train rolling and we should see a great bowl game...

Prediction: 48-38 pokes win.
Report Comment
Have that, America (12/30/2008 11:07:33 AM)
you're totally right pat...missouri got extremely lucky...crybaby chase showed off why he should never have been considered for the heisman. After OSU went up to coloumbia and handed it to him in his house, he fell apart and stunk for the rest of the year.

they were beat in that game...and totally just got lucky...but I'll take a big XII win any day!! especially over the overrated Big 10
Report Comment
vj, Tulsa (12/30/2008 11:18:02 AM)
Go Pokes! Let's make it a Big XII sweep this year in the bowls.
Report Comment
Arbythree, Tulsa (12/30/2008 2:53:08 PM)
Yes I can say it too. GO POKES! Keep the Big 12 moving right along.
 

 
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