 | OREGON STATE (8-4) vs. BRIGHAM YOUNG (10-2)
Maaco Bowl Las Vegas
Dec. 22, 8 p.m. ET
ESPN |  |
INSIDE THE CAMPS
OREGON STATE
In winning five consecutive bowl games, Oregon State has done very well at combining the desire for a positive culmination to the season along with taking a step toward next season.
What better way for the 8-4 Beavers to finish 2009 and begin 2010 than beat BYU in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas?
A win would lessen the disappointment of a loss in the regular-season finale to Oregon. That loss denied the Beavers their first trip to the Rose Bowl in 45 years.
Another postseason victory would also likely leave OSU ranked among the nation's top 20 teams, at least a consolation prize for the Beavers. Oregon State knows it will spend the winter in the shadow of rival Oregon's appearance in the Rose Bowl.
The 2009 season has been a record-setting one for the Beavers individually, and more of those marks could fall in the bowl game. OSU could also finish with a nine-win season for the fourth consecutive year. It's been 40 years since OSU last had that many winning seasons in a row.
This could be more about next year, however, with the Beavers returning 18 of the 22 starters in the bowl game, plus their specialists. A win over BYU would bode well for a preseason ranking in the top 25, and consideration among the contenders for the Pac-10 title next season, when the schedule brings the other top contenders to Corvallis.
There's much to play for in Las Vegas for the Beavers, for this year and next.
BYU
Five in a row might not be so bad after all.
BYU will make another appearance at the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 22, and this time it's viewed by the program (and its fans) in general as a good thing for the Cougars, who lost last year's trip there to underappreciated Arizona.
By virtue of a wild Pac-10 standings shift at season's end, and Mountain West Conference front-runner TCU going to the Fiesta Bowl, it came down to BYU and rival Utah (a team the Cougars defeated in overtime Nov. 28) for the trip to Sin City.
It was either that, or the Poinsettia in San Diego to be played two days prior to Christmas. But BYU is simply a natural fit in Las Vegas, even with the school's straight-laced standards.
There's a large Mormon population in southern Nevada, and the postseason game has become synonymous with the Cougars since 2005 -- when they became bowl-eligible again after the longest drought in three decades.
"We look forward to the opportunity to play in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas and face Oregon State," said BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall, an Oregon State alumnus and former defensive coordinator with the Beavers. "I'm proud of what our seniors and our team have accomplished this year."
It will be the first time in the bowl's history that both teams come in nationally ranked.
There were plenty of whispers going around that BYU didn't want to go to Las Vegas, and perhaps the game's deciders didn't want the school again, either.
But when weighing in the potential ticket sales, it could be a very good fit again this year.
"The MAACO Bowl Las Vegas has been very good to BYU," BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said. "(The bowl does) an outstanding job of making it a first-class bowl experience for everyone involved. We are excited to earn a fifth straight bowl invitation with our fourth consecutive 10-win season under Coach Mendenhall."
KEY MATCHUPS
BYU QB Max Hall vs. Oregon State's defense.
The Beavers' defense was able to battle with Oregon. Hall is looking to finish off his career with one more win, which would tack onto a three-year starting career that became the winningest all-time at BYU ahead of such names as Jim McMahon, Steve Young and (now second place) Ty Detmer. Hall will have a healthy roster of weapons, and perhaps this is also a showcase that puts a few NFL eyes upon him.
Jame Rodgers against the BYU kick-coverage units.
A special teams play is likely to make the difference between two teams this closely matched, and where better for the Beavers to turn than to Rodgers. The OSU junior averaged 23.3 yards on kickoff returns and 11.6 on punt returns. He helped set up good field position in several games for the Beavers and about the only thing he didn't do was take a punt or kickoff back for a touchdown.
Oregon State's linebackers against BYU running back Harvey Unga.
The Beavers would love to stop BYU quarterback Max Hall -- but that isn't likely. To turn the BYU offense into a one-dimensional attack, OSU needs to focus on stuffing the run. That means dealing with Unga, who rushed for 1,016 yards and averaged 5.5 yards per carry in the regular season. Four OSU linebackers received some awards recognition from Pac-10 coaches, with senior Keaton Kristick a first-team selection and the others honorable mention. This is their chance to show that was deserved.
Oregon State kicker Justin Kahut vs. BYU's Mitch Payne.
Might this be the most obvious edge the Beavers have in the game? While Payne was 9-of-13 on field goals during the season, Kahut was 22-of-27 and has made 15 of his past 16 from inside of 47 yards. The OSU junior is one field goal away from the school record for a season, and only three PATs from matching that record as well. This will be a game where every scoring threat will need to count, and Kahut has certainly become reliable.
NAMES TO KNOW
OREGON STATE
WR James Rodgers -- He's already set the Oregon State single-season record for all-purpose yards with 2,213 after setting the single-game record with 303 against Oregon. He's also likely to be motivated after missing last year's bowl game with a broken collarbone.
QB Sean Canfield -- Canfield won't be the most-heralded passer in the game, but his 70 percent completion rate can be appreciated even by BYU's Max Hall. This will be the final game for Canfield to further interest the professional scouts, who have taken note of his strong and accurate arm and his calm demeanor even in pressure situations.
DT Stephen Paea -- After his family emigrated from Tonga, the junior first tried football at Timpview High School in Utah, then played a season of JC football at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah. The BYU roster includes six players who graduated from the same high school as Paea, and five who attended Snow.
CB Brandon Hardin -- Likely to be moved back into the starting lineup, the sophomore will be the least experienced member of the secondary. That's like putting a target on his chest against BYU's passing game.
BYU
QB Max Hall -- He lost his previous bowl game, last December in the Las Vegas Bowl against Arizona, despite a solid performance (30 of 46 passing, 328 yards, one interception, plus a rushing touchdown). Hall is coming off arguably his worst game in three years as a starter, when he misfired on 20 of 32 passes against Utah on Nov. 28, but the team still won. After all the commotion he caused by using the word "hate" against Utah, will he be focused for his final game?
TE Dennis Pitta -- It's his final chance to show NFL management and scouts what he's capable of. Defenses (like Utah's and TCU's) have been known to key on him and make other BYU offensive threats beat them. Pitta -- healthy at the end of this season, compared to a serious November knee injury suffered a year ago -- must be creative at getting open, for his team's sake and his own future's.
S Scott Johnson -- No player at BYU (aside from maybe Pitta, who was also once a non-scholarship Cougar) has proven to be of more value than the former walk-on. The "quarterback" of the defense is in charge of getting players in proper alignment. His absence late last season (double groin tears) put the unit in flux. Healthy now, his presence showed in assignment-sound play late in the regular season.
RB Harvey Unga -- Like former BYU standout receiver Austin Collie (now succeeding in rookie year with Indianapolis Colts) Unga could very well use the final game of 2009 as a way to showcase himself for a pro future a year early. When healthy, he's a phenomenal dual threat at pass-catching and running. His durability will be questioned at the next level, but he offers tantalizing promise otherwise. Unga rushed for third consecutive 1,000-yard season (1,016 total, 5.5 average) despite missing one game and being severely limited in about three others.
MEDICAL WATCH
OREGON STATE
- CB Tim Clark, one of only two seniors who started on defense, suffered a broken right ankle against Oregon and underwent surgery the next day, ending his college career. That moves sophomore Brandon Hardin into the starting unit, and while he did start two games and was in a three-player rotation at the cornerback positions along with Clark and James Dockery, the Beavers are suddenly less experienced and not as deep. Hardin also left the Oregon game late, but he is expected back for the beginning of bowl practices.
- The extra time between the final game and the bowl will help several Beavers heal from nagging injuries, most notably OLB Keaton Kristick. He missed a couple of series against Oregon because of shoulder stingers that have been a continuing problem.
BYU
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