UCLA (7-5) vs. Florida State (6-6)
Dec. 27, 8 p.m., ESPN
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Emerald Bowl Player
Profile: Florida State S Myron Rolle, history & more
You're going to sit through the R&L
Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
You'll have the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl on in while
hanging out with the fam.
You'll get into the offensive fireworks of the Arizona State vs.
Hawaii, Hawaii Bowl.
But UCLA vs. Florida State in the Emerald Bowl represents the first
bowl game of the season you'd likely go out of your way to watch if
it was played on a regular Saturday afternoon.
|
|
National
Rankings |
|
Florida State |
UCLA |
|
Total Offense |
|
73rd 322 ypg |
76th 321.42 ypg |
|
Total Defense |
|
15th 278.92 ypg |
33rd 304.83 ypg |
|
Scoring Offense |
|
54th 25.08 ppg |
70th 22.67 ppg |
|
Scoring Defense |
|
31st 19.25 ppg |
27th 17.92 ppg |
|
Run Offense |
|
103rd 95.83 ypg |
74th 124.42 ypg |
|
Run Defense |
|
8th 84.08 ypg |
12th 89.92 ypg |
|
Pass Offense |
|
38th 226.17 ypg |
61st 197 ypg |
|
Pass Defense |
|
52nd 194.83 ypg |
83rd 214.92 ypg |
|
Turnover Margin |
|
107th -0.83 |
27th
0.50 |
|
Florida State
at Miami W 13-10
Troy
W 24-17
Clemson
L 27-20
Rice
W 55-7
at NC State
L 24-20
at Duke
W 51-24
Boston Coll
L 24-19
at Maryland L 27-24
Virginia
W 33-0
Wake Forest
L 30-0
West Mich
W 28-20
Florida
L 21-14 |
UCLA
Utah
W 31-10
Rice
W 26-16
at Wash. L 29-19
Stanford
W 31-0
Arizona
W 27-7
at Oregon L 30-20
at No Dame L 20-17
Wash St
L 37-15
at California L 38-24
Oregon State W 25-7
at Ariz St W 24-12
USC W 13-9 |
|
Position
Ratings
relative to each
other |
|
FS |
5
highest
1 lowest |
UCLA |
|
3.5 |
Quarterbacks |
3.5 |
|
3.5 |
RBs |
3.5 |
|
4.5 |
Receivers |
3.5 |
|
3 |
O
Line |
4 |
|
4 |
D
Line |
5 |
|
4.5 |
Linebackers |
4 |
|
4 |
Secondary |
3.5 |
|
4 |
Spec
Teams |
4 |
|
4 |
Coaching |
4 |
|
UCLA was the
toast of the college football world in early December after a
stunningly dominant 13-9 win over USC to throw the national title
mix for a loop. In what was supposed to be a bit of a rebuilding
year after a strong 10-2, Sun Bowl winning campaign, the offense did
just enough to be competitive, while the defense was night-and-day
better with a killer pass rush and all the young players, who were
rolled over in 2005, turning into stars in 2006.
There were several missed chances to make the season special, but it
wasn't until the USC win that the team started to get some national
respect after being known mostly for giving up a miraculous final
touchdown drive to Brady Quinn and Notre Dame in a 20-17 loss as
part of an ugly midseason four game losing stretch. After starting
off the Pac 10 season with a 29-19 loss to Washington, the Bruins
were 2-4 in the conference.
And then the defense kicked it in.
By allowing just 28 points over the final three games to
high-powered Oregon State, Arizona State, and USC offenses, the
confidence and the ability are there to handle the middling,
struggling Florida State attack full of next-level athletes but
missing any consistency.
One of 2006's biggest disappointments, Florida State's offense
started off the season cranking out just 176 yards in a 13-10 win
over Miami and didn't do much better throughout the year. The
running game was non-existent, while the passing game was too
erratic against the better teams to be any sort of contender in the
ACC race.
One week the Noles were hanging 33 points on Virginia in a blowout,
the next it was being shut out at home by Wake Forest. Along the
way, offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden was let go in a highly
compensated, highly overdue firing. On the other side of the ball,
the defense was tremendous having to carry the team all season long.
It's an important as an early bowl game can be with each team
needing the positive momentum. For a young UCLA team, closing out
with a fourth straight win would set the tone for next year and make
this one of the hot programs going into the off-season. For Florida
State, the once elite program has to show that it still has the
potential to come up with an impressive performance on a national
stage.
Players to watch: The UCLA hopes are all pinned on the pass
rush. Senior Justin Hickman and junior Bruce Davis
each earned All-America honors with Hickman getting off to a hot
start and Davis serving as the consistent pass rushing threat all
season long. Hickman is the bigger of the two, while Davis is more
of a tweener combination of linebacker and speed rusher. Each makes
plays in the backfield and each will test the average Florida State
offensive line.
Both Bruin pass rushers, along with the rest of the aggressive
defense, will prepare to face both Florida State quarterbacks.
Drew Weatherford was the starter for most of the year, but he
failed to build on a promising freshman campaign and struggled to
get the passing game over the second half of season with only one
touchdown pass and five interceptions over the final five games.
Fellow sophomore Xavier Lee got most of the work late in the
year, but didn't do much more to keep the chains moving and didn't
get into a passing groove. Lee offers more mobility, while
Weatherford has the experience. Without a running game to rely on,
both quarterbacks will have to be prepared to make fast, accurate
reads against the blitzing defense.
The UCLA quarterback situation is settled for the bowl game and will
be the hot topic throughout the off-season. Ben Olson started
the season and showed off glimpses of his vast potential early, but
he tore the MCL in his left knee and missed the final seven games.
While Olson's healthy and ready to go, Patrick Cowan will get
the start improving over the second half of the year. His passing
isn't anything to get excited about, but it's improving, and he's
fast and mobile enough to be used as a runner when everything breaks
down.
The UCLA offense isn't anything special, and it should be held in
check if the Florida State defense plays as expected and senior LB
Buster Davis comes up with a typical performance. While he
hasn't been the tackling machine he was expected to be, he still led
the team in stops and was consistent throughout. He has the ability
to make plays in the backfield and be used at any linebacker spot.
UCLA
will win if...
it keeps the Florida State passing
game in check. UCLA is 0-5 when it's allowed two or more touchdown
passes and 7-0 when allowing fewer than two. The Bruin secondary
isn't always a rock and is a bit small, but it's full of excellent
athletes who should be able to run with the talented Florida State
receivers. As long as the Bruin pass rush is the same Bruin pass
rush that crushed and killed all season long, the tall Seminole
receivers Greg Carr, De'Cody Fagg, and Chris Davis, who should be
able to jump over the UCLA defensive backs, won't be able to tear
off many deep routes. Florida State will try to run the ball with
little success.
Florida State will win if... it wins the turnover battle and
gets hot early. For a team that's been beaten up as much as Florida
State has been by the press, its fans, and its own expectations,
getting a little momentum right off the bat would mean everything
for the team's psyche. This isn't likely to be a shootout of any
kind, so if the Noles can take an early lead and turn the game over
to its defense, that might be just enough to win. In general, if you
stop the Bruin running game and don't turn the ball over, you can
beat UCLA.
What will happen: Florida State might be down, but it's still
Bobby Bowden in a bowl game. As long as the Seminole offensive line
doesn't get thoroughly whipped and gives the quarterbacks a little
bit of time to operate, the offense should be able to move a little
bit. UCLA's offense will get stuffed early on bringing Ben Olson off
the bench for a comeback attempt. He'll look good, but he won't do
enough to pull off the win.
Line: UCLA -4.5 ... CFN Prediction: Florida
State 20 ... UCLA 13
Get
Tickets for the Emerald Bowl |
Get more picks for this
game
Emerald Bowl Player
Profile: Florida State S Myron Rolle, history & more