2008 Emerald Bowl
Miami (7-5) vs. California (8-4)
Dec. 27, 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
Payout:
$750,000 to $825,000 Location: AT&T Park,
San Francisco CA
-
2008
Emerald
Bowl
Player Profiles, Histories, & More
 |
|
National
Rankings |
|
Miami |
California |
|
Total Offense |
|
88th 327.08 ypg |
46th 379.17 ypg |
|
Total Defense |
|
25th 315.75 ypg |
24th 315.42 ypg |
|
Scoring Offense |
|
46th 27.92 ppg |
22nd 33.33 ppg |
|
Scoring Defense |
|
56th 24.17 ppg |
28th 20.17 ppg |
|
Run Offense |
|
78th 130.08 ypg |
30th 183.67 ypg |
|
Run Defense |
|
69th 146.42 ypg |
25th 122.50 ypg |
|
Pass Offense |
|
76th 197 ypg |
79th 195.50 ypg |
|
Pass Defense |
|
13th 169.33 ypg |
43rd 192.92 ypg |
|
Turnover Margin |
|
101st -0.75 |
6th 1.17 |
|
Miami
Char South. W 52-7
at Florida L 26-3
at T A&M W 41-23
No Carolina L
28-24
Florida St L
41-39
UCF W 20-14
at Duke W 49-31
W Forest W
16-10
at UVa W 24-17 OT
Va Tech W 16-14
at Ga Tech L 41-23
at NC State
L 38-28 |
California
Michigan
St W 38-31
at Wash St
W 66-3
at Maryland L
35-27
Colorado St W
42-7
Arizona St W
24-14
at Arizona L 42-27
UCLA W 41-20
Oregon W 26-16
at USC L 17-3
at Oregon St L 34-21
Stanford W 37-16
Washington W 48-7 |
|
Position
Ratings
relative to each
other |
|
M |
5
highest
1 lowest |
C |
|
3 |
Quarterbacks |
3.5 |
|
4 |
RBs |
5 |
|
3.5 |
Receivers |
3.5 |
|
3 |
O
Line |
4 |
|
4 |
D
Line |
4 |
|
4 |
Linebackers |
4 |
|
4 |
Secondary |
4 |
|
4 |
Spec
Teams |
4 |
|
4 |
Coaching |
4 |
|
It’s been seven years since
Miami has even played a game on
the left coast. The ‘Canes could
care less how far they have to
travel this month; they’re just
thrilled to be back in the bowl
picture after falling short a
year ago.
Miami has taken a baby step in
the rebuilding process under
Randy Shannon, going 7-5 a year
after going 5-7. The coach roped
in a dynamite recruiting class
in February, and then put a slew
of his youngsters in charge of
getting the program closer to
the glory days. Because there
are so many underclassmen
dotting the Hurricane two-deep,
this experience, including the
15 practices that come with it,
will pay enormous dividends in
2009 and beyond.
Miami was actually close to
breaking through and winning the
ACC Coastal division before
dropping its final two games,
including a backbreaker to
Georgia Tech in the next to last
regular season game. The
coaching staff recently named
Matt Bosher the most valuable
player of 2008. Now, the
sophomore is a terrific talent,
but when a punter/placekicker is
the MVP, you know the program
has some growing up to do on
both sides of the ball.
One of these years, Cal is going
to break through and end USC’s
Pac-10 dominance. Or maybe not.
While it’s important to point
out how far the Bears have come
under Jeff Tedford this decade,
it should also be noted that the
school has lost at least four
games in five of the last seven
seasons and is still waiting for
that elusive return to the Rose
Bowl. This year’s edition was
unbeaten in Strawberry Canyon,
yet only went 1-4 on the road.
Although the Emerald Bowl won’t
be in Berkeley, it’ll take place
just 10 miles down I-80 in a
dream come true moment for the
bowl organizers. For the most
part, the first six Emerald
Bowls have been mediocre and
uneventful, but for Miami and
Cal, it should be a jumping off
point to a big 2009. Both teams
should be stronger next year,
both teams have talent, and both
teams should put on a decent
show.
Players to watch:
If nothing else, the Emerald
Bowl will provide a wonderful
platform for much of the country
to get its first good look at
Cal RB Jahvid Best, an
early 2009 Heisman contender and
one of the most electrifying
players in America. Second only
to Missouri’s Jeremy Maclin in
all-purpose yards, he capped the
regular season with a
school-record 311 yards rushing
and is a threat to go the
distance whenever he jets past
the first line of defense. Best
need not worry about getting
overworked. His sidekick,
redshirt freshman Shane
Vereen, has been an ideal
complement throughout the year,
running for 679 yards and four
scores.
The Bear defense has been one of
this year’s pleasant surprises,
embracing the new 3-4 and
ranking in the top 15 in pass
efficiency defense, sacks, and
turnover margin. Each line of
defense has its signature
performer. Up front, 6-3,
290-pound DE Tyson Alualu
provides the pressure, leading
all linemen with 10.5 tackles
for loss and six sacks. In the
middle, LB Zack Follett
is capping a brilliant Bear
career with 19 tackles behind
the line, playing with the same
level of passion and intensity
when he arrived four years ago.
And in the secondary,
Syd’Quan Thompson is
emerging as one of the league’s
feistiest cover corners. All
three are members of this year’s
All-Pac-10 squad.
As running back tandems go,
Miami feels Cal has nothing on
it. The Hurricanes are home to
the thunder and lightning pair
of Javarris James and
Graig Cooper, respectively.
While Cooper has some of the
flash and dazzle of Best, James
was never able to fully strut
this fall. Nagging injuries got
in the way until November. With
a month to rest, he’ll have his
best chance of the year to be
the focal point of the offense.
Considering Miami’s struggles to
throw the ball with freshmen
Robert Marve and Jacory
Harris, James and Cooper
could get 15 carries apiece if
the scoreboard permits it.
Start talking about DE Marcus
Robinson and LB Sean
Spence now. You’ll look like
a genius by the middle of next
year. The teens, both Freshman
All-Americans, have been poster
children for the success Shannon
has had on the recruiting trail.
Robinson became a blur off the
edge toward the end of the year,
collecting three sacks in the
win over Virginia Tech. He’s
capable of disrupting the Cal
passing game, especially if the
heavy-legged Longshore is behind
center. Spence has been tearing
it up since April, playing with
tremendous range and delivering
more pop than your typical 6-0,
211-pounder.
Miami will win if...
James and Cooper run the way
everyone expected they would
before the season began. Forget
about the passing attack. The
inconsistency of Marve and
Harris coupled with the thievery
of the Cal secondary is a
poisonous recipe for the ‘Canes.
If they’ve got any hope of
scoring beyond the teens, it’s
incumbent upon the two backfield
horses to move the chains on a
Bear D that has struggled at
times against the run. If James
and Cooper can somehow match
Best and Vereen, Miami will have
a good shot of delivering the
upset.
Cal will win if... it can
pressure the Harris into
mistakes. When the Bears have
picked off at least two passes
in a game this season, they’re a
cool 7-0. Marve and Harris have
been rather generous this
season, throwing 19
interceptions combined, which
has the Cal defensive backs
salivating. With Marve suspended
for the game and the offense
falling on Harris’ shoulders,
the pressure will mount. The key
will be to force the Hurricanes
into obvious passing situations
and flushing Harris out of the
pocket. If he has to throw on
the run or with someone in his
face, Thompson or someone else
in the back seven will take it
back the other way.
What will happen: Better
days lie ahead at Miami. It just
might not be so obvious on this
night. Any chance that Cal would
be disinterested in the Emerald
Bowl went away when the ‘Canes
were announced as their
opponent. The underrated Bear
defense will shut down Miami,
chipping in a touchdown of its
own on an interception return.
Best will take care of the rest
on offense, accounting for 175
yards from scrimmage and
igniting the partisan crowd with
a couple of bursts up the
sidelines. In the end, the
Hurricanes won’t have enough
playmakers on offense to mount a
second-half comeback.
Line: Cal -7 ...
CFN Prediction: Cal
31 ... Miami 16
-
2008
Emerald
Bowl
Player Profiles, Histories, & More