The chance to write this column gives me the opportunity to indulge in my guilty pleasure of surfing ESPN.com's college football pages to look at who Virginia could play in its bowl game. This time, doing so will not only be a chance to avoid doing real work, but also an attempt to inform you of the strengths and weaknesses of the teams Virginia could face during Winter Break.
ESPN's Ivan Maisel and Mark Schlabach make the bowl predictions on the site. Currently, Maisel has Virginia in the Gator Bowl playing Texas Tech while Schlabach has the 'Hoos in the Champs Sports Bowl playing Penn State.
First, I'll take a look at the Virginia-Penn State match-up, since it looks as though the Cavaliers are most likely headed to the Champs Sports Bowl.
The Nittany Lions (8-4, 4-4 Big 10) finished fifth in the Big 10, a conference that is solid from top to bottom and has 10 bowl-eligible teams out of its total of 11 teams (yes the Big 10 has 11 teams -- don't ask me why).
Senior quarterback Anthony Morelli has played well this year for the Penn State offense, which scores 30.8 points per game. He has racked up 2,508 yards (209 yards per game) while completing 219 of 371 passes (59 percent) for 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Morelli's favorite target appears to be junior wide receiver Derrick Williams, who has 50 catches for 490 yards and three touchdowns (4.2 receptions and 40.8 receiving yards per game).
Senior running back Rodney Kinlaw has had a productive year behind Morelli, rushing for 1,186 yards (98.8 yards per game) on 222 attempts for 10 touchdowns.
Kinlaw has never fumbled the ball. He hasn't even fumbled and had one of his teammates recover the ball. Obviously, he's a ball carrier you would trust to take care of the rock.
Defensively, Penn State looks to be solid, giving up only 17.6 points per game. The Nittany Lion defense has a Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year finalist in sophomore Maurice Evans. Virginia senior Chris Long is a finalist for the same award.
The Cavaliers could fare well against Penn State if they don't allow Morelli to pass all over their secondary, which has been a weakness on the team this year. Virginia has pretty much held running backs in check this year, so I wouldn't think Kinlaw would have a great day against the defense. Offensively, since Penn State has a staunch defense, Virginia would probably have to be less conservative than normal in its play calls to be successful. Though it is unlikely that Penn State's defense is as good as Virginia Tech's, the Cavaliers would need to contain Evans coming off the edges and creating havoc in the backfield. If he is as explosive as Long, he could definitely be a problem.
Now on to Texas Tech. The Red Raiders (8-4, 4-4 Big 12) finished third in the Big 12's south division. Texas Tech's biggest win came on its last game Nov. 17 against Oklahoma where the Red Raiders won, 34-27, knocking the Sooners from the No. 2 spot in the BCS.
The Red Raiders are all about passing and scoring points. A lot of points. 41.8 points per game, in fact. Junior quarterback Graham Harrell has passed for an amazing 5,298 yards (441.5 yards per game) while completing 468 of his 644 passes (72.7 percent) for 45 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Wide receiver Michael Crabtree, only a freshman, has been the beneficiary of Harrell's passing, tallying 125 receptions for 1,861 yards and 21 touchdowns (10.4 receptions, 155.1 yards and nearly two touchdowns per game).
The Red Raiders don't really have a stud running back, but who needs one when you can pass so well? Junior Shannon Woods was the primary running back for most of the year, but more carries are now going to freshman Aaron Crawford.
Defensively, Texas Tech is allowing 25.8 points per game, but that is not a major problem when you are able to put up points like they do.
Honestly, our Wahoos probably have a better chance of victory against Penn State than Texas Tech. Harrell has shredded secondaries all year and Virginia's secondary -- which, as mentioned earlier, has been a weak component of the team this season --would probably fare no better. I could see the Cavalier defense holding down the Red Raider offense only for so long. Eventually, Texas Tech is going to get its points. I don't think sophomore Jameel Sewell and the rest of the Virginia offense could keep up with the Red Raider offense if it scores somewhere around 30 points or more. Virginia could probably score more points against Texas Tech than Penn State, but probably not in the order of 40 points or more.
Well, that does it. This has only been a look at two teams the Cavaliers could square off against this bowl season. If we've learned anything throughout this wacky season of college football, it's that nothing is set in stone. So don't be surprised if Virginia ends up facing some other school.
Read More
Payton Cormier breaks Division I goals record
By Michael Liebermann | 21 hours agoCormier has forever cemented his legacy as one of the greatest lacrosse players in NCAA history.
Cavaliers advance to NCAA Championship with second place finish at Baton Rouge Regional
By Stephen O'Dea | 22 hours agoVirginia will head to the National Championship in Carlsbad, Calif., with a chance to make history.
Thank you, Reece Beekman
By Ben Istvan | YesterdayBeekman will leave Charlottesville as the program's all-time leader in steals.
