Pictures from the Champs Sports Bowl

I worked with Todd Anderson tonight at the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando - let the record state that I am not a photographer, Todd is a friend who needed an assistant to carry gear during the bowl game and I was happy to oblige.

I was taken aback by couple of things witnessing the game from ground level:

• I am 6'2" and 230 pounds, but I don't look ANYTHING like the defensive backs on the field with the same measurements. I sort of expected that.
  
• Maryland whooped Purdue's ass from start to finish, a result I certainly was not expecting. Obviously these guys were thinking otherwise...
• Derrius Heyward-Bey looks like a superstar WR waiting to happen - all he needs is the 2007 QB (Jordan Steffy or Florida transfer Josh Portis) to be as accurate as departing senior Sam "Ain't no" Hollenbach.

Here are some other pictures taken from my Treo and also one from Todd with much higher quality equipment...The press meal of baked ziti with sausage, a portrait of Bonnie Bernstein's outstanding corduroy pants, Ralph Friedgen eating, er, hugging his children after the game, Greg Orton's leaping catch, and Hollenbach and the seniors at the award ceremony afterward.

Bowls on my forehead: Sun Bowl edge to the Tigers

Back from vacation, I am ready to dive back in to previewing the college football bowls. The Insight and the Music City got my attention, but first, here comes the Sun....

I will actually be attending the Champs Bowl in Orlando between the Maryland Terps and the Purdue Boilermakers...both teams excel at two things - a) offense, and b) waiting to play offense. TAKE THE OVER 53! Value of the day...

BRUT SUN BOWL: Missouri +3.5 over Oregon State

Tis the season for both holiday cheer and viral infections - seems a bunch of Tigers have caught a flu bug , but it appears to have not struck any starters.

BTW, does anyone still use Brut out there? After all the soap-on-rope jokes when I was a kid I thought they disappeared....

Statistically, these teams are close in yards per play and yards per point comparisons - the only stats that favor one side is the Beaver defense proved much better at stopping opponent's 3rd down conversions (32.1%, 22nd in the nation)

Oregon State has to be thrilled to be in a bowl game, as they lost big early in the season to Boise State but beat USC and Hawaii in November. Beavers can't run the ball effectively, yet QB Matt Moore has improved as the season wore on. Coach Mike Riley led the team to a strong finish against weak opponents.

Missouri has shown all year that they can move the ball at will - they are 12th in the nation in yards gained led by soph QB sensation Chase Daniel (right, racing go-karts before the game with K Adam Crosset). Stats show the TIgers with a decent defense (Top 25 in both yards/play and yards/point), yet Mizzou could only muster an 8-4 record this year an almost 12 point average margin of victory. Essentially, TIgers played well all year but had their asses handed to them by Nebraska and Oklahoma.

Edge here is to the Tigers - take the points in this close matchup. Impress your friends by telling them that Missouri has two of the best TE in the nation in Martin Rucker and the 6'7" Chase Coffman.

Pimp my Blog: Simpson quotes for bowl season

Merry Christmas to all, and a great gift of humor from Jonathan Tu at his blog "It's a definite maybe".

A perfectly cromulent guide to using simpsons quotes during bowl season!

Just click the link and enjoy - any additional commentary would add so little.