Gildan New Mexico Bowl and Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Wrap Up, San Diego County Poinsettia Bowl Preview

Arizona running back Ka'Deem Carey had a big game in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl

Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Arizona 49, Nevada 48
This game was a thrilling start to the 2012 bowl season. This high scoring affair was decided late in the final quarter, as the Wildcats rallied from a 21 point deficit to defeat the Nevada Wolf Pack, 49-48. Arizona was down 13 with just under two minutes remaining.

Arizona knew they needed a miracle. Arizona quarter back Matt Scott kept his composure, and took the team down the field for a much needed touchdown. Then with no timeouts, Arizona had to attempt an onside kick. Then the unthinkable happened. The onside kick was executed to perfection. Scott then rallied the Wildcats and led them down the field throwing a two yard strike to wide receiver Tyler Slavin, who scored the game winning touchdown. The Wildcats kicked off this year's bowl season with a heck of a game. Both teams combined for 1,237 yards of total offense. Turnovers really killed Nevada late in this game, as two fumbles were the Wolf Packs downfall. Arizona back Ka'Deem Carey ran for 172 yards and three touchdowns in the win. He is only a sophomore, and he could contend for the Heisman Trophy next season. He's definitely a player to watch.


I picked Arizona in my preview post, so after this game I am 1-0 in Bowl Picks.

Utah State running back Kerwynn Williams ran all over Toledo

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Utah State 41, Toledo 15
This game was close for three quarters, but got way out of hand. Toledo never had a chance in the second half as Utah State running back Kerwynn Williams exploded in the 4th quarter, having two rushes of of more than 50 yards. Williams finished the game with 235 yards rushing and three touchdowns.


I picked Utah State in the preview, so after this game I am now 2-0 in Bowl Picks.

San Diego State will square off against BYU in this years Poinsettia Bowl

San Diego County Poinsettia Bowl:

How They Got Here:

BYU: The Cougars of BYU had an up and down year this season, going 7-5 as an Independent.They started out the year 2-0, with routs of Washington State and Weber State, but dropped their next two games against Utah, 24-21, and Boise State 7-6. BYU then destroyed Hawaii, and took a 6-3 victory over Utah State. BYU had a rough schedule this year, and their next two games came against two top 10 opponents. BYU lost both games, 42-24 to Oregon State, and 17-14 to the top ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. BYU finished the year out on a high note, winning three of their last four games against Georgia Tech, Idaho, and New Mexico State. BYU mainly relies on their 5th ranked defense to win them games. Five of their games were decided by a touchdown or less.


San Diego State: The Aztecs of San Diego State went 9-3 this season, and won a share of the Mountain West title. The Aztecs opened up the year with a loss against Washington, but defeated Army 42-7 the next week. The Aztecs got in a close game the following week, as they edged North Dakota 49-41. San Diego State then dropped two contests against San Jose State and Fresno State. The Aztecs then got on a roll winning seven straight games to wrap up their year at 9-3, and are playing in the Poinsettia Bowl for the second time in three years. Some key wins for the Aztecs are their victories over Boise State, Air Force, and Nevada.


Prediction: BYU does have the 5th ranked defense in all of college football, but I am looking for San Diego State running back Adam Muema to have a big game, and he will need to in order for San Diego State to pull out the victory. Muema, a sophomore, rushed for 1,355 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. The Cougars are the favorite, but look for them to slip up as San Diego State wins this low scoring affair 17-13.




Credits:
Ka'Deem Carey Photo:
http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/azstarnet.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/55/85548096-2b78-11e2-870c-0019bb2963f4/509ebe879e944.preview-620.jpg
Gildan New Mexico Bowl Information:
http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=323500012
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Information:
http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?id=323500328
Kerwynn Williams Photo:
http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/sports/dave/famous-idaho-potato-bowl-utah-state-toledo-fourth-quarter/article_5a9df9a6-4700-11e2-90fd-0019bb2963f4.html

San Diego State photo:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/949010-boise-state-football-grading-the-broncos-win-over-san-diego-state#/articles/949010-boise-state-football-grading-the-broncos-win-over-san-diego-state/page/7
BYU Information:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/_/id/252/brigham-young-cougars
San Diego State Information:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/_/id/21/san-diego-state-aztecs

Gildan New Mexico Bowl and Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Predictions

Arizona looks to defeat Nevada in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl

Saturday marks the official start of the college bowl season. Bowl season will kick off with the Gildan New Mexico Bowl which is a match up between the Wildcats of Arizona and the Nevada Wolf Pack.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl:

How They Got Here:

Arizona: The Wildcats of Arizona started the season out strong by racking up three wins early, defeating Toledo in overtime, crushing Oklahoma State, and blanking South Carolina State 56-0. The Wildcats then were crushed by a powerful Oregon Ducks offense, gave Oregon State a closely contest game, they lost, and then fell to the Stanford Cardinal in overtime.

Arizona started turning their season around by beating Washington and then #9 USC, 39-36 despite an amazing game from USC receiver Marqise Lee.The next week Arizona was embarrassed by UCLA, losing 66-10. That improved their record to 5-4. Arizona finished out their season by beating Colorado and Utah, while losing their final game against in state rival Arizona State in a 41-34 thriller. The Wildcats finished at 7-5.



Nevada: The Wolf Pack of Nevada started off hot but had a disappointing end to their regular season. Nevada started out 6-1, but a bad couple of games made the Wildcats finish out 7-5, and put them in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl. Nevada had early wins in the season against California, Northwestern State, Hawaii, Texas State,Wyoming, and UNLV. Then some close games went against the Wolf Pack, as Nevada lost an overtime game to San Diego State and a close game to Boise State, nearly pulling off the upset.


Prediction: Both of these teams rely heavily on the running games, Arizona having Ka'Deem Carey, who is a sophomore running back who put up amazing numbers this season, with 1,757 yards and 20 scores. Nevada has junior running back Stefphon Jefferson, who rushed for 1,703 yards, and 22 touchdowns. Both offenses put up high numbers, while both teams have mediocre defenses that allow a ton of points. Expect this game to be a high scoring see-saw battle, the winner being the team that makes the least amount of mistakes, or the team who has the ball last. I see Arizona coming out on top in this one because Ka'Deem Carey is a machine, and I honestly think he could have been a legitimate Heisman candidate, even though Johnny Manziel deserved to bring home the trophy. Matt Scott, the quarterback of Arizona will play well against Nevada, and will be the difference in this game. Look for Arizona to get the stop they need late, to win this thriller.

I think Arizona wins this game 45-42.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:

Chuckie Keeton of Utah State looks to lead the Aggies to victory over Toledo

How They Got Here:

Utah State: The Aggies of Utah State had a solid year this season, picking up 10 wins, and going undefeated in the WAC. Utah defeated Southern Utah, and finally defeated Utah for the first time in 15 years, 27-20 in overtime. Utah dropped only two contests all year, and that was a 6-3 loss to BYU, and a 16-14 loss to Wisconsin. The Aggies rely heavily on defense, as they rank eighth in points allowed in the nation, giving up just 15.4 per game. The team also is a good offensive team, as they rank in the top 40 in passing and rushing in the nation. Key wins for Utah State include victories over Utah, Louisiana Tech, and San Jose State.



Toledo: The Rockets of Toledo are representing the MAC, and had a solid season going 9-3 on the year. The Rockets rely mainly on their offense, as they put up around 33 points per game. Key wins for this team include wins over Cincinnati, Central Michigan, and Wyoming.

Prediction: I think that the Aggies will shut down the Toledo offense with their strong defense, and Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton will be too much for the Rockets to handle, as Utah State wins 34-21.





Credits:
Arizona Wildcats photo:
http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/789/910/hi-res-157253245_display_image.jpg?1354497724

Information for Gildan New Mexico Bowl:
http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/preview?gameId=323500012
http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/_/id/12/arizona-wildcats
http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/_/id/2440/nevada-wolf-pack

Chuckie Keeton photo:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865562133/USU-football-Utah-State7s-Chuckie-Keeton-and-Tyler-Bennett-earn-WAC-Player-of-the-Week-honors.html?pg=all

Information for Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/_/id/328/utah-state-aggies
http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/_/id/2649/toledo-rockets
http://espn.go.com/ncf/preview?id=323500328