Posted December 27th, 2007 by Brian
Filed under: Bowls, Football

2007 Holiday Bowl
Arizona State #11 Arizona State (10-2)
vs. #19 Texas (9-3)
Dec. 27, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)
Texas

One of the biggest games of the 2007-08 bowl season, the [tag]Holiday Bowl[/tag] features the 19th ranked Texas Longhorns facing off against the 11th ranked [tag]Arizona State[/tag] Sun Devils. Each of the two teams are capable of putting up big time points and neither defense may be able to say anything about it. Like Holiday Bowls in years past, this game has all the makings of a high scoring, close game that will come down to a wild finish.

When Texas is on offense things will fall on [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag]’s still young shoulders. The team can still win when the sophomore quarterback doesn’t play his best, but it will be up to McCoy to manage the game, protect the football, and convert a few big third downs if the Horns are going to come out on top. Running back [tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag] may be the Horns biggest weapon, but has disappeared at times this season due to scheme and playcalling. Get Charles rolling early and the Horns could roll as well.

Arizona State’s offense is equally potent and QB Rudy Carpenter is one of the nation’s most skilled passers. If the offensive line can give him time to throw the Texas secondary can be exploited. The Longhorns will need defensive tackle [tag]Frank Okam[/tag] and his line mates to get pressure on the QB without help from the linebackers. If the linebackers can help out with pass coverage then cornerback [tag]Deon Beasley[/tag] and the rest of the secondary might stand a chance.

Players to Watch: ASU QB Rudy Carpenter, ASU LB Robert James, ASU S Troy Nolan, UT QB Colt McCoy, UT RB Jamaal Charles, UT DT Frank Okam, UT CB Deon Beasley

Prediction: Arizona State 31, Texas 41

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Posted December 27th, 2007 by Brian
Filed under: Bowls, Football, Quick Hits

SI.com Holiday Bowl breakdown. Mandel thinks the Horns win by three.

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Frank OkamDespite being ranked eight spots lower in the polls the Texas Longhorns head into their their bowl game against [tag]Arizona State[/tag] as a 2.5 point favorite. Year after year the [tag]Holiday Bowl[/tag] is one of most exciting bowl games and this year should be no different.

Here are the keys for Texas to come out on top:

1. Pressure Rudy Carpenter.

Arizona State quarterback Rudy Carpenter has spent a lot of time on the turf this season. He was sacked 51 times this year, more than any other QB in Division 1A college football. The Texas front four has gotten virtually no pressure and no defensive lineman has more than Frank Okam‘s five sacks, that’s a big reason the pass defense is one of the worst in the country. If those guys can’t pressure and hurry Carpenter Thursday night he’ll have a huge game and it’ll be a very long night for Texas fans.

2. Don’t turn the ball over.

This one is kind of obvious but if [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] and the Texas offense don’t protect the football better they’ll fail to reach 10 wins for the first time since 2000 ended with a Holiday Bowl loss to Oregon. After throwing only 7 interceptions last year McCoy made enough bad decisions and bad throws that he’s thrown 18 this season. He has to get rid of the ball before taking the big hit and not continue to force passes into coverage. If Colt finishes the game with no fumbles and no interceptions Texas beats the Sun Devils.

3. Don’t forget about the run game.

Despite the game never being out of reach and [tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag] having good success running the football, the Longhorns went away from the run early in the November loss to the Aggies. Charles averaged 5.4 yards on only 17 carries in that game. To beat Arizona State the Horns can’t make that mistake again. A heavy dose of Charles on the ground would also have the added benefit of keeping the ASU offense off the field. Even if Texas gets behind early there’s no need to abandon the gameplan.

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Posted December 26th, 2007 by Brian
Filed under: Bowls, Football

ESPN’s Todd McShay is excited about the matchup of Texas and [tag]Arizona State[/tag] in the 2007 [tag]Holiday Bowl[/tag]. He sees a high scoring game where the Sun Devils make a few more mistakes and the Horns come out with a victory 31-28.

Video is below:

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Stewart Mandel’s bowl picks. He think the Horns top Arizona State 35-32, but I think the winner will have to score more than 35.

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CFN’s Cavalcade of Whimsy featuring top 10 bowl storylines. The Horns could use a boost and a win in the Holiday Bowl would do it.

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Posted December 2nd, 2007 by Brian
Filed under: Bowls, Football, Quick Hits

Use StubHub to get your 2007 Holiday Bowl tickets. Prices currently range anywhere from $45 to $455.

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Posted December 2nd, 2007 by Brian
Filed under: Bowls, Football

2007 Holiday Bowl
Arizona State #11 Arizona State (10-2)
vs. #19 Texas (9-3)
Dec. 27, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)
Texas

Texas’ 2007 season will end with another trip to San Diego to play in the Pacific Life [tag]Holiday Bowl[/tag] (tickets) on December 27th. There the Horns will face a tough match-up with the eleventh ranked [tag]Arizona State[/tag] Sun Devils out of the Pac-10. The defense will definitely have it’s hands full with ASU’s offense and their excellent QB Rudy Carpenter. On paper it looks like this one could be another wild, high scoring Holiday Bowl.

Keep your browser tuned in to Bevo Sports as we’ll be providing further analysis on the game and covering all the latest news right up until kickoff.

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