HOUSTON BOWL
COLORADO vs. TEXAS-EL PASO
Dec-28 4:30/ESPN
SO WHAT’S THE STORY WITH THIS ONE?
Two coaches in social exile go at it. Colorado coach almost got the axe as some thought he was guilty of enabling the bad habit his football players had of raping people. UTEP Coach Mike Price got fired in Alabama without coaching a game for getting drunk at a strip club which led to madness. They are also off the field good longtime friends…which isn’t hard to believe. So, here they are sill alive in the college football world.
SO WHO THE HELL ARE THESE TEAMS?
Colorado. The Big 12 North champion…in the Houston Bowl. It’s also the first time since 1987 they never made the Top 25 anytime during the season. Their key player is a man by the name of Bobby Purify who ran for over a 1000 yards and scored 9 touchdowns. But, he ran for only 7, that’s seven in the Big 12 championship game. Their passing game ain’t much to talk about as they have continuously rotated quarterbacks and no receivers have stepped up. There strengths lie in defense and special teams despite the thrashing they got by Oklahoma. The line is led by DT Matt McChesney with seven sacks. LB Thaddaus Washington is great pure solo tackler and CB Dominque Brooks is one of those players that can change a game with one play. P John Torp averages 43.6 yards and PK Mason Crosby has kicked five fieldgoals over 50 yards. They are two of the best at their position.
It’s safe to say you may not know much about UTEP. For starters, they are very excited to be there. They have not won a bowl since the 1967 Sun Bowl (a game they once regularly hosted) and have only gone twice since then. The offense has just begun to develop with rusher Howard Jackson who ran for 1,150 yards and 9 TDs. WR Johnnie Higgins was not utilized until late into the season but has scored a baffling 9 touchdowns in just 27 catches. The team’s specialty is creating turnovers, forcing 30 of them this year. Also, the WAC defensive player of the year was not in Utah but in UTEP: LB Robert Rodriguez has made a 107 tackles this season. Freshman safety Quentin Demps is a playmaker machine with two interceptions, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and two defensive touchdowns.
WHAT THE HELL IS THE HOUSTON BOWL?
It will be known for once having the worst bowl name in history: The Galleryfurniture.com Bowl. It was thankfully renamed in 2002. Much like the Ft Worth bowl it was started in conjunction with the Big 12 to create more bowl games in Texas. An interesting tidbit is that it’s a non-for profit bowl. Giving it’s proceeds to local Houston charities and schools.
WHAT HAPPENED?
COLORADO-33
UTEP-28
MVP-Mason Crosby
WHAT HAPPENED?
So far, the most exciting game yet in Bowl Season. A back and forth game in which UTEP had the lead from midway through the first quarter to midway through the fourth quarter. Everyone on Colorado stepped up and it was tough to figure out who the MVP was but I decided to give it PK Mason Crosby who kicked four field goals from 26, 54, 37, and 20 yards. Without him, the Miners would have won the game. With that said, you gotta give it to UTEP. The came out with pickaxes, screaming, yelling, Alabama exiled coach Price did a great job re-instating pride and excitement in the program. At the end of the first half, it looked like UTEP had full control leading 21-13 but they couldn’t stop the Buffaloes and the team was just a bit too talented for them. They started chipping away and then threw a 78 yard touchdown pass to a very big Tight End named Joe Klopfenstein which seemed to change the momentum. With about 9 minutes left to go, Joe Jlatt threw another long 39 yard touchdown pass and they took the lead. UTEP tried to make a couple comebacks, but the defense stepped up producing even producing a 4 and out.
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
That the players played for Barnett and despite his insensitivity to his placekicker getting gang raped, he is a good football coach and at the end that’s all that matters. If Price sticks with UTEP for a few more years, this could be one of the top WAC teams in the next few years. The program has not been this hot since the 1960s.
