Bowl Info:
- Game will be held at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas
- Game will start at 2:00 PM ET
- Stanford is 14-13-1 in their bowl games
- Pittsburgh is 13-20 in their bowl games
- The series is led by Pittsburgh 2-1
Offensive Players to Watch:
Stanford: K.J. Costello runs the quarterback spot for the Cardinal. He has been a red hot passer all year long in the wake of a weak run game. Costello has thrown for 3,435 yards in the air and has tossed 29 passing touchdowns along with that. Stanford will most likely lean on Costello a bit more with the absence of Bryce Love at running back. Watch out for Costello to either have a great game or mediocre game as most of the offense will be directed through him.
Pittsburgh: We have seen in games past where the Pittsburgh running backs will torch a defense. I think we may see just that with Qadree Ollison taking the runs for the Panthers. He more so comes into play because Stanford isn’t terrible in rush defense or not will they allow a trouncing running wise. Ollison has ran for 1,190 yards and ran in 11 rushes for touchdowns. We will see Ollison be the leading rusher today, but how the defense responds is more so the matchup we’re all waiting for.
Defensive Players to Watch:
Stanford: The Panthers will bust out a strong running style in this game. Knowing that, Stanford will look to it’s linebackers in its 3-4 set up to stop that line penetration from Pittsburgh. This is where I feel Bobby Okereke can have a spotlight game for the Cardinal. Okereke has racked up 89 total tackles, 6.0 tackles-for-loss, and 2.5 sacks. With a strong linebacker core, this Stanford defense will need to make tackles when they are given the opportunity.
Pittsburgh: Rashad Weaver will play a big role in the Pittsburgh defense when the game arrives. Weavers plays defensive end and has had a great tenure at Pittsburgh for his two years, so far. Weaver’s stats read 45 total tackles, 13.0 tackles-for-loss, and 5.5 sacks. The Pittsburgh defense needs to bring a strong edge rush against Stanford if it wants to hold them to less points. Watch out for Rashad Weaver to shine above the rest of the defensive linemen.
The Basics
Stanford can score and score fast. We have seen this especially in the last couple of weeks against teams like UCLA and Oregon State. Not to take anything away from Pittsburgh strong rushing game, it is great and will score also. At the end, I feel Stanford just does more and has more to play for.
Score Prediction
30-17 Stanford
Photo Credits: http://www.sportslogos.net/logos/view/f4efnfvxv1yj4kpffgvf3dduy/Sun_Bowl/2010/Primary_Logo
