Poinsettia Bowl Preview: Cal vs. Utah

The #23 Utah Utes take on a disappointing California Golden Bears squad in the Poinsettia Bowl Wednesday night. This will be one of the harder Bowl match-ups to predict due to the uncertainty of each teams motivation. While Utah had a solid year going 9-3 with all 3 losses coming at the hands of ranked opponents, they most certainly must feel as though they could have done better. On the opposite side of the field is a Cal squad that was expected to compete with USC for the Pac-10 title and perhaps a BCS Bowl birth. As we all know, neither USC or the Golden Bears lived up to the hype.

Both teams have had occasional lapses defensively, and will be looking to steady the ship Wednesday. The Utes have kept all but 3 opponents under the 20 point barrier. The problem is when they don’t they lose. It may be a little easier to contain Cal’s running game with Jahvid Best on the sideline with concussion issues, but that doesn’t mean they can stop them. The Bears rushed for a combined 2107 yards this season, and will be running the ball more often than not against Utah. It will come down to the defensive line of Utah. If they break through Cal’s solid offensive front they may have the potential to force them into throwing the ball more than they would like. Cal clearly has the better athletes, but do they have a better system.

This game promises to be a battle on both sides of the ball. The total for this match-up is set in the low 50’s, but it will take a miracle to get there as I see both defenses taking over. Tune in Wednesday night as the Utes and Bears try to salvage their disappointing seasons in the Poinsettia Bowl.

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1. College Football Begins- Pittsburgh vs. Utah Thursday
2. Pacific Life Holiday Bowl Preview: Nebraska vs. Arizona
3. GMAC Bowl Preview: C. Michigan vs. Troy
4. Maaco Bowl Preview: BYU vs. Oregon St.
5. Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Preview: SMU vs. Nevada

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