Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl News and Notes

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Preview
By: Matt Zemek

The game formerly known as the Emerald Bowl was regularly played in late December, but now, the new-look Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl occupies a late-January stage. It all begs the question: Will the teams playing in this game be fighting hunger, or fighting rust?

The Boston College Eagles finished in the middle of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Nevada Wolf Pack claimed a share of the Western Athletic Conference championship. This game in San Francisco will serve as a measurement of the strength of two conferences; it will also identify who can compete harder and execute with more precision after a ridiculously long layoff.

It’s not a joke: This lower-tier bowl game will be played not in late December – when all lower-tier bowl games should take place – but on Jan. 9, 2011, just one night before the BCS National Championship Game between Oregon and Auburn. The late date means that Boston College will wind up having a 42-day layoff between games. For Nevada, the break will be “only” 35 days. This means that a lot of cobwebs could grow in the meantime, and that would be good news for the underdogs from New England.

The Eagles of Boston College pulled off a rather remarkable feat just to get to this bowl game. Coach Frank Spaziani’s team looked dead in the water at 2-5 after seven Saturday soirees. Then, however, BC buckled down on defense and reduced its turnover count, doing just enough to win each of its final five regular-season contests. Boston College didn’t win any of those games by more than 10 points, and three of those triumphs came by less than seven points. The Eagles just didn’t give away any freebies, and against the lower-level schools in the ACC, that was enough to get on a plane to San Francisco and reserve a spot in AT&T Park for this penultimate bowl game of the winter. Boston College has now made 12 straight bowl games, a very impressive accomplishment for a school that has never made a BCS bowl.

The Wolf Pack of Nevada won a share of the WAC title because their ground game was just too overwhelming. Nevada ran the ball down the throat of Boise State’s decorated defensive front in a program-making, history-shaping, earth-shaking 34-31 overtime win against the Broncos on Nov. 26. Nevada’s defense was able to generate three-and-outs in the second half of that game, and that is precisely what helped the Wolf Pack’s offense to wear down Boise’s defense. Nevertheless, the point still stands that quarterback Colin Kaepernick and running back Vai Taua excelled throughout the second half of that epic comeback victory. Nevada erased a 24-7 halftime deficit to score the single biggest upset of the year in all of college football. That moment, plus the WAC crown, made this a seminal year in the history of Nevada football.

Boston College’s defense can contain Nevada’s offense, but the key is if Boston College’s offense can hold the ball long enough and do something constructive with it. The Eagles have no weapons on offense, so Nevada’s offense will get a lot of possessions in this game. That will be the deciding factor in a game that will be close for at least one half, especially with all the rust Nevada is likely to encounter. BC can muck this game up and remain close into the third quarter. The big question is if the Eagles can muster any offense after halftime and cause the Wolf Pack to sweat bullets in Baghdad By The Bay.

STAT PACK

Boston College

Passing Yards Per Game: 175.3 (National ranking out of 120 FBS teams: 93)

Rushing Yards Per Game: 133.3 (Ranking: 87)

Points Per Game: 18.9 (Ranking: 109)

Points Allowed Per Game: 19.5 (Ranking: 19)

Nevada

Passing: 229.6 ypg (Ranking: 54)

Rushing: 305.9 ypg (Ranking: 3)

Scoring: 42.6 ppg (Ranking: 7)

Scoring Defense: 22.1 ppg (Ranking: 36)

Fight Hunger Bowl
By Judd Hall

The second weekend of 2011 is loaded up with four wild card playoff games in the NFL and concludes with the BCS title game on Monday night. That doesn’t leave a lot of love for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl at AT&T Park in San Francisco. For those people not watching the tilt at 9:00 p.m. EST on ESPN between the Eagles and Nevada (12-1 straight up, 7-5 against the spread) will be missing out on one heck of a matchup.

Most everyone remembers the Wolf Pack this season for the 34-31 overtime win they had over Boise State. But that doesn’t give this team enough credit to a Nevada squad that ripped apart the Pac-10’s Golden Bears and lost only because of a slow start at Hawaii.

Nevada showcases one of the best offenses the nation has to offer. How good are they at moving the ball? Only the Ducks averaged more than its 535.5 yards per game and they’re playing for all the marbles the following evening. Colin Kaepernick has seemingly been in college longer than Justin Bieber has been spouting out teeny-bop music, but knows how to run the pistol offense. Kaepernick is averaging 217.7 YPG through the air with 20 touchdowns to just seven interceptions.

While the passing game has been good for Chris Ault’s team, the Wolf Pack are known for running the ball. They have piled up 305.9 rushing YPG this season. That doesn’t truly show how dominant this rushing attack is though. They have not ran for less than 214 yards in any game this year and for over 300 yards seven times in 2010. Vai Taua is the main rusher for Nevada with 127.8 YPG and 19 scores this year, while Kaepernick has picked up 91.1 YPG and 20 touchdowns on the ground in his senior campaign. This game will be special for Taua after he was ruled academically ineligible for last year’s Hawaii Bowl.

That dynamite duo will be taking on arguably their best this season in Boston College’s (7-5 SU, 5-6 ATS) defense. Frank Spaziani’s defense is one of the better units in the country by giving up just 310.0 YPG and 19.5 points per game. What the Eagles do best though is stop the run. To put it bluntly, they don’t let you beat them on the ground. BC leads the country by yielding just 80.2 rushing YPG and has seen opponents cross the goal line on the ground just seven times in all of 2010.

As far as the Eagles’ offense goes, watching it will make you pine for the sweet release that death will bring. This is a group that ranks 106th in the nation in total offense (308.6), with 133.3 of it coming on the ground. Montel Harris was this year’s rushing leader in the ACC, racking up 1,208 yards and eight touchdowns. He sat out BC’s 16-7 win at Syracuse with a knee injury, but is listed as “probable” for this showdown.

Harris being able to play is huge for Boston College’s chances in this game. If he can’t go, they’ll be forcing freshman Chase Rettig to win. Rettig wasn’t supposed to play this season but got thrust into the role midway through the year. While he hasn’t been all that impressive statistically (1,117 passing yards, 6 TD, 7 INT), Rettig has helped guide the Eagles to five consecutive wins to close out the year.

The betting shops have taken note of the stats and quality of teams by making Nevada a 7 ½-point “chalk” with a total of 55. For those gamblers that like the Eagles to pull off the upset heard nowhere can get a plus-250 return (risk $100 to win $250).

Boston College has proven to be a reasonable risk when listed as a 7½-point pup, evidenced by a 9-5 SU and ATS record over the last five seasons in this role. That includes a 2-0 SU and ATS in the Eagles’ last two spots under these criteria this season. The ‘under’ has been a strong play here by going 10-4.

As good as the Eagles have been as underdogs, Nevada has relished being at least a touchdown favorite. You can tell as much with the Wolf Pack boasting a 12-6 SU record, but just 9-9 ATS. Ault’s crew has won and covered their last four tests in this role since October 2009. Yet they have gone 0-2 SU and ATS in bowl games against ACC teams.

vegasinsider.com

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: What Bettors Need to Know

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Boston College Eagles vs. Nevada Wolf Pack (-7.5, 55)

The Skinny: The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl matches Western Athletic Conference co-champion Nevada (12-1, 7-6 ATS) against a 7-5 (5-7 ATS) Boston College team which struggled early before rallying into the middle of the ACC pack. Nevada, ranked 15th in the USA Today Coaches' Poll, had its best season in history, highlighted by a 34-31 upset of then No. 3 Boise State on the day after Thanksgiving. Both teams come in on a roll. Boston College has won its last five games and the Wolf Pack their last six of the regular season.

Point Spread: Nevada -7.5. Over/under 55.

This spread opened at 9.5 and has been bet down to 7.5 in the week’s heading into Sunday’s game. The total, however, has remained steady at 55 points.

Nevada’s Edge: Offense, offense, offense. The Wolf Pack have one of the most prolific attacks in the nation, ranking third in both rushing (305.9 yards per game) and total offense (535.5). They do a great job protecting the quarterback, giving up just 11 sacks all year. Running back Vai Tau has 1,534 yards and 19 touchdowns rushing.

The Wolf Pack play respectable if not spectacular defense, ranking 65th in the nation at 377.3 yards per game. They're lining up against a BC offense that had trouble moving the ball and points, ranking 103rd in both total offense and pass efficiency. Nevada lineman Donday Moch is fifth in the nation with 22 tackles for loss and has 8.5 sacks.

Boston College’s Edge: Defense, defense, defense. The Eagles lead the nation in rushing defense (80.2 yards per game) and are 14th in overall defense. They've held opponents to a 2.7-yard rushing average and allowed just seven touchdowns on the ground. BC has given up 229.8 passing yards a game but ranks 22nd in pass efficiency defense.

Sophomore linebacker Luke Kuechly led the nation in total tackles 171 and was runner-up for the Butkus Award as the nation's outstanding linebacker. Defensive end Max Holloway has 13 tackles for loss and four sacks. Offensively, BC has to ride junior running back Montel Harris, who led the ACC with 1,243 rushing yards and scored eight of the Eagles' nine rushing touchdowns.

The Quarterbacks: Nevada senior Colin Kaepernick is the only player in college football history to pass for more than 9,000 yards and rush for more than 4,000. He is tied with Nebraska's Heisman winner Eric Crouch for the NCAA record in touchdowns rushing by a quarterback with 59. This season, Kaepernick has rushed for 1,184 yards and 20 touchdowns and passed for 2,830 yards with 20 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a .653 completion rate. He ranks ninth in the nation in total offense with 308.8 yards a game.

Boston College true freshman Chase Rettig moved into the starting job a third of the way through the season. He has thrown for 1,117 yards, six touchdowns and seven interceptions and has a low pass efficiency rating of 115.3.

Bowl History: Boston College is going to its 12th straight bowl game. It's 13-8 all-time in bowls, including an eight-game winning streak from 2000 through 2007. But the Eagles lost their last two, the Music City Bowl against Vanderbilt in 2008 and the Kraft Bowl to Southern Cal last year. Nevada is making its sixth straight bowl trip and is 3-6 all-time, losing its past four.

Etc.: Boston College won its last five games without scoring more than 23 points, holding opponents to an average of 11.8 during that span. The Eagles were held below 20 points seven times during the season. Nevada has averaged 42.6 points a game. ... Look for Nevada to have a huge edge in fan support, playing in San Francisco, less than four hours away from its Reno campus, against an East Coast school that made the same trip last year.

Weather: The forecast in San Francisco is calling for partially cloudy skies with light winds, blowing northwest at 7 mph. Game-time temperatures will be in the mid 50s.

Trends

- Eagles are 0-4 ATS in their last four bowl games.
- Wolf Pack are 1-4 ATS in their last five bowl games.
- Under is 12-1 in Eagles’ last 13 non-conference games.
- Under is 5-2 in Wolf Pack’s last seven games following a SU win.