2012 Hyundai Sun Bowl Preview

Date: December 31, 2012 2:00 PM ET
Stadium: Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas
Payout: $2,000,000 per team
Played: 1935-present
Former Names: N/A
Broadcasters: Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson
Sideline Reporter: Tracy Wolfson

USC: The preseason AP No. 1 team ended the regular season by losing four out of its last five games. Quarterback Matt Barkley will not play due to a shoulder injury. Redshirt freshman Matt Wittek will get the start. Wide receivers Marquise Lee and Robert Woods combined for 2,493 yards and 25 touchdowns this season.   

Georgia Tech: The program needed a waiver from the NCAA to go to a bowl after falling below .500 with a loss in the ACC title game. The Yellow Jackets are going to their 16th consecutive bowl game. However, Georgia Tech has lost its last seven bowl games. Just like past Paul Johnson-coached teams, Georgia Tech strongly favors the run. Six different players ran for over 400 yards this season.

	Southern California			Georgia Tech
Overall Record	7-5		Overall Record	6-7
Conference Record	5-4		Conference Record	5-3
Bowl Record	32-16		Bowl Record	22-18
Last Bowl Win	2009 Emerald		Last Bowl Win	2004 Champs Sports

All Time Series: 2-1 Southern California
Line: Southern California by 7.5

Penn State Players Transferring

Seniors
Justin Brown (Starting Wide Receiver) to Oklahoma
Devon Smith (Starting Wide Receiver) to Marshall

Juniors
Robert Bolden (Backup Quarterback) to LSU
Khairi Fortt (Backup Linebacker) to California
Kevin Haplea (Backup Tight End) To Florida State
Silas Redd (Starting Running Back) to USC

RS Juniors
Anthony Fera (Starting Kicker and Punter) to Texas
Derrick Thomas (Backup Cornerback) to Marshall

RS Freshmen
Tim Buckley (Backup Safety) to North Carolina State
Ryan Nowicki (Backup Offensive Tackle) to Illinois

Freshmen
Jamil Pollard (Defensive Tackle) to Rutgers

Helmet Stickers: Week 8

ACC—No. 7 Clemson is 8-0 for the first time in eleven years after a 59-38 win over North Carolina. Quarterback Tajh Boyd threw five touchdowns and no interceptions en route to 367 passing yards. Tigers defensive end Kourntnei Brown had two touchdowns: an interception returned for a touchdown and a fumble returned for a touchdown.  The Tar Heels turned the ball over six times, while the Tigers lost just one fumble. Clemson scored 35 of their 59 points in the third quarter.

Big 10—No. 16 Michigan State gave No. 6 Wisconsin its first loss of the season, 37-31. Michigan State started the game down 14-0, but came back in the second quarter scoring 23 unanswered points on a safety, two offensive touchdowns, and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown. By the end of the fourth quarter Wisconsin had the momentum and tied the game at 31-31. The Spartans had 1:26 to put a drive together. Michigan State drove to the Wisconsin 44-yard line and had time for a final play with four ticks left on the clock. Kirk Cousins launched a Hail Mary into the end zone. It was deflected and caught by Spartans wide receiver Keith Nichol who pushed across the goal line to win the game. Michigan State had 0 penalties in the game.

Big 12—Texas Tech upset undefeated No. 3 Oklahoma in Norman on Saturday night, ending a 39-game home winning streak. Texas Tech was a four touchdown underdog. Red Raiders quarterback Seth Doege threw for 441 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Alex Torres caught three of his touchdown passes. The Red Raiders built up a 31-7 lead just over two minutes into the second half. The Sooners go their act together after halftime, but it was too little too late. The Red Raiders held on to win the game 41-38, possibly keeping the Sooners out of the national title game.

Big East—Syracuse took down No. 15 West Virginia for the second straight year. The Orange upset the Mountaineers last year 19-14 in Morgantown. West Virginia promised revenge in 2011. The Orange blasted the Mountaineers 49-23 in the Carrier Dome, picking up their first home win over West Virginia in ten years. Quarterback Ryan Nassib threw four touchdowns, three of which were caught by tight end Nick Provo, and ran for another touchdown. Wide receiver Dorian Graham returned a kickoff 98 yards for a score in the second quarter. The Orange defense sacked Geno Smith twice, batted down two of his passes, and intercepted two of his passes. Syracuse’s 49 points were the most they have ever put up against West Virginia.

C-USA—UAB picked up its first win of the season in Week 8 with a 26-24 win over UCF at Legion Field on Thursday night. Trailing by 1 with 21 seconds left in the game, Ty Long put a 40-yard field goal through the uprights to win the game for the Blazers. UAB had 27 first downs and 501 yards of offense. UAB quarterback Jonathan Perry, filling in for an injured Bryan Ellis, completed 31 of 42 passes for 327 yards. Perry also rushed for 33 yards on eight carries. After the game, UAB head coach Neil Callaway said, “The satisfaction of winning a football game is mighty big for us.” The Blazers ended a seven-game losing a streak, dating back to November 27, 2010.

MAC—Eastern Michigan defeated Western Michigan by a score of 14-10 Saturday to win the Michigan MAC Trophy. Eastern Michigan defeated Central Michigan the previous Saturday. Sophomore running back Javonti Greene caught a 50-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and rushed for a 50-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Eagles are looking good at 5-3 after compiling only five wins total across the 2008, 2009, and 2010 seasons. The last time the Eagles had five wins in a season was 1995 when Eastern went 6-5.

MWC—Texas Christian University blanked New Mexico 69-0. The Horned Frogs broke their program’s record for most points scored in a game. The previous record was 68 points against Austin College in 1932. TCU’s defense held the Lobos offense to just 85 yards and forced three fumbles. Nine different Horned Frogs scored touchdowns. Senior kicker Ross Evans was 9 for 10 on PAT’s. TCU moves to 3-0 in Mountain West Conference games.

Pac-12—USC defeated long-time rival Notre Dame in South Bend 31-17. The Trojans have beaten the Fighting Irish in 9 of their last 10 meetings. USC outgained Notre Dame 443 yards to 267 yards and forced the Irish to turn the ball over three times in the second half. On one of those turnovers, a Notre Dame fumble on the USC 1-yard line, USC safety Jawanza Starling scooped the ball up and ran 80 yards for a touchdown. Matt Barkley completed 24 of 35 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns. Curtis McNeal rushed for 118 yards, while Marc Tyler rushed for 63 yards. Stud wide receiver Robert Woods had 8 grabs for 119 yards. The Trojan defense held Notre Dame to just 41 yards rushing.

SEC—No. 1 LSU kicked No. 20 Auburn to the curb in a 45-10 home victory. The news all week was about the suspensions of Tyrann Mathieu, Spencer Ware, and Tharold Simon for testing positive for drugs. Louisiana State proved it did not need the three Tigers as it dismantled Auburn in its eighth straight double-digit-point victory this season. Freshman running back Kenny Hilliard rushed for 65 yards on just 10 carries. Running back Michael Ford was even better with 82 yards off of 12 carries. Both Jarrett Lee and Jordon Jefferson saw time at quarterback: Lee threw for 165 yards and two touchdowns, while Jefferson threw for 54 yards and a touchdown. LSU punter Brad Wing averaged 51.3 yards per punt on four punts.

Sun Belt—Western Kentucky upset Sunbelt frontrunner UL-Lafayette in Bowling Green Saturday by a score of 42-23. The win ended an eighteen-game home losing streak for the Hilltoppers and was the Hilltoppers’ first win at home over a FBS foe. Running back Bobby Rainey had a career-high three touchdowns and 206 rushing yards. Fullback Kadeem Jones rushed for two scores. WKU quarterback Kawaun Jakes had 15 completions on 18 passes, amassing 242 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Western Kentucky has now won three straight games, its longest winning streak since joining the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2008.

WAC—Nevada got by Fresno State 45 to 38 in a Saturday afternoon shootout. Wolf Pack senior receiver Rishard Matthews had 148 yard on seven catches. On special teams, Matthews returned a punt for an 86-yard touchdown. Junior running back Mike Ball had 198 yards on the ground, with his longest carry being 41 yards. The Wolf Pack defense recovered two Fresno State fumbles. Nevada has now won fifteen straight home games. At 2-0 in conference games, Nevada is in first place in the WAC.

Helmet Stickers: Week 7

ACC—The Virginia Cavaliers upset No. 12 Georgia Tech 24-21 on Saturday. It was Georgia Tech’s first loss of the season. The Cavalier defense held the Yellow Jackets’ explosive triple-option offense to 296 yards. Cornerbacks Chase Minnifield and Demetrious Nicholson each intercepted the Yellow Jackets’ Tevin Washington in the game. Virginia fans stormed the field after the huge win. Mike London’s team gained a lot of confidence halting Georgian Tech’s best start since 1966.

Big 10—No. 23 Michigan State dominated in-state rival No. 11 Michigan for the fourth straight year. The Spartans’ defense held Heisman-wannabe Denard Robinson to just 42 yards rushing and put up seven sacks. Spartans safety Isaiah Lewis ran back an interception for 39 yards to secure the 28-14 victory. Kirk Cousins passed for 120 yards and had two touchdown passes to Keshawn Martin. Edwin Baker rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown. The ESPN-overhyped Wolverines were no match for a physical Spartan defense. In Michigan, the Wolverines are the Spartans’ “Little Sister”.

Big 12—No. 21 Texas A&M shellacked No. 20 Baylor 55-28. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill passed for 415 yards and a career-high six touchdowns. Wideout Ryan Swope caught four touchdowns—two of which were 68 yards—and had 206 yards receiving. The Aggies put up a season-high 681 yards of offense.  Texas A&M’s defense sacked Robert Griffin III five times, and Aggies cornerback Dustin Harris intercepted Griffin, only the second pick the Baylor signal caller has thrown this season. Texas A&M wins the Battle of the Brazos for the third straight season and the 19^th time in the last 21 meetings. The rivalry will likely not be played again anytime soon, as the Aggies head to the SEC.

Big East—Connecticut moved to 1-1 in the Big East standings as it defeated South Florida 16-10 in East Hartford. The Huskies did not score a touchdown in the victory. Kicker Dave Teggart kicked three field goals, and cornerback Byron Jones ran a Bulls fumble 10 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. The turnover proved to be the game winning score. UConn forced two interceptions and two fumble and only gave up two fumbles of its own. Connecticut is 7-1 in Big East home openers and 4-1 against South Florida at home.

C-USA—Southern Methodist defeated Central Florida 38-17 on Saturday, reversing the outcome of the 2010 Conference USA Championship Game. Mustangs quarterback J.J. McDermott passed for 358 yards and two scores. Mustangs wide receiver Cole Beasley had ten catches for 134 yards and a score. Running back Zach Line rushed for 82 yards and two scores. In the second quarter, SMU cornerback Richard Crawford ran back a punt 92 yards for a touchdown. The Mustangs cruise to 3-0 in league play and 5-1 overall.

MAC—Eastern Michigan defeated rival Central Michigan on the road 35-28. The Eagles blew a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, allowing the Chippewas to tie the game at 28 apiece with 1:09 left, but Eagles quarterback Alex Gillett scored on a 30-yard scamper with 37 seconds left in the game to get the 35-28 win. All five of Eastern’s touchdowns came on runs. Running backs Dominque White and Javonti Greene each carried the ball nineteen times. White had 161 yards and a touchdown, while Green had 96 yards and three touchdowns. Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan meet next Saturday; the winner of that game will win the Michigan MAC Trophy.

MWC—Boise State routed Colorado State 63-13 in its first Mountain West conference game. Kellen Moore was 26 for 30, accumulating 338 yards and four passing touchdowns. Running back Doug Martin averaged 10 yards per carry and had 200 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Tyler Shoemaker had nine grabs for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Colorado State’s defense allowed 742 yards of offense by the Broncos, a Boise State school record. Broncos backups saw significant time in the second half of the blowout.

Pac-12—USC won its eighth straight game against its in-state rival California on Saturday night at AT&T Park. The Trojans defense forced five turnovers. Linebacker Dion Bailey had two of the three interceptions. The USC defense held Cal to just 1.3 yards per rush for a total of 35 rushing yards. The Trojans had a 23-0 lead until late in the third quarter. Kyle Negrete averaged 42 yards on his five punts. Freshman kicker Andre Heidari was perfect, going 3 for 3 on both field goals and extra points. Despite criticisms, USC moves to 5-1 and 3-1 in Pac-12 play.

SEC—Alabama made a statement by beating OIe Miss 52-7. The Crimson Tide outgained the Rebels 615 to 141. Mississippi scored a touchdown on their opening drive, but after that, the game belonged to Alabama. The Crimson Tide scored 52 unanswered points and did not turn the ball over a single time in a very lopsided game. The 52 points amounted to Ole Miss’s worst loss since a 1981 49-3 loss to Florida and Bama’s largest accumulation of points in a SEC game since 1990. Trent Richardson averaged 10.8 yards per carry and also had four touchdown runs.

Sun Belt—Louisiana-Monroe got its second straight victory over Troy in a 38-10 win on the road. The Warhawks were down 10-3 in the third quarter before scoring 28 unanswered points. The Warhawks’ defense played lights out, holding a potent Troy offense to just 126 yards (140 passing yards, -14 rushing yards). Linebacker Cameron Blakes and safety Isaiah Newsome each intercepted Troy’s Corey Robinson. UL-Monroe’s offense put up 523 yards. Warhawks quarterback Kolton Browning had 275 passing yards and three touchdown throws. Warhawks wideout Tavarese Maye had 161 receiving yards, which included a 38-yard touchdown catch.

WAC—San Jose State bested Hawaii 28-27 in a sloppy Friday night game at Spartan Stadium that saw twelve turnovers. Both the Warriors and the Spartans had three interceptions and three fumbles. Matt Faulkner connected with sophomore wide receiver Chandler Jones on a 37-yard touchdown strike with just 36 seconds left in the game to get the go-ahead score. Fans stormed the field as the Spartans beat Hawaii at home for the first time since 1997. San Jose State has won three of their last four games after going 1-12 last season. Mike McIntyre is turning things around in San Jose.

Helmet Stickers: Week 5

ACC—No. 21 Georgia Tech is off to its best start since it won the national championship in 1990. The Yellow Jackets are 5-0 after pasting North Carolina State 45-35 on Saturday. Georgia Tech opened the game 21-0, but let the Wolfpack climb back to within a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets scored three touchdowns in a span of 2 minutes and 22 seconds and later a field goal. Georgia Tech safety Isaiah Johnson returned an interception for 34 yards and a touchdown.

Big 10—Michigan State came into Ohio Stadium with the No. 1 defense in the nation and played like it. The Spartans defeated the Buckeyes 10-7 and came close to shutting the Buckeyes out at home for the first time since October 2, 1982. The Spartans finally allowed Ohio State to score with 10 seconds left in the game. Michigan State tallied nine sacks and held Ohio State to 35 yards rushing on 39 attempts. The Spartans beat the Buckeyes for the first time since 1999.

Big 12—Kansas State cherry-popped No. 15 Baylor 36-35 in Manhattan Saturday. Trailing Baylor 35-33, K-State linebacker Arthur Brown dealt Robert Griffin III his first interception of the season to set up a 31-yard field goal to get the lead. Baylor had one more shot, but the Wildcats defense made them go four-and-out. Arthur Brown led the K-State defense with 8 tackles and 2 sacks in the game. The Wildcats are now 4-0 and will probably enter the Top 25.

Big East—On Thursday night, Pittsburgh gave a 4-0 No. 16 South Florida team its first loss of the season in a 44-17 decision. Pitt got a much needed win after losses to Iowa and Notre Dame, and beat a ranked opponent for the first time since 2008. Panthers running back Ray Graham ran for 226 yards and two touchdowns in a breakout performance. Pitt’s conversion of 9 out of 15 third downs kept the Bulls’ defense on the field and wore South Florida out.

C-USA—The Thundering Herd came into Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and beat the Cardinals 17-13. With less than 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Marshall linebacker Tyson Gale intercepted Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater on the Louisville 30-yard line. With good field position, Marshall took the lead with 1:49 left in the game on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Rakeem Cato to tight end C.J. Crawford. On Louisville’s ensuing drive, safety Omar Brown intercepted Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater to seal the win for the Thundering Herd. Marshall outgained Louisville 353 yards to 281 yards.

MAC—Western Michigan beat UConn 38-31 in East Hartford, Connecticut. Broncos quarterback Alex Carder threw for a career-high 479 yards and five touchdowns. Three Broncos receivers had over 100-yards receiving: Jordan White (173 yards), Chleb Ravenell (123 yards), and Robert Arnheim (113 yards). Western Michigan overcame fifteen penalties for 119 yards; the Broncos had more penalty yards than offensive yards in the first quarter. Western Michigan got its first win over Connecticut, evening the all-time series to 1-1.

MWC—Air Force beat fellow service academy Navy by a score of 35-34 in overtime. The Midshipmen scored six in overtime and then had their extra point attempt blocked by the Falcons. The Falcons proceeded to score a touchdown and an extra point to get a one-point win over their rival. Air Force linebacker Brady Amack had 23 tackles in the game. If Air Force can beat Army on November 5^th, it will retain the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy for another year.

Pac-12—Southern California outlasted Arizona in a shootout. The Trojans won 48 to 41 in a game that did not see much defense from either team. Matt Barkley set a school-record passing for 468 yards. Barkley threw four touchdowns and rushed for another. Robert Woods had 255 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Trojan safety T.J. McDonald had two interceptions. The Trojans are undefeated in the Los Angeles Coliseum this year (4 games). USC has beaten the Wildcats in 9 of the two teams last 10 meetings.

SEC—No. 18 Arkansas erased an 18-point deficit at halftime and beat No. 14 Texas A&M by a score of 42-38. The Razorback defense regrouped and only allowed a field goal in the second half. Quarterback Tyler Wilson passed for a school-record 510 yards. Wide receiver Jarius Wright set a school-record for receiving yards with 281 yards. The Razorbacks proved the Aggies are not ready for the SEC. The Aggies have not beaten an SEC team in sixteen years.

Sun Belt—Troy got by UAB 24-23 in Troy, Alabama Saturday. Going into the fourth quarter, Troy was losing by 9 points. After hitting a field goal with 5:18 left, Troy cornerback Jimmie Anderson intercepted a pass on the next series and took it to UAB’s 12 yard line. Troy’s D.J. Taylor ran in the ball from 2 yard out with 4:07 remaining to get the go-ahead score for Troy. D.J. Taylor rushed for a total of three touchdowns in the win over the Blazers.

WAC—New Mexico State beat in-state rival New Mexico in Albuquerque Saturday by a score of 42-28. The Aggies beat the Lobos by their largest margin of victory since 1968. NMSU quarterback Matt Christian threw for 296 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown. NMSU running back Kenny Turner rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown. The Aggies have now beat the Lobos three straight times, which the program has not done in over forty years.

Independents—Army routed Tulane 45-6 in West Point. Tulane scored a touchdown on its first possession of the game, followed by Army scoring 45 unanswered points. Eleven different Black Knights had rushing touches in the game. Army punter Chris Boldt averaged 55 yards per punt. Army has now beaten Tulane in four of the last five meetings between the schools. Army left Conference USA after the 2004 season.

NCAA Violations

College football has been plagued by scandals over the past few years. We've seen a can of worms bust open at Ohio State, USC vacating the 2004 national championship, improper benefits at North Carolina, Camgate at Auburn, the free textbook scandal at Alabama, recruiting violations at Oregon and Tennessee, and the list goes on and on.

The question arises: Has there been any FBS programs that have not come under the scrutiny of the NCAA?

The NCAA classifies violations as being either major or secondary. Major violations are ones that give a school an extensive recruiting or competitive advantage. Football and men's basketball are the two sports involved in most cases of rule-breaking. There are 17 schools in the FBS that have never been found to have committed a major violation in any sport since 1953, the year rule violations started being tracked. Those schools are Boston College, Northwestern, Penn State, Stanford, Air Force, Boise State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Kent State, North Texas, Ohio, Rice, Troy, UAB, and Western Michigan. Only 4 are BCS conference schools. Boise State may be leaving the list soon as it is currently under investigation by the NCAA's infractions committee in five sports.

Pac-10 Home Attendance Figures

	Arizona			Arizona State
Arizona Stadium			Sun Devil Stadium
S11 The Citadel	54,814		S4 Portland State	43,238
S18 Iowa	57,864		S11 Northern Arizona	49,043
S25 California	51,906		S25 Oregon	60,326
O9 Oregon State	56,054		O30 Washington State	44,903
O23 Washington	56,244		N13 Stanford	45,592
N13 USC	54,722		N26 UCLA	44,555
D2 Arizona State	56,253
AVERAGE	55,408		AVERAGE	47,943
	California			Oregon
Memorial Stadium			Autzen Stadium
S4 UC Davis	58,040		S4 New Mexico	59,104
S11 Colorado	55,440		S18 Portland State	58,086
O9 UCLA	61,664		O2 Stanford	59,818
O23 Arizona State	51,599		O21 UCLA	59,372
N13 Oregon	65,963		N6 Washington	60,017
N20 Stanford	67,793		N26 Arizona	59,990
N27 Washington	44,613
AVERAGE	57,873		AVERAGE	59,398
	Oregon State			Stanford
Reser Stadium			Stanford Stadium
S18 Louisville	45,379		S4 Sacramento State	30,626
O2 Arizona State	45,409		S18 Wake Forest	39,061
O30 California	45,439		O9 USC	51,607
N13 Washington State	45,389		O23 Washington State	36,679
N20 USC	44,969		N6 Arizona	43,506
D4 Oregon	46,469		N27 Oregon State	38,775
AVERAGE	45,509		AVERAGE	40,042
	UCLA			USC
Rose Bowl			Los Angeles Coliseum
S11 Stanford	56,931		S11 Virginia	81,375
S18 Houston	54,407		O2 Washington	82,796
O2 Washington State	62,072		O16 California	72,386
O30 Arizona	53,408		O30 Oregon	88,726
N6 Oregon State	64,330		N6 Arizona State	68,744
D4 USC	71,105		N27 Notre Dame	85,417
AVERAGE	60,376		AVERAGE	79,907
	Washington			Washington State
Husky Stadium			Martin Stadium
S11 Syracuse	62,418		S11 Montana State	26,356
S18 Nebraska	72,876		S25 USC	24,310
O9 Arizona State	65,685		O9 Oregon	24,768
O16 Oregon State	65,235		O16 Arizona	23,955
O30 Stanford	69,020		N6 California	17,648
N18 UCLA	62,347		D4 Washington	30,157
AVERAGE	66,264		AVERAGE	24,532

AVERAGE ATTENDANCE BY SCHOOL

USC	79,907
Washington	66,264
UCLA	60,376
Oregon	59,398
California	57,873
Arizona	55,408
Arizona State	47,943
Oregon State	45,509
Stanford	40,042
Washington State	24,532