By Devon Black
BYU will look to put the finishing touches on its championship season with a victory over Oregon in the Las Vegas bowl on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2006.
With a Mountain West Conference title and a victory over Utah – both the first in five years – in hand, a pre-Christmas trip to the warm desert is exactly how coach Bronco Mendenhall and his 25 seniors have wanted the season to end.
“I”m excited to go back as conference champions,” Mendenhall said. “We look forward to the game.”
The Cougars haven”t played Oregon since 1990, but there will be at least one familiar face on the other sideline. Former BYU coach Gary Crowton is now the offensive coordinator for the Ducks, and was responsible for recruiting several of the players on BYU”s current roster, and for bringing Mendenhall to Provo in 2003.
But, according to the team, the importance of winning BYU”s first bowl game in ten years is a bigger focus than beating an old coach.
“Oregon will be a good challenge for us,” quarterback John Beck said. “When the game”s over I”ll probably give (Crowton) a big hug and thank him for all he”s done for me, but when the game is going its BYU vs. Oregon. That”s all that matters. ”
The Cougars” biggest concern heading into the game is the health of its secondary. Starting cornerback Ben Criddle suffered ligament damage to his toe against Utah and may not be able to play, while backup defensive back Kayle Buchanan is racing to heal from a leg injury.
If neither of them can go, that means Cole Miyahira will move from backup safety to starting cornerback. It”s the kind of problem that the Cougars faced last year when it had one of the worst secondaries in college football.
The defensive backfield won”t get any help from Oregon”s tall and athletic receivers.
All of that means that BYU will need to rely on its offense to produce the kind of long, clock-eating, point-producing possessions that devastated its regular season opponents.
Oregon”s team has been a mixed bag of brilliancy and inconsistency all year long.
The Ducks were a nationally ranked Rose Bowl contender for the first half of the season, but ended the regular season with three straight losses and a 7-5 overall record.
Oregon is prone to breakdowns on defense. It has allowed 30 points or more six times this season and is 1-5 in those games. That bodes well for BYU that hasn”t been held under 30 points since the third game of the season.
Thirty points is also the magical number for Oregon”s offense. The Ducks are 7-0 when scoring at least 30.
If the game turns into a race between the two offenses, turnovers could be the deciding factor.
While BYU has one of the nation”s best turnover margins, giving the ball up has been Oregon”s undoing. The Ducks average more than two turnovers per game.
Tickets for the game have been a hot item since October and were long since sold through bowl outlets. For the second-straight year, a sellout crowd of mostly BYU fans is expected for the Thursday night game.
