Sun Bowl: South Florida vs. Oregon

Teams: South Florida vs. Oregon
Date: Dec. 31, 2007 at 2 p.m. ET
Location: Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, Texas

Analysis:
The Bulls started 6-0 and were ranked as high as No. 2 in the country before a three-game slide that included losses at Rutgers (30-27), at Connecticut (22-15) and to Cincinnati (38-33). After rebounding to win its last three games of the season, South Florida enters the Sun Bowl aiming for its first 10-win season in school history.

The Ducks season followed a similar path, as Oregon started 8-1 and were ranked as high as No. 2 in the country before then-Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Dennis Dixon suffered a season-ending knee injury. Since losing Dixon, UO has lost three consecutive games — at Arizona (34-24), at UCLA (16-0) and to rival Oregon State (38-31). Backup quarterback Brady Leaf also injured himself, leaving coach Mike Bellotti’s team with youth, inexperience and question marks at quarterback.

USF dual-threat quarterback Matt Grothe has the Bulls this year, passing for 2,473 yards and 13 touchdowns, while rushing for 832 yards and 10 scores. Defensively, middle linebacker Ben Moffitt and shutdown cornerbacks Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams lead a fierce stop-unit.

Oregon tailback Jonathan Stewart rushed for 1,469 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. But without Dixon — who accounted for 2,136 yards and 20 touchdown through the air, along with 583 yards and nine trips to the end zone on the ground — the Ducks offense is not the same juggernaut it was earlier this year. Defensively, other than dominant efforts against Michigan (39-7) and Washington State (53-7), UO has not scared anyone.

Both teams were hoping for a spot in the Bowl Championship Series and at one point even thinking about the BCS title game. The Bulls remain a team that no one wants to play, while the wounded Ducks are missing their team MVP in Dixon.

Breakdown: South Florida
Campus Location: Tampa, Fla.
Distance to El Paso: 1,728 miles
All-Time Bowl Game Record: 1-1
2007 Season: 9-3, 4-3 Big East

NCAA Rankings (yards/points per game totals):
Rush Offense: 28 (193)
Pass Offense: 55 (229)
Scoring Offense: 20 (36)
Rush Defense: 19 (112)
Pass Defense: 7 (102)
Scoring Defense: 26 (21)
Turnover Margin: 9 (1.00)

Additional Notes:
USF coach Jim Leavitt is the only coach in the history of the Bulls’ football program since South Florida became joined the Football Bowl Subdivision as an independent in 2001.

Breakdown: Oregon
Campus Location: Eugene, Ore.
Distance to El Paso: 1,659 miles
All-Time Bowl Game Record: 6-14
2007 Season: 8-4, 5-4 Pac-10

NCAA Rankings (yards/points per game totals):
Rush Offense: 8 (243)
Pass Offense: 62 (219)
Scoring Offense: 15 (37)
Rush Defense: 44 (137)
Pass Defense: 35 (117)
Scoring Defense: 39 (24)
Turnover Margin: 30 (0.42)

Additional Notes:
The Ducks have not won a bowl game since 2000, when UO quarterback Joey Harrington led a victory over Texas and quarterback Chris Simms in the Holiday Bowl.

Prediction: South Florida by 10

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