Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr looked in pain as he sat down at the post-game news conference Saturday.
Football
At this point, there’s not much left to like about the Dallas Cowboys, who are riding a broken-down donkey of a coach and following a quarterback, Tony Romo, who can’t shoot straight under pressure.
The NFL agent was talking about the inevitability of comparison between draft choices past and present, about how scouts and general managers might look down on a wide receiver from one school because others from it had failed, about how they might downgrade a linebacker because his was a college system that doesn’t always transfer successfully to the pros.
When handicapping bowl games, motivation and location are crucial elements to consider. It helps to find a quarterback edge, too, and Fresno State has one today with Derek Carr.
For the Las Vegas Bowl, Fresno State vs. USC is a dream matchup. Or it should be, as long as both teams really want to be here.
The simplest way to view the bowls is to look at impact players, so here are five (quarterbacks not included) who should play big roles in winning or losing wagers.
A sense of impending doom surrounded the Chicago Bears when Jay Cutler, who might or might not be the franchise’s future quarterback, limped off the field with a groin injury. With Cutler, it often appears to be loser’s limp, but this injury was legit.
The Las Vegas Bowl will feature a quarterback from Bakersfield, Calif., putting up impressive numbers. And Fresno State’s Derek Carr will be on the other side.
Liberty quarterback Tyler Newman was dominant this season, passing for 3,988 yards and 42 touchdowns in leading the Patriots to a 10-4 record. For his efforts, the Review-Journal selected Newman as the state’s Player of the Year to highlight the all-state team.
Fresno, Calif., is tucked away in the San Joaquin Valley and the local team plays most of its home games at around 10 p.m. Eastern time. Coach Tim DeRuyter thinks that’s why Davante Adams hasn’t received more recognition for putting up the nation’s best receiving numbers.
The Las Vegas Bowl has a recent history of landing key teams, using appearances by Brigham Young and Boise State to draw large crowds to Sam Boyd Stadium.
Southern California, a school accustomed to playing in the Rose Bowl and for national titles, is in town for the Las Vegas Bowl with offensive coordinator Clay Helton serving not only as the interim coach but also the Trojans’ third coach this season.
The top recruits are the ones expected to help make or break a football program. But the players who walk on and fight their way into a scholarship far from the spotlight are the ones who sometimes make an even bigger difference.
Telltale signs your favorite college football team has accepted an invitation to a lousy bowl game:
Even when the odds are against Tom Brady, we expect him to succeed. He captains comebacks like no other quarterback in the NFL. So we expect him to succeed especially when the odds are against him.