CFB - Champs Sports Bowl - MICHIGAN ST vs. BOSTON COLLEGE (5:00 PM ET – ESPN)

After being involved in the BCS conversation for much of ‘07, 10-3 Boston College settles for a Champs Sports Bowl berth vs. a 7-5 Michigan State team that rallied for wins it its L2 games to secure the same bid.


2007-12-28

After being involved in the BCS conversation for much of ‘07, 10-3 Boston College settles for a Champs Sports Bowl berth vs. a 7-5 Michigan State team that rallied for wins it its L2 games to secure the same bid. There is still a lot at stake for the Eagles though, namely a seven game bowl winning streak.

All of those came under HC Tom O’Brien though, so they will be looking to start a new tradition of postseason success under Jeff Jagodzinski. B.C. is of course led by senior QB Matt Ryan, who helped the team surpass the 350-yard mark in passing six times in its 13 games. Michigan State’s strength is running the ball, 45 times per game for 200 YPG. That attack goes head-to-head with B.C.’s defensive strength, 2.2 YPR allowed! The Spartans are playing in their first bowl game since 2003.

BOSTON COLLEGE
Led by the No.1 NFL quarterback prospect in the college game in Matt Ryan and the nation’s No.1 run defense, the Eagles will attempt to extend the nation’s longest bowl winning streak to eight with a triumph over the Spartans in Mickey Mouse town. The 6’5”, 220-lbs Ryan has thrown for 4,258 yards and 28 TDs—both school records—and has registered nine 300-yard passing games this season. He’s joined in BC’s backfield by unsung senior tailback Andre Callender, who rushed for 936 yards and nine scores this season while also snaring 72 passes for 704 additional yards and four TDs. In addition to Callender, Ryan has three other trusty receivers in sophomore Rich Gunnell (68 receptions in 2007), junior Brandon Robinson (52 catches) and senior Kevin Challenger (44 catches).The defense has its share of playmakers too, most notably senior All-American free safety Jamie Silva. The 5’11”, 210-lbs Silva is as tough as $2 steak. Despite playing the second half with a fractured left foot, Silva managed a team-leading 115 tackles and six interceptions. The other primary ballhawk on the Eagles’ defense is sophomore linebacker Mark Herzlich (86 tackles in 2007).

MICHIGAN STATE
The Spartans are going to Disney World with a potent and balanced offense (34.1 ppg), directed by first-year starter Brian Hoyer (2,594 yards passing, 18 TDs, seven INTs in 2007). His favorite target is junior wideout Devin Thomas, who will likely turn pro after this game’s final gun. Thomas, who has caught 75 balls for 1,226 yards and eight TDs this season, could go as early as the second round of the NFL draft this spring. The “Thunder” and “Lightning” ground attack of Jehuu Caulcrick (813 rushing yards, 21 TDs) and Javon Ringer (1,346 yards, six TDs) is a major headache for most defensive coordinators to contain. Michigan State’s defense isn’t exactly the second coming of the Steel Curtain, but rather a high-risk, high-reward type of unit. The headliners are game-changing defensive end Jonal Saint-Dic (10 sacks, eight forced fumbles) and freshman All-American linebacker Greg Jones (team-high 73 tackles). Jones seemed to be ticketed for the University of Minnesota until the school fired Glen Mason. Jones re-opened his recruiting after Mason got canned and ended up a Spartan. His future is quite bright. If Jones doesn’t bring opposing players to the ground, then chances are that junior cornerback Kendell Davis (72 tackles), senior free safety Travis Key (66 stops) or senior linebacker Kaleb Thornhill (59 tackles) will.

THE GAME
Both Boston College and Michigan State have the offensive firepower to make this a wildly entertaining game. The Eagles, a team that opened the season 8-0 and was ranked as high as No.2 in the land prior to upset losses to Florida State and Maryland, has to be somewhat disappointed to be here and not at some higher-tier bowl. In a one-on-one matchup between future pros, BC needs its best offensive lineman, senior left tackle Gosder Cherilius (6’7”, 319 lbs), to protect Ryan’s blind side from Saint-Dic, a man that Michigan State players refer to as “Sackmaster.” The other key to the game is whether the Spartans’ powerful running game, which averages over 200 yards per game, can move the ball against Boston College’s stout run defense. Michigan State needs to run the ball in order to keep the sticks moving and to keep Ryan, who will be auditioning for a bevy of NFL scouts in this game, off the field as much as possible.In what figures to be a high-scoring affair, it’s hard to bet against the Eagles, a team with a future millionaire under center and with a recent history of winning bowl games.

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