Brigham Young Cougars
The Cougars were the unquestioned favorites of the Mountain West Conference in its first year and seemed to be rolling along until stumbling in the final two games, losing to Wyoming (31-17) and Utah (20-17). Oddly enough, on a team that relies so heavily on its passing game, it was ultimately the running game that was missed in the team's two losses. Freshman RB Luke Staley emerged as a weapon, not only for his big-play ability, but more importantly because he kept defenses honest. The BYU passing attack is multi-dimensional and extremely complicated to defend against, especially with a quarterback as gifted as Kevin Feterik, but when the Cougars are without a threat in the running game, as they were in losses to Wyoming and Utah, teams are able to scheme differently, concentrating solely on pressuring the quarterback. The good news for the Cougars is that Staley is back for the bowl game. This, and the fact that the weather is not a factor, should bring the BYU offense back to life. Feterik should get more time to throw, which means that the offense will get back to relying on its strength. Feterik is one of the most impressive quarterbacks in the nation. His ability to see the entire field and deliver the ball over coverage is uncanny. After a 51-day layoff and with all his weapons healthy, expect a monumental performance out of the senior.
Defensively, the Cougars experienced the same injury bug as the offense, at one point playing without any of their starting linebackers. This unit will be back, healthy and led by MLB Rob Morris. Morris, despite missing more than a month with an abdominal pull, led the team with 77 tackles, 10 for loss, including six sacks and two forced fumbles. The Cougars are a tough group to run on, finishing first in the MWC in rushing defense, allowing 102.5 yards per game.
Marshall Thundering Herd
They have an undefeated record and boast a third consecutive Mid American Conference championship, yet the Thundering Herd are still fighting for national recognition. With a win in the Motor City Bowl, the Herd will finish 13-0 and likely in the top 10 nationally. On the arm and intelligence of QB Chad Pennington, the Herd ranks seventh in the nation in total offense with an average of 465.3 yards per game. Marshall's offense is a complex and diverse attack, and it is Pennington's understanding of the scheme that makes it work. The All-American quarterback finished the season leading the MAC in total offense with 325.2 yards per game, passing yards per game with 316.6 yards per game, pass efficiency with a rating of 171.4, touchdowns with 37 and passing yards with 3,799. He has a dangerous corps of receivers, led by James Williams and Nate Poole, but perhaps the most impressive aspect of this offense is that Pennington has thrown to 16 different receivers. RBs Doug Chapman and Llow Turner are both versatile and productive in the scheme, combining for an average of 140.3-yards rushing per game on the ground and 41 catches on the season.
The unsung group on this team is the defense, which ranks second nationally in points allowed per game(11.2, and in total yardage allowed (293 yards per game). The leader of the group is LB John Grace, who has the type of athletic ability to almost single-handedly stop teams from running wide. Grace is undersized, but is active all over the field, with 14 sacks the past two seasons. He finished as the MAC's runner-up for defensive player of the year. Senior SS Rogers Beckett anchors a secondary that can do it all. Beckett recorded four interceptions, but teams often stayed away from his side of the field, allowing CBs Maurice Hines, Daninelle Derricott and Michael Owens to combine for 12 picks. This is a big-play unit that capitalizes on team's mistakes, finishing the season with a plus-13 in turnover margin.
Keys to the game:
1. RB Luke Staley's presence in the Cougar offense. The Cougar offense nearly shut down with the loss of Staley in its final two games. The key to BYU's diverse attack is to keep the defense honest by mixing in the run and catching it off balance. If Staley can break free on a couple of plays early in the game, it will force Marshall to stay honest defensively, which is something the Herd cannot afford to do against BYU's wide open passing attack.
2. The BYU pass rush. The Cougars have to get to QB Chad Pennington if the secondary has any chance in coverage. The Cougar secondary is suspect, and has trouble against teams with prolific passing attacks. Pennington leads a complex and efficient offensive scheme that will catch the Cougar secondary out of position and guessing if he has time in the pocket to wait for his reads to develop. The Cougars are not particularly worried about the Herd running the ball on them, so the defensive scheme will feature a lot of twists, stunts and blitzes to break up the timing of the Marshall passing game.
3. The aerial attack. Both clubs are capable of running the football, but the other similarity is that each team possesses a formidable run-stopping defense. This game is going to come down to a shootout between two quarterbacks who are used to having the outcome of games resting on their shoulders. The Herd is more capable in the secondary, but BYU has a better chance of getting pressure on Chad Pennington. This game will simply come down which quarterback is more accurate and which one makes better decisions with the ball.
War Room Edge: Brigham Young Cougars
Both teams are capable of shutting down the run, meaning that this game is going to become an aerial attack between two of the nation's finest quarterbacks. The Motor City Bowl could wind up as the closest resemblance of a National Football League game out of any of the bowls because of the intelligence of the featured quarterbacks and dynamics of their respective offenses. The Thundering Herd is 12-0 and could catapult into the top 10 with a win, but this is where the magical tour comes to a screeching halt. People seem to forget how good a football team the Cougars are because of their late-season slide, but they have all their tools back on both sides of the ball and will return to midseason form. With a threat of a running game, the BYU passing game is too diverse for Marshall to handle and the Cougar offensive line will be able to stand its ground, giving Feterik sufficient time in the pocket to make the reads and deliver the ball to his offensive weapons. Expect a game full of high drama and lots of points, but the Cougars are too much for Marshall in the end. They will shatter the dreams of a perfect season.
 | Material from The War Room. Visit their web site at http://www.nflwarroom.com |
