VS. 
Led by the country’s top rusher, the Cardinal look to conclude their best season in eight years on a high note as they face the Sooners — inconsistent without their star quarterback — in the Sun Bowl at El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 31. Oklahoma Sooners with an overall record of 7-5 will face No.21 Stanford Cardinal with an overall record of 8-4.
2:00 PM ET, December 31, 2009
Sun Bowl , EL PASO, TX
CBS
Oklahoma Sooners ranked seventh in rushing defense, allowing 88.6 yards per game. CB Dominique Franks assures that it will be hard to stop the Cardinal running game but they like challenges and this could be a perfect opportunity for them to shine. Oklahoma held then-No. 11 Oklahoma State to 62 yards on the ground in a 27-0 win Nov. 28. It was perhaps the Sooners’ best performance of the season. Oklahoma ranks seventh in total defense, surrendering 273.5 yards a contest, led by numerous pro prospects that could decide to leave school early.The school announced Dec. 18 that DT Gerald McCoy will skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft. Franks and DT Adrian Taylor, though, intend to return. Taylor is durable in the interior, starting the last 27 games and posting seven tackles for a loss this season. Offensively, the Sooners rely on T Trent Williams, a first-team All-American. His consistency has helped freshman QB Landry Jones adjust after taking over for Bradford. Other players involved in the offense will be RB Chris Brown, RB DeMarco Murray and WR Ryan Broyles. Murray had 1,038 yards, but missed the BCS title game due to a ruptured tendon in his left hamstring. This game is full of talented people and their defense will be the best weapon they carry to this bowl, it could be the solution to win the game outright.
No.21 Stanford Cardinal are coming off their first winning season since 2001 and now makes its first bowl appearance since that same year — a 24-14 loss to Georgia Tech in the Seattle Bowl. No player has been more important to the Cardinal’s success than Gerhart, a unanimous first-team All-American. The senior has rushed for more yards (1,736) and more touchdowns (26) than any other player in the nation, helping Stanford finish second in the Pac-10 after going 5-7 last season. With Gerhart’s help, coach Jim Harbaugh is getting a chance to continue leading Stanford, signing a three-year contract extension two weeks before this bowl. Stanford won its last game, 45-38 over Notre Dame on Nov. 28, getting 205 yards and three touchdowns from Gerhart. Now the Cardinal are facing one of the top rush defenses in the country. The offense will count with QB Andrew Luck, RB Toby Gerhart, WR Ryan Whalen and WR Chris Owusu, all part of a very special strategy that usually revolves around Gerhart, with his 26 running tds this season. This particular game will be tough for them since they face one of the best teams in the country against the running game, it will be very difficult to run every time so they need to mix it up and this is where it could be hard to mantain possession if you are not carrying the ball, catching the ball every chance they get is not something they have done all year so it could be dangerous. They will get Gerhart every run he tries so may be it will be a great idea to involve other running backs or trust the wide receivers to do their best.
GAME ODDS
OKLAHOMA -8
STANFORD 55½
THIS GAME WILL BE STANFORD’S BIGGEST TEST OF THE YEAR. WHEN YOU ARE THE BEST AT SOMETHING YOU JUST DON’T SAY IT AND YOU LEAVE IT AT THAT, YOU HAVE TO PUT IT TO THE TEST AND THIS WILL BE THE PERFECT EXAM FOR THE RUNNING GAME IN THE LEGS OF RB TOBY GERHART, IF THEY MAKE IT OUT OF THIS ONE WITH THE BIG W THEN THEY ARE ALLOWED TO CALL THEMSELVES ONE OF THE BEST RUNNING OFFENSES IN THE COUNTRY. MY PICK WILL BE STANFORD CARDINAL +8.
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