Orange Bowl Game Preview

The sunny skies of Miami, Florida, will shine down as the ACC and Big East collide in the legendary Orange Bowl.

Orange Bowl Game Overview:
The Virginia Tech Hokies have had to persevere through some tough times in the last few years, but their football team has always been one of the top teams in the NCAA. The Virginia Tech Hokies took the ACC Championship with a blowout win over the Boston College Eagles. The Cincinnati Bearcats suffered through some early defeats before going on a six-game winning streak that saw them knock off the West Virginia Mountaineers and Pittsburgh Panthers. Orange Bowl tickets will be a pass to see a classic defensive struggle on January 1, 2009.

Cincinnati Bearcats Offense:
The spread offense is taking over college football, but few teams can claim to be one of the innovators like the Cincinnati Bearcats. Fans with Orange Bowl tickets should see QB Tony Pike should get the starting nod, but senior Dustin Grutza can play as well. Tony Pike is an agile runner and will make a ton of plays with his feet if he can’t find a target in the open field. WRs Mardy Gilyard and Dominick Goodman have combined for 2,000 yards receiving, and their senior leadership has given the team stability. RB Jacob Ramsey has been money on the draws and sweeps from the shotgun formation.

Cincinnati Bearcats Defense:
Fans with Orange Bowl tickets may focus on the dangerous offense, but the stingy defense is a big reason the Cincinnati Bearcats are playing a Bowl Game. DE Connor Barwin is a sack master in the same mold as Julius Peppers and has 11 QB takedowns in 2008. DE Lamonte Nelms is another lanky rusher for the end spot and plays the run well. The Cincinnati Bearcats excel at defending the run thanks to big MLB Ryan Manalac patrolling the middle. The Cincinnati Bearcats secondary features a sharp CB duo in Mike Mickens and DeAngelo Smith.

Virginia Tech Hokies Offense:
The polar opposites of the Cincinnati Bearcats, the Virginia Tech Hokies love to pound the football. An athletic offensive line opens plenty of holes for freshman sensation RB Darren Evans. With power and speed, Darren Evens can hit any gap or make any play asked of him. Big FB Devin Perez clears the way for Darren Evans and wipes out LBs in his path. Orange Bowl tickets will feature QB Tyrod Taylor, who is a great runner and loves to attack the defense with his breakaway speed on bootlegs. TE Greg Boone is physically enormous and is a factor in the red zone or in the blocking game.

Virginia Tech Hokies Defense:
Though he is only a sophomore, DE Jason Worlds is one of the best players on the Virginia Tech Hokies defense, and his explosive first step gets him to the QB and forces fumbles. DE Orion Martin is another speed rusher and pairs with Jason Worlds to make one of the top pass-rushing units in football. Fans with Orange Bowl tickets will also see a great turnover-hunting secondary led by CB Victor Harris. The speed rush up front allows the Virginia Tech Hokies to make a ton of plays on poorly thrown balls.

Cincinnati Bearcats Keys to Victory:
Protecting the quarterback in a spread offense is always the No. 1 priority, and this will be a difficult task with the elite bookend DEs of the Virginia Tech Hokies. Fans with Orange Bowl tickets know that one way to offset the dangerous rush is to establish a strong running attack with RB Jacob Ramsey. A steady dose of draws will not only slow the rush but will set up play action. QB Tony Pike must be careful with the football as the Virginia Tech Hokies secondary forces turnovers like no other. Victor Harris will take either Mardy Gilyard or Dominick Goodman away in coverage so the other must step up.

Fans with Orange Bowl tickets will see a Cincinnati Bearcats victory if they can stop the run. The passing attack of the Virginia Tech Hokies does not scare anyone, especially with CBs Mike Mickens and DeAngelo Smith in coverage. The impressive corner play on the outside will allow the Cincinnati Bearcats to bring their safeties in the box to help MLB Ryan Manalac stop RB Darren Evans. DEs Lamote Nelms and Connor Barwin will not be asked to rush the passer, but they need to play run contain on the outside so QB Tyrod Taylor doesn’t escape.

VT Hokies Keys to Victory:
The athletic interior three of the Virginia Tech Hokies have to dominate the line of scrimmage if they want the running game to succeed against the dangerous defense of the Cincinnati Bearcats. Getting a hat on MLB Ryan Manalac will be key as moving the big plugger from the hole will give Darren Evans plenty of room to find cutback lanes. FB Devin Perez should have a bloody nose by the end of the Orange Bowl from all the hits he’ll put on LBs and safeties. Fans with Orange Bowl tickets know that QB Tyrod Taylor needs to move the chains with his legs or arm to keep the ball-control offense alive.

The Cincinnati Bearcats usually only give a cursory look to the running game before going all out on the passing attack so controlling the line of scrimmage for the Virginia Tech Hokes takes a different form. DEs Orion Martin and Jason Worlds need to play the games of their lives as they pressure QB Tony Pike. Tony Pike can move so there must be inside pressure as well to force him into the arms of the pass rushers. Orange Bowl tickets will feature CB Victor Harris, who can shut out one of the big-time receivers, but the secondary must clamp down on the other. The secondary must pick every pass they have a shot at.

2009 Orange Bowl Game Outlook:
The Cincinnati Bearcats have their first-ever Big East title and are making school history with every game they win. There is nothing left for them to do but to take the Orange Bowl victory. Longtime Cincinnati Bearcats fans are sure to buy up a ton of Orange Bowl tickets as their team has never been at a pinnacle like this. The Virginia Tech Hokies are out to claim another Bowl win and put their loss from last year to rest along with so many other demons.

The Cincinnati Bearcats have the unreal ranking of No. 12 in the nation to the Virginia Tech Hokies 24 ranking but there is an upset in the making. The defense of the Virginia Tech Hokies is the perfect foil of the Cincinnati Bearcats as they terrorize the passer with speed rushers and stick to their men in coverage like glue. Fans with Orange Bowl tickets can expect a defensive struggle, which favors the ball-control offense of the Virginia Tech Hokies over the fancy spread attack of the Cincinnati Bearcats.