by Phil Parker
Daily Lobo
Two dominant rushers. Two top defenses. Two squads looking to be the one that comes out on top when the dust clears in Sin City Dec. 24.
The Lobos and the Oregon State Beavers will face off in this year's Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium. The teams are strikingly similar, so Lobo fans can expect a slugfest even if the venue brings to mind last year's snoozer loss to UCLA.
"We're pretty much even," senior defensive lineman D.J. Renteria said. "Both teams have two great running backs, good defensive units, offensive units starting to hit their strides at the end of the year."
But for these two teams headed for a Christmas Eve collision, the seasons are wrapped in decidedly different fashions. UNM (8-4, 5-2) finished its run with three straight wins and won seven of its last eight overall.
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If momentum is a factor, the Lobos will have the advantage. OSU (7-5, 4-4) finished its season with two losses, capped by a pounding from national championship contender USC.
In the season-ending loss, USC held Beaver running back Steven Jackson to just 66 yards rushing. The Lobos will look to do the same to the 6-foot-3, 229-pound Jackson, who was the Pac-10's top running back in terms of yards and touchdowns.
"He is one of their very good players," head coach Rocky Long said. "He's big and fast and can break tackles. He's really the only guy who runs the ball for them."
Jackson won't have it easy. Led by senior linebackers Billy Strother and Daniel Gawronski, the Lobos have been one of the nation's best run-stuffing squads. They've given up just 80 yards-per-game rushing, good for fourth in the country.
And the Lobos are packing an elite offensive weapon of their own in DonTrell Moore, who was the Mountain West Conference's top rusher, with even more yards and touchdowns than Jackson.
The Beaver's rush defense is almost as formidable as the Lobos', ranking seventh nationally. It will be important to see which running back can find the most room to run throughout the game.
The Lobos will also have to hone in on OSU's quarterback, Derek Anderson. The Beaver's passing offense is the sixth most productive in the country, and the Lobos have been shaky defending air attacks.
"We're a lot better now defending the pass than during the first four or five weeks into the season," Long said. "However, it will be interesting to see where we stand. Stopping the run is what we do best."
UNM has no reason to worry about its own passing game heading into the contest. This season, senior quarterback Casey Kelly became the school's all-time leader in wins, and he has shown that he is capable of making big plays.
The early line has OSU favored by two and a half points. With the key factors so square, expect a hard-fought contest come Dec. 24.
