California Golden Bears vs Texas Longhorns in the Holiday Bowl, Start Time

What about the Holiday Bowl? Two teams with great future but failed to make things happened for them this season will have a faceoff in the Holiday Bowl 2011. California Golden Bears vs Texas Longhorns at the Qualcomm Stadium will be the football game of the night at 8:00 PM game time. A game for both the Golden Bears and Longhorns to show forth what they got at the end of a tumultuous year.

Texas had a great start in September getting a 4-0 record but it eventually falter and couldn’t keep up their momentum. It seemed that the Longhorns were about to make a run that will bring them into the national contention again, instead they struggled in the last eight games posting a record of 3-5. It was tough for the Longhorns that their poise in the game eventually died out. Though sometimes they tended to ignite it through their persistence.

Longhorns inability to make the victories needed must have something to do about their quarterbacks issues. After two games, quarterback Garrett Gilbert decided to transfer. Yet, coach Mack Brown wasn’t affected that much by letting in David Ash sharing time with Case McCoy. However, in the long run, the Longhorns couldn’t elevate themselves to post a better record. The executions of plays were not consistent in each of the last eight games that the Longhorns were not winning games that they were supposed to.

Ash started the as the quarterback after Gibbert left but he posted a 2-3 record which was not satisfying to Brown. Eventually Brown decided to have McCoy as the starter though it disappointed the cause of the the Texans. McCoy couldn’t shake himself to perform the best because he is new to the system. He though played with such a game over Baylor for 356 yards and three touchdowns but his game was marred by four interceptions.

The Longhorns didn’t relied much on the offense. Defensively, they are one of the best in the country. The defense was suited for a BCS game but the offense couldn’t get it right on the money.

On the other hand, California was in a thick of teams in a highly rated conference with Oregon, USC, and Stanford. The Golden Bears though made the move in the last four games winning threeof those. After eight games, Cal was 4-4, and that they needed to make something different just to be considered gettin invitation for a bowl game.

Cal’s powerful finish has altered the perceptions of the players from being a sub par .500 to a winning team. Quarterback Zack Maynard did manage the Golden Bears offense in a great manner that they kept winning. Of course with the help of running back Isi Sofele. Sofele has run for 1,266 yards and nine TDs this season and was at his best in the final four games, averaging 141.3 yards while Maynard completed 20 of 29 passes for 280 yards against Cardinal.