College bowl glance: 12-28
12/28/2011Holiday Bowl
California (7-5) vs. Texas (7-5)
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Line: Texas by 3
Series Record: Texas leads 4-0
WHAT'S AT STAKE: Texas has lost three of its last four, including a 24-point loss at Baylor in the regular-season finale, while Cal has won three of four, with the loss being by three points to Stanford. This game comes seven years after Texas leapfrogged Cal in the final BCS poll of 2004 and went to the Rose Bowl, while Aaron Rodgers and the Golden Bears were relegated to the Holiday Bowl, where they lost to Texas Tech.
KEY MATCHUP: Texas quarterbacks Case McCoy and David Ash against Cal's defense. Texas' quarterback play has been inconsistent. Coach Mack Brown hasn't picked a starter, but he said both will probably play.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: California: LB Mychal Kendricks was the Pac-12's defensive player of the year. He had a career-high 96 tackles and 13 tackles for loss, as well as two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and three sacks. Texas: McCoy had a 25-yard scramble in the final minute that set up Justin Tucker's winning field goal as Texas beat rival Texas A&M. He's thrown for 1,034 yards, 7 TDs, 4 INTs.
FACTS & FIGURES: The teams haven't met since 1970 in Austin. ... Texas will be playing in the Holiday Bowl for the fifth time while Cal is making its third visit. ... Texas CB Quandre Diggs is the brother of former Longhorns star and current San Diego Chargers starting cornerback Quentin Jammer. Coach Mack Brown said the Longhorns will use the Chargers' locker room and that Diggs will use Jammer's locker. "But it won't make him any taller," Brown quipped about the 5-foot-10 Diggs.