Sugar Bowl Preview
— -- Where: New Orleans
When: Tues., Jan. 2, 8 p.m. ET (ABC)
Payout: $13.5 million
Teams’ Bowl Performances Last Year:
Miami beat Georgia Tech 28-13 in Gator Bowl Florida lost to Michigan State 37-34 in the Citrus Bowl
What to Watch For
When football fans talk about quarterbacks in the state of Florida, Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke of Florida State is generally considered the best. But the Sugar Bowl pairs up two young passers from Miami and Florida whose talent assures an interesting battle in the coming years to be Weinke’s heir apparent in the Sunshine State.
Miami sophomore Ken Dorsey threw for 2,737 yards and 25 touchdowns this season, making him the spark plug in the Hurricanes’ explosive offense, which is ranked fifth in the nation and outscored its opponents 469-170.
Florida has its own unexpected gem in redshirt freshman quarterback Rex Grossman. He racked up 1,866 yards passing and 21 touchdowns despite sharing playing time for most of the season with Jesse Palmer. Grossman is ranked fifth in the nation in passing efficiency (161.81) and solidified his start in the Sugar Bowl with four touchdown passes in the SEC Championship Game.
The keys to this game will be the quarterbacks, who both feel they have something to prove. Grossman said recently the Gators feel slighted about all the praise being heaped upon No. 2 Miami, the only team to beat Florida State. Miami, meanwhile, feels it deserved a spot in the Orange Bowl, and Dorsey will try to help the Hurricanes win big against Florida in the hope they can earn a share of the national championship.
Both teams have talented receivers, but what Miami has that Florida doesn’t is a reliable running back. James Jackson became just the fourth player in school history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season, finishing the regular season with 1,006 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. Jackson adds another dimension to the offense that could make the difference for Miami.
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