The BCS National Championship Game has all the intrigue because of the rematch of Southeastern Conference rivals.The Fiesta Bowl has much of the glamour because of the quarterback matchup of Stanford’s Andrew Luck and Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden.
But when it comes to matching high-powered offenses and explosive, dual-threat quarterbacks, there’s not be a more intriguing BCS matchup than the one happening January 4, 2012 in Sun Life Stadium.
The Discover Orange Bowl features a West Virginia team that’s seventh in the nation in passing offense, with Miramar High product Geno Smith at quarterback, and a Clemson team that’s 13th in the country in passing, with the first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference quarterback Tajh Boyd running the show.
The potential for high-scoring, entertaining football was just one of the subjects the coaches of the respective schools spoke about during an Orange Bowl introductory news conference Wednesday December 7, 2011 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Boyd and Smith finished the season in the nation’s top 10 in passing yards. Smith had 3,978 yards, 25 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in West Virginia’s fast-paced, pass-happy offense, and Boyd accounted for 3,578 yards, 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for a Clemson team that started the season as a national championship contender but cooled some as the season progressed.
“They both came out of the same recruiting class,” Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen said. “Two tremendous players that have the ability to keep a play alive. I know Geno is extremely competitive; one of the most competitive kids I’ve ever been around. He cares a lot about playing and he shows up every day trying to get better.”
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney had similar sentiments about his signal caller, whom he feels fortunate to have wearing his uniform and not West Virginia’s.
“I think Tajh was going to West Virginia at some point,” Swinney said. “We got on him late. I just got the job and literally within a week was trying to find a quarterback. At some point along the way, I know he was going to West Virginia. He had a ton of success this year, but also had to go through a lot of pain. He’s a winner. That’s the best thing I can say about Tajh.”
West Virginia and Clemson have a history of success recruiting in South Florida, with the Mountaineers featuring better than 20 players from this area on their roster.
But both teams know that playing in the Orange Bowl can only strengthen their presence in South Florida… and an entertaining game won’t hurt matters, either.
“Our guys are excited about coming back home,” said Holgorsen, the first-year West Virginia coach who’s guiding his program to its first Orange Bowl. “Our current commits, the current guys that we’re recruiting are very excited about it. There are a lot of advantages of playing in the Orange Bowl. It kind of always comes back to recruiting.”
Swinney has coached in an Orange Bowl as an assistant with Alabama, which lost 35-34 to Tom Brady and the Michigan Wolverines in 2000.
“Historically, at Clemson, we have had some of our greatest players from Florida,” said Swinney, whose program won a national title 30 years ago in the Orange Bowl. “The exposure that you get, the marketing that you get all throughout the state, your brand is promoted. You can’t put a price on that.”
2012 Discover Orange Bowl will be held on Wednesday January 4, 2012 at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida.
