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Hawaii looks to make most of opportunity vs. Georgia

Jan 1, 2008 - 2:26 PM No. 10 Hawaii (12-0) at No. 4 Georgia (10-2) 8:30 pm EST Sugar Bowl January 1

NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) -- Hawaii's wish was granted when it was chosen to play No. 4 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

The 10th-ranked Warriors, the only unbeaten team in the Football Bowl Subdivision, believed they were worthy of a BCS game. Now, they will get an opportunity to show if they can play with the big boys.

Hawaii capped the school's first 12-0 season by rallying for a 35-28 victory over Washington on December 1. Colt Brennan, who finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, tossed five touchdown passes in the contest.

By finishing 10th in the final BCS standings, the Warriors were guaranteed a spot in their first BCS game.

However, Hawaii's schedule ranked only 111th out of 119 teams in the FBS. The Warriors' best victory was a 39-27 win over Boise State that clinched the Western Athletic Conference title.

Still, Hawaii will be looking to follow the lead of Utah and Boise State, the only teams to win BCS games from non-BCS conferences.

Utah routed Pittsburgh, 35-7, in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl and Boise State posted a memorable 42-41 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

This could be the most exciting of all the BCS's bowl games, as Hawaii brings its high-scoring offense and record-setting quarterback to the "Big Easy."

Brennan has thrown 131 touchdown passes in his three years at Hawaii, breaking Ty Detmer's previous NCAA record of 121.

In his final home appearance, Brennan completed 42-of-50 passes for 442 yards as the Warriors rallied from an early 21-0 deficit against the Huskies.

For the season, Brennan passed for 4,239 yards and 38 touchdowns as Hawaii led the nation in scoring, averaging 46.2 points per game.

However, the Warriors could be facing a team with a chip on its shoulder.

Down the stretch, Georgia was the best team in the Southeastern Conference, winning its last six games, and coach Mark Richt complained bitterly when the Bulldogs were left out of the national championship contest.

But the Bulldogs finished behind Louisiana State, which will play Ohio State in the national championship game, because they failed to qualify for the SEC title contest.

Georgia suffered a 35-7 loss in October to Tennessee, which won the SEC East.

Though not as flashy as Brennan, sophomore quarterback Matthew Stafford is a solid leader for the Bulldogs.

The biggest boost for Georgia's offense in the second half of the season was the power running of freshman Knowshon Moreno, who finished second in rushing in the SEC with 1,273 yards.

Georgia's best defense against Brennan will be to keep him off the field by getting the ball into the hands of Moreno as much as possible. Moreno rushed for over 100 yards in five of Georgia's last six games.