Bombers big on bowl games

No.8 QB Matt Grothe

University of South Florida (6-foot, 205; junior).

THE GAME: St. Petersburg Bowl. South Florida Bulls (7-5) vs. Memphis Tigers (6-6).

WHEN:Today, 3:30 p.m. TV: The Score: ESPN; ESPN2.

GROTHE'S NUMBERS: Set a career high with 2,675 passing yards and 15 TDs with 14 interceptions; led the Bulls in rushing for the third straight season.

TAMAN SAYS: "He's an undersized athlete who can run all over the place. Didn't have a great year, but he's an interesting guy to watch."

No. 7 QB Willie Tuitama

University of Arizona (6-foot-3, 220; senior).

THE GAME: Las Vegas Bowl. Arizona Wildcats (7-5) vs. BYU Cougars (10-2; 16th-ranked).

WHEN: Today, 7 p.m. TV: ESPN (not listed on any Canadian sports channels' schedules).

TUITAMA'S NUMBERS: Threw for 21 TDs against eight interceptions for 2,763 passing yards and a QB rating of 142.67.

TAMAN SAYS: "Good leader, good arm, decent mobility. Been fairly productive in his career at Arizona, but I don't think he's a top-echelon (NFL) guy and so he might become available to us."

No. 6 QB Graham Harrell

Texas Tech (6-foot-3, 205; senior).

THE GAME: Cotton Bowl. Texas Tech (11-1; eighth-ranked) vs. Ole Miss (8-4; 20th-ranked).

WHEN: Friday, Jan. 2, 1 p.m. TV: FOX.

HARRELL'S NUMBERS: Astonishing: threw for 4,747 yards and 41 TDs with only eight interceptions and a sparkling QB rating of 163.03. Won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

TAMAN SAYS: "It's probably a stretch we could get him because he might be too good, but you never know. His stock is all over the place, but ever since they lost to Oklahoma it's gone down significantly."

No. 10 LB/Safe No. 10 LB/Safety Daniel Charbonnet

Texas Tech (5-foot-11, 203; senior).

THE GAME: Cotton Bowl. Texas Tech (11-1; eighth-ranked) vs. Ole Miss (8-4; 20th-ranked).

WHEN: Friday, Jan. 2, 1 p.m. TV: FOX.

CHARBONNET'S NUMBERS: Thirty-five tackles, five interceptions, three tackles for losses, three fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles.

TAMAN SAYS: "He flies around all over the place. He plays safety for them, but he'd be an outside for us. He's a smaller guy that doesn't really fit the NFL prototype."

No. 14 QB John Parker-Wilson

University of Alabama (6-foot-3, 213; senior).

THE GAME: Sugar Bowl. Alabama (12-1; fourth-ranked) vs. University of Utah (12-0; seventh-ranked).

WHEN: Friday, Jan. 2, 8 p.m. TV: FOX; TSN2.

PARKER-WILSON'S NUMBERS: Not exactly overwhelming... Threw for 2,096 yards and nine TDs against six interceptions and doesn't run a lot.

TAMAN SAYS: "He's a high-profile guy with a high-profile school, but his stock isn't going off the charts. He does a lot of things good, but not a lot of things great. That's the kind of guy we might be able to get. He has been very successful there."

-- Tait

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 20, 2008 D1