Emerald Bowl = Mud Bowl?

It’s raining today in San Francisco, site of the Emerald Bowl tomorrow between UCLA and Florida State. Rain is in the forecast overnight and tomorrow morning as well, according to weather.com. The field at AT&T Park where the game will be played is a blend of 5 low-growing bluegrass hybrid turf grasses, according to their website. We don’t know much about turf grass, but low-growing and rain may not be a good mix. After a day and a half of steady rains, and wind, it might make for a tough day on the field. It will still be windy tomorrow night for the game as well, windy and cold.

Which team would that affect more, UCLA or Florida State?? Let’s take a look. Both teams have speed on defense and both teams are weak on offense.  Speed is usually affected by mud, neutralizing the advantage.  Neither team had an advantage particularly with speed so this is a push.  UCLA has had more discipline problems throughout the year, at one point being highly ranked in the nation in penalties. We had few penalties against Southern Cal and that helped us control the game more. Could the soggy field and poor weather conditions bring those issues back?

Bad field and weather conditions usually helps defenses more. Offenses don’t have good footing and obviously lose grip on the ball. You get more turnovers. In a game where defenses are expected to dominate and control the outcome, and where turnovers may tell the final story, bad field and weather conditions can only enhance those possibilities. More later …

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