Pelini vs. Stoops in Holiday Bowl

Seven area representatives — six from Mooney — are in the game, which will be Wednesday.

By JOHN KOVACH

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

Two coaches and old friends from Youngstown and Cardinal Mooney High will square off Wednesday in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl at 8 p.m. at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

Bo Pelini of No. 20 Nebraska (9-4, 6-2 Big 12), in his second full season at the Cornhuskers’ helm; and Mike Stoops of No. 22 Arizona (8-4, 6-3 Pac-10), in his sixth season, will be matching strategies for the first time as collegiate football coaches on national television (ESPN).

The matchup also will bring together other members of the Stoops and Pelini families who were childhood friends, as brothers Carl Pelini and Mark Stoops serve as the respective defensive coordinators for both teams.

Bo Pelini and Mike Stoops also share the same birthday, Dec. 13, Pelini turning 42 and Stoops 48 earlier this month.

In addition, Nebraska has three other area representatives in the game, including Mooney graduates Tim Beck, who coaches the running backs; and Tim Marlowe, a redshirt freshman and the No. 2 kickoff return man who has returned 12 kicks for 284 yards and a 23.7-yard average, with a long run-back of 40 yards.

The other area representative is Ross Watson (Austintown Fitch), the cornerbacks coach who served as a graduate assistant the previous two years.

Marlowe (5-10, 175), the son of Richard and Maureen Marlowe and the first Nebraska recruit from Ohio in 10 years, is No. 2 on the depth chart. He is close behind junior Paul Niles, who has 15 returns for 397 yards for a 26.5-yard average, with a long return of 44 yards.

As a 2008 redshirt, Marlowe was a member of the Nebraska scout team unit and earned offensive scout team co-MVP honors.

Mark Stoops, who came to Arizona with his brother as defensive coordinator in 2004, will be in his final game with the Wildcats. He will become Florida State’s new defensive coordinator under new coach Jimbo Fisher, who will succeed Bobby Bowden after the Holiday Bowl.

Bo Pelini, an Ohio State graduate who played safety for the Buckeyes from 1987-90 and was a two-year starter and co-captain as a senior, is looking for his third bowl win and 20th overall victory at Nebraska. He has had back-to-back 9-4 seasons, including a win over Clemson in last year’s Gator Bowl.

Pelini also guided the Huskers to the Big 12 North Division crown this year at 6-2.

He also had a 17-3 victory over Michigan State in 2003 as interim Nebraska coach, and has a 19-8 overall mark at the helm.

Nebraska is coming off a last-second, 13-12 loss to No. 2 Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game in Arlingon, Tex., on Dec. 5.

The Cornhuskers are in the midst of their first back-to-back nine-win campaigns since 2000 and 2001.

Prior to becoming Nebraska’s coach, Pelini was defensive coordinator for the Cornhuskers, Oklahoma and Louisiana State, and also had stints as an NFL assistant with San Francisco, New England and Green Bay.

Mike Stoops, a graduate of Iowa where he was an All-American defensive back, has guided Arizona to back-to-back eight-win seasons and has a 33-38 record at the helm.

Arizona is coming off a 21-17 victory at USC to tie for second place in the Pac-10 with a 6-3 league record and earn the Holiday Bowl invitation. The Wildcats shared second place in the Pac-10 with Stanford and Oregon State to earn its second straight bowl berth.

A win over Nebraska would give Stoops his most wins in one season with nine.

Last season, Arizona defeated nationally-ranked Brigham Young in the Las Vegas Bowl to cap an eight-win season.

kovach@vindy.com