"Todd's Taste of the Town" coming to the Las Vegas Bowl

The broadcasting team for the Las Vegas Bowl has been set, and its one of the better ESPN crews on their BCS-loving channel.

Mike Patrick will be doing the play-by-play and former Davey O'Brien winner Todd Blackledge will be the color commentator, with Holly Rowe holding down the sidelines.  Rowe if you remember is a former KBYU announcer.

But with Patrick and Blackledge doing the game, we get "Todd's Taste of the Town" which has become a popular segment in his broadcasts.  Usually takes place some time in the third quarter.

This crew is a major upgrade from the 2006 Las Vegas Bowl announcing team of Brent Musberger and Craig James who were interviewing guests it seemed like the entire time rather than broadcast the game.  Ryan Leaf if I remember was one of the guys who stopped by and was interviewed for what seemed to be the entire third quarter. Granted, it was a 38-8 blowout in favor of the Cougs, but still, it was a sad call from one of College Football's best in Musberger.

Last year had a good group with Brad Nessler, probably most fondly remembered for his call of the '96 BYU-Utah game in Salt Lake on ESPN.  Alongside him was Paul McGuire and Bob Griese with Bonnie Bernstein on sidelines.  Very good team and Nessler's call of the Manumaleuna blocked Field Goal was pretty awesome as well.  Still, I'm really excited for Patrick and Blackledge doing the call.  I don't recall Mike Patrick ever announcing a BYU game so it should be fun to see how it does and how much he knows on the Cougs.

Extra tidbit on Blackledge:  He won the Davey O'Brien at Penn State in 1982 one year after Jim McMahon won his and one year prior to Steve Young winning the award.