WHO: N.C. State (7-5) vs. Arizona State (7-5)
WHAT: The 84th Hyundai Sun Bowl
WHEN: 3 p.m. ET on CBS
WHERE: Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas
THE SKINNY: Do you like awkwardness? If so, do we have a bowl matchup for you.
Let’s start with the Sun Devils. Despite making the bizarre decision to hire Herm Edwards (who will likely show up in the broadcast booth at some point during the game), former head coach Todd Graham will still be coaching his team in this game as they look to win an eight game for the fourth time in his six-year tenure. Defensive coordinator Phil Bennett will also be sticking around but will leave the program after the game while offensive coordinator Billy Napier has turned over play-calling duties to Rob Likens after taking a head coaching job at Louisiana-Lafayette.
And that’s not even getting to the actual Sun Devils who will be playing in this one, though there are some pretty good ones. That includes quarterback Manny Wilkins and his favorite target in wideout N’Keal Harry, who is big, fast, physical and can come up with a circus catch if you give him just a sliver of daylight. Running backs Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage are both multipurpose threats out of the backfield and really came on strong to close the regular season.
Across the sideline, the biggest question facing the Wolfpack is if star defensive end Bradley Chubb will play in the game or not. He was one of, if not the, best defenders in college football in 2017 and made the trip with the team but it’s still unknown whether he’ll sit out to avoid injury and focus on the NFL. Chances are he will not play but State still has a really stout group up front even without him in the lineup.
Offensively, quarterback Ryan Finley has really developed nicely and played a big role in the team averaging just over 30 points per game this year. Of course, it helps to have weapons like Nyheim Hines at running back (5.7 ypc) and the super versatile Jaylen Samuels. Both are big play threats with every touch and have the potential to find some space in this game as well.
Given all the strange factors in this one, the Sun Bowl could play out about a dozen different ways. The Wolfpack could play uninspired after making the trip West and there might be an on-field issue if they’re missing their best player. Or it could be the Sun Devils get overly emotional given all that has gone on with their coaching staff leading up to kickoff? Something says they’ll meet somewhere in the middle of all that awkwardness and trade scores for a few drives before NCSU settles down to win things in the second half.
THE PICK: N.C. State 30, Arizona State 17
WHO: Wake Forest (7-5) vs. Texas A&M (7-5)
WHAT: The 16th Belk Bowl
WHEN: 1 p.m. ET on ESPN
WHERE: Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina
THE SKINNY: This year’s Wake Forest squad is a change-up from a typical Demon Deacons squad. It’s the first time since 2009 that Wake has ranked higher in yards per play offensively (30th) than defensively (54th) — though ranking no higher than 83rd on offense every year of this decade until this year likely has something to do with that.
Senior quarterback John Wolford made a massive leap this season, adding nearly 50 points to his efficiency rating, upping his completion percentage from 55.5 to 63.7, his yards per attempt from 5.9 to 8.6 and flipping his touchdown-to-interception ratio from 9-and-10 to 25-and-6. As a result, Wake Forest has hit the 30-point mark seven times in 12 games and stands a puncher’s chance of keeping up with the more athletic Aggies in a track meet.
Texas A&M has to be the happiest team in the country that stumbled to a 1-3 conference finish. Jimbo Fisher is officially an Aggie, and one has to wonder if he imported any knowledge from past games with Wake Forest. The A&M players figure to be energized heading into the game, while one wonders if the coaches will be distracted after game-planning while trying to find new jobs. Nick Starkel re-claimed the starting quarterback job from Kellen Mond over the end of the regular season and responded by throwing 10 touchdowns against five interceptions over the final five games.
He figures to be on his best behavior with the new boss looking on.
THE PICK: Texas A&M 35, Wake Forest 27
TCU sure doesn’t like the first half of the Alamo Bowl… but they most certainly enjoy what happens when the second half kicks off.
Two years after completing an improbable 31 point comeback in the same setting, the Horned Frogs capped off another in San Antonio by rallying from down a dozen to beat No. 13 Stanford 39-37 on Thursday night.
Gary Patterson’s 15th-ranked squad didn’t hold back in the postseason appearance either. TCU faked a punt on their first drive of the game, broke out the old man-lying-down-in-the-end-zone trick kick return (both failed) and had gadget plays galore in search of a spark offensively. After an uneven start to the game, quarterback Kenny Hill settled down as the game unfolded and managed to score a touchdown via rush, pass and reception for the second time this season. He did throw two interceptions (one on a Hail Mary) but finished with 314 yards through the air and another 6o on the ground as he closed out his college career in as crazy a fashion as it began.
That included a 93 yard pass to Jalen Reagor down the stretch, with most of the work being done by the young wideout as he ran a time down the sidelines that might have placed him on the medal stand of the Texas Relays. It would have been the easy pick for the biggest play of the fourth quarter had it not been for Desmon White’s 76 yard punt return for a touchdown that game the Horned Frogs the lead for the first time in the game.
The Cardinal would not go quietly into the Texas night though and briefly re-took the lead after JJ Arcega-Whiteside caught a go-ahead touchdown — his third of the game — on a jump ball in the corner of the end zone that is becoming rather routine for the lengthy wideout who is as good as they come boxing out a defensive back. He was unquestionably the favorite quarterback K.J. Costello, who had an otherwise nice night against Patterson’s defense with 212 yards and the trio of touchdowns but his interception in the final minutes sealed the loss.
That spoiled yet another incredible outing by Heisman runner-up Bryce Love — who looked healthy for the first time in months after the long postseason layoff. He totaled 145 yards and two scores on the ground, including a 69-yarder that set a new FBS record with his 13th run of 50+yards this season and was the longest allowed by TCU’s defense all season. However he injured his thumb late in the game and was bleeding to the point that he had to go to the team’s medical tent on the sidelines and missed the final two drives as Stanford ends 2017 with back-to-back losses.
While he would have certainly made a difference down the stretch, not even the incredible running ability of the nation’s best running back could have spoiled the comeback mojo that TCU seems to have in this bowl game. Though the 11 point halftime deficit they overcame was barely a third of the 31 points they came back from against Oregon in this game two years ago, you’d be hard pressed to find a team who remembers the Alamo quite like the Horned Frogs do.
After winning just three games in 2016, Michigan State spent last winter at home dreaming of warmer climates. Thanks to an incredible turnaround during the regular season in 2017, the No. 16 Spartans spent this winter enjoying the warmer climates of San Diego as they thumped No. 18 Washington State 42-17 in the Holiday Bowl.
And things didn’t even seem anywhere as close as that final margin would indicate.
Quarterback Brian Lewerke played a big role in the reason why the game was largely uncompetitive with a performance that could earn him a place on more than a few Heisman Dark Horse lists for 2018. The sophomore had one of the best outings of the season under center and was one point with his passing on nearly every dropback in throwing for 213 yards and three touchdowns. While he may not look like a noted dual-threat at first glance, he also paced the team with his legs for most of the night and wound up with 73 yards rushing.
Tailback L.J. Scott chipped in with 110 on the ground and scored two rushing touchdowns, while Felton Davis (118 yards, one score) and Cody White (two TD’s) helped pace the skill position players in terms of effectiveness.
Though the Cougars did get the offense clicking later in the game, they were behind the chains from the opening kickoff with sophomore Tyler Hilinski making his first career start behind center. Record-setting quarterback Luke Falk was one the sidelines in street clothes for the game but couldn’t make it back in time from a wrist injury he suffered in the Apple Cup.
Hilinski did make several nice throws down the field over the course of the game but was mostly forced to dink-and-dunk all night on his way to 272 yards, an interception and a pair of touchdowns. Several three-and-outs early put his defense in a bind however and a fumble in the third quarter that was converted into another touchdown seemed to be the back-breaker. The loss puts a damper on what was still an overall successful year for the Cougs but adds to the questions about the program going forward with a number of key players gone for 2018 and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch reportedly headed to Ohio State in January.
The same could not be said of the Spartans, which capped a seven-win turnaround this year and have plenty of momentum (and returning starters) as they return to East Lansing for the new year. While we tend to over-inflate bowl victories when it comes to the preseason outlook on some teams, the way that MSU has trended this year bodes well for them in what should be a rough and tumble Big Ten in 2018 that will likely have Mark Dantonio‘s squad right back in the thick of the title race again.
The Tyler Hilinski era is getting started earlier than anybody at No. 18 Washington State wanted and as a result the team trails No. 16 Michigan State 21-3 at halftime of the Holiday Bowl.
The Cougars backup quarterback made his first start on Thursday night in place of record-setting signal-caller Luke Falk, whose career on the Palouse is over after injuring his wrist in the Apple Cup and being unable to recover in time for the team’s bowl appearance. The 6-foot-3 sophomore has made several appearances this season already so he isn’t totally inexperienced running Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense but he didn’t seem to quite live up to the stage with 72 yards passing on 22 attempts as WSU had four three-and-outs in the half.
On the flip side, Spartans starter Brian Lewerke looked like he was the one running a wide-open spread offense instead of the typical look you get from the team. He was sharp throughout the first two quarters and finished with 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns, one of which was a perfect throw to the back of the end zone that was hauled in by Cody White and the other off a terrific fake that left Felton Davis wide open for a 49-yarder.
Washington State is no stranger to having some crazy comebacks this season but they’ll need more out of their new starter if the want to make things happen against a Michigan State squad well on their way to hitting the double-digit win mark once again.
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