This will be the last bowl game of the year before a champion is decided on January 11th. The Cactus Bowl will be played at Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ as Sun Devil Stadium is undergoing renovations. The 6-6 Arizona State Sun Devils will be pitted against the 7-5 West Virginia Mountaineers.
Obviously this is a home game for the Sun Devil’s, who will be looking to finish off the year on a high note after a disastrous mid season stretch. West Virginia will try to reach the eight win mark after seeing their four game winning streak, to close out the season end by a point to Kansas State.
Bowl: Motel6 Cactus Bowl
Teams: West Virginia Mountaineers vs Arizona State Sun Devils
Date/Time: January 2, 2016 – 10:15 PM EST on ESPN
Location: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Vegas Line/Total: W. VA -1 / O/U 64.5
Written by: Erik the Hun
7 – 5 Record – 5 – 7 Vs Spread 12/05/15 @ Kansas State L 23-24 L -6.5 U 54 |
6 – 6 Record – 5 – 7 Vs Spread 11/28/15 @ California L 46-48 W 3.5 O 67.5 |
December 29, 2014 – Liberty Bowl – W. VA 37 – 45 Texas A&M December 29, 2012 – Pinstripe Bowl – W. VA 14 – 38 Syracuse January 4, 2012 – Orange Bowl – W. VA 70 – 33 Clemson December 28, 2010 – Champs Sports Bowl – W. VA 7 – 23 N.C State January 1, 2010 – Gator Bowl – W. VA 21 – 33 Florida State |
December 27, 2007 – Holiday Bowl – Arizona St. 34 – 52 Texas December 22, 2011 – Maaco Bowl – Arizona St. 24 – 56 Boise State December 29, 2012 – Kraft Hunger Bowl – Arizona St. 62 – 28 Navy December 30, 2013 – Holiday Bowl – Arizona St. 23 – 37 Texas Tech December 27, 2014 – Sun Bowl – Arizona St. 36 – 31 Duke |
West Virginia Outlook:
West Virginia’s offense was a balanced machine in 2015. The passing game could grow stagnant at times putting the Mountaineers at 60th in the country with 228.1 yards a game. The running game is where this team excelled ranking 14th in the nation with 235.1 yards a contest. Defensively West Virginia was 12th in the nation in turnover margin, but was one of the ten worst teams in terms of penalty yards accrued.
The Mountaineer’s quarterback Skyler Howard could be hit-or-miss throughout the 2015 campaign. Howard totaled 2613 yards on 193 completions with 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He was a threat on the ground as well stacking up 479 more yards on 150 carries and another six scores.
The unsung hero for the offensive unit was running back Wendell Smallwood who compiled over 1600 yards of offense and nine touchdowns. Smallwood ran the rock on 225 carries for 1447 yards and nine touchdowns.
Four wide receivers caught over 25 passes apiece. Sophomore Shelton Gibson led this group by catching 33 balls for 744 yards and eight scores. The three others grabbed 91 balls for 1228 yards and eight touchdowns.
West Virginia’s defense was about as average as you can get statistically. The Mountaineers ranked 54th in total yards allowing 386.2 a game. Opposing teams scored 23.2 points a game placing them at 37th in the nation. Thirty-one turnovers helped West Virginia flip the field. Cover corner Daryl Worley led the unit with six interceptions, but he will not be available due to academic ineligibility.
Arizona State Outlook:
The Sun Devils had a balanced offense of their own in 2015. The passing attack ranked 25th in the country with 288.6 yards a game. The running game held its own averaging 185.2 a contest putting them at the 46th spot in the country. Defensively they excelled against the run but gave way to too many points, allowing 32.7 points a match.
Quarterback Mike Bercovici won the battle for the starting spot in the spring. He went on to throw for 3436 yards with 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Demario Richard had a stand-out season for the Sun Devils. Richard ran the ball to the tune of 1056 yards on 199 carries and scored seven touchdowns. Richards also caught 30 passes for 299 yards and three more end zone appearances.
Bercovici spread the ball around to six different receivers. Wideout Devin Lucien led this group with 57 catches for 930 yards and seven touchdowns. Tim white and D.J. Foster caught 107 passes for 1098 yards and nine more scores.
Defensively the Sun Devils were a beast against the run, holding opponents to 124.6 a game. Defending the passing attacks of their competitors was a completely different story. Arizona State surrendered 321.7 yards a match, only the Hoosiers from Indiana were worse.
Matchup Analysis & Prediction
Analysis:
If West Virginia had a little better passing attack they could expose the weak secondary of the Sun Devils. Instead they rely on running the football which is Arizona State’s strong suit on defense. Look for Mike Bercovici to move the ball through the air and try to take advantage of a depleted Mountaineer’s back half.
Creating turnovers could play a huge roll for West Virginia, flipping the field making things easier for the offense. Arizona State will have a decisive home field advantage playing right up the street from Sun Devil stadium. This should be a close affair with both teams exploiting the weaknesses of the others, keeping this match tight up till the very end.
Prediction:
To get further analysis from Ej the Rainmaker and Erik the Hun, check out our audio preview of the Cactus Bowl using the audio file below…
