West Virginia Mountaineers vs Arizona State Sun Devils
After starting the season 3-0 in non-conference play, the West Virginia Mountaineers played four straight ranked teams over a month’s span, and lost every single one. A promising season quickly turned into a 3-4 campaign with a hot stretch needed to close out the season to make a bowl game.
The Mountaineers still happened to win four out of five games to finish the season and earn a trip to the Cactus Bowl. Skyler Howard might not be the most effective quarterback, especially since the program got used to Clint Trickett a season ago, but running back Wendell Smallwood has been the most improved player on the team.
Arizona State opened the season as the No. 15 team in the country and searching for a replacement for departed quarterback Taylor Kelly. Mike Bercovici showed flashes of brilliance the season before in Kelly’s absence, but the team around him in 2015 just wasn’t as good.
Bercovici still put up solid numbers, passing for over 3,400 yards and 26 touchdowns with just nine interceptions. It will be interesting to see how he will fare against a very average pass defense.
Details for Saturday’s Cactus Bowl are below:
Date: Saturday, Jan. 2
Start Time: 10:15 p.m. ET
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Stadium: Chase Field
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: For West Virginia radio affiliates, click here. For Arizona State radio affiliates, click here.
Keys to Victory
West Virginia Mountaineers
West Virginia needs to ride the hot hand. All season long, the run game has been working with Wendell Smallwood leading the way and that needs to continue in this one. Arizona State doesn’t have the best defense, so Smallwood should be able to put up big yards as the offense averages 235 yards per game on the ground.
The Sun Devils have the worst pass defense in the country, so Howard needs to take advantage of that as well despite not being a big-time passer this season.
Arizona State Sun Devils
Making sure West Virginia’s Skyler Howard feels pressure and is uncomfortable in the pocket is a huge key for Arizona State as the Sun Devils have the 127th-ranked pass defense in college football.
Offensively, Bercovici isn’t exactly facing one of the top defenses in the country, either, as the West Virginia secondary ranks in the middle of the nation in passing yards allowed per game. This game is going to be won on the offensive side of the ball and the Sun Devils have the better gunslinger.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: West Virginia -1.5
Moneyline: West Virginia -125, Arizona State +105
O/U: 65
Prediction
West Virginia might be the favorite in this one, but I think this game comes down to quarterback play and the offensive side of the ball, and Arizona State is better in that regard. Smallwood is the best running back in this contest, but the Sun Devils have playmakers like Demario Richard, D.J. Foster and Devin Lucien. The Sun Devils will win because of a big third quarter and the Mountaineers will never catch up.
Final Score: West Virginia 28, Arizona State 31