Fiesta Bowl 2014: Arizona vs. Boise State Schedule and Early Predictions
Participants of the Fiesta Bowl may not have a shot at the national title, but they still have the privilege of playing in one of the coveted New Year's Six games.
Recognized as one of the top-tier bowl games, the Fiesta Bowl has produced some of the bowl season's most exciting contests in recent years. UCF and Baylor kicked off 2014 in style, combining for 94 points in a New Year's Day shootout. Also, who can forget Boise State's overtime victory over Oklahoma in 2007 via the Statue of Liberty?
So, which teams will compete this time around? College GameDay tweeted the information:
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Will Boise State repeat history, this time against Arizona?
To ensure the next batch of memories produced by this game don't go missed, here's a look at all of the essential viewing information for the upcoming Fiesta Bowl.
Viewing Information
When: Wednesday, Dec. 31
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
Time: 4 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Preview and Prediction
The Broncos were a rather surprising team over the back half of the regular season, bouncing back from a brutal loss to Air Force with eight consecutive wins, culminating in a 28-14 victory over Fresno State to claim the Mountain West Conference title.
TheScore deemed Boise State as "college football's best kept secret":
Junior running back Jay Ajayi has been phenomenal for Boise State this season, rushing for 1,689 yards and 25 touchdowns, adding 45 receptions for 536 yards and four scores. He's been an absolute workhorse for the Broncos, and he'll get a great chance to rip it up once again versus Arizona's 72nd-ranked run defense that is allowing an average of 170.4 rushing yards per game.
Senior quarterback Grant Hedrick began the season in rocky fashion, tossing four interceptions in both of Boise State's losses. Since then, he's been highly efficient, throwing 17 touchdown passes against four interceptions. The Wildcats' weakness on defense is their 118th-ranked secondary, and Hedrick's 70.9 completion percentage this season will certainly work in his favor.
If Arizona is to overcome Boise State's prolific offense, it must continue to utilize the blitz to get pressure on Hedrick, throwing the quarterback off balance. The Wildcats have been very good in that department this year, accumulating 37 total sacks. They'll get some opportunities in the Fiesta Bowl against a Broncos offensive line that gave up 27 sacks this season.
On the offensive side of the ball, Arizona really needs to get running back Nick Wilson going early against Boise State's 36th-ranked run defense. The ball-carrier only averaged 2.0 yards per carry against Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship, and that led to a stagnant offense.
The Wildcats struggled under center against the Ducks, as Jesse Scroggins replaced Anu Solomon, and Scroggins was later replaced by Jerrard Randall. The quarterback position is absolutely a weakness heading into this contest, furthering the importance of establishing the run.
While Arizona is a highly talented team, Boise State comes into this contest as the more well-rounded squad. The Wildcats have given up a total of 86 points over their last two games, and they'll continue to struggle against the Broncos' ninth-ranked offense.
Prediction: Boise State 38, Arizona 30
All team statistics and rankings courtesy of NCAA.com and current as of December 7.
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