Fiesta Bowl 2014: TV Schedule, Odds and Predictions for Boise State vs. Arizona
The Boise State football team could probably get used to this whole Fiesta Bowl thing.
After all, the Broncos are 2-0 in this game and won the 2007 Fiesta Bowl over Oklahoma in one of the most famous finishes in the history of college football. One hook-and-ladder, Statue of Liberty and marriage proposal later, and the Broncos captured the hearts of the nation with an upset of the Sooners.
Boise State will attempt to recapture that Fiesta Bowl magic against another Power Five conference opponent in Arizona, which is fresh off a blowout loss to Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
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Here is a look at the essential information for the game.
Boise State vs. Arizona
Date: Dec. 31
Time: 4 p.m. ET
Where: Glendale, Arizona, University of Phoenix Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Odds: Arizona -3, via Odds Shark on Wednesday morning at 2 a.m. ET
Preview/Prediction
Boise State coach Bryan Harsin recognized his team’s history in Glendale, via KTVB.com:
"Playing on that stage has been very good for us. Playing on that stage is something that every team in the country wants to be able to do. We're very fortunate to be in this position and we're proud to go back and represent Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl."
While that may be the case, the Broncos have not beaten a Power Five conference team since a 2012 bowl matchup with Washington and are a disappointing 1-5 in their last five tries. What’s more, they are 0-4 in their last four games against ranked squads.
However, Boise State has plenty of momentum on its side after overcoming a disappointing 3-2 start with eight consecutive wins and a Mountain West championship.
Now it has to deal with an Arizona offense that has been prolific all season, save for two high-profile losses against UCLA and Oregon. The Wildcats feature a balanced attack that averaged 277.7 passing yards per game and 183.8 rushing yards per game, and Anu Solomon threw for 3,458 yards and announced his presence to the nation in the regular-season win over Oregon.
Unfortunately for Wildcats fans, Solomon and the offense went missing in action in the Pac-12 Championship Game against those same Ducks.
On paper, Boise State’s weakness is its defense. It finished 65th in the country in points allowed per game, and the Wildcats will likely try to establish the running game early behind Solomon and freshman Nick Wilson, who ran for 1,289 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season.
If they can successfully do that, it will force Boise State to respect the play-action pass and open things up downfield for Cayleb Jones and the rest of the Arizona receiving corps against the same Broncos defense that allowed 49 points to 4-8 New Mexico.
Arizona is not the only that features a balanced offensive attack in this game, though.
Boise State finished 26th in passing, 31st in rushing and ninth in scoring offense nationally and boasts one of the nation’s best overall running backs in Jay Ajayi. Ajayi was third in the nation with 2,225 all-purpose yards and has 25 rushing touchdowns on the season. That is the second most in one year in the history of the Mountain West.
Quarterback Grant Hedrick is also more than capable of hurting a defense that focuses too much on Ajayi, as evidenced by his 3,387 passing yards.
However, Arizona counters with arguably the top defensive player in the nation in linebacker Scooby Wright. Wright terrorized opposing offenses all season and finished with 14 sacks and 28 tackles for loss.
College GameDay noted that he earned some national recognition for his season, while Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman commended Wright for overcoming expectations:
Wright's most memorable play came when he made the game-winning sack and strip of quarterback Marcus Mariota on Oregon’s final drive in Arizona’s dramatic regular-season victory over the Ducks.
While it is easy to focus on the last time college football fans saw Arizona when discussing the Wildcats’ Fiesta Bowl prospects, plenty of teams have gotten blown out by Mariota and Oregon. That doesn’t make the earlier win over the Ducks any less impressive.
Ultimately, this Arizona team has proved itself against better competition than Boise State all season. With wins over Oregon, Utah and Arizona State and a heartbreaking loss to USC that would have been a win had the Wildcats’ game-winning field-goal attempt not sailed wide, Arizona impressed against ranked teams on a number of occasions.
Boise State, on the other hand, has recently fallen short in that department.
It had the solid win over Colorado State but got blown out in its only contest against a Power Five conference team this season when it played Ole Miss.
Wright and the Arizona defense will keep the Boise State attack in check, while Solomon and the Arizona offense will find the end zone early and often against a vulnerable Broncos defense. Boise State will have to try again next season in its quest to beat another Power Five conference team.
Prediction: Arizona 38, Boise State 24
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