Bowl Blitz: Boise State vs. Arizona State in Maaco Bowl Las Vegas

The Las Vegas Bowl Maaco Bowl Las Vegas has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a Big West vs. MAC postseason pairing. Boise State’s second consecutive appearance in the game extends the Las Vegas Bowl’s streak of seasons with a top 25 participant to seven seasons.

Another streak is in play Thursday night. BSU has won its last three vs. Pacific-10/12 Conference opponents (Oregon in 2008 and 2009, Oregon State in 2010). That run is four counting last season’s Las Vegas Bowl rout of Utah, a current Pac-12 member playing its final Mountain West game last December. Since 2006, BSU has gone 5-1 against the conference not counting Utah, and the odds favor another notch in the W column against a sliding Arizona State.

However, if there’s one thing true about Las Vegas, it’s that the odds don’t always tell the story.

ASU-BSU is a match-up that had it been made in October would have piqued the nation’s interest. In the Week 10 poll released Oct. 30, the 6-2 Sun Devils were No. 19, and the Broncos No. 5. ASU has not won a game since. The four-game slide on which A-State ended its campaign included losses to Arizona and Washington State, teams with a combined 8-16, and even worse 4-14 conference record. The stretch cost Dennis Erickson his job. The Las Vegas Bowl is Erickson’s swan song, not only at ASU but possibly in college coaching altogether. He told CBSsports.com’s Craig Moran:

"It’s just starting to set in now, I’ve been doing this a long time and have coached over 400 games in my career. To get to this point — you never know if something like this is coming. I think it will hit me harder after the final football game when I’m sitting at home watching bowl games."

Erickson is the third straight Sun Devil coach to be fired in a bowl season, yet finish out coaching in the postseason. Coincidentally, Erickson was named the head coach in Dec. 2006, the same week Dirk Koetter led ASU into the Hawaii Bowl vs. UH. The Warriors won in a rout.

Obviously that result five years ago has no bearing on the Las Vegas Bowl, but the atmosphere is similar. Those Sun Devils were ranked as late as October. That ASU team went on a late season slide. A high-powered offense from a non-AQ conference was awaiting the ousted head coach in his finale. And frankly, though this ASU team is more talented than the ’06 version, BSU 2011 is much better than Hawaii 2006.

Kellen Moore leads the 11-1 Broncos to face an ASU defense that has given up at least 29 in each of its last four outings. Moore did not make a return trip to the Heisman Trophy presentation, but he certainly could have. Moore’s 2011 was arguably better than 2010: 41 touchdowns to seven interceptions, 74 percent passes completed, over 3500 yards. Moore was stellar, truly cementing his legacy as one of the greatest college quarterbacks ever.

What makes Moore’s 2011 was impressive is BSU lost Austin Pettis and Titus Young from the receiving corps. The duo was responsible for nearly 2200 yards and 19 touchdowns of Moore’s. The transition without them was seamless. Tyler Shoemaker emerged as an elite No. 1 target, accounting for 15 of Moore’s 41 touchdown passes. Doug Martin and D.J. Harper added a solid combination out of the backfield, running behind a line including consensus All-American Kyle Potter. Potter was the anchor of a veteran unit, and the sole non-AQ player chosen to the First Team of the composite All-America team.

Mix those components together, and the Broncos are almost flawless offensively. That bodes for trouble for an A-State defense that wasn’t just defeated in its final stretch. The team’s most talented player, oft-troubled linebacker Vontaze Burfict, seemed to quit in the finale vs. Cal. Burfict received two costly, and very much avoidable personal fouls that gave Cal a momentum-turning score in the second half.

Defensive woes put the ball solidly in A-State’s offense’s court. The BSU defense only surrendered a little over 18 points per game, but in its one loss gave up 36. A shootout might be the Sun Devils’ best bet, and the ASU offense can light up the scoreboard.

ASU ranked No. 26 nationally in points per game behind former BSU recruit, Brock Osweiler (did you know he’s 6-foot-8?). Osweiler actually surpassed Moore’s yardage total by nearly 1000, but was susceptible to questionable decision making. He threw 12 interceptions on the year, and in a Nov. 19 loss to rival Arizona, coughed up a decisive fumble.

Still, when Osweiler is good, he’s great. His style is not unlike that of TCU’s Casey Pachall, leader of the Broncos’ sole defeat. Osweiler has a deep and talented receiving corps at his disposal, most notably quick Aaron Pflugrad and big target Gerrell Robinson.

Cameron Marshall set an ASU single season record for rushing touchdowns and was the first ASU running back to surpass 1000 yards since Ryan Torrain in 2006. Marshall benefited from rushing behind a big, experienced offensive line. The ASU line looked like the best in the Pac-12 on certain occasions, but lacked communication at others in allowing 24 sacks. BSU was not particularly adept at pursuing the quarterback, ranking No. 79 in the FBS with just 20 total sacks. However tonight, pressuring Osweiler must be paramount to slowing ASU, potentially forcing the quarterback into some of those aforementioned poor decisions.

Should BSU replicate its defensive efforts from the 2010 Las Vegas Bowl, in which it held Utah to all of three points, the only intrigue will be what uniform combinations the two sides wear. Both ASU and BSU are Nike programs, and have a combined 30 different combinations from which to choose.