Sun Bowl: Washington State vs Miami TV info, live stream, odds, predictions and more
In a battle of 8-4 teams with great quarterbacks, Luke Falk leads the Washington State Cougars against Brad Kaaya and the Miami Hurricanes in the Sun Bowl.
Few would have guessed when the Washington State Cougars were upset 24-17 by FCS opponent Portland State in the season opener that the 2015 season would have turned out so well. In fact, after the Cougs won eight of their next ten games, it turned out to be the best season in Pullman in over a decade.
Head coach Mike Leach led Wazzu to a bowl game in 2013 but oversaw a disastrous 2014 campaign in which the Cougars won only three games. After the loss in Week 1, it seemed unlikely that Leach would be able to hold on to his job through the season, much less lead Washington State to victories over Pac-12 rivals Oregon, Arizona State and UCLA.
But, with prolific quarterback Luke Falk (4,266 passing yards, 36 TD, 8 INT) and an improved defense, the Cougars recovered and won more games than any at the school since 2003. Their reward is a spot in the Hyundai Sun Bowl against the Miami Hurricanes, which is just the second bowl game for Washington State over that span.
There is far less celebration surrounding the 8-4 season the Miami Hurricanes put together in 2015. A 3-0 start to the season gave way to three losses in four games – the last of which was a 58-0 embarrassment that led to head coach Al Golden being dismissed. Although, the Hurricanes have won four of five games since and hired Mark Richt to lead the program into 2016 and beyond.
Sun Bowl Information:
- Date: Saturday December 26, 2015
- Time: 2:00 PM ET
- Location: El Paso, TX
- TV Channel: CBS
- Live Stream: CBSSports.com
- Spread: Washington State -3
Looking ahead to their Sun Bowl showdown, both sophomore signal callers will play pivotal roles.
Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya (3,019 passing yards, 15 TD, 4 INT), was injured in the loss to Clemson and missed the following game against Duke (which turned out to be one of the most exciting finishes in college football history with the Hurricanes scoring on a kickoff return with the assistance of eight laterals and some questionable officiating to win 30-27). However, Kaaya has recovered and threw for 1,173 yards and five touchdowns with only two interceptions in the final four games of the season.
Falk suffered an injury that cost him a chance to play against arch rival Washington in the Apple Cup and the Cougars were blown out 45-10. Without him, Wazzu managed just 319 total yards of offense and 288 passing yards. This season, Washington State has averaged 476.9 total yards of offense with 397.0 passing yards per game. Falk leads the nation with an average of 387.8 passing yards per game.
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Both teams can move the ball through the air, but both also struggle to effectively run the football and to stop the run. Miami has averaged just 119.5 rushing yards per game this year, which ranks No. 117 in the nation. Nevertheless, the Hurricanes have a talented ball carrier in Joseph Yearby, who has rushed for 939 yards and six touchdowns and is also a capable receiver out of the backfield, having caught 23 passes for 273 yards and two scores.
Washington State, who has attempted 87 fewer rushing attempts than the next closest FBS team, averages just 79.9 rushing yards per game, which ranks dead last in the nation.
Defensively, the Hurricanes rank No. 107 in rush defense (210.5 rushing yards allowed per game) while Washington State has been only slightly better with an average of 199.5 rushing yards per game, which ranks No. 101. Both teams have allowed the same 28.8 points per game and both defenses surrender and average of more than 400 total yards of offense per game (406.8 for Miami and 422.8 for the Cougars).
Sun Bowl Prediction:
Washington State and Miami are very similar. Both teams are 8-4, both have very good quarterbacks capable of putting up big numbers, and both struggle to contain opposing offenses. However, while Falk has proven a flair for the dramatic in victories over Oregon and UCLA, we haven’t seen him play since being carted off the field against Colorado Nov. 21.
With uncertainty surrounding how Falk will overcome his injury, in addition to Miami’s slightly better rushing ability, expect the Hurricanes to win a close, high-scoring contest.