UCLA Football: 5 bold predictions for Cactus Bowl vs. Kansas State
By Zach Bigalke
2. Cactus Bowl will feature another high-scoring shootout in 2017
The Cactus Bowl has historically been a high-flying affair. UCLA has never played in this game before, but Kansas State has a long history of scoring plenty of points in this contest. The Wildcats have been to the various incarnations of this game on three previous occasions, going 2-1 and scoring big points in both their victories.
In their first appearance, Kansas State set the tone for future Cactus Bowls with a 52-17 drubbing of Wyoming in 1993. They lost 26-3 to Syracuse in 2001, but came back 12 years later to take down Michigan 31-14 in 2013. Bill Snyder has been there every step of the way.
Recent editions of the game have seen some high scores aplenty. Two years ago, West Virginia took down Arizona State in a 43-42 squeaker. This was also the game that ended Glen Mason’s tenure as coach of Minnesota, after the Golden Gophers coughed up a big lead to lose 44-41 in overtime to Texas Tech back in 2006.
This year we will see another high-scoring affair. Look for both UCLA and Kansas State to top the 40-point mark. The scoreboard operator at the ballpark in Phoenix will be plenty busy as two defenses give away points galore on the day after Christmas.