Arizona State Football: 5 bold predictions for Sun Devils vs NC State in Sun Bowl

3. Ryan Finley will post big numbers but also turnovers in uneven Sun Bowl

Ryan Finley was something of an anomaly this season for NC State. The veteran quarterback put up a second solid season as a starter for the Wolfpack, but the rub was that big games for Finley were not necessarily a good thing for Dave Doeren’s team. When Finley was putting up big stats, it meant as often as not that the Wolfpack were due to lose.

Finley threw for at least 300 yards in five games during the 2017 season. Three of those performances came in losses. The Wolfpack fell 35-28 to South Carolina in the opener as Finley threw for 415 yards and two touchdowns without a pick. NC State lost by a touchdown to Clemson as Finley threw for 338 yards with three scores and a pair of interceptions.

They also lost to Wake Forest 30-24 as Finley went 35-of-52 for 327 yards with a touchdown and a turnover. All in all, when Finley was getting to 300 it more often than not came as a result of compiling stats. He wasn’t a big home-run hitter on offense for the Wolfpack, more of an efficient chain-moving quarterback.

That isn’t a bad thing! It will almost certainly make Finley some NFL money. But it shouldn’t come as a relief to NC State fans that Finley will go for more than 300 yards against the Sun Devils. He will pass the ball more than 50 times to get to that mark, as he completes about 65 percent of his passes. Finley will have a pair of scores, but he will also throw a pair of interceptions that keep the Wolfpack from pulling ahead.