Arizona State Football: 3 takeaways from Las Vegas Bowl loss to Fresno State
By Zach Bigalke
Mountain West champion Fresno State made the most of their showdown against a tough Arizona State football side. Here is what we learned from the Las Vegas Bowl.
The first bowl game of the 2018-2019 postseason calendar featuring a Group of Five team against a Power Five opponent proved to be a highly competitive affair. The two teams were locked up at 17-17 when halftime rolled around, and the back-and-forth battle went down to the wire.
Ultimately, Fresno State walked away with a 31-20 victory in the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday as they pulled out victory in the fourth quarter. The team utilized a different script than the one that brought them through most of their Mountain West championship season.
After a 1-8 bowl season last year, the Pac-12 started this postseason with a loss against a Group of Five foe. The Sun Devils, after finishing second in the Pac-12 South, suffered through the disappointment of being unable to keep pace with the Bulldogs in the end.
Victory allowed Fresno State to reach 12 wins for the first time in school history. It was an impressive, resilient performance by a Bulldogs side desperate to validate its Mountain West crown with a statement in its bowl game. Here are three things to take away from this year’s Las Vegas Bowl.