Fans of great quarterback play better not miss the 2015 Hyundai Sun Bowl. Miami’s Brad Kaaya and Washington State’s Luke Falk are two of the bright young talents at the position, and could be set for big things in 2016. But first, the two sophomores must lead their respective teams for a classic QB showdown in El Paso.
Read on below for our breakdown of this ACC-Pac-12 battle. And for more exciting bowl matchups, check out our previews of the Foster Farms Bowl and the Pinstripe Bowl.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Miami (FL) Hurricanes vs. Washington State Cougars Preview
Where: Sun Bowl, El Paso
When: Saturday, December 26, 2:00 PM ET
Line: Miami (FL) Hurricanes (+3) vs. Washington State Cougars (-3); total 62.0 – view all NCAA Football lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Miami (FL) Hurricanes (8-4, 5-3 ACC)
It was another roller coaster of a season for the Canes. They started 3-3 to start the year, and suffered a humiliating 58-0 demolition at the hands of Clemson, which ultimately cost head coach Al Golden his job.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]The Canes played reasonably well under interim coach Larry Scott, though, going 4-1 the rest of the way. It’ll be Scott’s last game in charge before new head coach Mark Richt takes over, so expect the Canes to have sufficient motivation to send Scott out with a bang.
Miami’s chances of winning this bowl game lie in the hands of quarterback Brad Kaaya. Don’t be fooled by the drop in Kaaya’s touchdowns from 26 in his excellent freshman season to only 15 this year. The exodus of his top skill position weapons to the NFL over the summer had a lot to do with that.
It’s a testament to him that his other stats remained virtually identical compared to last year despite the absence of those key players. He also led the ACC in passing yards per game (274.5).
Kaaya is definitely good enough to hurt the Cougars through the air. Meanwhile, sophomore Joseph Yearby, who rushed for 939 yards with six touchdowns this season, could also gain a lot of success against a Wazzu run defense that’s way down in 100th in the country, giving up 199.5 yards per game.
Miami’s defense isn’t formidable by any means, but its surprisingly good pass defense will match up well with Wazzu’s Air Raid attack. The Canes were 29th in the nation in pass defense, surrendering just 196 yards per game and 14 passing touchdowns all season.
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Betting on the Washington State Cougars (8-4, 6-3 Pac-12)
Good news for Wazzu: quarterback Luke Falk is going to play against Miami. The sophomore was knocked out of the Cougars’ penultimate game of the season against Colorado with a concussion, which also caused him to miss the team’s season finale, a 45-10 loss at Washington.
Falk was fantastic this season in orchestrating head coach Mike Leach’s Air Raid system. He led the nation with 387.8 yards per game, completed 70.7 percent of his passes and threw 36 touchdowns with just eight interceptions.
The good news doesn’t stop there for Wazzu. Falk’s favorite target, wideout Gabe Marks, has also been upgraded to probable to play against Miami. Marks, who was tied for fourth in the nation in both catches (99) and receiving touchdowns (14), is finally practicing again for the first time since injuring his ankle against Colorado.
The return of Wazzu’s two most influential offensive players will be a tremendous boost against a Miami defense that has fallen victim to a couple of big blowouts this season. The Canes gave up 58 points to Clemson and 59 against North Carolina this season.
Meanwhile, the Cougars’ vastly improved pass defense, which gave up just 223 yards per game and 12 passing touchdowns all year (both second in the Pac-12) will give Miami’s Brad Kaaya all he can handle.
Wazzu was an impressive 9-3 ATS this season.
Writer’s Prediction
Falk and the Cougars use their firepower to outlast the Canes. Wazzu (-3) wins, 35-27.
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