For the second straight season the No. 21 Fresno State Bulldogs will compete in a bowl game, and the same story can be written for the Arizona State Sun Devils as the two collide at Sam Boyd Stadium in the 27th Las Vegas Bowl. This is the first meeting between these two schools since 1941, nearly 80 years ago, and Arizona State is a perfect 3-0 vs Fresno State, but it is a 4.5-point underdog in this bowl game with the total Sportsbook at 52 points.
- The total has gone UNDER in eight of Fresno State’s last nine games.
- Fresno State allows the second-fewest points per game in the nation this season (13.7).
- Arizona State is 4-9 SU and ATS in its last 13 bowl games (avg. losing margin: 16).
Arizona State vs Fresno State Game Center
Sun Devils look to break through in a Bowl Game
For the second straight season, Arizona State finished with a 7-5 record and is bowl-eligible once again, looking to win its first bowl game since 2014, having lost its last two. The Sun Devils finished the year on a high note, winning four of their last five games, including a 41-40 victory to win their second straight Territorial Cup against Arizona. The biggest bright spot for them this season was the breakout of sophomore running back Eno Benjamin, who rushed for 1,524 yards and 15 touchdowns with his yardage ranking in a tie for third in the nation and his TDs tied for eighth. Meanwhile, quarterback Manny Wilkins had a solid senior season, averaging the most yards per pass attempt of his career and posting his best QB rating, while also throwing his fewest picks at four.
However, a big story that hurts this passing attack is the announcement that top receiver N’Keal Harry is not playing in this game because he has signed with an agent for the upcoming draft. The junior from Arizona caught 73 passes for 1,088 yards and nine touchdowns, leading the team in all three of those categories. Defensively, the Sun Devils surrender just 25.1 points per game to rank No. 49 in the NCAA and are in the middle of the pack for big plays, sitting 44th with 29 sacks while grabbing 10 interceptions to rank 64th.
Bulldogs have a top-ranked defense
Fresno State had a terrific season, finishing with a record of 11-2 and winning its first MWC championship since 2013 by topping Boise State 19-16. This was the first year since 2013 that the Bulldogs had an 11-win season, when they also played in the Las Vegas Bowl and lost 45-20 to USC. The Bulldogs have a good balance between a strong defense and solid offense, scoring 34.9 points per game to rank 26th in the nation, while surrendering just 13.7 points per game, which is tied for the second-fewest in college football with Clemson.
Offensively, senior QB Marcus McMaryion had a career year, completing 69.8 percent of his passes for 3,453 yards with 25 touchdowns and just three interceptions. The California native also tucked the ball 67 times for 253 yards and another seven TDs. However, the defense stole the show most games for Fresno State, led by junior linebacker Jeff Allison, who had 120 combined tackles, the 19th-most in the nation, while also grabbing two interceptions. The Bulldogs rank in the top 30 for fewest passing yards allowed per game (194.1, 30th) and rushing yards (129.8, 27th) and also finished in a tie for fifth in the NCAA with 17 interceptions.
Should you be on the UNDER for the Las Vegas Bowl?
Fresno State and Arizona State are both strong defensively, ranking in the top 50 for average points per game allowed and Sportsbook has the total Sportsbook at 52 points. The Bulldogs only had three games all season that went OVER 52 points and they closed out the year with five straight games that went UNDER with an average combined score of 41.6. Additionally, the Sun Devils put a lot of focus on their run game as they average 185.7 rushing yards per game and sophomore running back Eno Benjamin rushed for 1,524 yards with 15 touchdowns, but Fresno State surrenders just 129.8 rushing yards per game. With N’Keal Harry removing himself from the game, Arizona State will have to put more emphasis on its run game and the Bulldogs will be able to clog the box more and I think points will be hard to come by.
My take on Arizona State vs Fresno State
I like the Bulldogs to cover the 4.5-point spread. Fresno State has an 11-2 record, going 9-4 ATS, and with Arizona State missing its top receiver, I think the Sun Devils will have a hard time scoring, while their suspect secondary may be picked apart by Marcus McMaryion. Additionally, Arizona State hasn’t had much success in bowl games in recent memory, going 4-9 SU and ATS in its last 13 dating back to 1999, including losing its last two. Meanwhile, Fresno State is looking to win back-to-back bowl games for the first time since it won three in a row from 2002 to 2004. Lastly, with N’Keal Harry not participating in this game, Arizona State’s offense may struggle, which isn’t good against a Fresno State team that is healthy and allowing just 13.7 points per game.
