Game Info
Boise State Broncos vs Oregon State Beavers
Tuesday – December 24 – 7:00 PM
TV: ESPN
Aloha Stadium – Honolulu
College Football on Christmas Eve is always awesome and to make it even better the game has Hawaii as its backdrop. However as peaceful as the thought of relaxing in Hawaii might be, fans of the Boise State Broncos will be without the services of newly hired head coach Bryan Harsin and starting quarterback Joe Southwick. Southwick was accused of urinating from a hotel balcony in Hawaii. Still expect lots of offense and not much defense in this match up.
Boise State Broncos
The Broncos are embarking on their 12th straight bowl appearance and have won five straight. To continue the streak of consecutive bowl wins they’ll have to rely on back up quarterback Grant Hedrick. He has some experience with several appearances throughout the regular season and the high powered Broncos offense shouldn’t see much of a drop off in production. Hedrick will be in good hands when handing the ball off to sophomore Jay Ajayi. The speedy back gained 1,328 yards on the ground and 17 rushing touchdowns. Ajayi can also be utilized in the passing game as a check down receiver. When Hedrick goes to the air he’ll more than likely target Matt Miller. The tall receiver has smooth hands to compliment his speed. He came up just short of a 1,000-yard season. The Bronco defense is suspect as they’ve given up their fair share of points. In other words, the team will rely on the offense to win this one.
Oregon State BeaversThe Beavers are lead by quarterback Sean Mannion who beat out incumbent Cody Vaz to become the starter. Mannion put up 4,403 yards through the air with 36 touchdowns. However it is standout receiver Brandin Cooks (Biletnikoff Award winner) that will garner the attention of the Broncos defense. While Cooks isn’t tall, he is elusive after the catch contributing to his impressive 1,670 yards receiving this season. He found the end zone 15 times. Running back Terron Ward will handle the rushing duties. The Beavers defense is one of the worst in college football, particularly the run game. They’ll have their hands full trying to stop Ajayi while also dealing with the Broncos aerial assault.
Prediction: A high scoring affair with the Broncos coming out on top. Boise St. 42 – Oregon St. 31
