2011 MAACO Las Vegas Bowl Spread
Las Vegas is known for its gambling, and it seems the city and its bowl game are taking a gamble for an entertaining game December 22 by pitting a top-10 team against a team that went .500 in the regular season, lost its final four games and has a head coach that has already been fired.
Boise State, which was a two-point conversion away from a perfect season, will finish its only Mountain West season in the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl against Arizona State of the Pac-12.
The two schools met just one time before – ASU posted a 56-7 win over Boise in October 1996 in Tempe, when the Broncos were in the Big West Conference in their first year in Division I-A (FBS) football. 14 66
The latest college football odds show Boise State favored by 14 points, while the total has been set at 66 points.
Arizona State
The Sun Devils were picked to win the Pac-12 South, and after eight games were well on their way. But four straight losses to end the season finished them third in the division with a losing record (4-5). ASU had early-season wins over Missouri and USC, but lost three games by a total of eight points (at Illinois, at UCLA, vs. Arizona) and enters the bowl game with a lame-duck coach, as Dennis Erickson was fired days after a 47-38 loss to California. ASU was 1-4 away from home this year.
Offensively, the Devils rank 25th nationally in scoring (34 ppg) while compiling 451 yards of offense per game (310 passing, 141 rushing). Brock Osweiler has completed 63 percent of his passes for 3,641 yards and 24 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. The offensive line has given up 24 sacks.
The top pasting targets for ASU are Gerell Robinson with 53 receptions for 1,156 yards and six TDs and Jamal Miles with 60 catches for 361 yards and six scores. Cameron Marshall anchors the running game with 1,038 yards and 18 TDs on 4.7 yards per carry.
Defensively, ASU ranks an average 64th nationally in points allowed (26 ppg), allowing 419 yards per game (271 passing, 148 rushing) while recording 26 sacks and forcing 29 turnovers – with one returned for a TD (Shelly Lyons, interception).
Four players lead this unit – Vontaze Burfict with 68 tackles (five sacks, a pick and a fumble recovery), Colin Parker with 67 (four forced fumbles, 2.5 sacks, two recoveries), Eddie Elder with 63 (interception, forced fumble) and Clint Floyd with 62 (three picks, two forced fumbles and a half-sack).
Boise State
The Broncos were one point short of a perfect season this year and being in a BCS bowl, dropping its only game at home to TCU, 36-35. The Broncos were 6-0 away from home, including two wins over bowl teams (Georgia, San Diego State) and an overall 6-1 mark against bowl teams in 2011. Boise has won its last three games, including a 45-0 win over New Mexico to close the regular season. Boise is a rare team that ranks in the nation’s top-10 in both scoring offense and defense.
The Broncos rank seventh in the country in points scored (43 ppg) while recording 483 yards per game (310 passing, 173 rushing). Kellen Moore directs the offense by completing 74 percent of his passes for 3,507 yards and 41 TDs with seven INTs. The offensive line has allowed just eight sacks.
Tyler Shoemaker and Matt Miller lead the receiving corps with a combined 117 receptions for 1,606 yards and 23 TDs, while Doug Martin and D.J. Harper lead the running game with 1,601 combined rushing yards and 23 TDs on 4.9 yards per carry.
The Boise defense ranks 10th nationally in points allowed (18 ppg) and surrenders 316 yards per game (196 passing, 120 rushing) while recording 20 sacks and forcing 24 turnovers – two of which were returned for TDs (Tyrone Crawford and Hunter White, fumbles).
Byron Hout leads this unit with 75 tackles, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick, while Crawford leads with 6.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and two recoveries, adding 42 tackles and a blocked kick. Jerrell Gavins has three picks to go with 11 tackles in three games, while Hunter White has two blocked kicks to go with 30 tackles, a forced fumble and a recovery.