NCAA FOOTBALL BETTING PREDICTION - ARIZONA ST @ HAWAII

NCAA Football

2006-12-24 - Arizona St at Hawaii

A Sports Betting Pick by Addicted

Dec 24, 8pm

Arizona State’s season got off to a tumultuous start in late August. Head coach Dirk Koetter announced that senior Sam Keller had won the heated competition for the starting quarterback position. Less than 48 hours later, Koetter reneged on that decision, installing sophomore Rudy Carpenter as the starting quarterback, citing a meeting with team leaders supporting the underclassmen. Keller immediately announced that he was transferring to Nebraska; Carpenter immediately failed to live up to the enormous expectations placed upon his shoulders.

The Sun Devils beat up on Northern Arizona, Nevada and Colorado before their struggles began. They suffered through a three game losing streak to Cal, Oregon and USC that shook the team’s confidence to the core. After beating lowly Stanford and Washington, Arizona State alternated losses and wins in their final four games of the regular season.

After their season ending win, athletic director Rob Spear told Koetter that he would not be back to coach a seventh season in Tempe, citing a 2-19 record against ranked teams, a 1-14 record against Cal, USC and UCLA, and a 21-28 overall record in PAC-10 play for his decision. Former Miami, Oregon State and Idaho head coach Dennis Erickson was hired to fill the job this past week, but Koetter will coach the team for their bowl game, creating a very awkward dynamic for a team that has suffered through more than their share of chemistry problems.

On a good day, Arizona State is capable of beating even an elite level team. The aforementioned Carpenter had interception problems, throwing 15 picks this year after tossing only two interceptions as a true freshman in 2005. But Carpenter still threw for more than 2300 yards, improving mightily down the stretch as running backs Ryan Torain and Keegan Herring emerged to balance the offense, averaging 5.5 yards per carry between them. Ten different receivers caught at least one touchdown pass, led by NFL prospect tight end Zack Miller.

Defensively, the Sun Devils clamped down on the run, holding their last six opponents under 3.6 yards per carry. But, again, consistency was an issue, particularly in their three blowout losses, where Cal, Oregon and Oregon State hung 49, 48 and 44 points on the ASU defense.

Hawaii enjoyed a phenomenal season against a weak WAC slate of opponents. Head coach June Jones has developed a high octane offense that the opponents in his conference have a very hard time containing. In their season opener at Alabama, the Warriors were throwing into the end zone on the final series of the game with a chance to take an SEC opponent into overtime.

The Warriors also showed well in their toughest road tilt, at Boise, again with a chance to send the contest into overtime in the latter stages of the ballgame. At home, Hawaii was a perfect 7-0, winning every game by a touchdown or more until their season ending defeat at the hands of Oregon State.

Quarterback Colt Brennan is going to break the David Klinger’s all time NCAA record for most passing touchdowns in a single season in this bowl game, needing only two touchdown passes to break the mark. Brennan is just ten passing yards shy of 5000 for the campaign. The Warriors offense was so powerful this season that as a team, they punted less than twice per game for the entire season. Five different receivers caught at least 50 passes.

Beefy running back Nate Ilaoa bowled over defenders, averaging nearly eight yards per carry. But Hawaii’s defense remains suspect at best, after allowing Purdue and Oregon State to move the ball at will against them in their final two regular season contests.

If Arizona State shows up with their ‘A’ game, they could win this game outright. If the Sun Devils do not give a stellar effort for their departing head coach, Hawaii could hang 54 or 59 in their own stadium, their point totals from their last two Hawaii Bowl appearances. Expect the latter, as opposed to the former – we can expect maximum effort only from the home team in this venue on this day.