Arizona State Sun Devils v Texas Tech Red Raiders
December 30th, 10:15pm Eastern
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego
Arizona State Season Review
Despite ending the season in dour fashion with a Pac-12 championship loss to Stanford, Arizona State can still win their 11th game of the season. At 3-2 the Sun Devils had beaten Wisconsin and USC but lost to Stanford and Notre dame – a fair start to the season. However, those wins instilled a confidence in the sun Devils that took them on a seven game winning streak. No. 20 Washington and No. 14 UCLA were beaten along with state rivals Arizona.
41 points per game is good enough for 9th in the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivsion) and makes it easy to see why they overcame three ranked opponents. Quarterback Taylor Kelly threw 28 touchdown passes while running back Marion Grice is four yards short of a 1,000-yard season.
Texas Tech Season Review
Texas Tech began the season hotter than anybody before they faced Oklahoma in late October. Seven straight wins including victories over No. 24 TCU and West Virginia were wiped out by five successive losses to close the season. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Baylor and Texas all put up at least 38 points on the Red Raiders.
Two freshman quarterbacks in the form of Baker Mayfield and Davis Webb split reps over the season and finished with almost identical statistics. Mayfield attempted 340 passes for 2,315 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions while Webb attempted 320 passes for, 2,315 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The two combined to throw for the second most amount of yards in the FBS at 392 per game.
Game Matchup
The Sun Devils must slow the Red Raiders’ passing attack and Jace Amaro in particular. The junior tight end is the biggest outlet for the two freshman quarterbacks and nobody has been able to slow him down this season. Arizona State has a strong offense and should consistently be able to put points on the board. Slow Amaro and pressure the young quarterbacks and the Pac-12 South champions should win their second Bowl game in as many seasons.
Draft Impact
Jace Amaro is as close as you will get to the “complete” tight end in the 2014 NFL Draft providing he declares. The 6’5” 260lb junior is the all-round package with his catching, route running and blocking. He shows soft, consistent hands in the passing game, creates a tremendous amount of separation with his route running and has developed significantly as a blocker.
One offensive player whose draft stock will gain momentum as the off-season progresses is Marion Grice. At six-foot tall and just over 200lbs Grice is at his best when he attacks the line of scrimmage. Despite being occasionally indecisive his vision and awareness is usually solid. A gliding running motion makes Grice look sleek and smooth as a runner with good top-end speed. Grice’s blocking is what will slide him down draft boards, but that can be taught if he I willing to learn.