Arizona St. vs Texas Tech NCAA Football Handicapping
The 14th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils will take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Dec. 30 in the National University Holiday Bowl.
14 Arizona State Sun Devils (10-3) vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-5)
Date: Monday, December 30, 2013
Time: 10:15 PM ET
Venue: Qualcomm Stadium
City: San Diego, California
O/U Odds: 71.5
Spread: Arizona State -14
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Arizona State likely didn’t expect to end up here when they entered the Pac-12 title game with only two losses and a guaranteed spot in the 100th Rose Bowl game on the line, while Texas Tech surely had their sites set a little higher than the Holiday Bowl after they started the season 7-0.
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While Arizona State may not be playing where they want to be, the team can still accomplish a significant goal by compiling their first 11-win seasons since 1996. Arizona State had won seven in a row before falling to Stanford in the Pac-12 title game by a score of 38-14. The team had no answer for the Stanford rushing attack which churned out 240 yards and four scores at a rate of 5.5 yards per carry.
Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan was ultra-efficient through the air against a typically stout Sun Devils defense, completing 12 of 18 passes for 277 yards and a score. The Sun Devil offense left a lot to be desired as quarterback Taylor Kelly threw for just 173 yards and ran at a clip of just 1.7 yards per carry.
Other than that performance against a solid Stanford team, the Sun Devils have really taken a significant step forward in their second season under head coach Todd Graham.
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The team may take a hit in this one as running back Marion Grice is expected to be out with a leg injury, leaving lesser backs to carry the load.
The Red Raiders’ season began with plenty of promise under first-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury after a 7-0 start, but things went downhill from there as the team ended the year on a five-game losing streak, largely due to a defense that simply didn’t show up the rest of the way, surrendering 48.6 points per game over the course of their five-game losing skid.
They’ll be in trouble against a Sun Devil offense that racks up 41.0 points per game.
Now the team goes into their bowl game with questions at quarterback, though it appears Davis Webb will get the nod. He’ll be able to throw to AP first team All-America tight end Jace Amaro who caught 98 passes for 1,240 yards this season.
Expect both sides to get their points in this one, even if a few more of them end up on Arizona State’s side of the board. While this total looks high, know that Texas Tech played over a total of 84 when they played Baylor.
The over is 6-0 in Texas Tech’s last six bowl games and 11-3 in their last 14 non-conference games.
The over is 4-1 in Arizona State’s last five bowl games and 11-4 in their last 15 games overall.
The play: Over 71.5
