Article Written by: Justin Pollock
When: Tuesday,December 24, 8 p.m ET
Where: Aloha Staduim, Honolulu, Hawaii
Watch: ESPN
Over/Under: 64 points
Spread: Oregon State (-3)
(6-6, 4-5 Pac-12) Oregon State will square off with (8-4, 6-2 MW) Boise State in the 2013 Hawaii Bowl
History
The 6-6 Oregon State Beavers started the season on a upset losing against FCS foes East Washington, but the Beavers would eventually bounce back and start a 6 game winning streak starting with beating Hawaii 33-14. The Beavers couldn’t seem to get a victory after the winning streak as they went 0-5 there last five games of the season.
The 8-4 Broncos of Boise State also started off the season with a loss to Washington 38-6, Oregon State lost to Washington also but its was with a bigger margin, 69-27. The Broncos biggest win of the season was at home against Wyoming as they won 48-7.
RJ Rains/Idaho Press
The Broncos are going to be missing a major part of the team as head coach Chris Peterson packed his bags and went west to be a head coach of the Washington Huskies. His replacement is going to be Bryan Harsin, who is going to be the interim head coach for Boise State during the Hawai’i bowl. They are also going to be without leader QB Joe Southwick as he was sent back home after accused of peeing off a balcony. QB Joe Southwick leads the passing attack of Boise State with 1,654 passing yards and 12 touchdowns. QB Grant Hedrick is going to replace Joe Southwick. Grant Hedrick is an experienced QB, passing for 1,443 yards with 15 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions this season.
The Beavers don’t have as much drama as the Broncos heading into Hawaii.
Boise state is 9-4 all time in bowls game, they are going to be looking for there 5th bowl win in a row. As for the Beavers of Oregon State they try to end there 2 game losing streak in bowls game. The last time the Beavers won a bowl game was back in 2008, where they beat Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl, 3-0. Head-to-head, the Oregon State Beavers have a small edge having one more win over Boise State as they won 4 out of 7 games against the Broncos. The last time these two programs meet was in 2010 when Boise State won at home 37-24.
Impact Players
The top impact player from the Beavers of course is Junior WR Brandin Cook
As for the Boise State Broncos, their impact player is Sophomore RB Jay Ajayi
Steve Dykes/Getty Images
WR Brandin Cooks won the 2013 Fred Biletnikoff Award (which goes to the best WR) with his impressive stats he is going to be a player to watch for in the Hawaii Bowl. On the season Cooks has pulled in 1,670 receiving yards(most receiving yards in FBS) 15 touchdowns (Most receiving touchdown in FBS) and only with 120 catches, per catch he averages 13.9 yards. Brandin Cooks incredible season is driven by father’s death and family’s struggles.
Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images
Broncos RB Jay Ajayi has had a great year both on the ground and through the air. Ajayi has gathered 1,328 rushings yards and an impressive 17 touchdowns on the ground. He can also receive as he has caught for 189 yards and 1 touchdown. His biggest game of the season was against Nevada as he rushed for 222 yards and had 3 touchdowns.
Predictions
I still think the Broncos are going to get the victory even though they are missing their starting quarterback and have a a new coaching staff. The game is indeed going to come down to the 4th quarter (most likely the final drive), because these teams are so evenly matched. The Beavers are ranked 30th for average yards per game with 468.8, but the Broncos are not too far ahead with the 29th ranked offense averaging 470.8 yards per game. The only category that these two programs are spread apart the most is points allowed where the Broncos are ranked 39th and the Beavers are far behind at 95th. The Beavers are allowing opponents 32.1 points per game.
Boise State: 45-38