Records & Series Meetings:
#7 Boise State: 11-1 (6-1 MWC)
Arizona State: 6-6 (4-5 Pac 12 South)
Last Meeting: 56-7 Arizona State in 1996
All Time Series Record: 1-0 Arizona State
Last game:
Boise State defeated New Mexico 45-0 in Boise, ID (Dec 3)
Arizona State lost to California 47-38 in Tempe, AZ (NOV 25)
Coaches:
Boise State:
Chris Petersen is in his Sixth season at Boise State with an overall record of 72-6, 38-2 in the Western Athletic Conference and 6-1 in the Mountain West Conference.
Arizona State:
Dennis Erickson was let go by Arizona State on November 28 but will coach the Sun Devils in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas. Erickson spent five years in the desert compiling a 31-30 overall record and a 21-25 record in the PAC 12.
Arizona State in Cyberspace:
Twitter
Facebook
Athletic Website
Arizona State Offense:
Offensive Analysis: From a talent standpoint Arizona State has as much talent as any team in the country but unfortunately for them, it has not translated into as many wins as they would have liked. The Sun Devils have had a pretty good year offensively as they have averaged 450.92 yards a game which ranks them 25th in the nation. The Sun Devils are 11th in the nation in throwing the ball averaging 310.17 yards a game and are 78th in the nation in running the ball with 140.75 yards per game.
Quarterback: Arizona State is home to the tallest QB in the nation in 6’8 240 pound junior Brock Osweiler. Osweiler has done a great job for the Sun Devils this season as he has a QB rating of 140.09 and has thrown for 3,641 yards with 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. For being such a big guy, Osweiler is able to take off and run if he needs to as he is credited with 75 rushes for 286 yards on the season.
Wide Receivers: Arizona State has a very deep and experienced wide receiver core as they have had a great deal of production from their main three targets in senior Gerell Robinson, senior Aaron Pflugrad, and junior Jamal Miles. Robinson has been the go to target for Osweiler as he has hauled in 64 receptions for 1,156 yards and six touchdowns ranking him 15th in the nation among receivers. Pflugard, has hauled in 40 catches for 620 yards and five touchdowns while Miles has caught 60 balls for 361 yards and six touchdowns.
Running Backs: Arizona State has a big time workhorse in junior running back Cameron Marshall. On the season, Marshall has carried the ball an astounding 219 times for 1,083 yards and 18 touchdowns. Giving Marshall a breather from time to time has been sophomore Kyle Middlebrooks as he has ran the ball 42 times for 175 yards and zero touchdowns on the season.
Offensive Line: Arizona State has a very deep and experienced offensive line as they start three seniors a junior and a sophomore. The Sun Devil Offensive line has done a good job of protecting Osweiler and opening holes for Marshall as the stats indicate. However, from time to time opposing defenses have been able to get pressure on Osweiler by giving up 24 sacks and opposing pressure is also part of the reason Osweiler has so many rushing attempts on the season.
Arizona State Offense vs. Boise State Defense:
What Boise State will get from the Sun Devils will be an opponent who has the ability to move the ball up and down the field and they will probably see the most talented offense that they have seen all season. However, Arizona State has been extremely undisciplined by killing drives with stupid penalties and mental mistakes which is why they couldn’t put anybody away and lost six games. The Broncos will have a challenge with the athleticism of the Sun Devils but I think we can expect the same Arizona State team we have seen all year and against this stout Boise State defense, Arizona State will have a difficult time recovering from the mental mistakes.
ASU Total Offense: 450.92ypg (25th) Vs. BSU Total Defense: 315.58 ypg (16th)
ASU Passing Offense: 310.17 ypg (11th) Vs. BSU Passing Defense: 195.50 ypg (25th)
ASU Rushing Offense: 140.75 ypg (78th) VS. BSU Rushing Defense: 120.08 ypg (22nd)
ASU Points Per Game: 33.92 ppg (24th) VS. BSU Points Allowed: 18.25 ppg (10th)
Arizona State Defense:
Defensive Analysis: The Sun Devils defense is just as gifted as the offense but lack of discipline and mental mistakes have cost them dearly during the 2011 campaign. On the season, the Sun Devils are giving 418.92 yards a game which ranks them 88th in the country. In addition to giving up 26.33 points a game, the Achilles heel for the Sun Devils has been their pass defense where they are giving up 270.92 yards per game which ranks them at 107th nationally.
Defensive Line: The Sun Devils will start two sophomores and two seniors up front where part of the problem has been the lack of a pass rush and getting pushed around as evidenced by giving up 148 yards a game. The Sun Devils are pretty light up front averaging 269 pounds one of the lightest defensive line units the broncos have faced this season.
Linebackers: The line backing core is the most talented group on the defensive side of the ball for the Sun Devils. Junior Vontaze Burfict came into the season with several of the experts calling him the best linebacker in the country. Although Burfict hasn’t had the season he had hoped, he will probably be the best linebacker the Broncos have faced this season. Down the stretch, Burfict has been plagued by frustration and personal fouls which has led to some of the Sun Devils troubles. Senior Shelly Lyons and senior Collin Parker who play on either side of Burfict are very capable linebackers who have the ability to give opposing offensives fits. 
Defensive Backs: The defensive backfield has had to battle the Injury bug this season much like the Broncos have had to do. For the Bowl game, the Sun Devils will be starting two seniors, a junior and a sophomore. Not only has the Arizona State secondary had to battle injuries, they have had to battle the lack of a sufficient pass rush which will defiantly challenge them versus the Broncos. 
Arizona State defense Vs BSU Offense:
Arizona State is giving up a lot of yards in the air and on the ground which does not bode well for them versus a balanced attack like the broncos. Often times after a two or three week layoff, it takes a while for an offense to get into sync like last year’s Vegas bowl where the Broncos offense was nonexistent during the first quarter versus Utah. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Broncos take a quarter to get in sync, but the Arizona State defense will have a difficult time containing the Bronco offense for four quarters.
ASU Total Defense: 418.92 ypg (88th) Vs. BSU Total Offense: 483.08 ypg (9th)
ASU Pass Defense: 270.92 ypg (107th) Vs. BSU Passing Offense: 310.33 ypg (10th)
ASU Rushing Defense: 148.00 ypg (59th) VS. BSU Rushing Offense: 172.75 ypg (40rd)
ASU Points Allowed: 26.33 ppg (64th) VS. BSU Points Per Game: 43.25 ppg (7th)
Arizona State Special Teams:
For the most part, the Sun Devil special teams units have been pretty solid. On the season, the Sun Devils are averaging 41.75 yards per punt; they were 14 out of 21 on field goal attempts and are averaging 26.27 yards per kickoff return. Their best area has been their punt return unit where they rank fourth in the nation averaging 15.33 yards a return. Overall, the Sun Devils don’t hurt themselves on special teams and with such a good return average; they are able to change momentum during the game. 
Final Thoughts: A couple key questions need to be answered going into this game which will have an impact on the way the game goes. First, the Broncos had hopes even with one loss of an at large BCS bowl. How will the Broncos respond to playing in a lower tier bowl? This Bronco team under Coach Pete has always prepared well and played well no matter the circumstances. I don’t think this situation will be any different and they will make the most of the opportunity to play a PAC-12 opponent. On the other hand you have Arizona State who has a four game losing streak and a lame duck coach in Dennis Erickson. Will this team even want to play given their circumstances? We will find out early on Thursday night. Personally, and on paper the Broncos should win this game because they play hard and smart, something the Sun Devils are not doing right now. This should be a fun game to watch and one last opportunity to see this great senior class in bronco blue one more time.
