Hurricanes hope to cap tumultuous season with first bowl win since 2006

The Washington State Cougars used a late first-half surge and took advantage of a late Miami turnover in the red zone to knock off the Miami Hurricanes 20-14 in the 2015 Sun Bowl as the teams battled snowy conditions in El Paso, Texas.

Moving into the 4th quarter, the snow began to fall harder than it had all game.

Washington State led 20-7 at the half and looked in control, limiting Miami to three irst downs over the second and third quarters.

Washington State does have two receivers that have a chance to be employed with National Football League teams in 2016, and therefore Bush could get a chance to make some plays in against the pass that relieve National Football League scouts and decision makers of the fear that he gets lost in coverage, and a player with Coley’s speed could always use extra chances to show the burners on tape.

Falk, the game’s MVP, was 29 of 53 for 295 yards and no interceptions.

Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya answered with a four-yard touchdown pass to Stacy Coley to tie the score 7-7.

The game kicks off at 2 PM PST on Saturday, December 26, and playing on the Sun Bowl field with will the CBS broadcast featuring Carter Blackburn on the call and Gary Danielson as the analyst, and will include sideline updates from Allie LaForce. “They decided that the weather wasn’t going to be a distraction”.

The second quarter would be dominated by the Cougars and aided by a number of penalties against the Hurricanes.

This marks he first bowl win for the Cougars since the 2003 Rose Bowl while Miami drops to 0-6 in bowl appearances since 2006. He threw 16 touchdowns (and five interceptions). Film in a Bowl Game can affect a player’s draft stock, but for the Hurricanes that aren’t yet on the radar, even a great showing is unlikely to put them in the conversation to be drafted. Nobody scored in the third quarter, and it wasn’t until Braxton Berrios reeled off a 60 yard run early in the fourth quarter that Miami seemed to awake from its hibernation.

The Cougars, the top passing team in the nation during the regular season, were shut out in the second half, leaving it to their defense to wrap up the victory. NCAA drama kept Al Golden and his Canes out of back-to-back bowl games in 2011 and 2012, before Miami was smacked down by Louisville (2013) and SC (2014). If Luke Falk is back at full strength for Washington State, I don’t think the Hurricanes will be able to keep pace with the Cougars offensively.

All that said, the difference between 8-5 and 9-4 means virtually nothing in the wake of a coaching change and new era being ushered in by Mark Richt.

Asked specifically about the play of his defense, Leach said, “I thought it was huge”. The Washington State Cougars are 8-4 and 9-3 against the spread.

On the offensive side of the ball, the ‘Canes will play without redshirt sophomore lineman Sunny Odogwu, who tore the MCL of his right knee in Miami’s season finale at Pittsburgh. “I’m happy that, my senior year, we still fought to try to make this the best season possible”. Head coach Mike Leach, in his fourth season at Washington State, picked up his first bowl victory with the university. The star Washington State quarterback has been practicing and should be back taking snaps after missing the Apple Cup with a concussion.