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Thank you for joining us tonight here on VAVEL USA. I am Matthew Evans, join me again on Friday Night for live coverage of the TicketCity Cactus Bowl between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Washington Huskies. Good night!

What an exciting game between two great teams. Our VAVEL USA Player of the Game is Jay Ajayi who finished the game with 134 rushing yards on 22 carries and three rushing touchdowns

FINAL SCORE: Boise State 38, Arizona 30

4th (0:14): SACK!!!! That's the game!!!!

4th (0:20): Fade into the corner but the pass is incomplete. 3rd and goal.

4th (0:20): Second down after the spike.

4th (0:33): WHAT A CATCH! Solomon throws the ball deep and Jones makes a huge grab at the 8 yard line!!!

4th (1:02): SACK!!! Solomon is sacked!!! A big defensive play there with the clock running.

4th (1:12): Solomon scrambles for a first down after a gain of 11. 1st and 10 at the Boise 42.

4th (1:31): Solomon is dropped for no gain. 2nd and 10 at the 47.

4th (1:46): Solomon complete to Jones for a gain of 17. 1st and 10 at the 47.

4th (1:59): A first down as both players held onto the ball. 1st down.

4th (2:20): Solomon complete to Jones but they spot him a yard short. 4th and 1.

4th (2:40): Solomon is sacked! 3rd down coming up for Arizona

4th (2:53): Pass is incomplete. 2nd and 10 at the 20.

4th (3:01); The punt goes into the end zone for a touchback. Arizona to start at their own 20.

4th (3:01): Timeout Arizona

4th (3:07): Hedrick with the carry up the middle for 4 yards. 4th and 6.

4th (3:07): Timeout Arizona

4th (3:14): Hedrick keeps the carry to the left side for a gain of 1. 3rd and 10 at the 35.

4th (3:14): Timeout Arizona

4th (3:20): Ajayi is dropped in the backfield for a loss of 1. 2nd and 11 at the 34.

4th (3:26): The pass is incomplete and Arizona turns it over on downs. Boise State to start at their own 35.

4th (3:33): Solomon looks to Grant but the pass is incomplete. 4th and 10 at the 35.

4th (3:38): Solomon throws incompete. 3rd and 10 at the 35.

4th (3:43): Solomon looking for Jones but the pass is overthrown. 2nd and 10 at the 35.

4th (3:57): Jones-Grigsby with the carry for 8 yards and a first down.

4th (4:02): Pass to Griffey is incomplete. 3rd and 2.

4th (4:23): Solomon keeps for a gain of 8. 2nd and 2 at the BSU 43.

4th (4:36): Solomon complete to Griffey for a gain of 19. 1st and 10 at the 49.

4th (4:43): Fair catch at the 30.

4th (5:29): Pass is complete to Sperbeck who stumbles just at the sticks for 8 yards. 4th and 1, the punt unit is on.

4th (6:00): Ajayi is stopped at the line of scrimmage for 1 yard. 3rd and 9 at the 23.

4th (6:05): Hedrick looking over the middle towards Roh but the pass is incomplete. 2nd and 10.

4th (6:11): The kickoff is brought out to the 22 yard line.

4th (6:15): The field goal is GOOD! Boise State 38, Arizona 30

4th (6:47): Solomon complete to Griffey for a gain of 9. The field goal unit is coming on here on fourth down.

4th (7:01): False start on Arizona. 3rd and 13 at the 24.

4th (7:30): Jones-Grigsby is dropped for a loss. 3rd and 8 at the 19.

4th (7:47): Pass complete to Griffey for 3. 2nd and 7 at the 18.

4th (8:01): Solomon complete to Griffey over the middle for a gain of 18. 1st and 10 at the 21.

4th (8:06): The pass over the middle is incomplete. 2nd and 10.

4th (8:17): Solomon complete to Griffey for 9. 1st and 10 at the 39.

4th (8:40): Solomon keeps for a short gain. 2nd and 9.

4th (8:55): Jones-Grigsby with the screen pass out to the Boise State 49.

4th (9:17): SACK!! Solomon is dropped in the backfield for a loss of 4. 2nd and 14.

4th (9:25): FUMBLE!!! Ajayi puts the ball on the turf and it is recovered by Arizona.

4th (9:40): Pass complete to Sperbeck for a gain of 13. 1st and 10 at the 47.

4th (10:04): Ajayi off the left tackle for a gain of 3. 1st and 10 at the 40.

4th (10:37): Ajayi up the middle for 3. 3rd and 1 at the 37.

4th (10:55): Ajayi around the left side for a gain of 6. 2nd and 4 at the 34,

4th (11:04): The punt is taken at the 28.

4th (11:11): Solomon has a receiver open down the field but the pass is incomplete. 4th and 10.

4th (11:44): SACK! Solomon is dropped for a loss of 3. 3rd and 10 at the 31.

4th (12:12): Grant with the catch for a gain of 3. 2nd and 7 at the 34.

4th (12:19): Fair catch made at the 31.

4th (12:55): Hedrick escapes from the pressure but can only gain 4. 4th and 17 at the 29.

4th (13:26): Huff with the catch across the middle for a first down but there is a flag. Offensive pass interference, 3rd and 21 at the 25.

4th (14:02): Ajayi with a catch out of the backfield for a gain of 2. 3rd and 6 at the 40.

4th (14:43): Ajayi with the carry for a gain of 2. 2nd and 8 at the 38.

4th (15:00): Pass is complete to Sperbeck for a gain of 14. 1st and 10 at the 36.

End of 3: Boise State 38, Arizona 27

3rd (0:00): The ruling on the field is overturned. An incomplete pass. It'll be 3rd and 8 at the 22.

3rd (0:01): A great diving catch after a double pass. It looks like this will be incomplete after looking at the replay.

3rd (0:36): Ajayi with the carry on first down for a gain of 2. 2nd and 8 at the 22.

3rd (0:41): The kickoff is brought out to the 20 yard line.

3rd (0:53): TOUCHDOWN ARIZONA!!! Solomon holds to find time for Grant to come open and the pass is perfect. The PAT is GOOD! Boise State 38, Arizona 27.

3rd (1:01): Solomon complete to Hill for 5 yards and a first down.

3rd (1:24): Jones-Grigsby with the carry up the middle for 2. 3rd and 3 at the 44.

3rd (1:42): Jones-Grigsby with the catch for 5. 2nd and 5 at the 42.

3rd (1:57): Jones-Grigsby with the carry for 12. 1st and 10 at the 37.

3rd (1:57): The kickoff is through the end zone. Arizona will start at their 25.

3rd (2:07): INTERCEPTED!!!! TOUCHDOWN BOISE STATE!!!! Solomon tries to dump the ball off to a receiver but it finds a Bronco instead who takes it in for the score. The PAT is GOOD! Boise State 38, Arizona 20.

3rd (2:28): Jones-Grigsby with the carry for 6. 3rd and 4 at the 12.

3rd (2:33): Solomon throws incomplete. 2nd and 10 at the 6.

3rd (2:44): A quick kick from Hedrick down at the 6.

3rd (2:49): Hedrick looking for Roh but the pass is incomplete. 4th and 10 at the 38. The offense stays on the field.

3rd (2:53): Pass is incomplete to Ajayi, 3rd and 10 at the 38.

3rd (2:59): Hedrick looks deep, the pass is off the hands of Anderson otherwise that is a touchdown. 2nd and 10 at the 38.

3rd (3:20): Ajayi is dropped in the backfield for a loss. There is a flag. Personal foul on the defense, a facemask. That'll be a first down for Boise State.

3rd (3:26): Hedrick's pass is incomplete but a flag is thrown. It'll be defensive holding on Arizona that is a costly penalty.

3rd (4:03): Screen pass to Ajayi for a loss of 2. 2nd and 12 at the 38.

3rd (4:10): The punt is out of bounds at the Boise State 40.

3rd (4:16): Solomon looks deep but the pass is incomplete. 4th down upcoming.

3rd (4:34): Screen pass taken for a gain of 4. 3rd and 21.

3rd (4:40): Solomon is forced to throw the ball away when none of his receivers are open, a flag in the secondary. It is a personal foul on Arizona. 2nd and 25 coming up.

3rd (4:46): Solomon looks short but the pass is dropped. 2nd and 10.

3rd (5:02): The punt is downed at the Arizona 32.

3rd (5:29): Hedrick complete to Huff for a gain of 5. 4th and 8 at the 13.

3rd (6:16): Hedrick complete to Ajayi who is stopped for a loss of 3. 3rd and 13 at the 8.

3rd (6:23): Hedrick throws deep but the pass is incomplete. 2nd and 10 at the 11

3rd (6:33): The punt is downed at the 11.

3rd (7:05): Solomon complete to Jones for no gain. 4th down coming up.

3rd (6:32): The pass was ruled incomplete but it will be an intentional grounding call, so the ball will be in the same spot.

3rd (6:32): The previous play is under review.

3rd (7:10): SACK! Solomon is tripped up in the backfield for a loss of 11. 3rd and 28 at the 47.

3rd (7:33): Jones-Grigsby is hit for a loss of 1. 2nd and 11 at the 36.

3rd (7:48): Pass is complete to Johnson for a first down and there is a face mask penalty on top of it. 1st and 10 at the 35

3rd (8:05): Jones-Grisby with the carry for 5. 2nd and 5.

3rd (8:11): The punt is taken for a fair catch at the 39.

3rd (8:16): Hedrick looks for Anderson again but the pass is dropped. 4th and 9.

3rd (8:16): The pass was ruled incomplete. 3rd and 9

3rd (8:23): Hedrick complete to Anderson for a gain of 4. 3rd and 5 at the 13.

3rd (8:23): Timeout Boise State

3rd (9:06): McNichols with the carry for a short gain. 2nd and 9 at the 9.

3rd (9:11): The kickoff is fumbled and Boise State can get out only to the 8.

3rd (9:16): The field goal attempt is GOOD! Boise State 31, Arizona 20

3rd (9:39): Solomon steps out of bounds for a loss of 2. 4th and goal at the 7.

3rd (10:00): Solomon keeps for a gain of 4. 3rd and goal at the 5.

3rd (10:35): Jones-Grigsby is stopped for no gain. 2nd and goal at the 9.

3rd (10:46): Pass complete to Jones for 13. 1st and goal at the 9.

3rd (11:12): Jones-Grigsby with the carry for no gain. 3rd and 4 at the 22.

3rd (11:23): Solomon with the carry for 6. 2nd and 4 at the 22.

3rd (11:31): A first down run for Jones-Grigsby for a gain of 6.

3rd (11:52): Jones-Grigsby with the carry for 1. 4th and 1 at the 34.

3rd (12:15): Jones-Grigsby with the carry for 1. 3rd and 2 at the 35.

3rd (12:42): Pass complete to Hill for a gain of 7. 2nd and 3 at the 36.

3rd (12:58): Jones-Grigsby with the carry for 5. 1st and 10 at the 43.

3rd (13:11): Jones-Grigsby with the catch for a gain of 3. 3rd and 1 at the 48.

3rd (13:29): Jones-Grigsby with the carry for a gain of 6.

3rd (13:35): The punt is taken for a fair catch at the 42.

3rd (13:43): Hedrick is pressured and forcd to throw the ball away. A flag is down for holding, the penalty is declined. 4th and 10.

3rd (13:49): Hedrick throws towards Sperbeck but the pass is incomplete. 3rd and 10 at the 14.

3rd (14:18): Ajayi with the carry up the middle for no gain. 2nd and 10 at the 14

3rd (14:27): The punt is taken at the 13 yard line. That is where Boise will start.

3rd (14:30): The pass is overthrown by Solomon 4th and 5 at the 30.

3rd (14:33): Solomon incomplete on second down, 3rd and 5 at the 30.

3rd (14:55): Solomon complete to Jones for a gain of 5. 2nd and 5 at the 30.

3rd (15:00): The kickoff is brought out to the 25.

3rd (15:00): Arizona will get the kickoff to start the second half.

We will be back with second half coverage in just a moment.

HALF: Boise State 31, Arizona 17

2nd (0:03): A squib kick will end the half.

2nd (0:07): The kick is good! Boise State 31, Arizona 17

2nd (0:13): Hedrick complete to Ware over the middle for a gain of 17. The field goal unit is out.

2nd (0:13): Timeout Boise State

2nd (0:23): Hedrick complete to Sperbeck for a gain of 15. 1st and 10 at the 36.

2nd (0:29): Hedrick complete to Sperbeck out to the 49. 1st and 10.

2nd (0:30): The kick is taken at the 24.

2nd (0:35): The kick is GOOD! Boise State 28, Arizona 17.

2nd (0:42): Solomon runs out of bounds after a gain of 4. 4th and 6 at the 26. The field goal team is out.

2nd (0:48): Solomon throws the ball incomplete. 3rd and 10 at the 30.

2nd (0:48): Timeout Arizona

2nd (0:53): Wilson carries up the middle for no gain. 2nd and 10 at the 30.

2nd (1:10): INTERCEPTED!!! A big return back to the Boise State 30. That could be a huge turnover.

2nd (1:46): Hedrick complete to Ajayi for 2. 2nd and 8 at the 47.

2nd (2:09): Hedrick runs out to the 49 yard line of Arizona. A gain of 14.

2nd (2:42): Hedrick complete to Anderson for a gain of 3. 2nd and 7 at the 37.

2nd (3:00): Hedrick complete to Sperbeck for a gain of 15. 1st and 10 at the 34.

2nd (3:08): The punt is taken at the 33. A flag on the play though, Personal foul on Boise State, they will start at their 18.

2nd (3:47): SACKED! Solomon is dropped for a loss of 3. 4th and 10 at the 34.

2nd (3:53): Solomon throws incomplete towards Jones. 3rd and 7 at the 37.

2nd (4:11): Wilson with the carry for 3 yards. 2nd and 7 at the 37.

2nd (4:25): Solomon complete to Jones for 14. 1st and 10 at the 34.

2nd (4:38): The punt is taken down at the 20.

2nd (5:12): Hedrick dumps off to Ajayi but for no gain. 4th and 8 and the punt team is out.

2nd (5:48): Ajayi with a gain of 1. 3rd and 8 at the 34.

2nd (6:30): Hedrick keeps for a gain of 1. 2nd and 9 at the 33.

2nd (6:54): Hedrick complete to Sperbeck for a gain of 14 out to the 32. Sperbeck takes a shot and is down on the field.

2nd (7:23): Ajayi is stopped for a gain of 3. 1st and 10 at the 18.

2nd (7:54): Hedrick scrambles for 8. 2nd and 2 at the 15.

2nd (8:03): An illegal block brings back a good kickoff return back to the 7 yard line.

2nd (8:07): TOUCHDOWN!!! Nick Wilson dives into the end zone for the score. The PAT is GOOD! Boise State 28, Arizona 14.

2nd (8:20): The ruling on the field stands. 3rd and goal at the inch line.

2nd (8:58): Solomon is stopped short of the goal line but the play is under review. It would be 3rd and goal.

2nd (9:01): Wilson for 5 down to the 1.

2nd (9:22): Wilson up the middle for a gain of 18.

2nd (9:50): Solomon scrambles for a gain of 6. 2nd and 4 at the 24.

2nd (10:02): Pass complete to Grant for a gain of 11. 1st and 10 at the 30.

2nd (10:18): Wilson with a carry for 4. 2nd and 6 at the 41.

2nd (10:28): Solomon complete to Jones for 14. 1st and 10 at the 45.

2nd (10:34): Solomon throws behind his receiver. 2nd and 10.

2nd (10:55): Wilson with the carry for 3. 1st and 10 at the 41.

2nd (11:18): Wilson with the carry for 7. 2nd and 3 at the 38.

2nd (11:29): Solomon complete to Griffey for 9. 1st and 10 at the 31.

2nd (11:52): Wilson with the carry for 5. 2nd and 5 at the 22.

2nd (11:56): The kickoff is brought out to the 17.

2nd (11:56): The ruling on the field stands. TOUCHDOWN BOISE STATE!!! The PAT is GOOD! Boise State 28, Arizona 7

2nd (12:03): TOUCHDOWN!!! Jay Ajayi bounces to the outside and dives to the pylon. He is ruled to be in. It looks like that is the correct call.

2nd (12:39): Ajayi is dropped for a short gain. 3rd and goal at the 1.

2nd (13:10): Ajayi is stopped for no gain. 2nd and goal at the 2.

2nd (13:30): Hedrick complete to Sperbeck for a gain of 31. 1st and goal at the 2.

2nd (13:57): Ajayi with the carry for 5. 3rd and 1 at the 13. There is a late flag. Chop block on the offense. That is a big 15 yard penalty. 2nd and 21 at the 33.

2nd (14:36): Hedrick complete to Roh for 4. 2nd and 6 at the 18.

2nd (14:48): INTERCEPTED!!! Solomon hurries the throw and it is picked off. Boise State starts at the 22 of Arizona.

2nd (15:00): The punt is downed at the 21.

End of 1: Boise State 21, Arizona 7

1st (0:12): SACK!!! Hedrick is dropped for a loss of 9. It'll be 4th and 15 at the 19.

1st (0:49): Ajayi looking for a hole but is stopped for no gain. 3rd and 6 at the 28.

1st (1:17): Ajayi with the carry for a gain of 4. 2nd and 6 at the 28.

1st (1:23): The kickoff is brought out to the 24.

1st (1:27): TOUCHDOWN ARIZONA!!! Solomon with the keeper for the score. The PAT is GOOD! Boise State 21, Arizona 7

1st (1:27): Timeout Boise State

1st (1:45): Wilson for one yard. 3rd and goal at the 1.

1st (2:13): Wilson up the middle for 1. 2nd and goal at the 2.

1st (2:29): Solomon carries to the 3. 1st and goal.

1st (2:58): Wilson with the carry for 5. 2nd and 5 at the 9.

1st (3:17): Solomon escapes to the right for a gain of 12. 1st and 10 at the 14. 

1st (3:32): Wilson finds some space for a gain of 18. 1st and 10 at the 26.

1st (4:03): Solomon scrambles for 8 into Boise territory. 3rd and 2 at the 44.

1st (4:26): Wilson cannot find any running room on the play. 2nd and 10 at the 48.

1st (4:38): Solomon complete to Hill for 14 yards. 1st and 10 at the 48.

1st (5:00): Wilson is stuffed in the backfield for a loss of 1. 2nd and 11 at the 34.

1st (5:12): Arizona runs the kickoff back for a touchdown but there are flags on the field. Holding on Arizona. That will negate the kickoff return.

1st (5:21): TOUCHDOWN BOISE STATE!!! JAY AJAYI!!!! It is the old statue of liberty play and Ajayi is in for another score! The PAT is GOOD! Boise State 21, Arizona 0

1st (5:40): Hedrick complete to Anderson for a first down at the 16.

1st (5:50): A reverse attempt is stopped for a loss of 7. 2nd and 17 at the 36.

1st (6:35): Hedrick completes another pass to Sperbeck for a gain of 36.

1st (6:55): Hedrick complete to Sperbeck for a gain of 11. 1st and 10 at the 35.

1st (7:23): Ajayi with the carry up the middle for 4. 2nd and 6 at the 24.

1st (7:30): Fair catch taken at the 20.

1st (7:36): Solomon overthrows his receiver by a good margin. 4th and 6.

1st (8:01): Solomon runs out of bounds for no gain. 3rd and 6 at the 40.

1st (8:24): Wilson is planted after a run of 4. 2nd and 6 at the 40.

1st (8:37): Wilson through the middle for 5. 1st and 10 at the 36.

1st  (8:47): A flag comes out on the play as Grant is dropped for a loss, it is offisde against Boise State. 2nd and 3 at the 31.

1st (9:10): Wilson with the pitch to the right for 2. 2nd and 8 at the 26.

1st (9:17): The kickoff is brought out to the 24.

1st (9:26): TOUCHDOWN BOISE STATE!!! Grant Hedrick throws deep to Chaz Anderson for 57 yards and he breaks the tackle for the touchdown. The PAT is GOOD! Boise State 14, Arizona 0

1st (9:47): Hedrick complete to Sperbeck for 3. 1st and 10 at the 43.

1st (10:29): Hedrick complete to Jake Roh for a gain of 5. 3rd and 2 at the 40.

1st (10:59): McNichols with the carry up the middle for a gain of 3. 2nd and 7 at the 35.

1st (11:22): Ajayi again up the middle for a gain of 16. 1st and 10 at the 32.

1st (11:47): Ajayi with the carry to the left for a gain of 4. 2nd and 6 at the 16.

1st (11:58): The punt is downed at the 12 yard line.

1st (12:03): Solomon looks for Grant but the pass is overthrown. 4th and 3.

1st (12:30): Solomon scrambles for a gain of 3. 3rd and 3 at the 43.

1st (12:54): Wilson with the carry up the middle for 4. 2nd and 6 at the 40.

1st (13:08): Solomon rolls out and completes a pass to Neal for 7 yards. 1st and 10 at the 36.

1st (13:18): Samajie Grant gets the first catch for a gain of 4. 2nd and 6 at the 29.

1st (13:18): The kickoff is taken for a touchback. Arizona will start at their own 25.

So that was a pretty great start for Boise State. Jay Ajayi making his name on the national stage against a top-tier team.

1st (13:27): TOUCHDOWN BOISE STATE!!!! JAY AJAYI!!! He breaks through the line and takes it to the house for a 56 yard touchdown run on his first touch of the game! The PAT is GOOD!!! Boise State 7, Arizona 0

1st (13:58): Pass complete to Williams-Rhodes for a gain of 2. 3rd and 2.

1st (14:29): Hedrick keeps up the middle for a gain of 6. 2nd and 4 at the 42.

1st (14:54): Pass complete to Sperbeck for a gain of 14. 1st and 10 at the 36.

1st (15:00): The kick is brought out to the 22.

1st (15:00): Arizona will kick off to get us underway. They are moving right-to-left on your keyboard.

And here come the ARIZONA WILDCATS!!! A big roar from the crowd here in Glendale. They are wearing all red with their blue helmets.

Here come the BOISE STATE BRONCOS!!! They are wearing their white jerseys with orange pants.

The ESPN Pre-Game coverage is split on who they think will win our game today, what do you think? Leave us your thoughts in the comments section below.

An updated clock shows that kickoff will be taking place around 4:20 pm ET.

For those of you who have not seen Arizona play, a name you will be hearing a lot of will be linebacker Scooby Wright. He has one of the biggest motors you will see in the college game, he reminds this writer of a JJ Watt type player and is going to be a very good pro.

We are just about 15 minutes away from kickoff of our game here in Glendale, Arizona. The site of this year's Super Bowl.

Speaking of close games, how about the Peach Bowl? A matchup of top ten ranked teams and TCU is laying the hammer on Ole Miss up 42-3 with under six minutes to go.

ESPN has Arizona listed as a 2.5-point favorite in today's game for all of you betting types. It looks like it should be a close game but they don't play the games on paper.

How do you see our game going today? Leave us your comments in the provided space below.

The biggest key for the Boise State Broncos is opening up space for the running game to be successful. They average nearly 500 yards per game on offense and are facing a school who allows just under 449.5 yards per game. 170.5 of that is on the ground. Arizona has allowed 200 yards rushing in five games this season, Boise has run for 200 yards in six games this season.

Our player spotlight for Boise is the obvious choice, junior running back Jay Ajayi. He has already announced that he will enter the NFL Draft and for good reason. He had run for 1689 yards this season on 325 carries with 25 touchdowns. That yardage mark is good for 6th in the nation thought he will likely pass Samaje Perine of Oklahoma and Devon Johnson of Marshall during the bowl game. A good game could push him into third ahead of Donnel Pumphrey of San Diego State.

Boise bounced back to win eight straight en route to our game today.

That is right, seven turnovers! It was by far the worst game of the season for team but it was horrible by Grant Hedrick’s standards missing 15 passes with four of those being interceptions. As a reference, Hedrick missed only 111 passes all season.

It may not seem like such a devastating loss from the scoreline but when you dig into the stats you’ll see why it was so bad. The Broncos won the yardage battle 467-335 and moved the ball almost at will. Unfortunately, they had seven turnovers.

The game from the Bronco season that we are going to look at was their other loss of the year on September 27th away to Air Force. The Falcons winning 28-14.

Boise State comes in with an 11-2 record as the Mountain West Champions. The Broncos played very well this season after a 35-13 loss to Ole Miss in their opener. They finished the season scoring nearly 40 points per game, good for 9th in the nation. This from a team that had lost their longtime head coach Chris Petersen in the offeseason.

Our player spotlight for Arizona is sophomore wide receiver Samajie Grant. The five-foot-nine receiver out of Compton, California was called upon heavily in the last four regular season games for Arizona as Anu Solomon was struggling with an ankle injury. Grant made 18 catches for 347 yards and four touchdowns. He was ineffective in the Pac-12 Championship Game but look for him to be a focal point of the offense especially with Boise State having to account for Cayleb Jones and Austin Hill on the outside as well as Nick Wilson and/or Terris Jones-Grigsby in the backfield.

Establishing the running game will be another key for the Wildcats in this game. Boise State allows 141.5 rushing yards per game but that number is slightly inflated due to game with Air Force and New Mexico who are run-heavy offenses. They allowed 792 yards in just those two games alone; taking those games out would bring the number down to just 95.1 yards rushing allowed by the Broncos.

The biggest key for Arizona is tempo. They have run an average of 79.5 plays per game this season with six games of over 80 plays, three of over 90, and two of over 100. Rich Rodriguez wants to keep the pace up so that Boise State will not be able to substitute defensively, thus wearing the Bronco defense out.  

They would get both wins and the help to lift them to that Pac-12 South Title and another matchup with Oregon, which they would lose by 38 points.

Arizona was able to rebound with two wins from poorly played games at home to Washington and Colorado setting up a dream scenario for them. They were still in the hunt for the Pac-12 South Title, all they needed were wins over Utah and Arizona State along with a little help.

The Wildcats looked to be on the verge of an incredible season after beating the then 2nd ranked Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium by a score of 31-24 the following week but their College Football Playoff hopes were dashed in October and early November with losses to USC and UCLA.

Of course, we have to mention some of the great plays from the defense and special teams in that final frame which included a big interception early in the quarter, a recovered onside kick with about 3:30 to go and California missed a field goal in the final two minutes to set up Arizona in pretty decent field position on their final drive.

Arizona just would not give up though as they put the ball in the hands of quarterback Anu Solomon and said, “Just throw it, baby.” By George, he threw that ball like it was a hot potato. Solomon completed 19-of-24 passes for 248 yards and four touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone including the game-winning Hail Mary to Austin Hill as time expired to give the Wildcats a 49-45 win. They would score 36 points in just the fourth quarter.

It looked as though the Wildcats would be headed to defeat when they went into the half trailing 28-6, even more so after three quarters with the score 31-13.

California stunned the crowd at Arizona Stadium with two very quick scoring drives to start the game. Their first drive lasting all of three plays over 75 yards in just 43 seconds. After forcing a punt on the first drive from Arizona, Jared Goff hit Bryce Treggs on an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the next drive. California had run four plays from scrimmage for 155 yards and two touchdowns. With 11:53 left in the first quarter, it was California 14, Arizona 0.

Their first big result of the season came on September 20th at home against the California Golden Bears. If you did not see this game, it was one of the wackiest games you will ever see as Arizona came in as the heavy favorites but were pushed to the brink by the upstart Golden Bears.

The season was another great one for Rich Rodriguez as he continues to build a very good program in Tucson.

Arizona comes into the game with a record of 10-3 and as the champions of the Pac-12 South Division. They lost in the Pac-12 Championship game to Oregon 51-13 back on December 5th at Levi’s Stadium.

The Arizona Wildcats finished 10th in the final College Football Playoff Rankings to earn the right to be selected for one of these New Year’s Games. Boise State qualified as the highest ranked team from the non-Power Conferences.

Our game today is part of the new College Football Playoff “New Year’s Six” rotation that will host one of the two semi-final games on a rotating basis. The Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl are hosting this year’s semi-finals. The other three games in the rotation are the Peach Bowl, the Orange Bowl, and the Cotton Bowl Classic.

My name is Matthew Evans and I will be your host for today’s game as well as three more bowl games between now and the National Championship Game in 12 days.

Good afternoon and welcome to VAVEL USA’s live coverage of the 2014-15 College Bowl Season. Our game for you on this New Year’s Eve comes from the desert and Glendale, Arizona where the 20th ranked Boise State Broncos from the Mountain West take on the 10th ranked Arizona Wildcats from the Pac-12 in the Vizio Fiesta Bowl.

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About the author
Matthew Evans
Matthew is an American sports journalist based out of Kennewick, Washington. He is a Managing Editor for VAVEL USA as well as Co-editor of the soccer section.