Overview
EL PASO, TEXAS — After a hot streak to close out the regular season, the recipiency of a new athletic director and an illustrious head-coaching hire, the Miami Hurricanes are set to duel it out with Washington State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. The Cougars (7-5, 6-3 PAC-12) sit in a similar boat as the U, transitioning to a new HC (Jake Dickert) after previous team leader Nick Rolovich failed to comply with state vaccination guidelines. Dickert, who emerged following Rolovich’s departure in the heat of the season, led Washington State to a 3-2 record in his time as interim HC and overall tally of 7-5.
“My main goal is to re-energize and refocus our program,” Dickert said. “We’re going to have a lot of success.”
The Sun Bowl pits an ACC Challenger (must be ranked in top seven of conference to qualify) vs. a bowl eligible team from the Pac-12. One of two remaining postseason tie-ins to feature the two conferences, it enters its last edition of a six-year coast-to-coast contract.
“The Sun Bowl means a lot to people in El Paso and we’re glad to be back,” said Sun Bowl Football Selection Committee Chairman John Folmer. “Both teams have a lot of tradition and both of them want to be here.”
Miami (7-5, 5-3 ACC) has reached the Sun Bowl Game twice, both of which were losses to Notre Dame in 2010 (33-17) and Washington State in 2015 (20-14).
Key Factor Surrounding the Game
For the U, the keys to the game are simple: win the passing game. Aside from Wazzou’s drastic decrease in “air raid” production following the departures of Gardner Minshew and Mike Leach, the Hurricanes own one of the best young guns in the nation. Tyler Van Dyke — a freshman — ranks 29th in the nation for passing yardage (2,931), tied-18th for touchdowns (25) and 11th for overall QBR (80.6).
Game Information
- Kickoff: December 31, 12 P.M.
- Location: Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, Texas
- Television/Stream: CBS
- Online/Mobile App: CBS Sports
- Television Announcing Crew: Brad Nessler (Play-by-Play), Gary Danielson (analyst), and Jamie Erdahl (sideline reporter)
- Miami Radio: 560 WQUAM
- Miami Radio Announcing Crew: Joe Zagacki (Play-by-Play), Don Bailey, Jr. (analyst), and Josh Darrow (sideline reporter)
- Series History: Miami is 0-1 all-time against their Sun Bowl opponent. The two programs faced off in 2015 (at the same venue) in which the Cougars triumphed by a tally of 20-14.
Odds
The U opens up as a slim 2.5-point favorite over Washington State. Both programs remain on a hot streak with Wazzou winning six of their last eight and Miami five of their final six, though each finished with underwhelming 7-5 records.
The over/under is set at a current total of 60 after opening up at 59.
Full 2021 Washington State Football Schedule
Saturday, Sep. 4, vs. Utah State Aggies: L 23-26
Saturday, Sep. 11, vs. Portland State Vikings: W 44-24
Saturday, Sep. 18, vs. USC Trojans: L 14-45
Saturday, Sep. 25, @ Utah Utes: L 13-24
Saturday, Oct. 2, @ California Golden Bears: W 21-6
Saturday, Oct. 9, vs. Oregon State Beavers: W 31-24
Saturday, Oct. 16, vs. Stanford Cardinal: W 34-31
Saturday, Oct. 23, vs. BYU Cougars: L 19-21
Saturday, Oct. 30, @ Arizona State Sun Devils: W 34-21
Saturday, Nov. 6, BYE WEEK
Saturday, Nov. 13, @ Oregon Ducks: L 24-38
Saturday, Nov. 20, vs. Arizona Wildcats: W 44-18
Friday, Nov. 26, @ Washington Huskies: W 40-13
Friday, Dec. 31, Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl vs. Miami Hurricanes: Score TBD
(Featured image by Wilfredo Lee/AP)