Hawaii Bowl: Oregon State vs. Boise State

Matchup: Oregon State vs. Boise State
Line: Oregon State -3. Total 65.5

The Hawaii Bowl's plot has certainly thickened as Boise QB Joe Southwick has been suspended from the game. He's supposedly taking a polygraph test right now to clear his name, but the Broncos will certainly take a hit if he's not cleared to play. Bob Gregory will be the Interim Coach for Boise as Chris Petersen has moved on to the University of Washington.

Keys to Victory for Oregon State
-Sean Mannion - Mannion saw himself emerge as a possible Heisman candidate as he got off to a torrid start to his season. He threw for 2,992 yards with 29 TDs and 3 INTs during the teams 6-1 start. It's clear just how much he means to this team as he threw for 7 TDs and 11 INTs during the teams 0-5 stumble down the back stretch of the season.
-Brandin Cooks - Cooks won the Biletnikoff Award this season with 1,672 yards receiving to go with his 15 TDs on the year. Cooks and Mannion are true NFL caliber talents and need a strong game to propel this Beavers offense.
-Oregon State's defense was nothing to write about this season. They're arguably the worst bunch among all the bowl teams after allowing 32 points and 482 yards per game. Perhaps the worst of all stats is that they're allowing opponents to score 93.2% in the red zone. It's no secret that they will be needed to come up with at least an average performance.

Keys to Victory for Boise State
-Obviously Joe Southwick not playing will be a big deal, but as the current betting line shows, this is still a game Boise State can win. Most of this is in part to Junior QB Grant Hedrick already having successful game experience. Hedrick passed for over 1,500 yards with 15 TDs and 5 INTs in the six games Southwick was injured in. Boise went 4-2 in those games.
-Jay Ajayi had fumbling issues early on in the season, but the big Sophomore had a great season with 1,328 yards rushing and 17 TDs. Ajayi was named onto the Mountain West first team.
-Defensive End Demarcus Lawrence will be looked at to disrupt the prolific OSU passing offense. Lawrence has 10.5 sacks, 19.5 TFL, and 3 forced fumbles on the year.

Prediction: Hedrick has proven to be a successful starting QB and should be able to move the ball against such a weak defense. Expect lots of scoring as Oregon State should have no problem scoring either.