Az St. / Rutgers preview

[jtsneaks]

A rematch 27 years in the making takes place in the Insight Bowl matchup of Rutgers and Arizona State. Many bowls, including this one, have come and gone since the Rutgers Scarlet Knights last went bowling back in the 1978 Garden State Bowl. However, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The Scarlet Knight's opponent that day was none other than their Insight Bowl counterparts, Arizona State. However, this time around, there is at least one significant difference, and that would be the location. While Rutgers got the benefit of homestate advantage back in '78, it is now the Sun Devils who don't have to travel far, as this contest will be taking place in Phoenix, which is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from ASU's campus in Tempe. As a result of this distinct homefield advantage, the Sun Devils were installed as big 13.5-point favorites.

However, the betting public seems to be disregarding the location of this contest, as Rutgers has been bet down to +10.5. The total for the game has moved up a point from the open to 62.5.

One of the reasons for the shift in the line, if not the main reason, has to be the manner these two schools finished the regular season. Arizona State, who was projected by many to be the Pac 10's top challenger to USC, sputtered down the stretch, losing four of their last seven (also went 3-4 ATS). ASU failed to cover the number in their final two contests, losing by 10 to UCLA (+3) and beating Arizona by just a field goal (-9.5). Rutgers, meanwhile, won four of six to close out the season. Their only two setbacks came against two teams that finished above them in the Big East Standings, South Florida and Louisville. However, that Louisville loss should be cause for concern, as the Scarlet Knights were trounced by the Cardinals 56-5. The two-touchdown setback at home to USF, as a 2.5-point choice at the betting window, certainly did not sit well either.

Yet, overall, Rutgers had a strong 2005 campaign, going 7-4 in its fifth season under Greg Schiano. The Scarlet Knights ended the two-game skid with a 44-9 season-ending win over Cincinnati on November 26 in which they ran for a season-best 337 yards rushing and limited the Bearcats to -23 on the ground. True freshman Ray Rice ran for 195 yards in the win for Rutgers to give him 1,012 yards for the season.

RU didn't enjoy the same kind of success at the betting window, though, going just 4-6 ATS. They failed to cover the number against any of their non-conference opposition this season, losing at Illinois as a 2.5-point favorite, and beating Buffalo by only a 17-3 margin as a 21.5-point choice. The Scarlet Knights had a non-lined game that was sandwiched in between those two contests, against Villanova, in which they had little trouble prevailing 38-6. Once Big East play started, Rutgers began to grab the cash on a more regular basis, including a pair of outright wins when getting the points against Pittsburgh and Syracuse. Overall this season, RU went 2-2 ATS as an underdog. In addition to the Louisville blowout, the Scarlet Knights failed to do anything with the 2.5 points in a two-touchdown loss to Conference Champion West Virginia.

Although Arizona State (6-5 SU and ATS) lost four of its final seven, they were able to manage wins in three of their final four games. They capped things off with the win over in-state rival Arizona, in a game where the Sun Devils scored the game's final 18 points. ASU didn't turn the ball over either in the victory, which bodes well for the team here, as we find them to be a perfect 6-0 ATS following a game where they had 1 turnover or less.

Arizona State is led offensively by senior receiver Derek Hagan, who had 72 catches for 1,113 yards to become the first player in team history to have three straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons. He is the all-time receptions leader in Pac-10 Conference history and needs 83 yards to move into second place in the league's receiving yards list.

For the record, Arizona State prevailed back in 1978, beating Rutgers 34-18 as an 11-point favorite. This season marked RU's first winning campaign since 1992.

Last year, the Sun Devils were able to end a three-game bowl skid with a 27-23 win over Purdue in the Sun Bowl, upsetting the Boilermakers as an eight-point 'dog.

JT Sneaks