We have two great offenses getting ready to take the field against one another in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. This matchup will be between the Pac-12’s Washington State and the Mountain West champions Fresno State. The line for this game has Fresno State as a 4-point favorite with the over/under set at 53. Here is my preview for the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl.
Washington State Cougars
The Washington State Cougars opened up as a favorite in this LA Bowl matchup. There are a lot of key contributors that won’t be playing in this game. They have two of their starting receivers entering the transfer portal (De’Zhaun Stribling and Donovan Ollie). All of this personel turnover will make it difficult for quarterback Cam Ward.
This season, Ward threw for 3,094 passing yards to go along with a touchdown to interception ratio of 23:8. Ward not having any weapons could potentially open up the floodgates for the run game. Their rushing attack was very bad in 2022, as the Cougars ranked 222th in rushing yards per game this season. They are ranked 61st in passing yards per game, so losing so many weapons in the passing attack will hurt this team. Washington State should have an advantage up front that will lead to Nakia Watson and the Cougars rushing attack finding success.
Defensively, Washington State allows 22.4 points per game. They will be without All-Pac-12 first-team linebacker, Daiyan Henley, as he prepares for the NFL Draft. This run defense ranks 62nd in the country in rushing yards allowed per game (127.4). The Cougars pass defense will need to step up in a big way going up against a very good Fresno State offense. If Washington State wants to win this game they need to contain the Bulldogs’ passing attack.
Fresno State Bulldogs
Fresno State has won eight straight games and added a Mountain West title to their resume this season. After starting the year off 1-4, the Bulldogs have bounced back in a very good way. They lost four straight games to Oregon State, USC, UConn, and Boise State. Three of those losses came without starting quarterback Jake Haener. Haener still managed to put up good numbers even though he missed a month of action. He has thrown for 2,616 passing yards with 18 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Fresno State is looking to win their ninth straight game to end the season and have all of their weapons on offense available.
The Bulldogs’ offense is ranked 45th in passing yards per game (269.8) while adding 30.7 points per outing as well. Three weapons that Haener has with him are Jalen Moreno-Cropper, Nikko Remigio and running back Jordan Mims. Mims has 1,161 rushing yards to go along with 16 rushing touchdowns (T4th in the country). Moreno-Cropper has 1,044 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. Remigio has 69 receptions, 768 receiving yards, and 5 touchdowns. These three names are going to be critical for the Fresno State offense in this LA Bowl matchup.
Defensively, Fresno State ranks 55th in passing yards allowed per game (193.3) and 93rd in total yards of offense (364.4). They also allow 20.5 points per game as well. Since the start of their winning streak, they have only given up 30 points once. The Bulldogs defense has been stellar and will need to continue their recent performances in order to get the job done.
Betting Trends
-Under is 4-0 in Washington State’s last 4 neutral site games.
-Fresno State is 21-5 ATS in their last 26 games after accumulating less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
-Fresno State is 4-1 ATS in the last five games overall.
-Washington State is 7-1 ATS in the last 8 games following a SU loss.
The Don’s Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Best Bet
My official play is Fresno State -4. The Bulldogs’ offense is too good for this Washington State defense. The Cougars are missing key pieces, and hurt their chances to win. I lean the under here because I don’t see the Washington State offense putting up a ton of points considering their season-long struggle to move the ball on the ground. Ride the Bulldogs to win the game and cover the spread in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl.
