Foster Farms Bowl: Arizona Wildcats at Purdue Boilermakers
Wildcat Offense Versus Boilermaker Defense
The third of four bowl games for Wednesday, Dec 27 will feature the Arizona Wildcats (7-5) at the Purdue Boilermakers (6-6). The Wildcats, who lost their last two games of the season, finished third in the Pac-12 South with 5-4 record. Purdue, which was third in the Big 10 West with a 4-5 record, comes to this game having won its final two of the regular season. Our Arizona plays Purdue 2017 Foster Farms Bowl pick has the over/under at 65.0 and the Wildcats favored by 3.0. Here’s how we see this bowl game going, including the point spread and totals picks.
Arizona Overview
Arizona can certainly put points up, as they are averaging 41.8 PPG. Of their 495 yards of offense per game, 324 are ground yards. Khalil Tate (61.4 COMP%, 9 TDs, 8 INTs) is an avid rushing quarterback, averaging 10.2 YPA and gaining a total of 1,353 yards while scoring a dozen TDs. Four other running backs have made 30 TDs while running for more than 2,100 yards. Top receiver Shun Brown, with five TDs, has 39 receptions for 511 yards.
The Wildcat defense can be porous. Allowing opponents 464 YPG, they are giving up 187 yards on the ground and another 277 in the air. Opponents are scoring 34.1 PPG against them. The Arizona secondary has grabbed 18 picks and defended 36 passes, and 21 sacks. They also have more than 65 TFL. LBs Tony Fields II (91 TCKLs, 4 SCKS, 6.5 TFL) and Tony Fields II (89 TCKLs, 4 SCKs, 13.5 TFL) and CB Lorenzo Burns (75 TCKLs, 5 INTs, 7 PD) with safety Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (78 TCKLs, 3 INTs, 2 PD) are top-notch talents.
Wildcats Summary
- D gives up a lot of points
- Offense can score a lot of points
- Rush attack is their bread and butter
Purdue Overview
The Boilermakers are scoring 24.2 PPG. They use a balance of both the running and pass attacks. Sophomore QB Elijah Sindelar (55.8 COMP%, 14 TDs, 6 INTs) will lead the offense. WRs Anthony Mahoungou (34 REC, 570 YDs, 16.8 AVG, 6 TDs) and Jackson Anthrop (44 REC, 391 YDs, 8.9 AVG, 6 TDs) will be his primary targets. The ground attack includes three rushers whose output totals over 1,000 yards and a 5.7 YPA average. This is not a dynamic offense. But they may help to keep the team in the game. That is, if the defense can do its job.
It is the Purdue defense that thrives on the field, allowing less than 20 PPG. They are keeping opponent rush attacks to an average of 133 YPG, while pass attacks are good for an average of 238 PPG. They have 25 sacks, more than 65 TFL, and 28 PD. Top defenders include LBs Jawhan Bentley (89 TCKLs, 9.5 TFL, 2 FF) and Jawhan Bentley (78 TCKLs, 7 SCKs, 10 TFL). LB/DE Galen Robinson comes to this game with four sacks and 11.5 TFL.
Boilermakers Summary
- Purdue defense is solid
- Offense has a tough time scoring
- Tight play by QB Sindelar offers them a chance to win
Three Foster Farms Bowl Takeaways
Our Arizona plays Purdue 2017 Foster Farms Bowl pick includes these three takeaways-
- Purdue D is first rate
- Arizona offense is dynamic
- QB edge to Wildcats
Our Foster Farms Bowl Pick
In our Arizona plays Purdue 2017 Foster Farms Bowl pick, we like the under at 65.0. We think point totals will be low, especially due to Purdue’s lack of offense and the Boilermakers’ fine D. We do like Arizona at -3.0. We think in the end, by the second half, their offense will breakout.
Summary Arizona at Purdue Picks: Arizona at -3.0 and under 65.0
