Offerpad Arizona Bowl 2020 – Ball State Cardinals vs San Jose State Spartans

Our Ball State vs San Jose State pick 2020 for the Offerpad Arizona Bowl is the second of three bowl games being played on New Year’s Eve. The first game features the #24 Tulsa Golden Hurricane and the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. That game starts at 12 pm ET. The third and final contest played today will be the Liberty Bowl, featuring the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Army Black Knights. That final bowl game of 2020 will kick off at 4:00 pm ET.

The Ball State Cardinals, who finished first in the Mid-America Conference – West, posted a 5-1 record. Their overall mark was 6-1. The San Jose State Spartans, who topped the Mountain West Conference with a perfect 6-0 record were also perfect overall with a record of 7-0. The Cardinals finished their season with six straight wins, including a final 38-28 victory over the Buffalo Bulls. The Spartans ended their season with a 34-20 win over the Boise State Broncos.

The Spartans are the favorite at -9.5 (-105), while the Cardinals are the underdog at +10.0 (-120). The total for this game comes in at 64.0 with the under bet being at -108 and the over at -102.

The Offerpad Arizona Bowl will be played on Thursday, December 31. The kickoff will be at 2:00 pm ET with the game being played at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, AZ. The weather is predicted to be mostly cloudy with a temperature of 55-degrees. Probability of precipitation is 0% and winds will be 4 MPH from the SE.

Ball State vs San Jose State Pick 2020 – Statistics

Our Ball State vs San Jose State pick 2020 notes that the Cardinals are one of those teams that can put points on the scoreboard. However, they are also one of those teams that cannot stop opponents from doing the same. Ball State averaged 34.3 PPG. At the same time, their defense allowed 27.6 PPG. Still, the Cardinals did end the season with a PF/PA differential of +6.7. Conversely, the Spartans offered a tight and stingy defense that allowed opponents just 17.9 PPG. Also, the offense scored 30.9 PPG, giving San Jose State a differential of +13.0.

On offense, both teams are averaging about 450 YPG with Ball State topping the Spartans in rushing by at about 35 YPG. However, San Jose State is averaging approximately 25 more yards per game in the air than Ball State. On defense, the Cardinals are giving up 441.7 YPG, which is about 105 more yards than today’s opponent. They are especially vulnerable to the air game, as Ball State is allowing 295.9 yards in passing. At the same time, the Spartan D is allowing 227.1 passing yards.

Offerpad Arizona Bowl – Offense and Defense

The Cardinals will be without a major part of their rush attack. Therefore, we expect that they will rely on their passing game to generate offense. For the Ball State to win, their D must step up. However, that will not be easy, as San Jose State had a well-balanced offense. The Spartan defense is sound. Their pass rush will pressure the air attack.

Cardinals and Spartans – Offenses

QB Drew Pitt is the Ball State field general. He’s passed for 1.937 yards, accumulating 16 TD passes while recording six INTs. He has been sacked 24 times. WRs Justin Hall and Yo’Heinz Tyler are his top targets with 49 and 38 receptions respectively. Both are averaging just over 13 YPR. Hall has four TD catches and Tyler seven. The absence of Ball State’s top running back Caleb Huntley, who has opted out, is a huge loss for the team. Huntley had six rushing TDs, while averaging 5.5 YPA.

QB Nick Starkel leads the Spartans. This season, his completion rate of 65.1% resulted in 1,906 air yards and 16 TDs. He threw four picks and was sacked five times. WRs Bailey Gaither (41 REC, 725 YDs, 4 TDs) and Tre Walker (38 REC, 546 YDs, 4 TDs) and TE Derrick Deese Jr. (19 REC, 239 YDs, 5 TDs) are the team’s top receivers. RB Tyler Nevens, who’s scored five touchdowns, averaged 8.1 YPA. He’ll be a force in this game.

Ball State vs San Jose State Pick 2020 – Defenses

On defense, Ball State has recorded 16 sacks, six picks, and 27 PD. They’ve posted one pick six and forced six fumbles while recovering seven. LB Christian Albright has made three sacks and DL Jack Sape has recorded five QB bringdowns. CBs Amechi Uzodinma II and Antonio Phillips each have one INT and five PD. LB Brandon Martin has made 43 solo and 85 total tackles.

The San Jose State defense has recorded three picks, 18 PD, and 23 sacks. Plus, they have five FF and six RF. DL Cade Hall tops the team with 10 sacks while DE Viliami Fehoko brings five more to this game. Safety Tre Jenkins has made two picks and defended two passes. LB Kyle Harmon is first in tackles with 41 solo and 71 total bringdowns.

Ball State vs San Jose State Pick 2020 – Final Word

Our Ball State vs San Jose State pick 2020 observes that in terms of total PF/PA, the Spartans possess a differential of +6.3 over the Cardinals. Without running back Huntley, Ball State has few solid options when it comes to the ground game. Additionally, the other issue for the Cardinals is their defense, which gives up plenty of passing yards and TDs. Consequently, we expect that San Jose State will take advantage of this weakness. Thus, take the Spartans. Plus, we’re betting the over at 64.0.

Offerpad Arizona Bowl 2020 – Summary

Point Spread – San Jose State Spartans at -9.5 (-105)
Totals – Over 64.0 (-102)