The college football bowl season continues throughout the day on Friday and there are some big matchups set to take place. The Oregon State Beavers are set to take on the Notre Dame FIghting Irish in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on Friday afternoon.
Oregon State is coming into this game with a record of 8-4, but they are looking to bounce back after a rough ending to the regular season. The Beavers suffered two straight losses to end the season, but this team still played better than expected.
Notre Dame was supposed to be one of the better teams in the country this season, but they did not live up to expectations. The Fighting Irish finished with a record of 9-3 this season, but they are trying to end the season with a huge bowl win.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are 6.0-point betting favorites in the Sun Bowl.
Beavers Have to Defend
Oregon State is not a team that can be explosive on offense, and that will force the defense to step up in this game. The Beavers went through a stretch where they gave up 23 or fewer points in three straight games, and that is going to be a key in this matchup.
Slowing the game down is also going to be a huge key for this team, and Oregon State is averaging over 180 rushing yards per game. Even if the Beavers aren’t able to pick up yards on the ground, the team can’t abandon the run.
Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has thrown for 2,638 yards and 21 touchdowns this season, and he is going to have to make some big plays in order to pull off this upset.
Fighting Irish Can Score
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish need a big game from quarterback Sam Hartman in this game, but they can move the ball without him. Notre Dame is averaging over 5.3 yards per carry this season, and they have some stars on the offensive side of the ball.
Running back Audric Estime racked up 1,341 yards on the ground during the regular season, and he also scored 18 touchdowns. Hartman will need to take care of the ball for Notre Dame, but look for the Irish to attack the Beavers on the ground.
For as good as the offense has been this season, the defense for Notre Dame has been overlooked. Expect a great performance by the Fighting Irish defense, and that will allow them to set the tone.
Notre Dame Blows Past Beavers
This Oregon State team was able to be competitive in the Pac-12 Conference this season, but they also had some serious flaws. Oregon State is going to struggle to score points on Notre Dame, and that defense will struggle as well.
Even if the Fighting Irish aren’t able to throw the football in this game, that rushing attack is nearly impossible to stop. Notre Dame is going to take control of this game in the first half and then simply run their way to another win.
Bet the Notre Dame Fighting Irish -6.0 as they pick up an impressive win in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.
