Cactus Bowl
Sun Devil Stadium - Tempe, AZ
Kickoff: Friday, 10:15 p.m. ET
Line: Washington -6.5, Total: 57

After a disappointing regular season, Oklahoma State looks to grab a win in the Cactus Bowl against Washington on Friday night.

Here is the BetDSI Sportsbook betting preview for this matchup:

The Cowboys looked on pace to have another tremendous season when they started out 5-1 SU (3-3 ATS), as they were double-digit favorites in each one of their wins. Since that time they are a feeble 1-5 SU (2-4 ATS) as they were the underdog in each game. They were able to get into this bowl with a great 38-35 win as 19.5-point underdogs against Oklahoma in the season finale. It was the first time in nine games that they did not turn the ball over multiple times, but were still outgained 424-385 by the Sooners. Oklahoma State failed to get a victory in last season’s Cotton Bowl when it lost by a score of 41-31 as a 3-point favorite against Missouri, but had grabbed three consecutive SU wins (2-1 ATS) by an average of 24.3 PPG in the previous three bowl game appearances. The Huskies struggled within the Pac-12 with a 4-5 SU record (6-3 ATS) but managed to go a perfect 4-0 SU (1-3 ATS) against non-conference opponents. They come into this one with some steam as they earned victories in their final two contests when they beat Oregon State and Washington State by an average of 21.0 PPG and scored 34.0 PPG. This team was solid at protecting the football, as it committed one or fewer turnovers in nine games. Washington was the better team in the Fight Hunger Bowl against BYU last season when it went in as a 6-point favorite and came away with a 31-16 victory. Before putting money on this game, bettors should know that the Cowboys are 14-3 ATS (82%) after allowing 17+ points in the first half of two straight games since 1992, while the Huskies are a perfect 5-0 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points over the past three seasons. The big injury in this game happened in early September when Oklahoma State’s starting QB J.W. Walsh (foot) was lost for the season. The school also dismissed RB Tyreek Hill (legal problems) from the program. Washington is not dealing with any significant injuries to its roster.

Can Washington beat a confident Oklahoma State team by at least one touchdown? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014-15 bowl season. StatFox Dave is heating up with a 69% ATS mark (11-5) in College Football Best Bets since Nov. 20, including 63% ATS (5-3) in bowl game Best Bets. StatFox Brian is 62% ATS (13-8) in Best Bets since Nov. 12, including 71% ATS (5-2) in bowl game Best Bets. Brian is a strong 56% ATS (18-14) in all bowl picks, while StatFox Forecaster is a stellar 61% ATS (19-12) in all bowl picks, while StatFox Scott is 67% ATS (4-2) in bowl game Best Bets.

Oklahoma State has struggled on the offensive end with an average 235.7 YPG through the air (59th in FBS) and a subpar 135.3 YPG on the ground (103rd in nation) as it scored 27.4 PPG (77th in FBS). Freshman QB Mason Rudolph (554 pass yards, 4 TD, 3 INT) was called upon to take over as the starter in the final two regular-season games and threw for more than 270 yards with multiple touchdowns each time. He completed only 53% of his passes in those contests, but still gained a solid 9.2 YPA. HB Desmond Roland (647 rush yards, 10 TD) averaged just 64.7 YPG and 3.8 YPC on the season, but managed to get into the end zone three times in the final two games. The duo of WRs Brandon Sheperd (639 rec yards, 4 TD) and David Glidden (568 rec yards, 2 TD) combined to average 16.3 yards per catch, while WR James Washington (423 rec yards, 5 TD) was the biggest red-zone threat. This team was dismal on the defensive side of things, as it allowed opponents to score 32.0 PPG (100th in nation) while being very poor against the pass (269.3 YPG, 16th-worst in FBS). The pass rush of DL Emmanuel Ogbah (11 sacks, 46 tackles) and LB Josh Furman (6 sacks, 58 tackles, 1 INT) is going to be important if the Cowboys want to grab a win in this one.

Washington did little with its passing game (194.8 YPG, 97th in nation) while doing much better on the ground (195.3 YPG, 40th in FBS) as it scored 30.8 PPG (54th in FBS). QB Cyler Miles (2,129 pass yards, 16 TD, 3 INT) was a stellar game manager with his minimal picks thrown as he connected on 67% of his passes for 7.3 YPA. He was great down the stretch as well while averaging 241.7 YPG in the past three contests and ran the ball for 30+ yards in three of the final five games. HB Dwayne Washington (655 rush yards, 9 TD) rushed for a solid 5.5 YPC, as he averaged 127.7 YPG with five touchdowns in the final three games of the regular season. He saw an increased workload in those games and should be expected to be the workhorse over HB Lavon Coleman (565 rush yards, 1 TD) who went for a meager 4.1 YPC on his attempts. WR Jaydon Mickens (535 rec yards, 6 TD) was the only receiver with more than 25 receptions (53) while his season high in yards was just 84 yards. The defense did rather well while playing most of its games in the high-octane Pac-12, as it allowed 24.4 PPG (40th in nation), but really had trouble defending the pass (283.9 YPG, 5th-worst in FBS). LB Hau’oli Kikaha (18 sacks, 67 tackles) along with DLs Andrew Hudson (11.5 sacks, 71 tackles) and Danny Shelton (9 sacks, 89 tackles) give this unit three seniors who should cause trouble for the Cowboys all night.