Big Ten Bowl Preview: 2017 Playstation Fiesta Bowl

All-American running back Saquon Barkley and the high-scoring Penn State Nittany Lions look to cap their season with a win over Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Vita Vea and the Washington Huskies.

The Rose Bowl is hosting one of the national semi-finals contests, but had it not, the match-up of Penn State versus Washington would have made a compelling choice under the annual Big Ten / Pac-12 system. Both teams have a great deal of respect for one another. Also, each team is a near mirror-image in terms of offensive skill players and shut-down defense. The Playstation Fiesta Bowl has all the making of another classic bowl game!

Game: Playstation Fiesta Bowl

Teams: No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) vs. No. 11 Washington Huskies (10-2, 7-2 Pac-12)

Time: December 30, 4:00 PM ET

Location: University of Phoenix Stadium — Glendale, Arizona

TV: ESPN

Washington Huskies Overview

Watching Washington is a lot like watching Penn State – both teams mirror each other offensively. The Huskies have many offensive weapons to pick apart their opponent. First and foremost, they like to wear opponents down with the run game, namely junior Myles Gaskin. The second team All-Pac-12 running back rushed for 1,282 yards (107 ypg) and a conference-tying 19 touchdowns on 208 carries this season.

Washington will certainly rely on the run game, but they are certainly not one-dimensional. There will be plenty of times times that junior quarterback Jake Browning will need to use the passing attack. When he does, the likely target will be consensus all-purpose All-American wide receiver Dante Pettis. The senior led the Huskies this year with 62 receptions for 721 yards and seven touchdowns. Besides being a first team All-Pac-12 wide receiver, Dante Pettis is the all-time punt return for touchdown leader. He has nine scores in his career.

Washington is solid in all three phases of the game. If their offense or special teams were to falter, their defense should be able to keep the game close. The Huskies enter as the fifth best team in total defense (tops in the Pac-12), allowing just 277 yards per game.

The Huskies play a 3-4 defensive style. The defensive front is littered with All-Pac-12 players. From first team representative Vita Vea to second team player Greg Gaines. Both players are behemoths — which explains why Washington led the nation in rush defense. They allowed a scant 1108 total rush yards (92 ypg).

While the big bodies up front are stuffing the run, Washington’s linebackers are every bit as fast and aggressive. The linebackers are led by All-Pac-12 inside linebackers Keishawn Bierria and Ben Burr-Kirven. Combined the pair made 128 tackles including eight tackles for loss.

Penn State Nittany Lions Overview

On the Penn State side, the Nittany Lions will rely on the ability of their high scoring offense . Despite ranking 27th in total offense, Penn State’s offensive unit will be a key to victory in the Fiesta Bowl. The Nittany Lions put up 453 yards per game, and are one of the best at putting points on the board. They are sixth nationally averaging nearly 42 points scored per game.

The Lions have a wealth of offensive weapons. First and foremost, they like to attack opponents with All-American junior Saquon Barkley. For a time earlier this season, the first team All-Big Ten running back was the Heisman Trophy front-runner. He rushed for 1,134 yards (94.5 ypg) and a conference-leading 16 touchdowns on 199 carries this season. What sets Barkley apart from other highly talented running backs is his ability to make catches. This season he corralled 47 passes for 594 yards including three touchdowns.

Penn State will no doubt try to get Barkley and the run game going early, but, like Washington, they are not one-dimensional. There will be plenty of times times that redshirt junior quarterback Trace McSorley will use the passing attack. When he does throw, the likely targets will be wide receivers Juwan Johnson, DaeSean Hamilton, and tight end Mike Gesicki. Senior Mike Gesicki led the Lions with 51 receptions followed closely by Hamilton and Johnson (each had 48 catches). The trio combined this year for 1883 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Penn State’s defense, for a time, was one of the nation’s best. It was exposed, however, in games against Ohio State and Michigan State, but still wound up being ranked 17th nationally and fifth in the Big Ten. When it was successful it was due to the defensive line getting pressure on the quarterback. Defensive ends Shareef Miller and Shaka Toney led the Lions with four sacks apiece. Middle linebacker Jason Cabinda led Penn State with 84 tackles, while the secondary was paced by senior Marcus Allen.

Fiesta Bowl Overview

Penn State enters the Fiesta Bowl with a with an unblemished 6-0 mark all-time. The Nittany Lions seem to have made the desert their home-away-from-home. For Washington, this will be their first trip to the Fiesta Bowl, but Huskies head coach Chris Petersen is no stranger to the game. This will the first time these two teams have met in a bowl game since the pair squared off in the 1983 Hula Bowl (13-10 PSU victory).

As the leader of the Boise State program, Petersen guided the Broncos to wins over Oklahoma and TCU in the Fiesta Bowl. Both times his Boise State teams finished the season undefeated and ranked in the top-6 nationally. But, as Coach Petersen was quick to point out during his Fiesta Bowl media availability when asked if he told his Washington players about his Fiesta Bowl success as the coach of Boise State: “They don’t care about that. They care about Playstation and practicing hard and the here and now.”

Now the time has come for one team to earn their 11th win of the season. Both teams were just on the outside looking in to the College Football Playoffs, but want to prove that they belong among the nation’s elite.

Penn State wants to cap another strong season, this time with a bowl victory, while Washington wants to prove that last season’s playoff team was no fluke.

This year’s Fiesta Bowl should be very entertaining. It features so many good players on both sides of the ball for both teams. This should be the type of bowl game where you want to have your DVR and popcorn ready!

Home/Penn State Football