Arizona State @ Fresno State preview

LAS VEGAS BOWL STORYLINES

1. Arizona State running back Eno Benjamin should receive ample opportunities to break the single-season school rushing record when the Sun Devils meet Fresno State in the Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 15 at Sam Boyd Stadium. Benjamin is 42 yards short of breaking the 46-year-old Arizona State record (1,565) set by Woody Green, and the Sun Devils will be without No. 1 receiver N'Keal Harry, which should allow even more carries for Benjamin. Harry, who had 73 catches for 1,088 yards and nine touchdowns this season, has decided to skip the bowl game and begin preparing for the NFL Draft.

2. Fresno State should be plenty motivated in its first meeting against Arizona State since 1941. The Bulldogs earned this bowl bid with a dramatic 19-16 overtime win at Boise State on Dec. 1, putting themselves in position to win 12 games in a season for the first time in program history. Fresno State, which finished the regular season ranked No. 21 in the coaches' poll, will also be looking to win bowl games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since winning three in a row from 2002-04.

3. When the Sun Devils lured Herm Edwards out of the ESPN studios and onto the sidelines as their head coach in early December of last year, many doubted his ability to be successful. Not only had Edwards not coached at the college level in nearly 30 years, but he hadn't coached anywhere since 2008, and that was at the NFL level. Edwards had his ups and downs this season, starting with a win over then-No. 13 Michigan State in his second game and bottoming out with a loss to Colorado on Oct. 6, but he led Arizona State to a second-place finish in the Pac-12 South Division after they were predicted to finish last.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC. LINE: Fresno State -4.5

ABOUT FRESNO STATE (11-2, 7-1 Mountain West Conference): Fresno State quarterback Marcus McMaryion is familiar with the Pac-12 after playing his first two college years at Oregon State, but the Beavers didn't play Arizona State those seasons. He was a big reason the Bulldogs went from a one-win team in 2016 to a 10-win team in 2017, emerging as the only West Coast team to win a bowl game last season. McMaryion took his play to another level this season, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes, throwing 25 touchdowns and getting intercepted just three times - none in the past four games.

ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (7-5, 5-4 Pac-12 Conference): The Sun Devils also have an experienced senior quarterback who has fought through battles to maintain his starting job and continued to flourish. Manny Wilkins has completed 63 percent of his passes, throwing 19 touchdowns with four interceptions, and his calmness under pressure has allowed Arizona State to go 4-1 this season in games decided by three points or fewer. Wilkins won't have his favorite receiver to find, so look for junior wide receivers Kyle Williams and Brandon Aiyuk to get extra targets.



PREDICTION: Arizona State 28, Fresno State 27