The Stanford Cardinal and the Pittsburgh Panthers will meet for the Hyundai Sun Bowl on Monday, December 31.
Pittsburgh's stout running attack will meet Sanford's air raid as the Cardinal's leading rusher, Bryce Love, sits out the game to prepare for the NFL Draft.
Without Love, Stanford will rely on junior quarterback K.J. Costello, who threw for 3,435 yards with 29 touchdowns in the regular season, to hit some of the Cardinal wide receivers. Among them will be leading receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. Arcega-Whiteside needs 31 yards during Monday's game to break the 1,000-yard mark for the season, a milestone that could up the senior's stock as he prepares for the 2019 NFL Draft.
While Stanford (8-4) will likely pass first and run second, the Cardinal will still need to see some ground game success from running back Cameron Scarlett to hold off Pittsburgh's defense.
Offensively, the Panthers (7-6) will turn to a pair of running backs who both rushed for over 1,000 yards this season: Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall. Ollison and Hall will face a Stanford defense that ranks 38th in the nation.
Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett will certainly be forced into passing situations and, in doing so, will face Stanford's secondary that features six players with a pick six this season. Three of those players, including redshirt freshman Paulson Adebo, have multiple interceptions this season.
2018 Hyundai Sun Bowl
Location: Sun Bowl Stadium — El Paso, Texas.
Date: Monday, December 31
Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBS Sports app
Satellite Radio: NBC Sports Radio, Ch. 205, Stanford Feed: Sirius 98, XM 197, Internet 959
Odds: Stanford -4.5; Over/Under: 52
Prediction:
John La Fleur (Athlon Sports): Stanford 27, Pittsburgh 17
"Despite Pitt's poor showings in its two most recent games, the Panthers accomplished an impressive goal by winning a division title. Stanford has nothing comparable to show for its efforts thus far. Considering how both teams' regular seasons wrapped up, the Cardinal appear to have momentum on their side and more incentive to put forth a better effort in this game."
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