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Bowl Game Betting – (11) K-State Faces (14) UCLA in Alamo Bowl

John Benson

by John Benson in News

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:40 AM PST

Alamo Bowl: Alamodome, San Antonio (Jan. 2, 6:45 p.m. Eastern)

(11) Kansas State Wildcats vs. (14) UCLA Bruins (-1.5, 59 o/u)

This bowl season, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more evenly balanced game than the Alamo Bowl featuring the No. 11 Kansas State Wildcats (9-3) against the No. 14 UCLA Bruins (9-3).

For Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder, the importance of finishing the season on a high note can’t be overstated. “Obviously, finishing the season the right way is very significant,” Snyder said. “We have been on both sides of the ledger, and obviously to finish the way you desire too is much more palatable, I think.”

Snyder is hoping to get rid of the bitter taste in his mouth after losing to Baylor (38-27) in the last game of the regular season. A win would have resulted in Kansas State earning a share of the Big 12 title.

Snyder, who is 7-7 in bowl games, would also like to send senior quarterback Jake Waters out with a win. This season, the athletic signal caller has passed for more than 3,160 yards and 20 touchdowns while only throwing six picks. He’s also added 471 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.

Look for Waters to target his stud receiver Tyler Lockett on Friday. Lockett has 93 receptions for 1,351 yards (sixth in the nation) and nine scores this season.

“We have a plethora of quality young people with a very significant value system who I am so very proud of, and certainly Tyler is one of those, our quarterback Jake Waters is one of those,” Snyder said.

You better believe UCLA is well aware of the Wildcats’ offense, which averages 283 passing yards per game.

UCLA defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said, “It’s the quadruple option. There are four options on virtually every play, so we got to be ready.”

The upcoming game more than likely marks the end of Brett Hundley’s career at UCLA. This season, the highly-touted quarterback threw for more than 3,000 yards and added 21 touchdowns to only five picks. He also completed over 70 percent of his attempts.

“It is a little frightening when you look at the success of Brett Hundley and the capacity they have to be balanced in their offense to run and pass,” Snyder said. “To be a productive defense is obviously something you have some concern about.”

On paper, this game looks like it’ll be a shootout, but it’s best not to overlook the defenses, in particular Kansas State’s, which finished 26th in the country in scoring (21.8 points against per game). That’s why the under (59) is the play.

(Photo credit: Neon Tommy [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.)

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