Alamo Bowl: What To Know

Alamo Bowl

Iowa State (8-4) vs Washington State (10-2)

Date/Time: Friday, December 28th at 8:00 pm CT

Location: Alamodome in San Antonio, TX

Bowl history

Originated: 1993

Conference tie-ins: Big 12/Pac-12

Last year’s result: TCU defeated Stanford 39-37

Iowa State bowl history

Iowa State is 4-9 all-time in their bowl history, including a 21-20 win over Memphis in last year’s Liberty Bowl.

Nine of Iowa State’s 13 bowl appearances coming into this year have come since 2000. In fact, all four of their wins have come in that same timeframe.

This marks the first trip to the Alamo Bowl for the Cyclones.

Washington State bowl history

The Cougars are 7-7 in their bowl history, which includes a 42-17 loss to Michigan State in last year’s Holiday Bowl.

WASU is making their second Alamo Bowl appearance. They defeated Baylor 10-3 in 1994.

Coaches named Mike have led WASU to 10 of their now 15 bowl appearances. Mike Price led them to five between 1992 and 2002 while Mike Leach leads the Cougars into his fifth since 2013. 

Series history

The Alamo Bowl will be the first matchup between these two squads. 

Key player to watch for each team

Iowa State: Running Back – David Montgomery

Washington State: Linebacker – Peyton Pelluer

Game Notes:

Iowa State

It seems like the Cyclones offense should be ranked higher than 104th in the nation. Consider that David Montgomery and Hakeem Butler are two of the best weapons in the country, hands down. Plus, Brock Purdy has played very strongly since taking over at quarterback. Additionally, Matt Campbell has built a program around defense with the intention of disrupting business as usual in the Big 12. With that said, Iowa State brings the 34th ranked defense into this matchup. Certainly, it must be remembered that this is the defense that completely shut West Virginia down this season. 

Washington State

Mike Leach did an amazing job at WASU, leading them to a 10 win season this year. Led by Gardner Minshew, Wash State has the number one ranked passing offense in the country. However, the most surprising aspect of this Cougars team is the defense. They rank 30th in the country on that side of the ball. The Cougars generated 35 sacks on defense this year, good for 15th in the country. Additionally, they were in the top half of the nation in turnover margin. 

Final analysis

Both of these teams should be fired up to be here considering that neither is a power program. Obviously, Washington State was a win away from competing for a Pac-12 title game and a playoff spot. Despite that, they should be ready to go. Undoubtedly, these two teams bring completely different offensive game plans to the game, while both defenses are solid. Expect a close game. 

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– David Creekmur covers College Football/Basketball, WNBA and College Women’s Sports for Full Press Coverage. Like and follow on Twitter Follow @dmcreek Follow @FPC_College