The Arizona State Sun Devils (6-6) will play in the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl against West Virginia University (7-5) Saturday to set a school record five-straight bowl appearances.
For ASU head coach Todd Graham, the bowl will be his fourth in as many years with the program. While he's expressed excitement for being part of the Cactus Bowl, Graham hoped to finish the year in a different way.
"Where we wanted to be - it didn't happen," he said. "We lost some close games. I'm obviously still very encouraged about where we're at as a program, and I'm very grateful to our seniors - especially DJ (Foster) and Mike Bercovici for their leadership."
Despite ASU's performance not meeting Graham's expectations, both the Sun Devils and the Mountaineers are excited to play in the Cactus Bowl.
"The important thing about this game is for our seniors," said Graham. "It’s for this group of seniors to go out as bowl champions... that’s the only way I can see these guys going out. Now, we're playing a heck of an opponent."
"I'm excited to be here," said WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen. "We've had a great time since we've been here, this is a fantastic place. Number one bowl destination, in my opinion."
Work Hard, Play Harder:
Players from both teams have enjoyed the bowl game amenities. WVU quarterback Skyler Howard and offensive lineman Tyler Orlosky talked about experiencing Arizona.
"It's been great, going around with the team, seeing all the sites, eating, and also preparing," said WVU quarterback Skyler Howard. "You have to know when to work and when to play, and we're enjoying all of it."
Orlosky said Arizona's weather is a perk.
"We love being out here," he said. "Being from the East Coast, it's cold year-round. It's nice to be out here in the sun during December and go swimming."
ASU redshirt senior quarterback Mike Bercovici said his team has spent time relaxing and playing Madden tournaments, shooting pool and "getting all rowdy."
"We haven't competed in quite some time so the ping pong games get a little hectic, but it really has been fun," he said. "It just shows you that all the hard work that goes into it pays off for getting opportunities like this. You get five days together as a football team in a hotel, relaxing, soaking in these last couple moments in."
Home, Sweet Home:
The Sun Devils have the unique opportunity to play in front of their home fans in Saturday's bowl game. They'll will head just a few miles northwest to play in the Arizona Diamondbacks' home ballpark.
"It's going to be exciting to play in front of Sun Devil nation one last time," Bercovici said. "We've been practicing on our practice field, it feels like home, you can't lose in front of your home crowd. We're looking to get a win on Saturday and just have a fun experience."
Senior wide receiver D.J. Foster said he's happy to have the people he cares about see his final collegiate game.
"I'm just excited to play in front of a lot of friends in family," said Senior WR DJ Foster. "My last game as a Sun Devil. It's been an unbelievable four years. It's exciting, we definitely want to end on a win and a winning season."
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