WSU takes 82nd Annual Hyundai Sun Bowl 20-14 over Miami

There is one thing fans have come to expect when the University of Miami comes to play in the Sun Bowl, snow. The 82nd edition of the Hyundai Sun Bowl saw the Washington State Cougars defeat the Hurricanes 20-14 on Friday in front of 41,180 fans that braved through a cold snowy day.

But it wasn’t the snow or even the Washington State high-powered offense that doomed Miami. On this day it would be turnovers and penalties, many of the untimely variety that sealed the fait for the team from South Florida. The Hurricanes finished with three turnovers and nine total penalties for 105 yards.

The Cougars (9-4) finish the season with their best record since 2003 and won their first bowl game since defeating Texas in the Holiday Bowl, also in 2003. Head coach Mike Leach, in his fourth season at Washington State, picked up his first bowl victory with the university.

“As a team I think we complement each other to play a little better. I thought the offense started pretty quick and defense started slow,” Leach said. “And I thought special teams was reasonably steady. This weather makes it challenging for everybody.

“The challenging part isn’t to make the play but instead it’s to be consistent when you are battling some of that. I thought all sides picked up for everybody. I thought defense at the end played well together and we were a tough group of guys.”

Miami (8-5), meanwhile, loses in a bowl game for the sixth time in a row, including the last three seasons. The last time the Hurricanes won a bowl game was in 2006 when they defeated Nevada in the MPC Computers Bowl.