Yahoo Sports Cal to face off against UNLV in the L.A. Bowl at SoFi Stadium
No. 24 UNLV will play Cal in this year’s L.A. Bowl, which will once again be hosted by four-time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski at SoFi Stadium.
Kickoff is at 6 p.m. Dec. 18, and the game will air on ESPN.
“We're one of the early games, so we’re expecting a lot of fans traveling from both programs,” said Adolfo Romero, executive director of the L.A. Bowl.
UNLV (10-3) is coming off a disappointing 21-7 loss to Boise State in the Mountain West Conference championship game. The Broncos are representing the non-Power Four teams in the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, while the Rebels settle for a trip to Inglewood.
The Rebels have been through many twists during a roller-coaster season.
In September, they overcame the loss of starting quarterback Matthew Sluka, who left the program after starting the season 3-0 because of a dispute over alleged unfulfilled NIL payments promised during recruiting.
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Since then, Campbell transfer Hajj-Malik Williams has led UNLV to a 7-3 finish. The dual-threat quarterback has thrown for 1,845 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing for 824 yards and nine touchdowns.
“It means a lot,” UNLV interim coach Del Alexander said. “Every year you don't get an opportunity to go to a bowl game. And the history here [at UNLV] has been short, but at the same time, we've worked on creating a new history.”
In two seasons, UNLV coach Barry Odom transformed a dormant program (209-335-3 all-time) into a conference championship contender. He is slated to take over as Purdue’s next coach after the UNLV bowl game and will not be leading the Rebels into the bowl.
Alexander, the Rebels' wide receivers coach, will step into the role of interim coach starting Monday.
“What others might see as chaos, we've jumped right in,” Alexander said. “The guys that have gotten us to a 10-3 record are excited about playing the next game. Our athletic director, Erick Harper, has given me the keys and the opportunity to push these men to their 11th win. That's our goal.”
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Last season, the Rebels posted their first winning season and bowl appearance in nine years. This season, the Rebels followed it up with their winningest season in 40 years, an Associated Press top 25 ranking (19th) and a College Football Playoff ranking (20th) — the rankings both firsts in school history.
Cal coach Justin Wilcox said he was grateful that the team's bowl selection is just an hour's flight from Berkeley, making it convenient for both fans and players, many of whom are from Southern California.
“It’s very special, [and] a chance to play in the state of California and go play our best football,” Wilcox said. “It’s a reward for the perseverance the guys have shown throughout the season.”
Cal (6-6) began the season 3-0, including an unexpected victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium against Auburn. This victory fueled the "Calgorithm" and helped it quickly take over social media in the opening month of the season.
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Cheeky, politically “woke” AI memes and a clever twist on Chappell Roan’s hit song “Hot to Go!”— reworked into “Ott to Go” in honor of the Bears' star running back Jaydn Ott — became a viral sensation.
Jumping from the Pac-12 to the greener pastures of the ACC seemed like a dream start for Cal, but reality quickly set in as the Golden Bears dropped six of their last nine games. They finished 13th in the ACC, with their only wins coming against two teams that finished behind them in the standings: Wake Forest and rival Stanford.
"Our players went through a lot during a tough October with some of those losses, and to finish the season and compete like they did, I couldn't be more proud of them,” Wilcox said. “I think there's strong character on this team."
The programs have faced off once before, with Cal claiming a 20-14 victory two years ago.
The L.A. Bowl was first played in 2021 and originally was named after talk show Jimmy Kimmel. After his two-season affiliation ended, bowl organizers added a new title sponsor and committed to one of the longer bowl names — Art of Sport L.A. Bowl Hosted by Gronk.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
