LA Bowl

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LA Bowl
Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk
StadiumSoFi Stadium
LocationInglewood, California, U.S.
Operated2021–present
Conference tie-ins
Sponsors
2022 matchup
Fresno State vs. Washington State
(Fresno State 29–6)
2023 matchup
Boise State vs. UCLA (UCLA 35–22)

The LA Bowl is an annual NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football bowl game played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, first played in December 2021. The bowl has tie-ins with the Mountain West and Pac-12 conferences.

History

The Mountain West Conference and Pac-12 Conference announced tie-ins for the new bowl in July 2019, under a five-year agreement.[1] The game was officially unveiled in February 2020. It matches up the Mountain West champion (or the next-highest pick available if the conference champion is selected for the New Year's Six) against the fifth pick from the Pac-12. Previously, the Mountain West champion had received an automatic bid to the Las Vegas Bowl.[2] The game is owned and operated by the owners of SoFi Stadium,[3] StadCo LA, LLC.[4]

Three weeks before the scheduled bowl game debut on December 30, 2020, the game was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]

On June 16, 2021, the game was renamed the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl as part of a naming rights agreement with comedian and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. Announcing the renaming on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel remarked that "never before has a bowl game been named after a human being (as far as I know, I didn't check)."[6] The game is the first bowl named for a living figure; other bowls have been named in honor of deceased people:

The investment bank Stifel was later added as a presenting sponsor.[3]

On October 21, 2023, the bowl announced that it had signed a new multi-year sponsorship deal with former NFL star Rob Gronkowski.[7] On December 1, 2023, it added an additional naming rights partnership with Starco Brands Inc, officially naming the bowl the Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk[8]

Game results

Date Winning Team Losing Team Attendance Notes
December 18, 2021 Utah State 24 Oregon State 13 29,896 notes
December 17, 2022 Fresno State 29 Washington State 6 32,405 notes
December 16, 2023 UCLA 35 Boise State 22 32,780 notes

MVPs

Year Offensive MVP Defensive MVP Ref.
Player Team Pos. Player Team Pos.
2021 Deven Thompkins Utah State WR Nick Heninger Utah State DE [9]
2022 Jordan Mims Fresno State RB Devo Bridges Fresno State DE [10]
2023 Ethan Garbers UCLA QB Darius Muasau UCLA LB [11]

Appearances by team

Updated through the December 2023 edition (3 games, 6 total appearances).

Teams with a single appearance

Won (3): Fresno State, UCLA, Utah State
Lost (3): Boise State, Oregon State, Washington State

Appearances by conference

Updated through the December 2023 edition (3 games, 6 total appearances).

Conference Record Appearances by season
Games W L Win pct. Won Lost
Mountain West 3 2 1 .667 2021, 2022 2023
Pac-12 3 1 2 .333 2023 2021, 2022

Game records

[needs update]

Team Performance vs. Opponent Year
Most points scored 35, UCLA vs. Boise State 2023
Fewest points allowed 6, Fresno State vs. Washington State 2022
Margin of victory 23, Fresno State vs. Washington State 2022
First downs 27, Fresno State vs. Washington State 2022
Rushing yards 280, UCLA vs. Boise State 2023
Passing yards 280, Fresno State vs. Washington State 2022
Most points scored (losing team) 22, Boise State vs. UCLA 2023
Most points scored (both teams) 57, UCLA vs. Boise State 2023
Fewest yards allowed 182, Fresno State vs. Washington State 2022
Fewest rushing yards allowed 45, Fresno State vs. Washington State 2022
Fewest passing yards allowed 117, Boise State vs. UCLA 2023
Individual Player, Team Year
Points scored 12, multiple (most recently):
TJ Harden (UCLA)
Ethan Garbers (UCLA)
George Holani (Boise State)

2023
Passing touchdowns 2, shared by:
Jake Haener (Fresno State)
Ethan Garbers (UCLA)

2022
2023
Rushing yards 209, Jordan Mims (Fresno State) 2022
Passing yards 280, Jake Haener (Fresno State) 2022
Receiving yards 142, J. Michael Sturdivant (UCLA) 2023
Rushing touchdowns 2, shared by:
Jordan Mims (Fresno State)
George Holani (Boise State)
TJ Harden (UCLA)

2022
2023
2023
Receiving touchdowns 1, multiple (most recently):
J. Michael Sturdivant (UCLA)
Kyle Ford (UCLA)
Hudson Habermehl (UCLA)

2023
Tackles 12, Alexander Teubner (Boise State) 2023
Sacks 3, Nick Heninger (Utah State) 2021
Interceptions 1, shared by:
Hunter Reynolds (Utah State)
Akili Arnold (Oregon State)
Kitan Oladapo (Oregon State)
LJ Early (Fresno State)
Alex Johnson (UCLA)

2021
2021
2021
2022
2023
Long Plays Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent Year
Touchdown run 66 yds., George Holani (Boise State) 2023
Touchdown pass 62 yds., Cooper Legas to Deven Thompkins (Utah State) 2021
Kickoff return 25 yds., Savon Scarver (Utah State) 2021
Punt return 16 yds., Logan Loya (UCLA) 2023
Interception return 11 yds., Alex Johnson (UCLA) 2023
Fumble return N/A
Punt 56 yds., James Ferguson-Reynolds (Boise State) 2023
Field goal 37 yds., Everett Hayes (Oregon State) 2021

Media

Television

Date Network Play-by-play announcers Color commentators Sideline reporters
2021 ABC Joe Tessitore Greg McElroy Laura Rutledge
2022 Molly McGrath
2023 Dave Flemming Brock Osweiler Kayla Burton

Radio

Date Network Play-by-play announcers Color commentators Sideline reporters
2021 ESPN Radio Jorge Sedano Tom Ramsey Kelsey Riggs
2022 Rod Gilmore Quint Kessenich
2023 Mike Couzens Tom Ramsey

References

  1. ^ Crepea, James (July 25, 2019). "Pac-12 adds Los Angeles Bowl to postseason lineup starting in 2020". oregonlive. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  2. ^ "SoFi Stadium will be home to new college bowl game this season". Los Angeles Times. February 27, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Stifel and Jimmy Kimmel team up as big names on college bowl game". St. Louis Business Journal. November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  4. ^ "How much will Rams, Chargers season tickets cost in Inglewood's new stadium?". Orange County Register. March 7, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  5. ^ "Inaugural LA Bowl Postponed Until 2021 Due To Coronavirus". Associated Press. December 7, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  6. ^ Tapp, Tom (June 17, 2021). "Jimmy Kimmel Gets College Football Bowl Game Named After Him: The 'Jimmy Kimmel L.A. Bowl' At SoFi Stadium". Deadline. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  7. ^ Reedy, Joe (October 21, 2023). "Move over Jimmy Kimmel, it's now the LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk". Associated Press. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  8. ^ "LA BOWL HOSTED BY GRONK PARTNERS WITH STARCO BRANDS FOR NAMING RIGHTS TO BOWL GAME, NOW STARCO BRANDS LA BOWL HOSTED BY GRONK". Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  9. ^ Henline, Mitch. "Aggies finish championship season with LA Bowl victory over Oregon State". Cache Valley Daily. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  10. ^ Stoeckle, Savannah (December 17, 2022). "'Dogs make history with 29-6 win in Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl". Fresno State Athletics. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  11. ^ "Dominant Second Half Carries UCLA to 35-22 Victory Over Boise State in LA Bowl". mynewsla.com. December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.

External links