LA Bowl
| LA Bowl | |
|---|---|
| LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk | |
 | |
| Stadium | SoFi Stadium |
| Location | Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| Operated | 2021–present |
| Conference tie-ins | |
| Sponsors | |
| |
| Former names | |
| |
| 2023 matchup | |
| Boise State vs. UCLA (UCLA 35–22) | |
| 2024 matchup | |
| California vs. UNLV (December 18, 2024) | |
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. The Pac-12 or its "legacy schools" (the 10 schools departing the conference this year for the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC) will continue to fulfill the Pac-12 tie-in obligation through the 2025 season.[1]
History
[edit]The Mountain West Conference and Pac-12 Conference announced tie-ins for the new bowl in July 2019, under a five-year agreement.[2] 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.[3] The game is owned and operated by the owners of SoFi Stadium,[4] StadCo LA, LLC.[5]
Three weeks before the scheduled bowl game debut on December 30, 2020, the game was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]
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 it was the first bowl game to be named for a living person.[7] The investment bank Stifel was later added as a presenting sponsor.[4]
On October 21, 2023, the bowl announced that it had signed a new multi-year sponsorship deal with former NFL star Rob Gronkowski.[8] On December 1, 2023, it added a naming rights partnership with Starco Brands, renaming the bowl the Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk.[9] In 2024, the sponsorship was shifted to Starco's Art of Sport brand, renaming it the Art of Sport LA Bowl.[10]
Game results
[edit]| 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 |
| December 18, 2024 | California vs. UNLV | notes | ||||
MVPs
[edit]| Year | Offensive MVP | Defensive MVP | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Pos. | Player | Team | Pos. | ||
| 2021 | Deven Thompkins | Utah State | WR | Nick Heninger | Utah State | DE | [11] |
| 2022 | Jordan Mims | Fresno State | RB | Devo Bridges | Fresno State | DE | [12] |
| 2023 | Ethan Garbers | UCLA | QB | Darius Muasau | UCLA | LB | [13] |
Appearances by team
[edit]Updated for the December 2024 edition (4 games, 8 total appearances).
- Teams with a single appearance
Won (3): Fresno State, UCLA, Utah State
Lost (3): Boise State, Oregon State, Washington State
TBD (2): California, UNLV
Appearances by conference
[edit]Updated for the December 2024 edition (4 games, 8 total appearances).
| Conference | Record | Appearances by season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | W | L | Win pct. | Won | Lost | |
| Mountain West† | 4 | 2 | 1 | .667 | 2021, 2022 | 2023 |
| Pac-12 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2023 | 2021, 2022 |
| ACC† | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | ||
† December 2024 participant
Game records
[edit]| 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 coverage
[edit]The bowl has been televised by ABC from its inception to 2021. It will air on ESPN in the 2024 edition.
References
[edit]- ^ McMurphy, Brett (July 9, 2024). "Departing Pac-12 Schools to Play in Pac-12 Affiliated Bowl Games, Brett Yormark Says". actionnetwork.com. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ Crepea, James (July 25, 2019). "Pac-12 adds Los Angeles Bowl to postseason lineup starting in 2020". oregonlive. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ "SoFi Stadium will be home to new college bowl game this season". Los Angeles Times. February 27, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "How much will Rams, Chargers season tickets cost in Inglewood's new stadium?". Orange County Register. March 7, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ "Inaugural LA Bowl Postponed Until 2021 Due To Coronavirus". Associated Press. December 7, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Reedy, Joe (October 21, 2023). "Move over Jimmy Kimmel, it's now the LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk". Associated Press News. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Art of Sport To Be Title Sponsor of 2024 LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk". Bowl Season. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
- ^ Henline, Mitch (December 18, 2021). "Aggies finish championship season with LA Bowl victory over Oregon State". Cache Valley Daily. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ^ Stoeckle, Savannah (December 17, 2022). "'Dogs make history with 29-6 win in Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl". Fresno State Athletics. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ "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
[edit]- Annual sporting events in the United States
- College football bowls
- American football in Inglewood, California
- LA Bowl
- Recurring sporting events established in 2021
- 2021 establishments in California
- Sports competitions in Inglewood, California
- American football competitions in Los Angeles County, California
- College football bowls in California