Sun Devil football accepts bid to play in Pacific Life Holiday Bowl

December 02, 2007

TEMPE, Ariz. - Following a 10-2 regular season and a share of the Pac-10 Conference Championship, the Arizona State University football team has accepted a bid to play in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl against Texas Longhorns (9-3, 5-3 Big XII), the Bowl announced Sunday. The game will be played inside Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Calif., and will kick at 5 p.m. PST (6 p.m. Arizona) on December 27. ESPN will provide both national television and national radio coverage of the game.<separator></separator>"We're excited about going to the Holiday Bowl," Head Coach <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/erickson_dennis00.html… Erickson</a> said. "We get to play Texas. That's a great program, a historic program, and great opportunity for us. As I said last night after the game, we have no control over the BCS; all we can do is go out there and play football. Which we did a good job of 10 times. That's something that they have to deal with and they dealt with it and they did the best they can do with they system. This is just how it is. Our players are really excited about going where we're going. First we've got to focus on finals. We're excited about going to San Diego. That's a great bowl game."<separator></separator>"We are just so excited, finishing the year as Pac-10 Co-Champions and 10-2 and successful last night in our very, important rival game," Vice President for University Athletics Lisa Love said. "Playing a perennial power like the University of Texas, December 27th in the Holiday Bowl, which, by the way, is wonderfully hosted by that committee. This is a great, step forward. This is exactly what we wanted to do. We are very pleased to be mentioned in the same breathe as a program like Texas."<separator></separator>The Sun Devils, who have never faced the Longhorns, finished ranked No. 11 in the final Bowl Championship Series (BCS) rankings, ranked No. 11 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and No. 12 in the AP rankings while Texas was No. 19 in the BCS while holding the No. 17 positions in both the coaches and AP rankings.<separator></separator>With a 10-2 overall record and a 6-2 mark in the league, the Sun Devils are coming off a 20-17 defeat of rival Arizona in Tempe Saturday night. The Sun Devils will compete in a bowl game for the fourth-year in a row and will appearing in the Holiday Bowl for the third time in program history. ASU last played in the Holiday Bowl on December 27, 2002, where it fell, 34-17, to Kansas State. The Sun Devils' first Holiday Bowl appearance came on December 22, 1985, where Arkansas defeated ASU, 18-17.<separator></separator>The Sun Devils, who will be playing their 23rd bowl game, will look to improve on their 12-9-1 all-time bowl record and rebound from a 42-21 loss to Hawaii in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl last season. Prior to that, ASU had won two bowl games in a row, defeating Rutgers in the 2005 Insight Bowl (45-40) after defeating Purdue in the 2004 Sun Bowl (27-23), which snapped a three-game bowl losing streak.<separator></separator>Texas finished second in the South Division of the Big XII behind Oklahoma and is coming off a 38-30 loss at Texas A&M. The Longhorns will be making their fourth Holiday Bowl appearance and its first since 2003 when it fell to Washington State, 28-20. Texas also will making its 47th bowl appearance, which ranks second all-time in NCAA history behind Alabama (54). The Longhorns have won three bowl games in a row, including a 26-24 defeat of Iowa in the 2006 Alamo Bowl and a 41-38 defeat of USC to win the BCS Championship at the 2006 Rose Bowl.<separator></separator>Ticket information (prices and availability) for Sun Devil fans will be made public at a later date. Fans are encouraged to visit <a href="http://thesundevils.com/">thesundevils.com</a> as more information will be posted on the official ASU Athletics site once it is made available. Fans can also visit <a href="http://www.pacificlifeholidaybowl.com/">www.PacificLifeHolidayBowl.com<…; or call TicketMaster (619-220-8497) to purchase tickets.<separator></separator>Arizona State All-Time in Bowl Games (12-9-1) 2006 - Sheraton Hawaii Bowl - Hawaii 42, ASU 21 2005 - Insight Bowl - ASU 45, Rutgers 40 2004 - Sun Bowl - ASU 27, Purdue 23 2002 - Pacific Life Holiday Bowl - Kansas State 34, ASU 27 2000 - Aloha Bowl - Boston College 31, ASU 17 1999 - Aloha Bowl - Wake Forest 23, ASU 3 1997 - Sun Bowl - ASU 17, Iowa 7 1997 - Rose Bowl - Ohio State 20, ASU 17 1987 - Freedom Bowl - ASU 33, Air Force 28 1987 - Rose Bowl - ASU 22, Michigan 15 1985 - Holiday Bowl - Arkansas 18, ASU 17 1983 - Fiesta Bowl - ASU 32, Oklahoma 21 1978 - Garden State Bowl - ASU 34, Rutgers 18 1977 - Fiesta Bowl - Penn State 42, ASU 30 1975 - Fiesta Bowl - ASU 17, Nebraska 14 1973 - Fiesta Bowl - ASU 28, Pittsburgh 7 1972 - Fiesta Bowl - ASU 49, Missouri 35 1971 - Fiesta Bowl - ASU 45, Florida State 38 1970 - Peach Bowl - ASU 48, North Carolina 26 1951 - Salad Bowl - Miami (Ohio) 34, ASU 21 1950 - Salad Bowl - Xavier (Ohio) 33, ASU 21 1941 - Sun Bowl - Case Western Reserve 26, ASU 13 1940 - Sun Bowl - ASU 0, Catholic U. 0<separator></separator>Head Coach <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/erickson_dennis00.html… Erickson</a> in Bowl Games (5-5) 2007 - Pacific Life Holiday Bowl - vs. Texas 2002 - Insight Bowl - Pittsburgh 38, Oregon State 13 2001 - Fiesta Bowl - Oregon State 41, Notre Dame 9 1999 - Oahu Bowl - Hawaii 23, Oregon State 17 1995 - Orange Bowl - Nebraska 24, Miami 17 1994 - Orange Bowl - Arizona 29, Miami 0 1993 - Sugar Bowl - Alabama 34, Miami 13 1992 - Orange Bowl - Miami 22, Nebraska 0 1991 - Cotton Bowl - Miami 46, Texas 3 1990 - Sugar Bowl - Miami 33, Alabama 25 (National Champions) 1988 - Aloha Bowl - Washington State 24, Houston 22