Besides the obvious reasons to watch (it’s football around the holidays,) The Cactus Bowl puts two teams on the field that have wildly different ways of going about their business. That’s one of the reasons why bowls are incredible. They give us these weird matchups that we wouldn’t otherwise get.
:00, Kansas State 7, UCLA 3
The Wildcats respond to the Bruin’s early points with a 68-yard touchdown run from quarterback Alex Delton.
1:00, UCLA 3, Kansas State 0
The Bruins take the first lead of the night with a field goal to make it 3-0.
Stadium and city: Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz.
Date and time: Dec. 26, 9 p.m. ET
TV and streaming: ESPN and WatchESPN.
Why should I watch this?
Kansas State’s spent much of this year with the same running game we know and love but without a real QB threat due to injury. The Wildcats went 7-5 this season but showcased the squirrely and tough-to-beat nature that we’ve come to expect from Bill Snyder’s teams. Kansas State has started three QBs this season, (and had to go to a fourth-string QB against Oklahoma State), which basically ended up looking like Kansas State running exclusively Wildcat plays.
UCLA, on the other hand, has had a largely forgettable 6-6 season. Its season began with one of the most improbable comebacks we’ve ever seen when the Bruins erased a 34-point deficit to beat Texas A&M. From there, the Bruins’ season was again roller coaster. It ended up getting Jim Mora fired on his birthday, but the Bruins’ brass made an absolute power move by firing Mora when they did and put themselves in prime position to make a play for Chip Kelly. The next time you see the Bruins on the field, Kelly will be at the helm. The timing of Mora’s firing is a big reason why.
If nothing else, this game’s in a baseball stadium. And hey, that’s always kinda cool.
Three big things to know
1. You will not see Josh Rosen in this game. A report came out a few days before the game that said Rosen would not play in the Cactus Bowl, and he was ruled out before kickoff, even though he went through a full warm-up. Rosen’s been battling concussion symptoms that have already held him out of a game this season. It’s an injury that’s tough to beat, and hard to predict. Rosen’s been thoughtful during the whole situation.
2. You may not see Bill Snyder after this game. Although he’s already retired once, it seems so improbable to envision a world in which Kansas State isn’t coached by Bill Snyder. But the wizard is seriously considering hanging it up once again. He’ll make his decision after this game is over. If Snyder does step aside after this game is over, expect succession to be a very weird process.
These reports come nearly a month after reports surfaced that Oregon defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt had reached a “verbal agreement” to become Kansas State’s coach-in-waiting and eventual Snyder successor. Brett McMurphy reported the deal scrapped because he wanted his son, K-State associate head coach Sean, to get the job instead.
3. There’s history here between these opponents. Jim Mora’s no longer around in Westwood, but he was the last time these two teams played in a bowl game back in 2015. The postgame handshake featured this icy exchange:
Later, Mora tweeted some shade about the whole deal, then deleted his account.
We expect things to be much less frosty with Jedd Fisch as the interim Bruins head coach.
College football's first bowl game was almost its last
Also, click over here for the full 2017-2018 college football bowl game schedule.
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