Boise State to Meet UCLA in Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk at SoFi Stadium; Teams to Meet Saturday, Dec. 16, at 4:30pm
INGLEWOOD, CA (Dec. 3, 2023)— The Mountain West Champion Boise State and UCLA, the Pac-12’s No. 5 team after CFP selection, have been selected to meet in the Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronkat SoFi Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 4:30 p.m.
For additional information and to purchase tickets and suites, head to www.LABowlGame.com.
The four-time Super Bowl Champion Rob Gronkowski brings his unique style and flair back to college football as the official host of the Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk. The competitive matchup between Boise State and UCLA will mark a return to this bowl game matchup for Gronkowski. During his college career at the University of Arizona, Gronkowski played in the then Las Vegas Bowl; its conference match-up was relocated to Los Angeles and renamed LA Bowl in 2020.
Boise State earned the right by winning the Mountain West Championship game on Saturday afternoon, 44-20 over the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.
UCLA was the fifth best representative after CFP selection from one of the strongest football conferences in the nation this year, the Pac-12. Five teams in the conference won eight or more games this season, with Washington leading the way with 13 wins followed by an 11-win season by Oregon, a nine-win season by Arizona, eight-win seasons by Oregon State and Utah, and seven-win seasons by UCLA and USC.
Boise State has played UCLA once, with UCLA winning 38-7 on Sept. 4, 1999.
The Boise State Broncos head to Los Angeles with an 8-5 record, bringing a four-game winning streak into the bowl season. Following a 7-5 regular season that saw four of the five losses be determined by a touchdown or less, the Broncos – a program known for defying the odds – overcame a 0.1% probability to finish in a three-way tie for first place in the Mountain West with UNLV and San Jose State. With the tiebreaker coming from an average of various computer rankings, Boise State advanced to play at UNLV, where Spencer Danielson became the first interim head coach in football bowl subdivision (FBS) history to lead his team to a conference championship game win.
As the interim leader of the Broncos, Danielson is 3-0, including a dominating 44-20 win over UNLV in the Mountain West Championship game to collect the program’s conference-leading fifth Mountain West title. Danielson was elevated to the interim role on Nov. 12 after previously serving as defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach.
After splitting duties throughout most of the year, Taylen Green has taken over the signal calling full time and has risen to the occasion. Green was named the Offensive MVP in the Mountain West Championship game after throwing for 226 yards and a pair of touchdowns while running for 90 yards and two more scores. He has played in all 13 games, starting in 12, while leading the Broncos to a winning record for the 26th consecutive year.
Sophomore Ashton Jeanty – the Mountain Wests’s Offensive Player of the Year – might be the most dynamic player in the country. Despite playing only 10 games this season due to injury, he still wrapped up the regular season leading the nation in first downs recorded (84) while ranking second in all-purpose yards per game (164.6) and missed tackles forced (83). He also ranks 15th nationally in yards after contact. Jeanty recorded his seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season in the conference championship bout, collecting 153 yards on the ground with a touchdown.
Jeanty is joined by redshirt senior George Holani in the backfield, another dynamic back that ran for 76 yards in the title game while passing Boise State great Doug Martin in career rushing yards (3,458) for sixth in school history.
Boise State’s swarming defense ranks 17th nationally in sacks, led by Ahmed Hassanein, the first Egyptian to play Division I football. Hassanein has been credited with a sack in nine consecutive games following the Mountain West Championship Game, the longest active streak in the nation. Meanwhile sophomore James Ferguson-Reynolds leads the nation in punting by nearly two yards per punt and is one of only three punters in the country with multiple 70-plus yard punts. His current season average of 49.6 yards per punt would rank sixth all-time in NCAA history if his season were to end today.
The Broncos head to the Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk with a .650 all-time bowl win percentage – ranking fifth among all FBS programs – and have won eight of their past 11 bowl game appearances.
The UCLA Bruins are headed to a bowl game for the third year in a row. Coach Chip Kelly led his squad to three consecutive wins to open the 2023 campaign and capped off the season with a dominant 38-20 road victory over crosstown rivals USC on Nov. 18.
The Bruins finished the year 7-5, with two of the five losses to two Pac-12 teams who are both currently ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 poll, Arizona and Oregon State. Included among their four straight home wins was an eight-point victory over then-13th-ranked Washington State at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 7. The Bruins averaged 25.8 points and 420.2 yards per game, while their defense, led by Laiatu Latu with 13 sacks (best in the Pac-12), held opponents to 18.08 points and 217 overall. UCLA finished the regular season ranked 11th nationally in total defense (299.0 yards per game) while leading the nation in rushing defense (69.6 yards per game).
Redshirt junior quarterback Ethan Garbers connected on 89 of 134 attempts for 984 yards and nine touchdowns. The two leading receivers were senior Logan Loya and redshirt sophomore J. Michael Sturdivant, with the former leading the 2023 squad with 58 receptions for 650 yards and five touchdowns, and the latter catching 32 passes for 455 yards and three touchdowns. The balanced Bruins ground game was led by junior Carson Steele and sophomore T.J. Harden with six rushing touchdowns apiece. Steele topped the team with 847 yards, while his teammate and Inglewood, Calif., native Harden ran for 722 yards.
“We are thrilled to welcome back the Mountain West and Pac-12 Conferences to the third edition of our bowl game at SoFi Stadium,” said Adolfo Romero, interim executive director, Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk. “College football’s bowl season begins at SoFi Stadium, with an exciting match-up of Boise State vs UCLA at the Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk. We look forward to hosting this great college football game at SoFi Stadium.”
As in years past, Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk will have a fun and interactive week of events onsite at Hollywood Park in the lead up to the game. This includes a Pep Rally, a Fan Fest, and more. The Pep Rally, which takes place the night before kickoff, is free and open to the public. Fans of all ages can gather to cheer on their teams ahead of the big game alongside the school’s cheerleaders, bands, and mascots. On game day, fans are encouraged to arrive early for the Fan Fest before the third annual Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk. American Airlines Plaza will be transformed into an exciting pregame tailgate atmosphere and will feature music, food trucks, photo opportunities, both teams’ cheerleaders and bands, plus much more to rally fans before kickoff.
Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk is committed to providing support for underserved youth through its pillars of education, health, wellness and physical activity year-round. The bowl game’s continuous work with nonprofit organizations such as One For All Kids, Boys & Girls Club of Metro Los Angeles and Boys & Girls Club of LA Harbor focuses on key initiatives, such as youth literacy, STEAM education, physical activity, and career exploration. Additionally, Gronkowski will highlight his foundation, Gronk Nation Youth Foundation.
For more information about the Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk and to purchase tickets and suites, visit www.LABowlGame.com and visit @LABowlGame on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
ABOUT STARCO BRANDS LA BOWL HOSTED BY GRONK
The Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk is an annual collegiate football bowl game held at SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, in Inglewood, Calif. SoFi Stadium is the centerpiece of Hollywood Park, a near 300-acre mixed-use development being built by Rams Owner/Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke. Owned and operated by SoFi Stadium, Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk features the Mountain West’s No. 1 selection versus the Pac-12’s No. 5 selection, after the CFP selection. In addition to the matchup, Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk hosts a series of events for the teams, their families, fans, and locals in the week leading up to the game, as well as year-round activities that engage the local community. For more information about the Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk, including ticketing, go to www.LABowlGame.com and visit @LABowlGame on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.