Washington State to Meet Fresno State in Second Annual Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented By Stifel at SoFi Stadium
INGLEWOOD, CA (December 4, 2022) — Washington State, the Pac-12’s No. 5 team, after CFP selection, and the Mountain West Champion Fresno State have been selected to meet in the second annual Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented By Stifel at SoFi Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 17th at 12:30 p.m.
Tickets are priced as low as $35. For additional information and to purchase tickets and suites, head to www.LABowlGame.com.
The Washington State Cougars are heading to their seventh consecutive bowl game. Jake Dickert served his first full season as the head coach after moving up from defensive coordinator to guide the team for the final six games of the 2021 season.
The Cougars finished the year 7-5 with all five losses coming to the top teams in the Pac-12. Dickert’s team lost to Oregon by three points and Utah by four points. One of their non-conference wins was on the road in Wisconsin. The Cougars averaged 27.8 points and 375.5 yards per game and their defense was fifth in the conference in giving up 22.4 points and 394 yards per game.
Quarterback Cameron Ward completed 298 of 465 passes for 3,094 yards and 23 touchdowns. His favorite targets were receivers De’Zhaun Stribling and Robert Ferrel. Stribling caught 51 passes for 602 yards and five touchdowns and Ferrel had 46 receptions for 517 yards and four touchdowns. The Cougars ground game was led by Nakia Watson, who had 736 yards in 130 rushes and eight touchdowns.
Fresno State earned the berth to the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented by Stifel by stopping the Boise State Broncos on their home field, 28-16. The Bulldogs avenged an earlier loss to the Broncos this season, 40-20, but still went on to win the Western Division of the Mountain West to earn the trip to the Mountain West championship game. The Bulldogs, under coach Jeff Tedford, are 9-4 on the year and 8-1 in conference.
Tedford is in his second stint as head coach for the Bulldogs. He took the Bulldogs to a 26-14 record in three years (2017-2019), including a Mountain West championship and two bowl wins before stepping aside due to health concerns. He returned to the Bulldogs last December when he was named head coach for a second time. Before coming to Fresno State, Tedford was the head coach for California for 10 years (2002-2012).
Fresno State has won eight straight games after getting off to a slow start with one win in their first five games. Two of the losses were games with two of the top teams in the Pac 12 – USC and Oregon State. All four losses for Fresno State were against bowl eligible teams.
Quarterback Jake Haener, who missed part of the season with a lower leg injury, has been strong completing 228 of 314 passes for 2,616 yards and 18 touchdowns to lead the conference. Jordan Mims heads up the strong Bulldog running game with 1,163 yards in 243 tries and 16 touchdowns. Haener’s top targets have been Jalen Moreno-Copper and Nikko Remigio. Moreno-Copper has 79 catches for 1,044 yards and five scores, and Remigio has 69 receptions for 768 yards and five touchdowns. Linebackers Levelle Bailey and Malachi Langley and defensive back Evan Williams lead the Bulldogs defense.
Entering last weekend’s championship game, Fresno State had the top ranked offense in the conference averaging 30.9 points per game and 407 yards per game. The defense ended fifth in the conference giving up 20.8 points and 354 yards per game.
“We are thrilled to welcome back the Mountain West and Pac-12 Conferences to our second annual bowl game at SoFi Stadium,” said Jason Gannon, executive director, Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented By Stifel. “College football’s bowl season begins and ends at SoFi Stadium this year, with an exciting match-up of Washington State vs. Fresno State at the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented By Stifel followed by the top two teams in the nation playing for the College Football Playoff National Championship on January 9. We look forward to hosting these two great college football games at SoFi Stadium.”
The Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented By Stifel will also benefit community partners One For All, Boys and Girls Club LA Harbor and Boys and Girls Club LA Metro. The bowl game is committed to working with Inglewood’s One For All to support youth through social programs that emphasize the importance of personal growth and community involvement. Similarly, Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl will continue to work with the Boys and Girls Clubs of LA Harbor and LA Metro by supporting STEAM and educational initiatives for the organizations.
For more information about the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented By Stifel, visit www.LABowlGame.com and visit @LABowlGame on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.