LA Bowl
| LA Bowl | |
|---|---|
| Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl presented by Stifel | |
 | |
| Stadium | SoFi Stadium |
| Location | Inglewood, California |
| Operated | 2021–present |
| Conference tie-ins | |
| Sponsors | |
| |
| 2021 matchup | |
| Oregon State vs. Utah State (Utah State 24–13) | |
The LA Bowl is an annual NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football bowl game played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, inaugurated on December 18, 2021. The bowl has tie-ins with the Mountain West and Pac-12 conferences. The game is currently branded as the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl presented by Stifel, with late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel holding the game's naming rights and Stifel as its presenting sponsor.
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.[1] 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.[2] The game is owned and operated by the owners of SoFi Stadium,[3] StadCo LA, LLC.[4]
Three weeks before the scheduled bowl game debut on December 30, 2020, the game was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]
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 "never before has a bowl game been named after a human being (as far as I know, I didn’t check)."[6] The game is the first bowl named for a living figure; other bowls have been named in honor of deceased people:
- The Will Rogers Bowl was held in Oklahoma City in 1947 as a memorial to actor Will Rogers, who died in 1935
- The Grantland Rice Bowl was contested in the NCAA's College Division (1964–1972) and Division II (1973–1977), in honor of sportswriter Grantland Rice, who died in 1954
- The Knute Rockne Bowl was also played in the NCAA's College Division (1969–1972) and Division II (1976–1977), named for coach Knute Rockne, who died in 1931
- The NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, has been played in the NCAA's Division III since 1973, named for football pioneer and multiple college championship coach Amos Alonzo Stagg, who died in 1965.
The investment bank Stifel was later added as a presenting sponsor.[3]
Game results[edit]
| Date | Winning Team | Losing Team | Attendance | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 18, 2021 | Utah State | 24 | Oregon State | 13 | 29,896 | notes |
MVPs[edit]
| Year | Player | College | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Nick Heninger | Utah State | Defensive End | Defensive MVP |
| Deven Thompkins | Utah State | Wide Receiver | Offensive MVP |
Appearances by team[edit]
Updated through the December 2021 edition (1 game, 2 total appearances).
- Teams with a single appearance
Won: Utah State
Lost: Oregon State
Appearances by conference[edit]
Updated through the December 2021 edition (1 game, 2 total appearances).
| Conference | Record | Appearances by season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | W | L | Win pct. | Won | Lost | |
| Mountain West | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2021 | |
| Pac-12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2021 | |
Game records[edit]
| Team | Performance vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored | 24, Utah State vs. Oregon State | 2021 |
| Fewest points allowed | 13, Oregon State vs. Utah State | 2021 |
| Margin of victory | 11, Utah State vs. Oregon State | 2021 |
| First downs | 26, Utah State vs. Oregon State | 2021 |
| Rushing yards | 152, Oregon State vs. Utah State | 2021 |
| Passing yards | 273, Utah State vs. Oregon State | 2021 |
| Most points scored (losing team) | 13, Oregon State vs. Utah State | 2021 |
| Most points scored (both teams) | 37, Utah State vs. Oregon State | 2021 |
| Fewest yards allowed | 383, Utah State vs. Oregon State | 2021 |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | 110, Utah State vs. Oregon State | 2021 |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | 263, Oregon State vs. Utah State | 2021 |
| Individual | Player, Team | Year |
| Points scored | 7, Everett Hayes (Oregon State) | 2021 |
| Passing touchdowns | 2, Cooper Legas (Utah State) | 2021 |
| Rushing yards | 120, Calvin Tyler Jr. (Utah State) | 2021 |
| Passing yards | 263, Chance Nolan (Oregon State) | 2021 |
| Receiving yards | 115, Deven Thompkins (Utah State) | 2021 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 1, shared by: Calvin Tyler Jr. (Utah State) Jesiah Irish (Oregon State) |
2021 |
| Receiving touchdowns | 1, shared by: Deven Thompkins (Utah State) Brandon Bowling (Utah State) |
2021 |
| Tackles | 10, Kyrei Fisher (Oregon State) | 2021 |
| Sacks | 3, Nick Heninger (Utah State) | 2021 |
| Interceptions | 1, shared by: Hunter Reynolds (Utah State) Akili Arnold (Oregon State) Kitan Oladapo (Oregon State) |
2021 |
| Long Plays | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Touchdown run | 20 yds., Jesiah Irish (Oregon State) | 2021 |
| Touchdown pass | 62 yds., Cooper Legas to Deven Thompkins (Utah State) | 2021 |
| Kickoff return | 25 yds., Savon Scarver (Utah State) | 2021 |
| Punt return | 2 yds., Jordan Nathan (Utah State) | 2021 |
| Interception return | 0 yds., shared by: Hunter Reynolds (Utah State) Akili Arnold (Oregon State) Kitan Oladapo (Oregon State) |
2021 |
| Fumble return | N/A | |
| Punt | 51 yds., Stephen Kotsanlee (Utah State) | 2021 |
| Field goal | 37 yds., Everett Hayes (Oregon State) | 2021 |
Media[edit]
The 2021 game was televised by ABC.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ Crepea, James (2019-07-25). "Pac-12 adds Los Angeles Bowl to postseason lineup starting in 2020". oregonlive. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- ^ "SoFi Stadium will be home to new college bowl game this season". Los Angeles Times. 2020-02-27. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
- ^ a b "Stifel and Jimmy Kimmel team up as big names on college bowl game". St. Louis Business Journal. 2021-11-02. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ "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. 2020-12-07. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
- ^ a b Tapp, Tom (2021-06-17). "Jimmy Kimmel Gets College Football Bowl Game Named After Him: The 'Jimmy Kimmel L.A. Bowl' At SoFi Stadium". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-06-17.