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Utah And USC To Meet At The Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl
Utes and Trojans to square off on Christmas Day.
Dec. 13, 2001
LAS VEGAS - At a media conference today at the ESPN Zone located inside the New York-New York Hotel & Casino on the famed Las Vegas "Strip," the Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl officially welcomed USC (5-3/6-5) and the University of Utah (4-3/7-4). The event marked the official start of activities for the Christmas Day showdown between the Trojans and the Utes at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. Representatives from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Sega Sports and the Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl gathered on the Strip to welcome the head coaches and athletic directors from USC and the University of Utah in true Las Vegas fashion. Representatives from the Pac-10 Conference and Mountain West Conference were also on hand for the official welcome. "We're proud to host these two fine institutions, both of which are excellent representatives of their conferences," said Tina Kunzer-Murphy, Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl executive director. "We expect an outstanding game, one that will attract an enthusiastic crowd to Sam Boyd Stadium. We look forward to hosting the coaches, administrators, players and fans from USC and the University of Utah for the exciting bowl-week activities." The Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl, which offers a payout of $800,000 to each team, features a match-up between USC and the University of Utah. The teams last met in the 1993 Freedom Bowl, which ended in a 28-21 Trojan victory. The University of Southern California, led by first-year head coach Pete Carroll, locked in a bowl berth by winning five of their last six games, including four in a row to close the season. During that stretch, USC defeated Arizona and California on the road and Oregon State and UCLA at home. "I've been impressed with the focus and work ethic our players have had in preparation for the Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl," said Carroll. "Not only do they want to keep alive the momentum and positive energy from the way we finished our regular season, but they realize that Utah is a formidable opponent. Utah has one of the nation's better offenses, with an effective ground game, and it has a dominating defense, which is ranked high in every NCAA statistical category. We want to have fun with this bowl trip, but we realize we have a challenging task ahead of us on the field." The University of Utah is led by Ron McBride, now in his 12th year as head coach. The Utes, whose defense is ranked 17th in the nation, recorded victories over conference rivals New Mexico, Wyoming, San Diego State and UNLV to earn a spot in the Las Vegas Bowl for the second time in three years. "We think this is the best bowl game in the conference, and we think USC is a great opponent for us," McBride said. "We're excited to play on Christmas Day before a national television audience. We love that we'll be the only game in town. It's a great Christmas present for our players and fans. This is awesome for our team because of the turnaround from last season. This is a young team that is maturing into a very nice football team. The future of this team is ahead of it, not behind it." Sega Sports, the premier sports video game brand, is not just the title sponsor, but also an active partner with the Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl as an integral part of this year's marketing campaign. "We are thrilled to be the title sponsor of the Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl - as it speaks to many of our core consumers as well as giving us the opportunity to communicate the Sega Sports brand to new customers," said Chris Gilbert, executive vice president of sales, marketing and operations, Sega of America. "Not only are we reaching a captive audience on Christmas Day, but the opportunity to have two very talented football teams - USC and University of Utah - participating in this bowl should make for an exciting game." Players, coaches, administrators and fans from the University of Southern California and Utah will enjoy a complete bowl experience combined with the unmatched entertainment and attractions of Las Vegas, a world-renowned event and resort destination that attracted more than 35 million visitors in 2000. As part of Bowl Week, the Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl will host events at some of the city's most exciting venues. The events include the Welcome Reception at the ESPN Zone, the Kickoff Luncheon at MGM Grand and the Pep Rally and Buffet Bowl at the Fremont Street Experience and Golden Nugget. The Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl will be televised live on ABC, beginning at 12:30 p.m. (PST).
The recently renovated 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium will serve as the host venue for the Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl. Tickets can be reserved by calling the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office at (702) 895-3900 or tickets.com at (888) 464-2468. Tickets prices are $10, $30, $50 and $100. For additional information about the game visit the official Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl Web site at lvbowl.com.
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