Bruins, Cougars promote the bowl

On Thursday in Las Vegas, UCLA and BYU officials and athletes staged a gallant effort to build up the 16th annual Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl, despite it being a meeting for the second time in three months between the Bruins and Cougars.

Representatives from both teams met with bowl officials to formally kick off events for the game scheduled for Dec. 22 in Sam Boyd Stadium.

"We are delighted another sellout crowd will be on hand to watch the 16th edition of the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl," said executive director Tina Kunzer-Murphy. "

Both UCLA (6-6) and BYU (10-2) have shared time in the national rankings, with the Cougars currently perched19th.

The game will be televised live on ESPNHD at 6 p.m.

"We are excited about our football team and the great things it has accomplished over the past three seasons," said BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe. "Coach Mendenhall, his staff and the players deserve a tremendous amount of credit for getting this program where it is today and, as a result, we're excited to be participating in our third straight bowl game."

Earning its 29th bowl trip overall, UCLA defeated two teams that were ranked in the Top 12 at the time of the game and are led by interim head coach DeWayne Walker, who coached at BYU under LaVell Edwards in 1996.

The Bruins are 13-14-1 all-time in bowl games. Despite falling to Florida State in last year's Emerald Bowl, UCLA has the most bowl victories (11) of any Pac-10 team in the last quarter century. That same win total also ranks ninth in the nation over the same span.

"We have certainly enjoyed our two previous trips here," said UCLA athletics director Dan Guerrero. "Our players and staff have thoroughly enjoyed themselves at the various events, and the hospitality of Tina Kunzer-Murphy and her staff is second to none."

Said Holmoe, "For the first 13 years of the bowl, BYU was never a participant, but this is now our third straight season playing in the game, and we are very excited to be here.

"In the Mountain West Conference, if you win the championship of the conference, the first pick goes to Las Vegas. We know as champions this is a game that we earned to be in in Las Vegas. So make no mistake about it, this is a game that we intended to be at, we're excited to be back, and we're happy to be here."

Mendenhall said his team is "thrilled" to be in Las Vegas in December.