Miami football to play in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl on Dec. 28

Miami University athletics announced this afternoon that the football team will travel to Tucson, Arizona, to face the Colorado State University Rams at the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl on Dec. 28.

The NCAA sanctioned the Arizona Bowl in 2015. In the seven games since then, three Mid-American Conference (MAC) teams have competed. The University of Toledo Rockets lost 16-15 in last year’s Arizona Bowl against the University of Wyoming Cowboys.

This year’s Arizona Bowl is sponsored by Gin & Juice, a drink by Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg will do the coin flip before the game and commentate throughout the day. It will be the first bowl game sponsored by an alcoholic beverage in college football history.

The RedHawks’ sixth victory over the Kent State University Golden Flashes on Nov. 13 made them bowl-eligible for the seventh year in a row. Last year, Miami competed against the Appalachian State University Mountaineers at the Cure Bowl, where the team lost 13-9.

Throughout program history, Miami has played in 15 bowl games and compiled a 8-7 record. The RedHawks last won the Frisco Football Classic in 2021 against the University of North Texas Mean Green.

Miami finished MAC play with a 38-3 loss to the Ohio University Bobcats at the conference championship on Dec. 7. The loss ended the RedHawks’ seven-game winning streak and put them at 8-5.

The Rams earned their spot with a 38-21 victory against the University of Nevada Wolf Pack on Nov. 2. Colorado State finished the season at 8-4 after winning six of its last seven games to place third in the Mountain West Conference.

Colorado State is 6-11 in its 17 bowl game appearances. The team’s last appearance was at the New Mexico Bowl in 2017, where it lost to the Marshall University Thundering Herd. The Rams’ last victory was in 2013 at the same bowl against the Washington State University Cougars.

The RedHawks are looking to bounce back from their loss at the MAC championship as well as from last year’s loss at the Cure Bowl. Matt Salopek and Brett Gabbert, who will play their final games at the Arizona Bowl, said they want to send the season and the RedHawks off on a high note.

“This could be my last college game,” Salopek said after the MAC championship. “All that [the seniors] have done this year, all that this team has done this year: I couldn’t be more proud.”

Miami finishes the 2024 season on Dec. 28 at 4:30 p.m.

@thekethan04