2007 Las Vegas Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl was an NCAA
-sanctioned Division I post-season college football
bowl game
between the UCLA Bruins
and the Brigham Young University Cougars
. The Las Vegas Bowl
gets its first choice of bowl-eligible teams from the Mountain West Conference
(MWC) and the fourth/fifth choice (alternating every year) of bowl-eligible teams from the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10). This bowl game was played on December 22, 2007 at 5 p.m. PST at 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium
in Whitney, Nevada
, USA where this bowl game has been played since 1992. It was broadcast on ESPN
and ESPNHD. Since 2001, the game has featured a matchup of teams from the MWC and Pac-10.
and the 2007 BYU Cougars football team
. In the first meeting on September 8, 2007 at the Rose Bowl Stadium, the Bruins avoided an upset in a tough game by beating the Cougars, 27-17. UCLA had control of the game in the first half, but BYU made it close in the third quarter. UCLA's pass defense was shaky, giving up 391 yards, and their own passing attack inconsistent, as Ben Olson
, a quarterback who transferred from BYU to UCLA, completed only 13 of 28 passes for 126 yards.
On December 3, 2007, following the final regular season game against USC, Los Angeles papers and the Associated Press reported that UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell
was fired during a meeting with athletic director Dan Guerrero. Dorrell was offered the choice, but decided not to coach in the Las Vegas Bowl. Defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker
served as interim coach for the game.
. UCLA won the coin toss and elected to kick off to BYU to begin the game.
With less than a minute to go in the first half the Cougars had opened up 17-6 lead. Instead of simply downing the ball, the Cougars ran a running play up the middle and RB Harvey Unga
fumbled. The Bruins responded by punching the ball in the end zone on the final play of the half. In the second half with the Cougars leading 17-13, the defenses took over. Second-half scoring was limited to a 50-yard field goal
by the Bruins' Kai Forbath in the fourth quarter. Forbath then attempted a 28-yarder at the end of the game, but it was blocked by Eathyn Manumaleuna to preserve the Cougars' victory.
Walker's defensive schemes had kept the Bruins, who were without their two top quarterback
s, in the game. The Bruins size and strength advantage allowed them to dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Ball control was also key: Chris Markey rushed for 117 yards, the most by any BYU opponent in the 2007 season.
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
-sanctioned Division I post-season college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
between the UCLA Bruins
2007 UCLA Bruins football team
The 2007 UCLA Bruins football team represented UCLA in the college football 2007-2008 season. They played their home games at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California and were coached by Karl Dorrell for the regular season. It was Dorrell's fifth, and final season as the UCLA head coach. UCLA's...
and the Brigham Young University Cougars
2007 BYU Cougars football team
The 2007 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University in the 2007 college football season.In this year BYU clinched its second consecutive Mountain West Conference championship title outright after defeating Utah on 24 November...
. The Las Vegas Bowl
Las Vegas Bowl
The Maaco Bowl Las Vegas is an NCAA-sanctioned Division I-A post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually at 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. since 1992. From 1992 to 1996, matchups featured the champion teams from the Big West and Mid-American...
gets its first choice of bowl-eligible teams from the Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
(MWC) and the fourth/fifth choice (alternating every year) of bowl-eligible teams from the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10). This bowl game was played on December 22, 2007 at 5 p.m. PST at 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium
Sam Boyd Stadium
Sam Boyd Stadium is a football stadium located in Whitney, Nevada, an unincorporated community in the Las Vegas metropolitan area; the mailing address of the stadium is "Las Vegas". The stadium is named after Sam Boyd, a major figure in the hotel/casino industry in Las Vegas. The stadium consists...
in Whitney, Nevada
Whitney, Nevada
Whitney is an unincorporated town in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 18,273 at the 2000 census.-Background:...
, USA where this bowl game has been played since 1992. It was broadcast on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and ESPNHD. Since 2001, the game has featured a matchup of teams from the MWC and Pac-10.
Teams
This was the second meeting in the 2007 College football season between the 2007 UCLA Bruins football team2007 UCLA Bruins football team
The 2007 UCLA Bruins football team represented UCLA in the college football 2007-2008 season. They played their home games at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California and were coached by Karl Dorrell for the regular season. It was Dorrell's fifth, and final season as the UCLA head coach. UCLA's...
and the 2007 BYU Cougars football team
2007 BYU Cougars football team
The 2007 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University in the 2007 college football season.In this year BYU clinched its second consecutive Mountain West Conference championship title outright after defeating Utah on 24 November...
. In the first meeting on September 8, 2007 at the Rose Bowl Stadium, the Bruins avoided an upset in a tough game by beating the Cougars, 27-17. UCLA had control of the game in the first half, but BYU made it close in the third quarter. UCLA's pass defense was shaky, giving up 391 yards, and their own passing attack inconsistent, as Ben Olson
Ben Olson
Benjamen James Olson is an American football quarterback. He played for the UCLA Bruins football team. He excelled in football at Thousand Oaks High School, earning high school All-American honors in 2001....
, a quarterback who transferred from BYU to UCLA, completed only 13 of 28 passes for 126 yards.
On December 3, 2007, following the final regular season game against USC, Los Angeles papers and the Associated Press reported that UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell
Karl Dorrell
Karl Dorrell is a football coach, currently an assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. He was previously the head coach of the UCLA Bruins, the first African American head football coach in the school's history...
was fired during a meeting with athletic director Dan Guerrero. Dorrell was offered the choice, but decided not to coach in the Las Vegas Bowl. Defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker
DeWayne Walker
-External links:* *...
served as interim coach for the game.
Game summary
The 2007 Las Vegas Bowl kicked off at Sam Boyd Stadium at 8:12 p.m. ESTEastern Standard Time
Eastern Standard Time may refer to:*North American Eastern Time Zone, UTC-5*Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10*An album by Hip Hop group Kooley High...
. UCLA won the coin toss and elected to kick off to BYU to begin the game.
With less than a minute to go in the first half the Cougars had opened up 17-6 lead. Instead of simply downing the ball, the Cougars ran a running play up the middle and RB Harvey Unga
Harvey Unga
-Chicago Bears:Unga was selected by the Chicago Bears with a seventh round selection in the 2010 Supplemental Draft. He was signed to a four-year contract on July 21, 2010....
fumbled. The Bruins responded by punching the ball in the end zone on the final play of the half. In the second half with the Cougars leading 17-13, the defenses took over. Second-half scoring was limited to a 50-yard field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
by the Bruins' Kai Forbath in the fourth quarter. Forbath then attempted a 28-yarder at the end of the game, but it was blocked by Eathyn Manumaleuna to preserve the Cougars' victory.
Walker's defensive schemes had kept the Bruins, who were without their two top quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
s, in the game. The Bruins size and strength advantage allowed them to dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Ball control was also key: Chris Markey rushed for 117 yards, the most by any BYU opponent in the 2007 season.
Additional notes
- The Cougars avenged a 27-17 loss to UCLA in a game played on September 8 at the Bruins' home field, the Rose BowlRose Bowl (stadium)The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pasadena, California, U.S., in Los Angeles County. The stadium is the site of the annual college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl, held on New Year's Day. In 1982, it became the home field of the UCLA Bruins college football team of the Pac-12...
in Pasadena, CaliforniaPasadena, CaliforniaPasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. - UCLA left this bowl game without naming a permanent head coachHead coachA head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
for the 2008 season; Karl DorrellKarl DorrellKarl Dorrell is a football coach, currently an assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. He was previously the head coach of the UCLA Bruins, the first African American head football coach in the school's history...
had been fired on December 4. Rumored candidates as of December 24 included Baltimore RavensBaltimore RavensThe Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
offensive coordinatorOffensive coordinatorAn offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
Rick NeuheiselRick NeuheiselRichard Gerald "Rick" Neuheisel, Jr. , is an American football coach, former player, and attorney. He was most recently the head football coach at University of California, Los Angeles, a position he held from 2008 to 2011...
, TempleTemple Owls footballThe Temple Owls football team participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference...
head coach Al Golden, and Walker. OregonOregon Ducks footballThe Oregon Ducks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Oregon located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Bowl Subdivision and is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. Known as the Ducks, the...
head coach Mike BellottiMike BellottiRobert Michael "Mike" Bellotti is a college football analyst for ESPN and ABC. A native of California, he was hired as football offensive coordinator by the University of Oregon in 1989. From 1995 to 2009, he was the head coach of the Oregon Ducks football team...
and Tennessee TitansTennessee TitansThe Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
offensive coordinator Norm ChowNorm ChowNorman Chow is the offensive coordinator for the Utah Utes, a position he started on January 22, 2011. He previously held the same position with UCLA, the NFL's Tennessee Titans, USC, North Carolina State, and Brigham Young University....
had withdrawn their names from consideration. - The Las Vegas Bowl was an advance sellout for the fifth year in a row.
- The Cougars ended the season with a 10 game winning streak, which after Hawaii's lose to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl became the longest winning streak in the country.
- UCLA later selected a former teammate of Dorrell, Rick NeuheiselRick NeuheiselRichard Gerald "Rick" Neuheisel, Jr. , is an American football coach, former player, and attorney. He was most recently the head football coach at University of California, Los Angeles, a position he held from 2008 to 2011...
, as his successor. DeWayne Walker was retained as the defensive coordinator. - The UCLA Bruins under Neuheisel and BYU Cougars would meet again in the 2008 regular season at BYU, where the Cougars would defeat the Bruins 59-0. This was the worst loss the Bruins endured since a 76-0 defeat in the very first UCLA-USC rivalryUCLA-USC rivalryThe UCLA–USC rivalry is the American college rivalry between the UCLA Bruins sports teams of the University of California, Los Angeles and the USC Trojans sports teams of the University of Southern California ....
football game (in the year 1929).