PROVO -- Executive Director Tina Kunzer-Murphy today announced BYU has accepted an invitation to participate in the 2005 Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl on Thursday, Dec. 22.
"We are simply thrilled to have BYU coming to the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl for the very first time," Kunzer-Murphy said. "They are a national program with tremendous fan interest. Our executive committee congratulates Coach Mendenhall on his impressive first season leading BYU and we look forward to the Cougars' high-powered offense playing in our game."
BYU will head to Las Vegas with a 6-5 record, having won five of its last seven games. Over the Cougars' last four games, they are averaging 46.5 points per game. The bowl invitation is the first for the Cougars since the 2001 season, ending BYU's longest bowl drought since before earning its first bowl invitation in 1974.
"We're extremely grateful for and excited about the opportunity to participate in the 2005 Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl," BYU athletics director Tom Holmoe said. "After a three-year absence, we're excited to be back in a bowl game. We express our congratulations to Coach Mendenhall, the entire coaching staff, the support staff, and most importantly, the great student-athletes who have put together such an impressive season.
"We're looking forward to playing in Las Vegas where we anticipate our fans will turn out in force. What a great way to celebrate during the holiday season!"
Tickets for the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl are now available online at BYUTickets.com. Seating priority will be given to Cougar Club members and season-ticket holders. Tickets will also be available for purchase on the phone and at the Marriott Center ticket office beginning Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 11 a.m. (MT).
A limited number of student tickets will be made available on a first-come, first-serve basis, beginning Monday, Nov. 28 at 7 a.m. (MT).
While this will be the first-ever trip to the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl for the Cougars, it will mark the ninth time BYU has played at Sam Boyd Stadium. The Cougars are 7-1 all-time in Las Vegas, including a convincing 55-14 win against UNLV earlier this season. In post-season competition, BYU is 1-1. The fifth-ranked Cougars knocked off Wyoming in overtime, 28-25, in the 1996 Western Athletic Conference Championship game, then two years later, BYU fell to Air Force, 20-13, in the WAC Championship game at Sam Boyd Stadium.
The Cougars will be making their 23rd post-season bowl appearance, and their first since the 2001 season. Overall, BYU has posted a 7-15-1 bowl record. The Cougars will be looking for their first bowl victory in nine years. BYU last won a bowl game in 1996, defeating Kansas State, 19-15, in the Cotton Bowl.
The 2005 Pioneer PureVison Las Vegas Bowl, an ESPN Regional Television owned-and-operated event, will kickoff at 5 p.m. (PST) and will be televised nationally on ESPN.