PROVO, Utah (Dec. 4, 2016) — The San Diego Bowl Games Association today announced Wyoming of the Mountain West Conference will be BYU’s opponent in the 2016 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. The Cougars (8-4) and Cowboys (8-5) will meet on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. PT at Qualcomm Stadium. The game will be televised by ESPN.
"Our guys are excited to play in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego," BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said. "Wyoming is a well-coached team that just played for the Mountain West championship. Coach Bohl and the Cowboys have had an impressive season, and Brian Hill is a great running back. We look forward to the game."
Wyoming (8-5, 6-2 MW) won the MW Mountain Division and finished as the league’s runner up after coming up just short in the MW title game on Saturday, falling 27-24 to San Diego State. The Cowboys defeated the then No. 24 Aztecs 34-33 during the regular season. Wyoming also beat then No. 13 Boise State 30-28 earlier in the year to hand the Broncos their first of only two losses on the season. Wyoming boasts one of the nation’s top runners in Brian Hill, who ranks No. 6 in average rushing yards per game at 135.9 while ranking No. 4 in both rushing touchdowns (21), and total rushing yards (1,767).
The 2016 Poinsettia Bowl will feature the 78th meeting between the former conference foes. BYU holds a 44-30-3 advantage in the series that dates back to 1922. The Cougars won the last meeting with a 25-20 victory in Provo in 2010. This year’s Poinsettia Bowl matchup will be just the second neutral site contest between the two schools. The first was during BYU’s No. 5 ranked, 14-1 Cotton Bowl season in 1996 when the Cougars earned a 28-25 overtime win over Wyoming in the WAC Championship game in Las Vegas.
BYU enters the Poinsettia Bowl having won seven of its last eight games and is ranked No. 31 in ESPN’s Football Power Index of FBS teams. Playing a strong national schedule that included games against the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, American, MW and the MAC, the Cougars suffered their four defeats by a combined eight points with one-point road losses at Utah and Boise State and three-point setbacks on the road vs. West Virginia and at home against UCLA.
The Cougars also boast one of the nation’s top running backs in Jamaal Williams, who ranks No. 8 in the nation at 129.4 rushing yards per game. Defensively, BYU ranks 32nd in total defense while excelling at creating turnovers and stopping the run. The Cougars are No. 2 nationally in forced turnovers (29), including No. 4 in interceptions (19), and No. 6 in defensive touchdowns scored (4), while also ranking No. 8 against the run (108.4) and No. 15 in scoring defense (19.4). BYU's special teams have also been strong, ranking in the top 25 statistically in six different categories.
This will be the second time BYU has played in the Poinsettia Bowl. In 2012 the Cougars topped the hometown San Diego State Aztecs 23-6 in front of 35,442 fans behind an unforgettable performance by linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who notched 8 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery for a touchdown, an interception that was returned for a touchdown and a blocked punt.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are on sale for the Poinsettia Bowl at BYUtickets.com or by calling 801-422-2981. As all tickets purchased through BYU directly benefit the athletic department, BYU is encouraging Cougar Nation to purchase tickets through the BYU Ticket Office or online through BYUtickets.com.
Great seats are still available in the BYU fan sections, which include club ($78), plaza ($63) and field ($63) level on the BYU sideline (See attached map). Club seats include a wider chair, in-seat service and premium food/drink options. Ticket prices include all fees.
