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The University of Utah Athletics
Utes Will Face Trojans On Christmas Day
12/5/2001 12:00 AM | Football
Nov 27, 2001
By TIM KORTE
AP Sports Writer
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah accepted an invitation Tuesday to play Southern California in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 25.
"This is the game we wanted all along," Utah coach Ron McBride said. "It's our No. 1 choice. We get to play a Pac-10 school that's playing good football right now. Our fans can really get excited about a name opponent like USC."
It also didn't hurt that Las Vegas is a five-hour drive down Interstate 15 from Salt Lake City. That apparently made Utah more attractive than Colorado State, which beat the Utes.
When Utah beat Fresno State 17-16 in the Las Vegas Bowl two years ago, they drew about 11,000 fans.
"The last time we went to this bowl, I had the most fun I've ever had at a bowl game," said McBride, who will be making his sixth bowl trip in 12 seasons. "We're just really excited about it."
Utah is 7-3 and can secure a share of second place in the Mountain West by winning at Air Force on Saturday. The Trojans are 6-5 after ending their regular season with a 27-0 victory over UCLA on Nov. 17.
This is the first season the Las Vegas Bowl has matched the two leagues, taking the second choice from the Mountain West and the fifth choice from the Pac-10. USC played its way into bowl contention after a 1-4 start.
"Although our season didn't start off as we had hoped, our players turned things around," Trojans coach Pete Carroll said. "Our work is not done yet, as we'll be facing a very good football team in Utah."
The only potential downside for Utah is attracting fans on Christmas Day, but athletic director Chris Hill doesn't think it will be a problem.
"It's an opportunity to play a quality opponent from a quality league," Hill said. "It's an opportunity to have a great time. We've got to make it a great experience for our fans."
The Trojans beating the Utes 28-21 in the 1993 Freedom Bowl.
Hill said the Las Vegas Bowl was "the only bowl we had extensive conversations with. We were pretty optimistic they were going to invite us."
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