BYU Accepts Invitation to 2015 Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl

LAS VEGAS (Dec. 2, 2015) — BYU has accepted an invitation to participate in the 2015 Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 19, at 12:30 p.m. PT (1:30 p.m. MT) at Sam Boyd Stadium. The invitation was extended Wednesday afternoon by bowl executive director John Saccenti. The Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl will be broadcast live nationally on ABC.

“We are excited to be returning to Las Vegas to play in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl,” said BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe. “BYU has a great history and relationship with Las Vegas. They have been very good to us over the years. Our team and Cougar Nation are grateful to once again be part of this great bowl tradition.”

BYU, which posted a 9-3 regular-season record as an independent, should find out its bowl opponent on Sunday. The Cougars are slated to face a Pac-12 team. BYU has a 3-2 record in the Las Vegas Bowl, with five straight sellouts at Sam Boyd Stadium from 2005-09. BYU's last appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl was a 44-20 victory over No. 16 Oregon State in 2009. 

“Our bowl and our city have a strong history with BYU and we are thrilled to be hosting Coach Mendenhall and the Cougars again,” said Saccenti. “BYU’s fan base is among the most loyal and supportive in all of college football and Las Vegas can’t wait to see Cougar Nation hit town for bowl week.”

The 2015 Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl will be the Cougars sixth trip to the Las Vegas Bowl. BYU will be appearing in its 34th bowl game overall since its first bowl invitation in 1974, with an overall record of 13-19-1. The Cougars have now been invited to 11 straight bowl games under head coach Bronco Mendenhall and have a 6-4 record.

“We are happy to accept the invitation to play in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl and are looking forward to the opportunity to match up against a Pac-12 opponent,” BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “I am proud of this team and what we have accomplished this year. We are excited to build on that success by striving to achieve our 10th win of the season, while playing in a bowl game for an 11th straight year.”

Tickets can now be requested at BYUtickets.com. Tickets are $95 each and include all fees. Visit www.byutickets.com/royal-purple-las-vegas-bowl for detailed information on how to purchase tickets to the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl.

The Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl is one of 13 college bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN.