GAME 14: Art of Sport LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk

#24 UNLV REBELS (10-3/6-1 MW)
vs.
California (6-6/2-6 ACC)

DATE: Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024
KICKOFF: 6:05 pm PT
SITE: SoFi Stadium (70,240/Artificial) Inglewood, CA
TV: ESPN (Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick & Kris Budden)
LV RADIO: ESPN 1100 AM & 100.9 FM (Matt Neverett, Caleb Herring & Steve Cofield)
NATIONAL RADIO: ESPN Radio (Roxy Bernstein & Max Starks)
    
WEDNESDAY'S PREVIEW...
No. 24 UNLV (10-3/6-1), which has reached double-digit wins for only the third time in program history (1974, 1984), heads a few hours west to face Cal (6-6/2-6) in the 2024 Art of Sport LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk ... With the departure of Barry Odom to Purdue, the Rebels will be led in the game by Interim Head Coach Del Alexander, who moved from coaching WRs on Dec. 8 ... UNLV announced Odom's full-time replacement on Dec. 12 with the hiring of new head coach Dan Mullen ... The Rebels are ranked No. 24 in all three polls (AP/Coaches/CFP) after earning their first-ever national ranking earlier this season, rising as high as No. 19 in the AP and Coaches list on Dec. 1 ... The Rebels, who come in with a 3-2 all-time bowl record, look for their first postseason victory since John Robinson's squad downed Arkansas in the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl ... UNLV AD Erick Harper headed football operations at Arizona during the career of LA Bowl Host Rob Gronkowski's career with the Wildcats ... Although it has a long history with Los Angeles-area opponents, beginning with playing at Azusa Pacific for the second game in Rebel Football history on Sept. 21, 1968, UNLV will be taking the field in LA County for the first time since facing San Diego State in 2020 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson when the Aztecs were displaced while building a new stadium ... UNLV is 0-1 in games played on a Wednesday, losing to North Texas on Jan. 1, 2014, in the Heart of Dallas Bowl at Cotton Bowl Stadium.

REBELS vs. GOLDEN BEARS NOTES..
Cal and UNLV have only faced each other one time as the Golden Bears won 20-14 in Berkeley on Sept. 10, 2022 ... These programs were supposed to originally meet in 2020 in what was slated to be the first game at Allegiant Stadium but the matchup was postponed because of the pandemic. Cal is now scheduled to make the return trip to Las Vegas on Oct. 3, 2026 ... UNLV fourth-year TE coach Nate Longshore was a starting QB at Cal (2005-08), including helping win a share of the 2006 Pac-12 title ... Cal DB/PR Nohl Williams transferred to Cal after starting 23 games at UNLV from 2020-22 ... Cal DB coach Tre Watson served the same role for the Rebels in 2020 ... Cal Defensive Analyst Michael Bruno coached ILBs at UNLV in 2022.