Touchdown! Cactus Bowl to make second appearance at Chase Field
Dec 27, 2016, 7:03 AM | Updated: 3:11 pm
(Chase Field Photo)
(Chase Field Photo)
PHOENIX — It’s that time of year again: Christmas has come and gone, New Year’s is around the corner and the Cactus Bowl is slated to take place at Chase Field on Tuesday.
For the second year in a row, the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl game will be played at the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. This year will also be the second in a row that Motel 6 will be sponsoring the game.
Geared up for game day, @BUFootball is ready for the @Motel6 #CactusBowl! pic.twitter.com/8riorX5A7D
— Cactus Bowl (@Cactus_Bowl) December 26, 2016
The Baylor Bears and the Boise State Broncos will face off in the 28th annual game, with kickoff starting slated for 8:15 p.m. Tuesday.
Geared up for game day, @BUFootball is ready for the @Motel6 #CactusBowl! pic.twitter.com/8riorX5A7D
— Cactus Bowl (@Cactus_Bowl) December 26, 2016
The bowl game was originally played at Chase Field from 2000 to 2005. It was moved to Arizona State University’s Sun Devil Stadium in 2006, before renovations forced another relocation. It is set to return to ASU in 2018.
Mike Nealy, executive director of the Cactus Bowl, said due to the “intimate” nature of the venue, fans love having the game inside Chase Field.
“It’s about 40,000-seater,” Nealy said. “It’s a real-time, intimate venue and people from last year raved about the setup.”
Here is the setup at Chase Field for the @Cactus_Bowl tomorrow #SicBoise pic.twitter.com/saC4iS6MWO
— Jeff Barlow (@JeffEquipBU) December 26, 2016
Last season’s game featured Arizona State and West Virginia in a high-scoring affair. West Virginia won, 43-42. The teams combined for 1,196 yards of offense.
Pre-game festivities are set to kick off at 4:30 p.m., with live entertainment, meals and drinks. Tickets for the pre-game party are $25. Tickets for the game are available online.
The Cactus Bowl won’t be the only bowl game in the Valley: The Clemson Tigers and the Ohio State Buckeyes will play in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale on Dec. 31.
KTAR News’s Corbin Carson contributed to this report.
