Tag: Sun Bowl

UNC’s bowl game projection changes after big loss at Boston College

Yes, the North Carolina Tar Heels will be playing in a bowl game.

Believe it or not, the North Carolina Tar Heels will still participate in college football’s postseason.

That reality is certainly difficult to believe after Saturday’s letdown, in which UNC lost 41-21 at Boston College. The final score is misleading, as North Carolina (6-5, 3-4) trailed by 34 points, until two garbage-time scores from freshman running back Davion Gause.

On Saturday, Nov. 16, the Tar Heels clinched their sixth-consecutive trip to a bowl game. UNC held off Wake Forest, 31-24, enjoying a career day from Omarion Hampton and timely defensive stops.

North Carolina’s bowl projections have changed throughout 2024: being included in the initial conversation after three straight wins to open the year, falling out of contention with four straight losses, then re-appearing after escaping the Demon Deacons.

On Monday, the Tar Heels’ bowl projection changed once again. USA TODAY Sports now has UNC to the Sun Bowl, played annually in El Paso, Texas, with 2024 CFP National Champion runner Washington the Tar Heels’ opponent.

After beating Wake, UNC was predicted to face a ranked Tulane squad in the Annapolis, Md.-based Military Bowl.

North Carolina was previously projected to the Sun Bowl on several occasions, most recently after beating NC Central in Week 3.

UNC is no stranger to playing in the Sun Bowl with five previous appearances, most recently in a 25-23 loss to now-ACC foe Stanford in 2016. North Carolina fans might best remember this game by now-New York Jets defensive tackle Solomon Thomas, who continuously entered the backfield and made Mitch Trubisky uncomfortable.

If the Tar Heels beat NC State on Saturday, they’re likely projected to a better bowl game. If UNC loses, there’s no telling what bowl it ends up in.

UNC projected to play 2024 CFP finalist after Week 3 games

The Tar Heels only need to win three more games to make a bowl. Their post-Week 3 projections didn’t change.

The North Carolina Tar Heels sit 3-0 entering Saturday’s game against James Madison, which concludes their long, 3-game homestand.

UNC was lucky to escape Minnesota with a win after Week 1, needing five made Noah Burnette kicks and a missed one from Dragan Kesich. North Carolina created significantly more breathing room in each of its past two games, beating easier opponents in Charlotte and NC Central.

If the Tar Heels are hoping of making a bowl game, they’re halfway there. Teams now have to win six games, with only one victory against an FCS team (NCCU) counting towards that total.

Good news for UNC, it’s projected to a bowl game. In USA Today’s latest bowl projections, North Carolina will play Washington in the El Paso, Texas-based Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.

This is the same exact bowl game – and opponent – the Tar Heels were projected to after Week 2.

UNC has a lengthy history in the Sun Bowl, playing in it five times and winning twice. North Carolina most recently played in the Sun Bowl during 2016, when it lost to new ACC school Stanford. The Tar Heels’ last win in El Paso came in 1982 against Texas, when Dick Crum was the head coach.

UNC and the Huskies have never played each other before. Will they actually meet up in December?

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CBS to broadcast Notre Dame-Purdue; kickoff time set

Clear your late afternoon and early evening for Sept. 14.

Notre Dame and Purdue are natural rivals in that they both call the state of Indiana their home. Now, we know when they’ll be kicking off Sept. 14 in West Lafayette and how the game can be seen. The contest will begin at 3:30 p.m. EDT and be broadcast on CBS in its first full season covering the Big Ten.

The Irish on CBS is nothing new as the network covered their victory in last season’s Sun Bowl. CBS last broadcast a regular-season game for the Irish during their 2019 loss to Georgia. The Irish have won 34 of their previous 50 nationally-televised games on the network.

With this announcement, the Irish will be on each of the three original broadcast networks during their first three weeks. Their season opener Aug. 31 against Texas A&M will be on ABC, and NBC naturally will cover the Sept. 7 home opener against Northern Illinois.

We’ll see if Fox, the fourth broadcast network, picks up a game later on, perhaps the regular-season finale at USC. For now though, the 2024 Irish have a diverse TV profile.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Club America to face FC Juarez in friendly at Sun Bowl in El Paso

It will be the first time the Liga MX rivals have met on U.S. soil

Club América and FC Juárez have announced that they will face off in a friendly at the Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas on June 23.

It will be the first time the two Liga MX rivals have met on American soil, with tickets for the game available right HERE.

The match will essentially be a home game for Juárez, whose home of the Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez is located around five miles from the Sun Bowl Stadium.

The Sun Bowl, which has a capacity of more than 50,000, is home to the football team of the University of Texas at El Paso. It is also the site of the annual college football bowl game, the Sun Bowl.

Club América will be spending plenty of time in the U.S. this summer, as Las Águilas will play the Campeón de Campeones match, friendlies against Chelsea and Aston Villa, and the Leagues Cup on U.S. soil in July and August.

Before then, América will look to make it consecutive Liga MX titles when it kicks off the Liguilla next week. Juárez finished 12th place in the Clausura, and missed the postseason.

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Watch Notre Dame conduct draft for 2024 Blue Gold Game

Which team will you cheer for?

This Saturday will mark the most exciting day for Notre Dame football since the 2023 season ended with a win in the Sun Bowl. The Blue Gold Game that has concluded spring practices for nearly a century will take place at Notre Dame Stadium.

Since [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] took over as coach, it has been customary to live stream the draft for that game. In case you missed it live, the whole thing is available here:

Hopefully from this, you can determine which side you would like to root for. It really doesn’t matter though because everyone is on the same team at the end of the day. The important thing is to provide the fans who come out a great competition and not get injured.

Most importantly for us at Fighting Irish Wire, we will be on site at Notre Dame Stadium to cover this yearly program tradition. We can’t wait to do so.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame Football: Ketterer Touchdown a Win for Non-CFP Bowl Games

From Walk-On to a Walk-Off Touchdown!

For the hundreds of thousands still tuned into Notre Dame’s 40-8 victory over Oregon State in the Sun Bowl it was just the cap on a blowout contest that had been determined long before.  But to Chase Ketterer it was a play, and even more so a celebration, that won’t soon be forgotten.

Ketterer, a Notre Dame walk on running back from nearby New Prairie, Indiana, started his Fighting Irish career in 2021 and saw the field sparingly early on.  After starring as an option quarterback in high school, Ketterer handled scout team quarterback duties during Navy week in recent years.

This season he was able to get touches in blowout wins over both Tennessee State and Central Michigan before scoring his only collegiate touchdown to cap the season.

Ketterer spoke to Austin Hough of South Bend Tribune about what wound up being his final play of football.

“I was saying to my parents that 40 years down the line, I might not remember the touchdown, but I’m going to remember everything that happened right after it,” Ketterer said. “The brotherhood is just awesome, and having those guys there for me and being so happy in that moment was awesome.”

Ketterer is set to graduate from Notre Dame with a finance degree this spring with goals of one day working in an NFL front office.

To me it’s a special moment for Ketterer, his teammates and his family, all of which spoke to for his piece.

It’s also one that doesn’t happen if these “meaningless” bowl games were eliminated like some wish.

How social media reacted to Sun Bowl: Beavers side

How you feeling, Beavs fans?

For every good outcome in sports, there always is a bad one.

In the case of Sun Bowl, Oregon State got its clock cleaned by Notre Dame, 40-8. The only points the Beavers scored came when the game already was well out of reach. All that did was make this game look somewhat closer than it was – maybe.

Let’s not be too harsh on the Beavers though. They were missing even more players than the Irish, and it turned out the Irish had far more depth to withstand losses, at least in this matchup. We never will know how this game would have gone if other players had been available, but it’s a moot point because the game has been played, and the outcome can’t be changed.

Beavers fans took to social media afterwards and had varied reactions to the defeat. Some took it a little better than others. Maybe new coach Trent Bray lessens the pain. Either way, see for yourself:

Notre Dame Destroys Oregon State: Instant Takeaways

What a way to end 2023!

Notre Dame dominated Oregon State in every aspect of Friday’s Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.  Some might even say the Fighting Irish closed their 2023 season by playing grrrrrrrrrreat!

Sorry, I had to.

Notre Dame stopped Oregon State quickly on the game’s opening possession and immediately marched down the field to take a 7-0 lead.  That would be rinsed and repeated for most of the afternoon to the tune of a 33-8 Notre Dame victory.

The win puts Notre Dame at 10-3 to finish the 2023 campaign while Oregon State falls to 8-5 with the loss.

Here are our instant takeaways for the final time in 2023.

How social media reacted to Sun Bowl: Irish side

Your thoughts after this one?

As soon as [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] had the celebratory Frosted Flakes dumped on him, it was time for Notre Dame fans to celebrate.

The Irish beat Oregon State, 40-8, in a Sun Bowl. They didn’t allow the Beavers any points until the game was well out of reach in the fourth quarter. It’s the largest margin victory for the Irish in a bowl game and evened their bowl record at 21-21.

A 10-3 season is nothing to sneeze at. While it would have been nice to get a better bowl game, there’s no arguing with achieving double-digit wins. Irish fans have reason to be optimistic for the future, and this victory will do a lot to help the program’s vibes. This should mean the fans are feeling good, too.

Irish fans took to social media afterward to celebrate this dominant win. Here are some of the best tweets we found after the final game of the 2023 season:

Social media reacts to Jeremiyah Love’s touchdown reception

Nice moves.

It’s safe to say Notre Dame will leave El Paso, Texas as the Sun Bowl champion. How the game will conclude remains to be seen, but the have proven they aren’t giving up in the fourth quarter.

After a goal-line stand by Oregon State, the Irish’s defense took the field with the Beavers having to start on their own 1-yard line. Isaiah Newell was stopped in the end zone for a safety, although it took a reply review for those two points to officially get on the board.

Only three plays after the Irish received the safety punt, [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag] received a [autotag]Steve Angeli[/autotag] pass and moved and grooved on his way to a 13-yard touchdown:

This has not been the close game most people predicted it would be, and the Irish gladly will take that. Here’s how their fans reacted to Love finding the end zone in a cool way: