Quotes | Bowl Central

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation

After making back-to-back Fiesta Bowl appearances, Baylor (6-6) and Boise State (10-2) are headed back to the state of Arizona to play in the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl Dec. 27 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz.

The Bears are playing in a bowl game for a school-record seventh year in a row and facing the Broncos for the first time. Boise State is making its 15th consecutive bowl game appearance, a streak that includes wins over Oklahoma and Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl, Arizona State and Washington in the Las Vegas Bowl and Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl.

"For them, it's always an opportunity to prove that they belong at that level," Baylor coach Jim Grobe said. "And I don't think there's any coach in the country that would dispute that. Boise State is one of the top programs anywhere, whether you're talking Power-5 or not. . . . I would hope that our players have the same amount of respect for this football program we're getting ready to play as we do."

Baylor has lost six games in a row after a 6-0 start, but the Bears played arguably one of their better games of the year in a 24-21 loss at No. 13 West Virginia on Saturday.

"I think the team's still hungry for a win," senior linebacker Aiavion Edwards said. "We fought hard (Saturday), but we weren't able to get one. So, this bowl game gives us another opportunity, and we're excited about it."

Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades called the bowl game a "great reward for (the team's) hard work and dedication."

"I am very pleased that our football team, and especially our seniors, will end the season by playing in a bowl game for a program-record seventh straight year."

There was some speculation at one point that Baylor might turn down an invitation, but Edwards said that "learning we were going to be able to, and selected to play in the Cactus Bowl, everybody was excited and ready for the next opportunity."

Junior tight end Jordan Feuerbacher says the bowl game is a chance for the Bears to send out the seniors with a win, "and Coach Grobe, and really all the coaches."

After coming out of a two-year retirement to help the Bears as acting head coach, this will likely be Grobe's final game as a collegiate head coach.

"I'm just happy for our players to have another opportunity to play in a bowl game, especially our seniors and the young kids who have a chance to get a little bit better and maybe help us win a game," Grobe said. "That's my main focus right now. Obviously, I'd like to win my last game. This is going to be it for me, so I'd like to win it, for sure."

The game will feature two of the top offenses in the country. Baylor led the nation in scoring and total offense each of the last three seasons and ranks fifth in total offense this year (523.3 yards per game), averaging 273.3 yards passing and 250.3 yards rushing.

Behind sophomore quarterback Brett Rypien, a first-team All-Mountain West Conference pick, Boise State is ranked 20th in the nation in total offense (479.8 yards per game). The Broncos are averaging 297.8 yards passing and 182.1 yards rushing.

Junior running back Jeremy McNichols is the national leader in total touchdowns (27) and ranks fifth in rushing yards (1,663) and all-purpose yards (2,185).

Baylor's KD Cannon (89.9) and Ishmael Zamora (87.3) both rank among the top 30 in the nation in receiving yards per game, while sophomore running back Terence Williams is 55 yards shy of becoming the Bears' eighth 1,000-yard rusher in the last seven seasons.

Since replacing senior starter Seth Russell, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury, freshman quarterback Zach Smith has completed 78-of-137 (56.9 percent) for 1,023 yards and nine TDs with six interceptions.

"This will be a great experience for Kyle Fuller and Ryan Reid and the seniors, and even for Taylor Young and that junior group that still has another year of eligibility," Grobe said. "But, probably more important for Zach Smith and all those young freshmen and sophomores that we're playing right now to get more practice time and another opportunity to play."

Baylor has an allotment of 6,000 tickets for the bowl game, priced between $35 and $140. Bear Foundation members and 2016 season ticket-holders have an exclusive window until 5 p.m. Tuesday to purchase their tickets online at www.BayorBears.com/tickets or by calling the Baylor Athletic Ticket Office at 254-710-1000.

Any remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday on a first-come, first-served basis. Travel packages for Baylor's trip to Phoenix are available at www.anthonytravel.com/baylor/.

Baylor will play in a program-record seventh straight bowl and face Mountain West member Boise State (10-2, 6-2) in the contest.

"I am very pleased that our football team, and especially our seniors, will end the season by playing in a bowl for a program record seventh-straight year," Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades said. "This is a great reward for their hard work and dedication, and we look forward to playing a strong Boise State team in the Cactus Bowl."

The Bears opened the season with six consecutive wins, before losing their final six contests to notch a record of 6-6 overall and a 3-6 mark in Big 12 Conference play.

Boise State is receiving votes in the AP Top 25 and the Amway Coaches polls, after only losing at Wyoming (30-28 and Air Force (27-20) and winning their remaining 10 games by an average of18.2 points.

Baylor is allotted 6,000 tickets for the 2016 Cactus Bowl. The tickets, which are priced from $35-$140 each, may be purchased by Baylor Bear Foundation members and 2016 season ticket holders online at www.BaylorBears.com/tickets, by calling the Baylor Athletic Ticket Office at 254-710-1000 or in person at the Ferrell Center box office from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Bear Foundation members and season ticket holders must place their orders by 5 p.m. on Dec. 6.

If any tickets remain from the Baylor allotment, they will be available beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 7, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Baylor fans interested in travel packages for Baylor's trip to Phoenix for the 2016 Cactus Bowl may sign up for information with Anthony Travel. Travel options will be sent via email from Baylor's travel partner as soon as they become available.

To stay current on all things Baylor Football, follow the team on Twitter: @BUFootball.

BAYLOR FOOTBALL BOWL NOTES

• Baylor is playing in a bowl game for a seventh straight season for the first time in school history.
• Baylor earned its second-ever Cactus Bowl berth (first appearance was in the 1991 Copper Bowl -- since 1989 the game has changed names five times).
• Baylor is 11-11 all-time in bowl games and 0-0 under head coach Jim Grobe.
• Baylor is 0-3 all-time in the state of Arizona and 0-2 in bowl games in the Grand Canyon State.
• Baylor's other two bowl games in the state included: 1991 Copper Bowl (24-0 loss to Indiana) and 2014 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (52-42 loss to UCF).
• Baylor's last non-bowl and only other game in the state was a 34-13 loss at Arizona State in 1990.
• Baylor and Boise State will meet for the first time.
• Baylor is 16-4 all-time against current Mountain West Conference members.
• Baylor is 1-0 against current MWC members in bowl games with a win against Utah State, 24-9, in the 1961 Gotham Bowl.
• Baylor last played a current Mountain West school on Sept. 14, 2002 -- a 22-0 loss at New Mexico.
• Baylor has won 56 games over the past 5-plus years, as well as 2 Big 12 titles and 3 bowl games.
• In the last 55 games Baylor has just 13 losses, 7 to top 15-ranked teams and 8 away from home.
• Baylor is 7-2 in the month of December since 2011.
• Baylor has won 7 of its last 10 neutral-site games.
• Baylor has won 19 of its last 28 games played outside of Waco.
• Baylor's offense has the most 50-point games in the FBS since 2013 with 18.
• Baylor has topped 500 yards of offense 57 times in 77 games since 2011, which leads the nation.
• Baylor has topped 400 yards of offense 72 times in 77 games since 2011, which is tied with Oregon for tops in the nation.
• Baylor is the most successful team in Texas since 2011 with a win percentage of .727 (56-21).

QUICK FACTS ABOUT CACTUS BOWL

• Originally titled the Copper Bowl, the game was born in Tucson, Ariz., in 1989.
• The bowl moved to Phoenix from 2000-05, Tempe from 2006-14 and back to Phoenix in 2015 (game will be played at Chase Field, home of MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks since 1998).
• In the College Football Playoff era, the bowl will match teams from the Big 12 and Pac-12 conferences.
• Big 12 teams have competed in the bowl on 14 previous occasions with an 11-3 record.
• West Virginia defeated Arizona State, 43-42, in last year's Motel 6 Cactus Bowl.