Famous Idaho Potato Bowl gets first-time matchup featuring 170-win coach
Two college football teams with rare wins on the famed blue turf at Albertsons Stadium will face off in the 23rd edition of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Nevada of the Mountain West Conference and Ohio of the Mid-American were chosen to play in the Boise-based bowl game set for 1:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 3, 2020. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
“I think it’s a great combination of familiarity and novelty,” Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Executive Director Kevin McDonald said. “These teams have been here before, they’ve played great games here before, and they have brand-name recognition in Boise, but it’s been a while since they’ve been here.”
Ohio (6-6, 5-3 MAC) won its first bowl game in program history in the 2011 Potato Bowl, defeating Utah State 24-23 on a 1-yard keeper by then-quarterback Tyler Tettleton with 13 seconds left in the game. It is the Bobcats’ lone appearance on the Blue.
Coach Frank Solich is 170-100 in 21 years at Ohio and Nebraska.
“We’re excited about getting the invitation to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl,” Solich said in a press release. “We’ve been at that bowl before. We were treated great. The people there were amazing. Our guys had a great deal of fun. We were able to combine all that with a win. We have nothing but good memories and are looking forward to being there again.”
Nevada (7-5, 4-4 MW) earned victories at Boise State in 1986 and 1997, but lost both its bowl games on the Blue to Miami in 2006 and Maryland in 2008. The Wolf Pack are making their second bowl appearance under third-year coach Jay Norvell.
“Ohio had a great season and is a really good football team,” Norvell said in a press release. “We are looking forward to the challenge of playing them. I’m thrilled for our seniors to have a chance to play in one more game in their careers.”
This will be the first meeting between Ohio and Nevada in football.
The Wolf Pack have earned bowl eligibility 12 times in the last 15 seasons and this year’s invitation marks 17 times overall. The Bobcats are making their 11th consecutive postseason appearance and 13th in program history.
“They both had to get hot late in the season to get into postseason play,” McDonald said. “For the coaches, players and fans, that usually makes for a really good atmosphere in a bowl game.”
Ticket prices range from $20 in the end zones to $50 for premium seating and can be purchased online at FamousIdahoPotatoBowl.com/tickets.
Proceeds from the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl provide tickets and/or contributions to Idaho charities that include the United Way, Optimist Youth Football, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boise School District, Treasure Valley YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts and Armed Forces personnel.
This story was originally published December 8, 2019 at 2:36 PM.
