This year’s San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl game marks not only the 40th anniversary of the event but also marks the game’s first match-up of teams ranked nationally in the top 20 since 2008.
Michigan State University (No. 16) and Washington State University (No. 18) will provide the marquee matchup for this year’s event. The game is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 28, at 6 p.m. at SDCCU Stadium.
FS1 will handle the telecast, starting at 5:30 p.m.
The matchup should produce its share of exciting plays and follow in Holiday Bowl’s long established reputation of producing thrilling finishes.
Both teams sport 9-3 records.
Michigan State, which will be making its first Holiday Bowl appearance, finished 7-2 in the Big Ten while Washington State, which is making its fourth Holiday Bowl appearance, finished 6-3 in the Pac-12.
The game will feature one of the nation’s top passing offenses in Washington State against a standout Michigan State defense.
The game will also feature a horde of San Diego County prep alumni who will be making a holiday homecoming.
Washington State has seven San Diego County players on its roster: wide receiver Dezmon Patmon and linebacker Dominick Silvels, both from Patrick Henry High School; linebackers Jahad Woods and Mason Vinyward, both from Helix High School; offensive lineman Cedric Gigge-Duren from Oceanside High School; wide receiver C.J. Dimry from La Costa Canyon High School; and cornerback Darrien Moulton from Temecula Chaparral (a San Diego County native).
Woods has one interception and ranks second on the team with 61 tackles, including 30 solo stops.
Patmon has collected 341 yards on 31 catches while Dimry has 121 yards on 10 catches.
Woods, a redshirt freshman, earned all-state fourth team honors by Cal-Hi Sports as a senior at Helix as well as first team Grossmont Hills League and first team San Diego Section honors. He racked up 58 tackles with 5.5 sacks, two interceptions and one forced fumble. He scored three touchdowns — all on defense.
Vinyard, a redshirt freshman, collected 27 tackles, 5.5 sacks and recovered four fumbles as a senior at Helix. He was rated as the No. 25 tight end prospect in the country by ESPN.com.
Patmon, a sophomore, appeared in four games last season as a freshman. He caught 53 passes for 669 yards and five touchdowns his senior year at Patrick Henry while leading the City League with five interceptions, including four in a playoff game
Patmon caught 43 passes for 873 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior.
Silvels, a 6-3, 219-pound freshman, recorded 1,230 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior at Patrick Henry.
The bowl game’s local connections do not end there.
Washington State held practices at Southwestern College leading up to Thursday’s game; Michigan State held practices at Mesa College.
“It’s great fun to have the Cougs on campus,” SWC head football coach Ed Carberry said. “A number of coaches from our staff and the South Bay come to visit and ‘clinic’ themselves. It’s great to be in the news.”
A number of Jaguars expect to be playing at the four-year university level next season.
Defensive back Jalen Nelson (Horizon) has signed a scholarship offer with San Jose State after only one semester at SWC.
Running back Isaiah Strayhorn, an Eastlake High School alumnus and SWC’s team MVP this past season, is looking at Northwest Missouri State, one of the top Division II programs in the country.
“They have won two of last five national championships,” Carberry noted. “Anthony Babida is also on the team. Anthony is from Olympian High School.
Defensive back Robert Woodard has signed with Mid-American Nazarene.
Running back Armando Varela has three offers to NAIA schools, according to Carberry.
Receiver Shaq Bond is being recruited, according to the SWC head coach, but hasn’t signed yet.
Other players who are still in the recruiting process include receivers Cam Lewis and Nick Sexton.
Offensive lineman Josh Partida has also had numerous Division II offers.
Kick-off
The SDCCU Holiday Bowl pairs teams from the Pac-12 and Big Ten conferences.
Michigan State, which is led by 11th year head coach Mark Dantonio, notched victories against a pair of top 10-ranked teams this year: Michigan and Ohio Penn State.
This will be Michigan State’s 10th bowl game appearance under Dantonio, the most for any coach in the program’s history. The Spartans’ overall bowl game record is 11-15.
Washington State recorded victories against a pair of nationally ranked teams this year: USC and Stanford. Cougars head coach Mike Leach is now in his sixth year leading the program.
Washington State’s record is 1-2 in three previous Holiday Bowl outings. Washington State lost to Minnesota, 17-12, last year. The Cougars defeated Texas, 28-20, in 2003, and lost to BYU, 38-36, in 1981. The program’s overall bowl game record is 7-6.
Washington State quarterback Luke Falk passed for 4,497 yards this season, averaging 374 yards per game, along with 35 touchdowns. It will be an interesting matchup against Michigan State. The Spartan defense held opponents to 196 passing yards per game in 2017, and tallied 28 sacks and 13 interceptions, including five by safety David Dowell.
Michigan State and Washington State have played head-to-head seven times, with the Spartans leading the series 5-2. The two teams last played in 1977.
There’s a lot of incentive for both teams; the winner of Thursday night’s game will finish with 10 wins on the season.
“I think every time you have an opportunity to play a football game you’ve got to be ready and you’ve got to be fresh and your mindset has to be correct, so we have to make sure that is in place,” Michigan State head coach Mark Dontonio said. “The opportunity to get 10 — whether it is us or Washington State — puts us in a double digit-type win category, both football teams, and not too many football teams in the country can do that on a yearly basis. That’s our goal. That’s our goal as we came out here was to play our best football and move it forward.”
Air waves
Earlier this month, on Dec. 4., Falk earned honors as the winner of the Burlsworth Trophy by the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation and Springdale Rotary Club. The Burlsworth Trophy is given to the top college FBS football player who began his career as a walk-on.
Falk was a finalist for the award the last two seasons, and is the first Cougar to win a national award since safety Deone Bucannon was named the Elite Defensive Back Award by the College Football Performance Awards in 2013.
Falk finished the regular season leading the Pac-12 Conference with 30 touchdown passes and sixth in the country with 3,593 passing. Falk earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors twice this season and led WSU to notable wins over USC, Oregon and Stanford.
Falk, a redshirt senior from Logan, Utah, set Pac-12 and WSU career records for passing yards (14,486), passing touchdowns (119), total offense (14,086), plays (2,306), completions (1,404), attempts (2,055) and 300-yard games (30). He also owns the WSU record for wins by a quarterback with 27.
Falk topped Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield to win the Burlsworth Award; Mayfield was presented with this year’s Heisman Trophy on Dec. 10.
Leech said Falk has had a tremendous impact on the Washington State program the last three seasons. The Cougar head coach called Falk the “top of the heap in the Pac 12 as far as yards, touchdowns, all those things.”
“I think it started with just his incredible work ethic to become a starting quarterback at our place,” Leech explained. “Then I think as that happened, then a lot of just sorta the standard of how hard you work, how you treat an off-season, how you treat practices I think rubbed off on our other players that we had to play early.
“We had a lot of guys who had to play as freshmen in that class because we were a very thin group, and I think he kinda led the charge on that and has been very instrumental to our team in a lot of ways, a lot of them intangible but very important for building a program.”
Star power
Former Padres pitcher Randy Jones will serve as the Honorary Chairman for the 2017 Holiday Bowl game. Jones, a member of the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame, is a former Cy Young Award winner and is one of San Diego’s most appreciated community icons.
“I’m flattered to be the Honorary Chairman of the 2017 SDCCU Holiday Bowl,” said Jones, a two-time MLB All-Star during his career. “The game has always been one of the best during bowl season and I’m sure this year will be fantastic. I can’t wait to be part of the bowl activities. I’ve had great memories playing at this stadium and it will be fun to be back on the field.”
SDCCU Holiday Bowl executive director Mark Neville called Jones “a legendary sports figure and a local treasure.”
“When you think of great athletes in our community and amazing contributors, Randy is at the top of the list,” Neville said.
Among his many activities associated with this year’s bowl game, Jones will lead the way as Grand Marshall of the Port of San Diego Holiday Bowl parade presented by National Funding.
The family event brings together world-class marching bands, brightly decorated floats, entertaining drill teams and a procession of enormous balloons. More than 100,000 street-side spectators are expected to watch the parade along with a nationwide television audience. Street side viewing of the parade is free.
Parade festivities will begin in the television area with the Solar Turbines 5L Run/Walk at 9:45 a.m. The parade starts at 10 a.m.
A battle of the bands will take place approximately at 11:45 a.m. at the Broadway pier.
Marching showcase
College football pageantry will be on full display in the Gaslamp District on Wednesday, Dec. 27, when marching bands and spirit squads from Michigan State and Washington State perform at the Carrier Johnson + Culture Marching Band Showcase.
The SDCCU Holiday Bowl event will be highlighted by a heart-pounding battle of the bands, as the two sides showcase their skills. The free, family-friendly event is open to the public and will begin at 6 p.m. at Horton Plaza Amphitheatre, located at 900 Fourth Avenue, San Diego.
People movers
Considering the rush hour kickoff time, fans are encouraged to arrive early or take the trolley. The SDCCU Stadium parking lot opens at noon, while the stadium gates open at 4 p.m. The San Diego International Airport pregame show begins at 5:30 p.m.
The pregame Global Winter Wonderland FanZone opens at 3 p.m. in section B-2 of the parking lot. The event features skills challenges, games, a sports lounge, a craft beer garden, rides and more. Admission to the FanZone is free with a game ticket, as are the thrill rides and carnival rides. It’s fun for all ages.
For easy transportation to SDCCU Stadium, the Sycuan Green Line Trolley provides direct service between downtown, Mission Valley and East County with connections to the UC San Diego Blue Line and Orange Line. Fans can purchase a game day one-day pass on smartphones with the Compass Cloud App. For game day special service information, parade service information, route maps, schedules and where to get the SDCCU Holiday Bowl Commemorative Day Pass (good for unlimited rides on the Trolley or bus), visit www.sdtms.com.
Tickets for the game are still available and can be purchased by visiting www.HolidayBowl.com. They can also be purchased at SDCCU Stadium, Window F on game day beginning at 9 a.m.
The San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl is a nonprofit organization and has a mission of generating tourism, exposure, economic benefit and civic pride for San Diego and its citizens by producing the nation’s most exciting bowl game and festival of events. For more information and tickets call 619-283-5808, or visit at www.HolidayBowl.com.
