The University of Toledo is heading to the desert.
On Dec. 30, the Rockets will play Wyoming in the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl at Arizona Stadium in Tucson. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. Eastern, and the game will be nationally televised on the CW (WTVG 13.2 in Toledo, Ch. 5 or 605 on Buckeye Broadband).
“We are extremely excited to be headed to Tucson to compete against Wyoming in the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl,” Toledo coach Jason Candle said. “We had a highly successful season, and this is a great reward for our players and coaches after all of their hard work. We look forward to the challenge of playing a very talented Wyoming team and representing our University and the Toledo community in Arizona.”
This will be the third game between the two schools, with the series split at 1-1. Wyoming won 20-15 in 2010 at the Glass Bowl, and the Rockets won 34-31 in 2012 in Laramie, Wyo.
Jason Candle was the wide receivers coach in 2010 and offensive coordinator in 2012.
The Arizona Bowl began in 2015. A team from the MAC has played in the game twice, with Ball State and Ohio each winning. The Bobcats beat Wyoming last year. Arizona Stadium previously hosted the Copper Bowl from 1989-99.
Wyoming is 8-4 overall and finished 5-3 in the Mountain West, one game out of a three-way tie for first between Boise State, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and San Jose State. Head coach Craig Bohl is 60-60 in 10 seasons at Wyoming. He was previously the head coach at North Dakota State, where he won three consecutive FCS national championships to start the school’s decade-plus of dominance.
The Nebraska native and NU alum was a longtime Cornhusker assistant under Tom Osborne and Frank Solich.
“We are very pleased to accept an invitation to the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl," Toledo athletic director Bryan Blair said. “We thank the bowl committee for selecting us and look forward to enjoying all the hospitality that the Tucson area has to offer. This is a terrific reward for an incredible season by our football team. I know coach Candle and the coaching staff will have our team ready for what should be a tremendous matchup with Wyoming.”
Toledo and Wyoming do not have a common opponent, as the Cowboys avoided San Jose State, which lost to the Rockets 21-17 at the Glass Bowl.
Wyoming lost 31-10 at Texas, and the game was tied at 10 in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys beat Texas Tech, 35-33, in double overtime, Appalachian State 22-19, and then-No. 24 Fresno State 24-19. Their losses were to Texas, Air Force, Boise State, and UNLV.
This will be UT’s fifth game in the state of Arizona, with three of the previous four taking place at Arizona Stadium, where the Rockets lost to the University of Arizona in 1985 (23-10), 2008, (41-16), and 2012 (24-17). Toledo lost at Arizona State in 1979 (49-0).
Toledo is 12-8 all-time in bowl games, defeating Liberty last season in the Boca Raton Bowl.
Wyoming is 9-8 in bowls, including 1-1 in the Arizona Bowl and 0-2 in the Copper Bowl.
Ticket information will be announced at 9 a.m. Monday. Toledo fans will be able to order bowl tickets and put deposits down to reserve 2024 football season tickets. For more information, visit UTRockets.com/tix or call 419-530-4653.
First Published December 3, 2023, 8:32 p.m.
