Kansas Jayhawks football team to play in Guaranteed Rate Bowl: opponent, time, details
The Kansas Jayhawks will play the UNLV Rebels in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl college football game at 8 p.m. Central Time on Dec. 26 in Phoenix.
“I can’t tell you how excited we are to be selected to play in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl,” coach Lance Leipold said, “to have an opportunity to spend Christmas in beautiful Arizona.”
This is KU’s second straight bowl appearance. Last season’s Liberty Bowl was a thriller, with the Jayhawks losing to Arkansas 55-53 in triple-overtime at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis.
Starring for a team that had struggled mightily in previous years, KU running back Devin Neal doesn’t take playing in a bowl for granted.
“It’s definitely unique playing after Christmas, but at the end of the day we’re excited to keep playing football in December,” Neal said. “Not a lot of teams get the luxury of doing that.”
Kansas went 8-4 this season (5-4 Big 12). The Jayhawks clinched bowl eligibility by beating Oklahoma on Oct. 28.
KU started the season hot with four straight wins. Then, before a game against Texas, star quarterback Jalon Daniels re-aggravated a back injury.
Daniels would not play for the rest of the season. But he released a video in November, in which he let Jayhawks fans know that he plans to return to KU next season.
In his absence, backup quarterback Jason Bean led the Jayhawks to a 5-3 record. Bean has thrown for 1,681 yards in eight starts, with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions.
The Jayhawks and Rebels will be meeting for the third time. They played a home-and-home series in 2002 and 2003. KU won the last matchup, 46-24.
This year’s Guaranteed Rate Bowl marks Kansas’ second postseason appearance in Arizona. KU played in the 2008 Insight Bowl in Tempe, Arizona. The Jayhawks beat Minnesota 42-21 in that game.
UNLV enters the Guaranteed Rate Bowl with a 9-4 record (6-2 Mountain West Conference). The Rebels lost to Boise State in the Mountain West Championship Game on Saturday.
This story was originally published December 3, 2023 at 2:58 PM.
