Bowl Season Begins Tonight in Las Vegas

A look at the brief history of the Las Vegas Bowl reveals three constants, none of which figures to change tonight when Nevada meets Ball State.

Since its inception four years ago as a game matching the winners of the Mid-American and Big West conferences, it has:

--Kicked off the major bowl season.

--Featured two teams in high-scoring games.

--Had few people bother to come and watch.

The fifth Las Vegas Bowl is expected to be much the same tonight when Nevada (8-3), the nation’s top offensive team, meets run-oriented and defensive-minded Ball State (8-3) at Nevada Las Vegas’ 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium.

Nevada, under first-year Coach Jeff Tisdel, once again features a potent passing game and an offense that leads the country with 527.3 yards a game and is second in passing offense.