Fresno State Accepts Bid to Play in Liberty Bowl
No. 16 Fresno State has accepted a bid to play in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn., on New Year’s Eve.
The game will mark the Bulldogs’ first appearance in a bowl east of the Mississippi River. They will play the winner of the Conference USA championship game.
“We are thrilled to play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl,” Fresno State Coach Pat Hill said. “This is going to be a great experience for our team and our fans to participate in such a historic bowl game.”
The Liberty Bowl offers $1.5-million payouts to participating teams.
Conference USA will hold its first championship game Dec. 3. Central Florida has clinched one berth to play and will face either Texas El Paso or Tulsa.
Fresno State is 8-2 and 6-0 in the Western Athletic Conference. The Bulldogs nearly upset No. 1 USC on Saturday, losing 50-42.
*
Garrett Wolfe ran for 277 yards and five touchdowns to help Northern Illinois secure its first spot in the Mid-American Conference championship game with a 42-7 victory over Western Michigan in DeKalb, Ill.
The Western Division champion Huskies (7-4, 6-2) will play Akron or Bowling Green in the championship game Dec. 1 in Detroit.
Wolfe ran for 156 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, and Sam Hurd caught a 53-yard touchdown pass from Dan Nicholson.
The Huskies scored four times in 12 minutes to take a 28-7 lead at halftime.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
