RENO, Nev. (AP) - Nevada's 14th-ranked football team accepted an invitation Saturday night to play in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco on Jan. 9 against a team to be determined from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Nevada athletic director Cary Groth told The Associated Press Saturday night it is the perfect bowl for the Wolf Pack, who closed out a 12-1 regular season with a 35-17 victory at Lousiana Tech that earned them a share of the Western Athletic Conference title.
It will mark the sixth season in a row Nevada has been invited to a postseason bowl. Kickoff for the Sunday night game at AT&T Park is set for 6 o'clock (PST). ESPN is carrying the game.
"This is special," Groth told AP. "Northern Nevada is a kind of San Francisco community and it's an opportunity for our fans to attend a game within driving distance."
"This is a chance to prove to bowls everywhere that Nevada will travel and support its team," she said in an interview in Reno Saturday night before Nevada's basketball game against No. 23 UNLV.
Gary Cavalli, co-founder and executive director of the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, said in announcing the formal invitation to Nevada that the Wolf Pack's upset of then-No. 3 Boise State 34-31 in overtime last month was "the game of the year."
"Quarterback Colin Kaepernick is one of the most exciting players in the country, and coach Chris Ault is one of the most respected coaches in the game. We couldn't be happier than to select Nevada to come to San Francisco to play in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl."
Nevada shared the WAC title with Boise State and Hawaii, which beat the Wolf Pack
Cavalli said the opponent from the ACC in the bowl game would be announced on Sunday. Groth said it would be either Miami, Boston College or Georgia Tech.
"With the No. 1 pick in the WAC, we were fortunate to have two very attractive options - Nevada and Boise State. These are two exciting, high scoring teams, both ranked in the top 15 in the country," Cavalli said. "But Nevada won it on the field, and they were clearly more excited about coming to San Francisco. "