Hurricanes to Face California in the Emerald Bowl on Dec. 27
Dec. 7, 2008
Bowl Preview 
Coral Gables, FLA (www.hurricanesports.com) — – The University of Miami has accepted an invitation to play the California Golden Bears in the seventh annual Emerald Bowl on Dec. 27 at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST. It’s the only game, college or professional, scheduled for television on the evening of the 27th.
“We are thrilled to have Miami in our game,” Emerald Bowl executive director Gary Cavalli said. “When you think of the great programs in college football, the truly dynamic teams with a long tradition, you immediately think of Miami. Over the years, Miami has won five national championships and produced dozens of NFL stars. The Hurricanes have a ton of young talent and are definitely on the rise under head coach Randy Shannon. We can’t wait for them to come to San Francisco. With Cal vs. Miami, I think we have one of the top 10 matchups of the 2008 bowl season.”
Miami (7-5, 4-4 ACC) will face California (8-4, 6-3 Pac-10) for the fourth time in program history, with the Hurricanes leading the all-time series, 2-1. The last time the Hurricanes and Golden Bears played was 1990, when UM won at Cal, 52-24. Miami is 13-5 all-time against teams from the state of California and is 4-3 all-time playing inside the Golden State. The last time the Hurricanes played inside the state of California was 2001 when Miami won the national championship in the Rose Bowl.
“On behalf of the entire University of Miami and our Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, we are looking forward to participating in this year’s Emerald Bowl,” UM Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Kirby Hocutt said. “I want to thank Gary Cavalli and their selection committee for picking the Miami Hurricanes.”
The Hurricanes are making their 34th bowl appearance overall and first bowl trip under second-year head coach Randy Shannon. Miami has a 19-14 record in 33 previous bowls and is 8-2 in its last 10 bowl appearances. The Hurricanes are one of a record 10 bowl-eligible Atlantic Coast Conference teams.
The Atlantic Coast Conference has won the Emerald Bowl three times, including Virginia Tech’s win over Air Force in the bowl’s inaugural year in 2002. Oregon State defeated Maryland, 21-14 in last year’s game.
“We’re very excited that the Emerald Bowl has selected the University of Miami to play in its game in San Francisco,” UM head coach Randy Shannon said. “This will be a great bowl game between two quality teams from two of the best conferences in the country. It’s a rare and exciting matchup. It’s going to be a unique experience for our players and the entire Hurricane family since Miami doesn’t play in California very often. We’re really looking forward to a great bowl experience.”
TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR EMERALD BOWL
Hurricane fans can purchase tickets for the 2008 Emerald Bowl by calling 1-800-GOCANES or buying online at www.hurricanesports.com. Tickets are priced at $45, $55 and $80. For more information on fan travel, please contact Hurricane Sports Travel at www.hurricanesportstravel.com or call 800-924-9993.
