INGLEWOOD, Calif. — UCLA is hoping a third time’s the charm Saturday when it comes to bowl games under head coach Chip Kelly.
The Bruins (7-5) will meet Mountain West champion Boise State (8-5) in the LA Bowl at nearby SoFi Stadium. The game will air on ABC at 4:30 p.m.
UCLA lost last season’s Sun Bowl to Pittsburgh in heartbreaking fashion in the final seconds. The 2021 Holiday Bowl against N.C. State was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the UCLA players.
The program’s last bowl win was Jan. 2, 2015 in a 40-35 decision over Kansas State in the Alamo Bowl.
To do so, the sputtering Bruins also need to reverse the fortunes of losing three of the last four games to close the regular season.
Kelly is hoping the geographical advantage will make for a different result.
“It’s really exciting for our team to be in Los Angeles,” Kelly said at Friday’s on-site press conference. “We’re excited to play against a really good team in Boise State.
“To play in an NFL stadium is a real big deal for our guys. … I know they’re fired up to play in this game.”
The game also serves as a homecoming of sorts for 36 players from the state of California on the Broncos’ roster.
“A lot of our kids are from Southern California,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said. “So it’s been awesome to be down here practicing. A lot of the parents are able to come through and see our kids.”
It will be just the second meeting between the programs and first since 1999 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Playing in that game was current Bruins associate head coach and running backs coach DeShaun Foster.
“We won, I do remember that,” Foster said. “Boise was a good team back then, too. It was always a good program. They always have blue-collar guys, people that play hard.”
In recent weeks, the teams have been going different directions. The Broncos come in with four consecutive victories — including the last three under Danielson, who took over after Andy Avalos was fired Nov. 12.
The Bruins, who started the campaign 6-2, will look to get their offense back on track after scoring 10 or fewer points in losses to Arizona, Arizona State and California — the last two at home — down the stretch.
Here’s what to watch for:
