Twin edge rushers Gabriel and Grayson Murphy may be wrapping up their first season at UCLA, but the redshirt sophomores are among the team’s few bowl game veterans as the Bruins continue to prepare for the Dec. 30 Sun Bowl against Pittsburgh.

In their last two seasons at North Texas, the Murphys were on the losing end of their only two bowl appearances.

“It means a lot,” Gabriel said Saturday about the pursuit of their first bowl victory. “I haven’t really won anything (like) a championship. Just getting the first bowl win would mean a lot. But we’ve just got to prepare and take it the right way and go in with a chip on our shoulders.”

In the 2020 Myrtle Beach Bowl, both played sparingly as Grayson got into the box score with a tackle and Gabriel did not record a statistic in a 56-28 loss to Appalachian State.

The following year, both started in the Frisco Football Classic and were the disruptive forces that put UCLA on their radar. Gabriel had seven tackles, including 1 1/2 for a loss and a sack, while Grayson made five stops with two for a loss and a sack in a 27-14 loss to Miami (Ohio).

The Sun Bowl, which will be played in El Paso, will also serve as a chance to go back home for the Dallas natives. Grayson said it’s about a 10-hour drive from where they’re originally from, so they’ve been gathering ticket requests and snatching up tickets from teammates to have as many friends and family in attendance at Sun Bowl Stadium.

The stadium also is the home of Texas-El Paso, a familiar site for the former Conference USA standouts.

“It’s a little far from home, but it’s still Texas so that’s good,” Gabriel said.