Thursday, December 10, 2009

LAS VEGAS - Boasting two ranked teams for the first time since the event was
founded, the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas will feature Mountain West Conference
selection BYU (10-2 overall/7-1 MWC) against Pac-10 Conference
representative Oregon State (8-4/6-3 Pac-10) on Tuesday, Dec. 22, at 5 p.m.
PT, Executive Director Tina Kunzer-Murphy announced Sunday.

The Cougars, who are the highest-ranked team to ever play in the game at No.
15 in the AP and 14 in the coaches' poll, will be making their fifth
consecutive trip to the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas and look for their third
victory in the game. The No. 16/20 Beavers make their second-ever trip to
the bowl after having defeated New Mexico 55-14 in 2003. OSU will be the
first ranked Pac-10 team in the bowl's history and its eight wins coming in
are the most any Pac-10 team has had playing in Las Vegas. One of those
victories came right here over UNLV on September 12.

The MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, which is owned and operated by ESPN Regional
Television (ERT), will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Last year, the 17th
edition of the Las Vegas Bowl attracted 40,047 fans to Sam Boyd Stadium,
which marked the game's fourth consecutive sellout as Arizona defeated BYU
31-21.

Since the first Las Vegas Bowl was played in 1992, six of the current nine
MWC teams have appeared in the game a combined 13 times, compiling a 7-6
record, including a 2-2 mark by BYU. Oregon State is one of six Pac-10 teams
to take part in the annual event and the conference has forged a 5-4 overall
record in Las Vegas. The MWC and Pac-10 have met the last seven seasons in
the bowl, with the MWC winning four times.

While BYU and OSU will face each other in a bowl game for the first time, it
marks the ninth meeting between the two programs in a series that dates back
to 1955. The Beavers lead 5-3 all-time and won the most-recent meeting 10-7
in Provo in 1986.

"Our committee is thrilled to be offering the best matchup we've seen in
nearly two decades of putting on this game," Kunzer-Murphy said. "We can't
wait to host two exciting, ranked teams in front of what we hope will be
another sold-out crowd on December 22nd. BYU has been a wildly popular
program for our game and head coach Bronco Mendenhall's team won their way
back to our city with its victory over Utah to close the season.

"On the Pac-10 side, we feel fortunate to be hosting a team with such a
strong record in 2009 and that came within just a few points of winning its
conference championship. Head coach Mike Riley's program drew a big crowd
when it was here in September and we know those fans will have a great time
here for bowl week."

A limited number of tickets ($30, $50 and $100 along with group packages)
remain for the 2009 MAACO Bowl Las Vegas and can be purchased by phone at
(702) 732-3912 or online at www.unlvtickets.com. Additional information
about the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas can be found at the official Web site
<http://www.maacobowllv.com> www.maacobowllv.com.

RANKED TEAMS IN THE MAACO BOWL LAS VEGAS
YEAR        TEAM                AP        Coaches'
2009        BYU                15        14
2009        Oregon State        16        20
2008        BYU                16        17
2007        BYU                 17        17
2006        BYU                19        20
1997        Air Force        21        23

BYU ATHLETICS DIRECTOR TOM HOLMOE:
"The MAACO Bowl Las Vegas has been very good to BYU. Tina Kunzer-Murphy and
her committee do an outstanding job of making it a first-class bowl
experience for everyone involved. We are excited to earn a fifth straight
bowl invitation with our fourth consecutive 10-win season under Coach
Mendenhall. This year's contest between two nationally ranked teams should
be one of the best bowl matchups around."

BYU HEAD COACH BRONCO MENDENHALL:
"We look forward to the opportunity to play in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas and
face Oregon State," said Mendenhall, an Oregon State alumnus and former
defensive coordinator with the Beavers. "I'm proud of what our seniors and
our team have accomplished this year. I have a lot of respect and admiration
for Mike Riley and his wife Dee and the job Mike has done at Oregon State."

OREGON STATE ATHLETICS DIRECTOR BOB DE CAROLIS:
"The Oregon State University football team is excited about returning to Las
Vegas to play in a great bowl game. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience in
the Las Vegas Bowl in 2003 and look forward to another memorable trip to
play a great opponent."

OREGON STATE HEAD COACH MIKE RILEY:
"I think this is one of the more intriguing bowl games of this year. There
are many connections between Oregon State and BYU, of course obviously Coach
Mendenhall played for the Beavers, but there are other ties to both programs
as well. This will be a great showcase for two of the best quarterbacks in
the country on a national stage in Max Hall and Sean Canfield. I'm very
excited about playing BYU and it will be a tremendous challenge for our
team."