Arizona Bowl chairman of the board Ali Farhang confirmed via a social media post Monday that Colorado State has sold out its allotment of 1,500 tickets for Saturday’s game matching the Rams and Miami of Ohio at Arizona Stadium — dubbed the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl, presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop.
The Rams’ fans have purchased 3,000 tickets to this point, according to Eric Rhodes, the Arizona Bowl vice president of communications.
Facts!! Let’s pack the stadium Tucson https://t.co/SxbbshA2ng
— Ali Farhang (@alibomaye32) December 23, 2024
“Nobody’s going to be in Fort Collins (Colo.) on Saturday,” Colorado State coach Jay Norvell joked during a video press conference Monday. “Everybody’s going to be in Tucson. We’re excited about it.”
Actually, people will be in Fort Collins on Saturday attending the Rams’ men’s college hoops Mountain West opener against New Mexico.
Colorado State officials moved the New Mexico-Colorado State game up an hour so it will not conflict with the start of the Arizona Bowl. Fans can stay at Moby Arena after the basketball game for an Arizona Bowl watch party.
Norvell ended his press conference saying, “There’s not another bowl we’d rather be in, unless we were playing in the playoff, I’m telling you, than the Arizona Bowl. We’re really excited to be coming.”
It may sound like coachspeak from Norvell that the Rams are excited to play a bowl game in Tucson, but what he says has meaning.
It goes beyond the weather — it’s slated to be sunny with the temperature in the low-70s at kickoff time (2:30 p.m.) Saturday while it is supposed to be cloudy with a high of 51 in Fort Collins.
–Colorado State is in a bowl game for the first time since 2017.
–Norvell was successful in his first appearance in the Arizona Bowl, coaching Nevada to a thrilling 16-13 overtime win over Arkansas State in 2018.
SNOOP DOGG EFFECT
ONE WEEK. The stadium is getting it's final touches as we are just days away from history as the @SnoopDogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by @DreAndSnoop nears it's debut. We are almost a sell out so last minute tickets are the perfect gift at https://t.co/cnA0kxpzt4. pic.twitter.com/968P8mx3um
— The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl By Gin & Juice (@theARIZONABOWL) December 21, 2024
Norvell’s excitement taking part in the Arizona Bowl also includes Snoop Dogg’s involvement as the title sponsor. One of the events involved with the game is the SNOOPER Bowl, a national event featuring 24 youth football teams. Games will be at Arizona and Rillito Park.
As a philanthropist, Snoop Dogg launched the Snoop Youth Football League almost two decades ago that has since had more than 40 participants make it to the NFL. As part of the SYFL, Snoop Special Stars ensures that kids with any physical, mental or developmental disabilities also participate.
The Rams also have several ties to Snoop Dogg through the southern California-based Snoop Youth Football League. Products of Snoop’s league on Colorado State’s roster include freshman receiver Jordan Ross, redshirt freshman offensive tackle Aitor Urionbarrenechea, freshman quarterback Darius Curry and freshman linebacker Jaden Landrum.
“We have recruited L.A., and we basically built our team at Nevada off of L.A. kids who had played in the Snoop League,” Norvell said. “I’m very humbled today, because I probably would not be here without Eric Scott (former Nevada assistant who is now the West L.A. Junior College coach), and without the involvement of the Snoop League.
“I think it really goes back to the core of why we coach. They started the Snoop League, because when you think about in inner-city L.A., there’s a lot of games. It’s very difficult for a kid not to join a game. Snoop started this league with a lot of people, Eric Scott, and a lot of people in the community to give players something else to do besides join a gang.”
Scott had an extensive history coaching in the Snoop League before joining Norvell’s staff at Nevada.
Snoop Dogg is slated to do the coin toss and serve as an analyst on the national-television broadcast of the game on the CW.
TRANSFER PORTAL AFFECTING MIAMI AND COLORADO STATE
Heading west for the holidays #RiseUpRedHawks | pic.twitter.com/RtHy85zd8V
— Miami Football (@MiamiOHFootball) December 23, 2024
Miami and Colorado State will try to overcome notable transfer-portal defections heading into Saturday’s game.
Miami (8-5) enters the game with its most significant defections its top two receivers — Javon Tracy and Reginald Virgil, both of whom have already committed elsewhere.
Tracy, a redshirt sophomore who caught 57 passes for 818 yards with seven touchdowns, has pledged to Minnesota.
Virgil, a junior who tallied 816 yards on 41 receptions with nine touchdowns, is bound for Texas Tech.
“It’s kind of insane, to be honest,” Miami coach Chuck Martin said in a recent press conference. “We’ll lose some real good kids in the portal, but we’ll also gain some good ones. It’s just crazy.
“In some ways, it stinks, but in some ways, it’s fun, too. We’re looking at a lot of some good ones.”
Miami has also lost two cornerbacks, including freshman Raion Strader to Auburn. Strader had 53 tackles with two interceptions and 17 passes broken up.
Will Jados, a redshirt junior offensive tackle who started 30 games for Miami, is transferring to Texas Tech.
Colorado State (8-4) also lost its two top receivers in the portal — sophomores Caleb Goodie (committed to Cincinnati) and Jamari Person (undecided).
Goodie caught 21 passes for 436 yards with four touchdowns, and Person had 36 receptions for 386 yards and a touchdown.
Another sophomore, linebacker Buom Jock, who led the Rams with 100 tackles, is also in the transfer portal.
“They (Miami) lost a couple receivers in the portal, just like us, so they’ve adjusted, just like most teams in the bowl season have adjusted to the team that they have available,” Norvell said.
Colorado State has already lost fifth-year senior receiver Tory Horton (26 receptions for 353 yards with a touchdown) during the season because of a knee injury.
Redshirt sophomore Armani Winfield (37 catches for 338 yards and a touchdown) is the top available receiver for the Rams.
Miami’s leading receiver entering the game is fifth-year senior Cade McDonald (49 catches for 606 yards and three touchdowns).
Kevin Davis, a senior running back, has 27 receptions for 218 yards and two touchdowns.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon. He became an educator in 2016 and is presently a special education teacher at Sunnyside High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District.
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