SMU to play in the 2012 Sheraton Hawai`i Bowl on Dec. 24
SMU has accepted an invitation to play in the 2012 Sheraton Hawai`i Bowl on Dec. 24.
The Mustangs, winners of four of their last six football games, will represent Conference USA and will meet a team from the Mountain West on Christmas Eve at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium.
"The SMU Mustangs finished their season strong by handing C-USA's West Division champion, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, their first conference loss," said Matlin. "Coach Jones and the Mustangs represented themselves well as our 2009 C-USA representative and we are looking forward to welcoming the Mustangs and their fans back to Honolulu for the 11th annual Sheraton Hawai`i Bowl."
"This bowl berth is a tremendous reward for our football team," said SMU AD Rick Hart. "We're excited about this opportunity and look forward to a tremendous experience and great game in Hawaii."
SMU Head Coach June Jones added, "Having been affiliated with this bowl since its inception, I know that it is one of the best bowl experiences in college football. I'm very excited for our players, staff and fans. This is a special experience."
SMU will be making its 15th bowl appearance and third bowl appearance in Honolulu (1984 Aloha and 2009 Sheraton Hawai`i). Under Jones, SMU will be making its school-record fourth consecutive bowl appearance.
In the 2009 Sheraton Hawai`i Bowl, the Mustangs raced out to a 31-0 halftime lead en route to a 45-10 victory over Nevada. SMU, which was making its first postseason appearance in 25 years, amassed 534 yards of total offense and held Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick to just 23 yards rushing and 177 yards through the air.
The 2012 Sheraton Hawai`i Bowl will be played on Christmas Eve (Thursday, December 24) at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST/3 p.m. HST and will be telecast by ESPN from Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.
For full bowl information, see Mustangs' Bowl Central.