December can be a painful time for a sports journalist. High schools close up shop for the holidays, college basketball's schedule dwindles until the new year and if you're unlucky, you're probably working over Christmas and New Year's Eve anyway. While the sporting scene slows down, the news front rolls on, meaning you still need to fill an average of three minutes of the nightly newscast. Luckily, there's bowl season. College football's postseason spans from the Bahamas to the Bronx to Hawaii with random sponsors from across the country putting their name on the sport. Some have argued there are too many bowls and that winning one doesn't hold the same prestige that it once did. I agree, if your program is outside the big games (Rose, Orange, Fiesta, Cotton, Outback, Peach, Citrus, etc.) there may not be as much glory given to the winner. But every team wants a victory in their final game as it provides momentum for the following season and especially the recruiting period. I took in the newest bowl, the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl, on Tuesday night in Tucson. Arizona Stadium played host to Colorado State and Nevada where the Wolf Pack won a thriller. Time literally ran out on Colorado State as the Rams were driving for the win but fell 28-23. They weren't the top-ranked teams in the country and no national championship trophy was handed out. But playmakers on each side provided an entertaining game all the same. The Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl also became the first game to provide 100% of the profits for local charities in Tucson. There were upwards of $1-million available if the game sold out. Unfortunately, only 20,000 seats were filled Tuesday night letting a huge opportunity on the table. Still, watching players like Nevada's James Butler (24 carries, 189 yards and two touchdowns) and CSU's Rashard Higgins (nine catches for 129 yards making him the all-time leader in career yards at CSU) was worth the price of admission and will hopefully set the tone for future Arizona Bowls. While I was reporting during the game, I took the time for my photography hobby. Feel free to catch some of the snapshots my camera collected during Tuesday night's game.
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AuthorRichie is a small-town boy chasing big-city dreams. When he's not involved with sports, he's spending time with his wife, Fallon; their yorkie, Tinker; and their Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rosie. Archives
April 2016
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