The 2023 bowl season rolls on Tuesday night with a trio of games. In the nightcap, the Kansas Jayhawks face the UNLV Rebels. The contest features a match-up of one of the surprise teams in college football facing a team looking for their first bowl win in 15 years. Let’s introduce ourselves to both teams, give some history, and make a prediction with our 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl Preview.
2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl Preview: Jayhawks and Rebels Meet In Arizona
History and Sponsorship
The game began in 1989 and was known as the Copper Bowl until 1996. From there it’s had several different sponsors. From the Insight.com Bowl to Insight Bowl to the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl in 2012 and 2013. It became the Cactus Bowl in 2014 then the Cheez-It Bowl. Lastly, it became the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in 2020. In case you didn’t know they are one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States.
In addition to several sponsors, the bowl has also been played in several different locations. Originally it was held in Tuscon, then moved to Phoenix in 2000. From 2006-2015 the game was played in Tempe then in 2016 it was moved back to Phoenix at Chase Bank Field home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Normally the game matches teams from the Big Ten and Big 12. However when there weren’t enough Big Ten teams available the Mountain West stepped in.
Now that we’ve given you some history let’s look at the teams with our 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl Preview.
A Surprising Season
UNLV finished 2022 with a 5-7 record. In fact, the Rebels hadn’t had a winning record since going 7-6 in 2013. Before that, they hadn’t finished above .500 since 2000. Coach Marcus Arroyo was let go in favor of former Missouri coach Barry Odom. The new staff hit the transfer portal hard looking for instant results and it paid off as the Rebels went 9-4 making the Mountain West title game.
Freshman quarterback Jayden Maiava leads the offense. On the season he threw for 2,784 yards and 14 touchdowns. Maiava also ran for 261 yards and three more touchdowns. His favorite target is Ricky White, who had a huge season in 2023. The junior led the Mountain West with 1,386 yards and was third with 81 receptions.
The Rebels like to run the ball as three players have nearly 500 yards. Vincent Davis leads the way with 703 yards and six touchdowns. Jai’den Thomas had 503 yards on the ground but finished fourth in the league with 12 scores as a freshman.
Scouting The Jayhawks
Under Coach Lance Leipold Kansas comes into the game with an 8-4 record. They started the season 4-0 and also knocked off Oklahoma on October 28th. Star quarterback Jalon Daniels only played in three games this year due to a back injury. However, Jason Bean stepped up throwing for 1,684 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Kansas is really strong running the ball led by Devin Neal. The junior finished fourth in the Big 12 with 1,209 yards rushing and his 15 touchdowns were third. He’s gone over 100 yards in four of Kansas’s last five games. In addition, Daniel Hishaw Jr. has run for 599 yards and eight touchdowns.
When Bean throws the ball his favorite target is wide receiver Lawrence Arnold. The junior averaged 17 yards a catch and three touchdowns. Three other receivers have more than 25 catches and Neal is close behind with 24 and another score.
Series And Bowl History
Tuesday’s game marks the third meeting all-time between the schools and the first in 20 years. In 2002 they met in Las Vegas with UNLV winning 31-20. The following year in Lawrence the Jayhawks won 41-20.
As you can probably guess with only two winning seasons in 20 years there aren’t a lot of bowl games in the Rebels’ history. This will be their fifth all-time and first since the 2013 Heart Of Texas (now First Responder Bowl) where they lost 36-14 to North Texas. Before that loss, they won their previous three winning the Las Vegas Bowl in 2000 and 1994. Their first post-season game came a decade earlier when Randall Cunningham led them to a 30-11 win over Toledo in the California Bowl.
On the other side of the ball, the Jayhawks are appearing in their 14th bowl and second straight. Overall Kansas sports a 6-7 record in the postseason. You may remember last year they lost to Arkansas in an epic Liberty Bowl thriller. Before then the Jayhawks’ last bowl appearance came in the 2008 Insight Bowl where they beat Minnesota. Kansas had won three straight and five of their last six before last year’s loss.
It’s prediction time as we continue with our 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl Preview.
Who Wins On Tuesday?
Unlike many bowl games, neither team has been hurt too badly by players opting out. For Kansas to win they want to play fast and run the ball well. Over their last three games, UNLV has given up 878 yards on the ground. That seems to play right into Kansas’ hands.
On the other side of the ball, the Rebels are good at forcing turnovers with 24 on the season. In fact, in six of the eight games they forced two or more, they were 6-2. UNLV has been one of the best stories in college football this year. In the end, the Kansas offense will be too much as they cap their first winning season since 2008.
Kansas 38-24
Thanks for checking out our 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl Preview here at Last Word On College Football. As a reminder, we have previews and recaps of every bowl through the championship game.
