A Copper Bowl bid was supposed to be a done deal for the University of Utah after BYU beat Wyoming Saturday night, but there were still a few anxious moments for the Utes Sunday afternoon.
It seems the Copper Bowl officials had second thoughts about possibly inviting Wyoming after its impressive showing in an overtime loss to the Cougars in Saturday afternoon's WAC championship game. A 2 p.m. press conference Sunday was delayed until 4 while the Copper Bowl committee met again. Finally the Copper Bowl decided to go with Plan A and invite Utah to play Wisconsin Dec. 27 in Tucson as they had been planning all week.Copper Bowl president Harold Gibson acknowledged that his committee met again Sunday afternoon because "Wyoming simply played too well." But the committee stuck with Utah for three main reasons, according to Gibson - population, proximity to Tucson and the fact that it has been longer (four years) since Utah had been invited to the Copper Bowl.
"Utah had a wonderful season," said Gibson. "They play an exciting brand of football and are as well-balanced as anyone in the WAC. There are really no negatives."
The Utes were more than happy to accept the invitation after just missing out on a bowl bid last year following three straight bowl appearances.
"It's very exciting to be one of the few teams to be going to a bowl. We feel very fortunate," said Utah coach Ron McBride. "This is a chance to redeem ourselves and show what we can do."
The last statement refers to Utah's poor showing in its season finale against BYU. The Utes felt they were a much better team than they showed on Nov. 23 and believe they'll fare much better with a squad that should be completely healthy by Dec. 27.
McBride had his troops practicing Sunday afternoon within minutes of the invitation from Tucson and plans approxmately 15 practices before the bowl game. He's not worried about his team being ready for the bowl game.
"We never let them think the season was over," said McBride. "We've been working out (running, etc.) and told them there was a good chance of going to a bowl."
As for Wisconsin, McBride is familiar with the brand of football the Badgers play because he was an assistant at Wisconsin in the early 1980s.
"They've got a big physical football team," said McBride. "They play Big Ten football."
Something that should make the Utes nervous is Badger freshman running back Ron Dayne, who set a national freshman record with 1,863 yards, including 339 in a season-ending win over Hawaii. The Utes' biggest problem this year has been stopping the rush as several running backs have run wild against them this year.
"It's obviously something we've got to be concerned with," said McBride. "We need to improve our run defense."
Copper Bowl officials are hoping for a large crowd and believe with Wisconsin's loyal followers and a solid contingent from Utah, they'll get it.
"We feel we have a realistic shot at an attendance record," said Gibson. "Both teams have enthusiasm from their followers and are excited about coming."
The game will start at 6 p.m. and be televised on ESPN.
Fans wishing to attend the game may start ordering tickets Monday at the Ute ticket office. Season ticket holders and Crimson Club members can order tickets by returning cards already sent to them. Tickets can also be obtained by calling 581-UTIX.
*****
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Copper Bowl
Copper Bowl
Friday, Dec. 27
at Tucson, Ariz.
7 p.m. (ESPN)
Utah (8-3) vs. Wisconsin (7-5)