EL PASO, Texas–The Washington State Cougars will be taking on the Miami Hurricanes in El Paso, Texas for the Sun Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

The Cougs are looking to win their eighth game of the 2021 season – as well as their first bowl game under newly appointed head coach Jake Dickert.

In a season for the Cougs epitomized by change, this bowl matchup feels awfully familiar.

Cougs vs Canes… Sun Bowl Stadium… It’s almost like we’ve seen this game before.

If you’ve found yourself feeling this same sense of déjà vu, it’s because we have seen this game before.

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The Cougars faced off against the Hurricanes in the 2015 Sun Bowl. The game marked the program’s twelfth time competing in a bowl game – and second bowl appearance under former head coach Mike Leach. The Cougs won this game the first time around, beating the Canes 20-14.

The most memorable moment of that year’s sun bowl wasn’t a spectacular catch by the Cougs’ all-time leader in catches and receiving yards, Gabe Marks – or a goofy quote by the always-entertaining Mike Leach.

Nope. The most memorable aspect of the game was the downpour of snow in El Paso that afternoon. That’s right, a game known as the Sun Bowl was played in a blizzard. You simply can’t make this stuff up.

Jokes aside, the Cougs were led by sophomore quarterback, Luke Falk – who threw for 295 yards and a pair of touchdowns, as well as sophomore running Jamal Morrow – who recorded 121 all-purpose yards and caught one of Falk’s touchdown passes.

Their Sun Bowl victory marked the Cougs’ ninth win of the 2015 season, solidifying the programs’ most successful season in over a decade. Prior to the 2015 season, the Cougs had not finished with a winning record since 2003.

Following that victory in El Paso, the Cougs would go on one of their most successful runs in program history – finishing with a winning record in each of the following three seasons.

The win in 2015 also moved the Cougs to 2-0 all-time in Sun Bowls. Their first win in El Paso came in 2001 against the Purdue Boilermakers.

The Cougs are looking to move to 3-0 in Sun Bowl Stadium at 9:00 a.m. on Dec. 31.

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