Sun Bowl Bowl Football History: H2H, records, top matchups and more ahead of Louisville vs Washington 

The Sun Bowl is tied for the second-oldest college bowl game. The Louisville Cardinals will face the Washington Huskies in the traditional game at El Paso, Texas.

The Cardinals (8-4) will look to finish strong after losing games to two CFP participants (SMU and Notre Dame) during the season. The Huskies (6-6) are looking to finish above .500 in Jedd Fisch’s first season at the helm.

While the first Sun Bowl was played in 1935, it involved two Texas High School teams. It wasn’t until a year later that two college programs took the field.

This is also the college bowl game that has received the highest number of schools in its history, with 80 different programs. The game will be held at 2:00 p.m. ET on New Year’s Eve.

Louisville vs Washington: Head-to-head record ahead of Sun Bowl

Demond Williams and Washington will play Louisville for the first time in school history. - Source: Imagn

This edition will be historic as it will also mark the first time Louisville and Washington face each other. While Louisville made the game as the ACC representative, the Huskies made it as a Pac-12 legacy team.

This will be the Cardinals' second trip to El Paso; Washington will be there for the fifth time in program history.

Notable Sun Bowl records

After 89 editions, records at this game might mean more than at some other college bowl games. Among the most impressive records, UCLA and Northwestern combined to score 88 points in a Bruins 50-38 win in 2005. A year later, Missouri totaled 561 yards in a 39-38 loss to Oregon State.

As for individual records, a couple of household names, Thurman Thomas and Priest Holmes, scored four rushing touchdowns. Jonathan Stewart ran for 253 yards in 2007. Samie Parker is the game’s leading receiver with 200 yards in 2003.

What to watch for Louisville in Sun Bowl?

The Cardinals had an explosive attack that ranked 14th in the nation in total offense. However, they will not have starting quarterback Tyler Shough or leading receiver Ja’Corey Brooks. Harrison Bailey is expected to start at quarterback.

Isaac Brown will lead the rushing attack, and he should be their most dangerous weapon, as Washington struggles against the run. Ashton Gillotte, Louisville’s sack leader also opted out.

What to watch for Washington in the Sun Bowl?

Demond Williams will make his second start in El Paso. Williams has played in every game this season although mainly as a change-of-pace quarterback. He is more dynamic than Will Rogers and that could be an advantage against the Cardinals' defense.

The Huskies have 23 players opting out of the Sun Bowl. However, most of them are underclassmen who didn’t see the field often at Washington. Their defense will be tested against the run, as they allow 158.4 yards per game on the ground.