Cal to take on Texas Tech in the 2023 Independence Bowl

The California Golden Bears will take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Shreveport.

Cal graphic of bowl via @calfootball on twitter

After speculation on whether Cal was going to head to L.A. or LA, the Golden Bears have learned their fate.

In their Pac-12 epilogue, the Golden Bears will travel to Shreveport, Louisiana in two weeks to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders out of the Big 12 Conference in the 2023 Independence Bowl.

“To have two power five teams is special to our area, first time we’ve had a power five matchup since 2016. I was at the Cal vs UCLA and there’s a lot of excitement in that locker room and a lot of excitement around Cal and we are beyond thrilled to host” - Independence Bowl Foundation Chair Bryan Roppolo

The Red Raiders also compiled a 6-6 record and are coming off a throttling loss to Texas by a final score of 57-7. Their most memorable game was taking an early lead on Oregon before the Ducks rallied to win 38-30.

It will be the first time both teams are playing each other on the gridiron since the infamous 2004 Holiday Bowl, when Cal was snubbed in the Rose Bowl for Texas. The dispirited Golden Bears then struggled to stop Mike Leach’s Air Raid, falling 45-31.

This will also be a reunion with former Cal defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter, who holds the same position at Texas Tech. DeRuyter was head playcaller on Justin Wilcox’s first staff and was with Cal through 2020 before leaving to join the Oregon Ducks.

“We started peeking at Texas Tech, Coach McGuire has an incredible reputation…….they are going to be well coached, they have a talented team” - Cal Head Coach Justin Wilcox

It’ll be a tough first test for new offensive coordinator Mike Bloesch, who will need to matchup with DeRuyter with at the moment only two offensive coaches on staff.

The game will take place on December 16, with a 6:15 PM Pacific, 9:15 PM Eastern kickoff on ESPN.

Cal fans, discuss the bowl!