| 2008 Emerald Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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 Cal head coach Jeff Tedford accepts the 2008 Emerald Bowl trophy | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 27, 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | AT&T Park | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | San Francisco, California | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | RB Jahvid Best, California (Offensive) LB Zack Follett, California (Defensive) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Cal by 8 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Nick Define (MAC)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Band of the Hour University of California Marching Band | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 42,268[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Payout | US$850,000 (Pac-10) • $750,000 (ACC) | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Joe Tessitore play-by-play Rod Gilmore color Quint Kessenich sideline | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 4.6[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2008 Emerald Bowl, part of the 2008–09 NCAA football bowl games season, was played on December 27, 2008, at AT&T Park, the home field of the Giants in San Francisco, California. The Miami Hurricanes of the ACC were matched against the California Golden Bears of the Pac-10, the first appearance by either team in the seven-year history of the Emerald Bowl.
With a 24–17 victory over Miami, Cal improved its record to 10–8–1 all-time in bowl games, and 2–2 all-time vs. Miami. Miami fell to 18–14 all-time in bowl games. California and Miami had met three times previously, with Miami holding a 2–1 advantage. The first meeting resulted in a 9–7 win by Cal in Miami on October 10, 1964. Miami won the next two meetings, 31–3 on September 16, 1989, in Miami, and 52–24 on September 15, 1990, in Berkeley.[3]
