The former FCS dynasty is now 1-0 all-time in bowl games, breezing through a storm in Mobile and the MAC champion alike. Check out Underdog Dynasty and Hustle Belt for all the game info.
After eight years as one of the last bowl games of the year, the GoDaddy Bowl is out of January and back to before Christmas for a matchup between the MAC and Sun Belt.
Last year's game between the two conferences featured 107 combined points and more than 1,000 combined yards with Toledo of the MAC coming out on top with 63 points. The Camellia Bowl is the only other game that pits the two conferences against each other, and it has already had its fair share of fireworks in its young existence.
Founded as the Mobile Alabama Bowl, it became the GMAC Bowl for 10 years before GoDaddy took over title sponsorship in 2011.
Here is everything you need to know to get ready for this year's GoDaddy Bowl:
Date and time: Wednesday, Dec. 23, 8 p.m. ET
TV channel: ESPN
Location: Mobile, Ala.
Stadium: Ladd-Peebles Stadium, 40,000
Last year's score: Toledo 63, Arkansas State 44
Last year's attendance: 36,811
Last year's TV rating: 0.9
Last year's payout for each school: $750,000
Teams with the most all-time appearances: Arkansas State, 4
Teams with the most all-time wins: Six teams, 2
Georgia Southern Eagles (8-3, 6-1 in Sun Belt) **UPDATE
Despite a nine-win campaign in 2014, Georgia Southern couldn't accept a bowl bid because they were transitioning from the Football Championship Subdivision. They don't have that problem in 2015; the Eagles accepted a spot in the GoDaddy Bowl on Dec. 2.
That's the latest milestone for one of Division I's fastest rising programs. GSU put itself on the FBS map in 2013 when they beat Florida as an FCS team. In their first season at college football's highest level, they went 9-3 while taking North Carolina State and Georgia Tech to the wire in a pair of losses. This season, they've run all over the Sun Belt Conference behind a triple-option offense that ranks first in the nation in rushing yards (375.6 per game). No other team is within 40 yards of what the Eagles produce on a weekly basis.
Of course, that means that Kevin Ellison has put up passing numbers that some Big 12 quarterbacks can eclipse in a single game, but that hasn't been much of a problem for Southern. What the Eagles will need to rely on is their defense. The team has posted strong defensive numbers in 2015, but the only time they've really faced a high-powered passing offense came in their season opener against West Virginia. They lost that game 44-0.
Last bowl game: This is Georgia Southern's first bowl appearance.
All-time bowl record: 0-0
Head coach's bowl record: This is Willie Fritz's first bowl appearance.
Bowling Green Falcons (10-3, 7-1 in MAC)
Bowling Green breezed its way to a MAC title on a Friday night with a strong 34-14 win over Northern Illinois, and roughly 12 hours later, head coach Dino Babers had left for the Syracuse job. That's life at a good mid-major football program, and now it's time for the Falcons to roll with the price of success. Defensive coordinator Brian Ward will serve as interim head coach for Bowling Green's bowl game.
They've had one of the best offenses in the country this season. Quarterback Matt Johnson set new MAC records for passing yards and touchdown passes in a season, and the Falcons had a top-five scoring offense at over 43 points per game. They can run the ball too, with Travis Greene and Fred Coppet forming a potent one-two punch that rushed for over 2,000 yards combined.
Bowling Green isn't just an offense though, as they can play some defense too. They were a top-10 team in terms of turnover margin, and can make more than enough stops to let their offense work.
Last bowl game: 2014 Camellia Bowl (33-28 win over South Alabama)
All-time bowl record: 5-7
Head coach's bowl record: This is interim coach Brian Ward's first bowl game.
No comments:
Post a Comment