MIAMI (Dec. 8, 2019) – For a school-record third straight season, the FIU football team will be going bowling as the Panthers are set to face Arkansas State in the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama on Dec. 21.
Kickoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. ET and the game will air on ESPN. Tickets for the Camellia Bowl are on sale now via FIUSports.com.
“I am thrilled that we are relevant in December,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. “Our players and coaches have worked hard all year and this bowl signals their deliberate efforts to excel.”
The bowl berth for FIU is its fifth in school history and record-breaking third under head coach Butch Davis. Davis now owns FIU’s record for most bowl appearances (3) and consecutive bowl appearances (3). Last season, the Panthers took a 35-32 victory in the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl over Toledo for FIU’s first bowl win since 2010.
“We are excited for our football program and our seniors to play in the Camellia Bowl,” Executive Director of Sports Entertainment Pete Garcia said. “This appearance will mark our third bowl in a row and it’s all due to our team’s hard work and dedication.”
FIU will seek its seventh win of the season as the Panthers square off against the Red Wolves later this month. Led by its most winningest group of seniors in program history, the Panthers earned highlight wins over bowl-bound teams Charlotte and Miami (Fla.) in 2019. The victory over the Hurricanes at Marlins Park earned FIU its first-ever FWAA National Team of the Week honor as the Panthers dominated national headlines following the 30-24 win.
“We’re thrilled for our team to play in the Camellia bowl – which is a school-record third straight bowl game – and get the chance for our team to cap the season on a high note,” head coach Butch Davis said. “Arkansas State has a great football program and are led by a coach that I have a tremendous amount of respect for.”
The five previous Camellia Bowl games have been decided by 17 total points. There have been three game-winning field goals and one game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter. There have been two walk-off wins in the five-year history. Appalachian State kicker Zach Matics drilled a walk-off FG in the 31-28 win over Ohio in 2016. Georgia Southern kicker Tyler Bass hit a 40-yard FG as time expired to beat Eastern Michigan 23-21 in 2018. Bowling Green defeated South Alabama 33-28 in the inaugural Camellia Bowl on Dec. 20, 2014.
The Panthers and Red Wolves have faced off eight times, with those matchups coming during FIU’s Sun Belt days.
The Red Wolves are 7-5 on the year and are winners of four of their last five games. The bowl bid for Arkansas State marks its ninth-straight as a program, with six of those coming under head coach Blake Anderson.
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