New Orleans Bowl
| New Orleans Bowl | |
|---|---|
| R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | |
| File:NewOrleansBowl.png R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl logo | |
| Stadium | Mercedes-Benz Superdome |
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Previous stadiums | Cajun Field (2005)[1] |
| Previous locations | Lafayette, Louisiana (2005)[1] |
| Operated | 2001–present |
| Conference tie-ins | Sun Belt, MWC |
| Previous conference tie-ins | C-USA (2002-13) |
| Payout | US$500,000 [2] |
| Sponsors | |
Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation (2001-2003) Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (2004–2005) R+L Carriers (2006–present) | |
| Former names | |
New Orleans Bowl (2001-2003) Wyndham New Orleans Bowl (2004–2005) New Orleans Bowl at Lafayette (2005) | |
| 2013 matchup | |
| Tulane vs. Louisiana (UL 24–21) | |
| 2014 matchup | |
| TBD vs. Louisiana (December 20, 2014) | |
The New Orleans Bowl is an NCAA-sanctioned post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana since 2001. The game was sponsored by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from 2002 to 2004 and was officially called the Wyndham New Orleans Bowl. R+L Carriers replaced Wyndham as the sponsor in 2006, and thus it became officially known as the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
The game pits a team from the Sun Belt Conference versus a team from the Mountain West Conference. The New Orleans Bowl traditionally hosted the Sun Belt champion when it was the only available bowl for that conference. Now that the Sun Belt has expanded to three bowl games, the New Orleans Bowl has been designated the first choice. If the Mountain West does not have enough bowl eligible teams the bowl will choose an at-large team. From 2002 to 2013, the New Orleans Bowl was affiliated with the Sun Belt and Conference USA.
In 2001, the Sun Belt signed a temporary contract to play against the 5th-ranked team from the Mountain West Conference.
In the inaugural game, the Colorado State Rams defeated North Texas, 45–20. Starting in 2002, the Sun Belt signed a multi-year contract with Conference USA, and the two conferences began their bowl rivalry that December, when North Texas played then-Conference USA member Cincinnati (and won).
Due to damage by Hurricane Katrina to the Superdome, where the game is usually played, the 2005 game was played on December 20 in Lafayette, Louisiana at Cajun Field on the campus of the University of Louisiana, and was dubbed the New Orleans Bowl at Lafayette. The game returned to the Superdome on December 22, 2006, with a new corporate sponsor in freight company R+L Carriers, renaming the game the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. The game featured Troy, co-champions of the Sun Belt Conference facing Rice, making their first bowl game visit in 45 years, their last appearance being the Bluebonnet Bowl. Troy defeated Rice, 41–17.
The current champions of the New Orleans Bowl are the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns who beat Tulane 24-21 for their third straight victory in this bowl game. Attendance at the 2013 bowl game set a record for the third straight year, making the New Orleans bowl one of the best attended of the non-BCS bowl games in 2013.
The 2014 New Orleans Bowl will be played on Saturday, December 20 at 10 A.M. New Orleans time (CST). The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns are one of the two teams that will play in the game. Their opponent will be announced on Sunday, December 7.[3]
Game results
| Date | Winning Team | Losing Team | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 18, 2001 | Colorado State | 45 | North Texas | 20 | notes |
| December 17, 2002 | North Texas | 24 | Cincinnati | 19 | notes |
| December 16, 2003 | Memphis | 27 | North Texas | 17 | notes |
| December 14, 2004 | Southern Miss | 31 | North Texas | 10 | notes |
| December 20, 2005[1] | Southern Miss | 31 | Arkansas State | 19 | notes |
| December 22, 2006 | Troy | 41 | Rice | 17 | notes |
| December 21, 2007 | Florida Atlantic | 44 | Memphis | 27 | notes |
| December 21, 2008 | Southern Miss | 30 | Troy | 27 (OT) | notes |
| December 20, 2009 | Middle Tennessee | 42 | Southern Miss | 32 | notes |
| December 18, 2010 | Troy | 48 | Ohio | 21 | notes |
| December 17, 2011 | Louisiana | 32 | San Diego State | 30 | notes |
| December 22, 2012 | Louisiana | 43 | East Carolina | 34 | notes |
| December 21, 2013 | Louisiana | 24 | Tulane | 21 | notes |
MVPs
| Year | MVP | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Justin Gallimore | Colorado State | DB |
| 2002 | Kevin Galbreath | North Texas | RB |
| 2003 | Danny Wimprine | Memphis | QB |
| 2004 | Michael Boley | Southern Miss | LB |
| 2005 | Shawn Nelson | Southern Miss | TE |
| 2006 | Omar Haugabook | Troy | QB |
| 2007 | Rusty Smith | Florida Atlantic | QB |
| 2008 | Austin Davis | Southern Miss | QB |
| 2009 | Dwight Dasher | Middle Tennessee | QB |
| 2010 | Corey Robinson | Troy | QB |
| 2011 | Blaine Gautier | Louisiana | QB |
| 2012 | Terrance Broadway | Louisiana | QB |
| 2013 | Orleans Darkwa | Tulane | RB |
Most appearances
| Rank | Team | Appearances | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Southern Miss | 4 | 3–1 |
| T1 | Louisiana | 4 | 3–0 |
| T1 | North Texas | 4 | 1–3 |
| 4 | Troy | 3 | 2–1 |
| 5 | Memphis | 2 | 1–1 |
| T6 | Colorado State | 1 | 1–0 |
| T6 | Florida Atlantic | 1 | 1–0 |
| T6 | Middle Tennessee | 1 | 1–0 |
| T6 | Arkansas State | 1 | 0–1 |
| T6 | Cincinnati | 1 | 0–1 |
| T6 | East Carolina | 1 | 0–1 |
| T6 | Ohio | 1 | 0–1 |
| T6 | Rice | 1 | 0–1 |
| T6 | San Diego State | 1 | 0–1 |
| T6 | Tulane | 1 | 0–1 |
Wins by conference
| Conference | Wins | Losses | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Belt | 8 | 5 | .615 |
| Mountain West | 1 | 1 | .500 |
| Conference USA | 4 | 6 | .400 |
| MAC | 0 | 1 | .000 |
Game records
| Team | Performance vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored | 48, Troy vs. Ohio | 2010 |
| Fewest points allowed | 10, Southern Miss vs. North Texas | 2004 |
| Margin of victory | 27, Troy vs. Ohio | 2010 |
| First downs | 30, Troy vs. Ohio | 2010 |
| Rushing yards | 246, Colorado State vs. North Texas | 2001 |
| Passing yards | 492, Louisiana–Lafayette vs. San Diego State | 2011 |
| Total yards | 602, Troy vs. Ohio | 2010 |
| Individual | Player, Team | Year |
| Points scored | 18, Colin Lockett, San Diego State & Orleans Darkwa, Tulane | 2011 & 2013 |
| Passing touchdowns | 5, Rusty Smith, Florida Atlantic | 2007 |
| Rushing yards | 201, Dwight Dasher, Middle Tennessee State | 2009 |
| Passing yards | 470, Blaine Gautier, Louisiana–Lafayette | 2011 |
| Receiving yards | 193, Javonne Lawson, Louisiana–Lafayette | 2011 |
Attendance
| Year | Attendance | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 27,004 | Colorado State vs. North Texas |
| 2002 | 19,024 | North Texas vs. Cincinnati |
| 2003 | 25,184 | Memphis vs. North Texas |
| 2004 | 27,253 | Southern Miss vs. North Texas |
| 2005 | 18,338 | Southern Miss vs. Arkansas State |
| 2006 | 26,423 | Rice vs. Troy |
| 2007 | 25,146 | Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis |
| 2008 | 30,197 | Troy vs. Southern Miss |
| 2009 | 30,228 | Middle Tennessee vs. Southern Miss |
| 2010 | 29,159 | Ohio vs. Troy |
| 2011 | 42,841[4] | Louisiana vs. San Diego State |
| 2012 | 48,828[5] | Louisiana vs. East Carolina |
| 2013 | 54,728[6] | Louisiana–Lafayette vs. Tulane |
Television coverage
References
- ^ a b c Due to damage by Hurricane Katrina to the Superdome, the 2005 game was played in Lafayette, Louisiana at Cajun Field.
- ^ http://www.collegefootballpoll.com/bowl_games_bowl_schedule.html
- ^ "Welcome Back Cajuns!". neworleansbowl.org. December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
- ^ http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=313510309
- ^ http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=323570309
- ^ http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=333550309