New Orleans Bowl
| New Orleans Bowl | |
|---|---|
| R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | |
| File:NewOrleansBowl.png | |
| Stadium | Mercedes-Benz Superdome |
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Previous stadiums | Cajun Field (2005) |
| Previous locations | Lafayette, Louisiana (2005) |
| Operated | 2001–present |
| Conference tie-ins | Sun Belt, C-USA |
| Previous conference tie-ins | MWC (2001, 2011, 2014) |
| Payout | US$925,000[1] |
| 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) | |
| 2017 matchup | |
| Troy vs. North Texas (Troy 50–30) | |
| 2018 matchup | |
| Appalachian State vs Middle Tennessee (Appalachian State 45–13) | |
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 since 2001. Since 2006, it has been sponsored by R+L Carriers and officially known as the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. The game was previously sponsored by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from 2002 to 2004 and was officially called the Wyndham New Orleans Bowl.
Conference tie-ins
In 2001, the Sun Belt Conference signed a temporary contract to play against the 5th-ranked team from the Mountain West Conference. Beginning in 2002, the New Orleans Bowl established conference tie-ins with the Sun Belt and Conference USA. The Sun Belt usually sends its conference champion to the New Orleans Bowl, but can (and has) sent the champion to the Dollar General Bowl.
In 2010, Ohio represented the Mid-American Conference in the New Orleans Bowl, after the Bowl released UTEP to compete in the regional Gildan New Mexico Bowl.[2] In 2011 and 2014 the Mountain West replaced Conference USA as the opponent to the Sun Belt representative The Sun Belt and Conference USA are currently under contract to contribute teams to the bowl through the 2017 game.
History
In the 2001 inaugural game, Colorado State 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 with a North Texas defeat of then-Conference USA member Cincinnati.
Due to damage by Hurricane Katrina to the Superdome, where the game is usually played, the 2005 game was played in Lafayette, Louisiana, at Cajun Field on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and was dubbed the New Orleans Bowl at Lafayette. The game returned to the Superdome for the 2006 edition, with a new corporate sponsor in freight company R+L Carriers, renaming the game the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. That game was won by Troy, co-champions of the Sun Belt Conference, over Rice, making their first bowl appearance since the 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl.
The 2011 through 2014 games were each won by the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (now known as the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns), by a combined score of 115–88 over four different opponents. However, the Ragin' Cajuns later had to vacate their 2011 and 2013 victories, due to major NCAA violations including ACT fraud.[3] The Ragin' Cajuns also played in the 2016 edition of the bowl, losing to Southern Miss.
Game results
| Date | Winning Team | Losing Team | Attendance | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 18, 2001 | Colorado State | 45 | North Texas | 20 | 27,004 | notes |
| December 17, 2002 | North Texas | 24 | Cincinnati | 19 | 19,024 | notes |
| December 16, 2003 | Memphis | 27 | North Texas | 17 | 25,184 | notes |
| December 14, 2004 | Southern Miss | 31 | North Texas | 10 | 27,253 | notes |
| December 20, 2005 | Southern Miss | 31 | Arkansas State | 19 | 18,338 | notes |
| December 22, 2006 | Troy | 41 | Rice | 17 | 26,423 | notes |
| December 21, 2007 | Florida Atlantic | 44 | Memphis | 27 | 25,146 | notes |
| December 21, 2008 | Southern Miss | 30 | Troy | 27 (OT) | 30,197 | notes |
| December 20, 2009 | Middle Tennessee | 42 | Southern Miss | 32 | 30,228 | notes |
| December 18, 2010 | Troy | 48 | Ohio | 21 | 29,159 | notes |
| December 17, 2011 | Louisiana (vacated) | 32 | San Diego State | 30 | 42,841 | notes |
| December 22, 2012 | Louisiana | 43 | East Carolina | 34 | 48,828 | notes |
| December 21, 2013 | Louisiana (vacated) | 24 | Tulane | 21 | 54,728 | notes |
| December 20, 2014 | Louisiana | 16 | Nevada | 3 | 34,014 | notes |
| December 19, 2015 | Louisiana Tech | 47 | Arkansas State | 28 | 32,847 | notes |
| December 17, 2016 | Southern Miss | 28 | Louisiana | 21 | 35,061 | notes |
| December 16, 2017 | Troy | 50 | North Texas | 30 | 24,904 | notes |
| December 15, 2018 | Appalachian State | 45 | Middle Tennessee | 13 | 23,942 | notes |
Notes;
- The 2005 game was played at Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana, due to damage to the Superdome by Hurricane Katrina.
- Louisiana vacated all 9 wins from 2011, including the New Orleans Bowl, and vacated 8 wins from 2013, including the New Orleans Bowl, due to major NCAA violations including ACT fraud.[3]
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 |
| 2014 | Terrance Broadway | Louisiana | QB |
| 2015 | Kenneth Dixon | Louisiana Tech | RB |
| 2016 | Allenzae Staggers | Southern Miss | WR |
| 2017 | Brandon Silvers | Troy | QB |
| 2018 | Zac Thomas | Appalachian State | QB |
† MVP's team did not win the game
‡ MVP's team later vacated its victory
Most appearances
Updated through the December 2018 edition (18 games, 36 total appearances).
- Teams with multiple appearances
| Rank | Team | Appearances | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Southern Miss | 5 | 4–1 |
| T1 | Louisiana | 5 | 2–1[m 1] |
| T1 | North Texas | 5 | 1–4 |
| 4 | Troy | 4 | 3–1 |
| T5 | Memphis | 2 | 1–1 |
| T5 | Middle Tennessee | 2 | 1–1 |
| T5 | Arkansas State | 2 | 0–2 |
- ^ Excludes two vacated wins.
- Teams with a single appearance
Won: Appalachian State, Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech
Lost: Cincinnati, East Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Rice, San Diego State, Tulane
Appearances by conference
Updated through the December 2018 edition (18 games, 36 total appearances).
| Rank | Conference | Appearances | Wins | Losses | Win pct. | Vacated wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun Belt | 18 | 9 | 7 | .563 | 2[n 1] |
| 2 | C-USA | 14 | 6 | 8 | .429 | — |
| 3 | Mountain West | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | — |
| 4 | MAC | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — |
- ^ Excluded from win-loss record
Game records
| Team | Performance vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored | 50, Troy vs. North Texas | 2017 |
| Fewest points allowed | 3, Louisiana vs. Nevada | 2014 |
| Margin of victory | 32, Appalachian State vs. Middle Tennessee | 2018 |
| First downs | 30, Troy vs. Ohio | 2010 |
| Rushing yards | 246, Colorado State vs. North Texas | 2001 |
| Passing yards | 492, Louisiana vs. San Diego State | 2011 (vacated) |
| Total yards | 687, Louisiana Tech vs. Arkansas State | 2015 |
| Most points scored (losing team) | ||
| Most points scored (both teams) | ||
| Fewest yards allowed | ||
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | ||
| Fewest passing yards allowed | ||
| Individual | Player, Team | Year |
| Points scored | 24, Kenneth Dixon, Louisiana Tech | 2015 |
| Passing touchdowns | 5, Rusty Smith, Florida Atlantic | 2007 |
| Rushing yards | 201, Dwight Dasher, Middle Tennessee | 2009 |
| Passing yards | 470, Blaine Gautier, Louisiana | 2011 (vacated) |
| Receiving yards | 230, Allenzae Staggers, Southern Miss | 2016 |
| All-purpose yards | ||
| Touchdowns (all-purpose) | ||
| Rushing touchdowns | ||
| Receiving touchdowns | ||
| Tackles | ||
| Sacks | ||
| Interceptions | ||
| Long Plays | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Touchdown run | ||
| Touchdown pass | ||
| Kickoff return | ||
| Punt return | ||
| Interception return | ||
| Fumble return | ||
| Punt | ||
| Field goal |
Media coverage
The New Orleans Bowl has been televised by ESPN since 2008; ESPN also televised the game in 2004 and 2005. ESPN2 televised the game in 2001, 2002, 2006, and 2007.
See also
References
- ^ http://www.collegefootballpoll.com/bowl_games_bowl_schedule.html
- ^ http://neworleansbowl.org/news/bowl/index.html?article_id=7597
- ^ a b "Exam fraud, recruit payments among NCAA accusations against UL-Lafayette, ex-assistant coach David Saunders". The Baton Rouge Advocate. October 11, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2015.