2018_New_Orleans_Bowl
2018 New Orleans Bowl
College football bowl game
The 2018 New Orleans Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 15, 2018,[5] with kickoff scheduled for 9:00 p.m. EST (8:00 p.m. local CST).[6] It was the 18th edition of the New Orleans Bowl, and one of the 2018–19 bowl games concluding the 2018 FBS football season. Sponsored by freight company R+L Carriers, the game was officially known as the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
| 2018 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 18th New Orleans Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 15, 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Zac Thomas (QB, Appalachian State)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Appalachian State by 7[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Adam Savoie (AAC) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 23,942[3] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Payout | US$925,000 [4] | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN & ESPN Radio | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Jason Benetti, Kelly Stouffer and Olivia Dekker (ESPN) Bill Rosinski, David Norrie and Ian Fitzsimmons (ESPN Radio) | ||||||||||||||||||
| International TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN Deportes + | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Eduardo Varela and Pablo Viruega | ||||||||||||||||||
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The game featured the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders from Conference USA and the Appalachian State Mountaineers, the 2018 Sun Belt Conference champions. The teams previously met three times (1974, 1989, and 1992) with Middle Tennessee holding a 2–1 edge in the series.[7]
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Middle Tennessee was defeated in the 2018 Conference USA Football Championship Game on December 1; they subsequently received and accepted an invitation to the New Orleans Bowl on December 2.[8] The Blue Raiders entered the bowl with an 8–5 record (7–1 in conference). Blue Raider quarterback Brent Stockstill is the son of head coach Rick Stockstill.[9]
Appalachian State Mountaineers
Appalachian State defeated Louisiana in the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game to secure a berth in the New Orleans Bowl.[10] The Mountaineers entered the bowl with a 10–2 record (7–1 in conference). Due to the resignation of head coach Scott Satterfield, who took the same position with the Louisville Cardinals on December 4, the Mountaineers were coached in the bowl game by interim head coach Mark Ivey.[11]
Scoring summary
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Statistics
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Raiders | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| Mountaineers | 0 | 24 | 14 | 7 | 45 |
| Statistics | MTSU | APP |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 24 | 23 |
| Plays–yards | 72–392 | 60–448 |
| Rushes–yards | 35–62 | 34–233 |
| Passing yards | 330 | 215 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 25–37–2 | 17–26–2 |
| Time of possession | 33:31 | 26:29 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Tennessee | Passing | Brent Stockstill | 25/37, 330 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Chaton Mobley | 10 car, 45 yds | |
| Receiving | Gatlin Casey | 6 rec, 64 yds | |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Zac Thomas | 15/24, 177 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Darrynton Evans | 14 car, 108 yds | |
| Receiving | Corey Sutton | 8 rec, 78 yds, 2 TD |
- @AppStateMania (December 16, 2018). "NEW ORLEANS BOWL MVP ZAC THOMAS!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Fawkes, Ben (December 10, 2018). "Odds for every 2018-19 CFB bowl game". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
- "2018 Bowl Schedule". CFP.com. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
- "2018-19 College Football Playoff and bowl schedule". ESPN. May 2, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
- "R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl announces 2018 date, time, and conference affiliations for 18th annual bowl game". neworleansbowl.com. May 2, 2018.
- "Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs. Appalachian State Mountaineers football series history games list". winsipedia.com. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
- "New Orleans Bowl to host conference finalists Appalachian State and Middle Tennessee | nola.com". Archived from the original on December 3, 2018.
- "Stockstill father-son duo going into last season at MTSU". USA Today. AP. August 1, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
- "Appalachian State tops UL-Lafayette for Sun Belt title, trip to New Orleans Bowl; Cajuns to Cure Bowl". The Advocate. Baton Rouge, Louisiana. December 1, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- Gardner, Tim (December 5, 2018). "Mark Ivey named Appalachian State Interim Head Football Coach". High Country Press. Retrieved December 15, 2018.