Myrtle Beach Bowl
The Myrtle Beach Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football bowl game first played in December 2020 in the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. Coastal Carolina University hosts the game at its Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina, which has a capacity of 20,000 seats following an expansion project completed prior to the 2019 season.[1] Owned by ESPN Events, the bowl has tie-ins with Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference and the Sun Belt Conference.[2] The affiliation contract with ESPN Events has each conference supplying a team four times in a six-year bowl cycle from 2020 to 2025.[3]
| Myrtle Beach Bowl | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Stadium | Brooks Stadium |
| Location | Conway, South Carolina |
| Operated | 2020–present |
| Conference tie-ins | |
| 2021 matchup | |
| Old Dominion vs. Tulsa (Tulsa 30–17) | |
| 2022 matchup | |
| UConn vs. Marshall (Marshall 28–14) | |
Background
In 2013, "Group of Five" conferences were looking to start bowl games for their leagues, as the Power Five conferences "prefer to play each other in bowl games".[4] The NCAA had a restriction on championship games, including bowl games, being held in South Carolina due to display of the Confederate flag on State House grounds, which was lifted in July 2015.[5] Organizers for the Medal of Honor Bowl, an all-star game, announced their intent to apply for NCAA sanctioning as a traditional postseason bowl game featuring FBS college teams, with a tentative game date of December 18, 2016.[6] However, in April 2016, the NCAA announced a three-year moratorium on new bowl games.[7]
History
In June 2018, the NCAA indicated that the Grand Strand area was approved for a bowl game.[5] The Myrtle Beach Bowl was subsequently announced on November 13, 2018, by ESPN Events,[8] with tie-ins to three conferences: the Sun Belt Conference, Conference USA (C-USA), and Mid-American Conference (MAC).[9] During 2017–18 bowl season, there had been three teams that were bowl eligible but did not go to a bowl, as all slots were filled: Western Michigan and Buffalo from the MAC, and UTSA from C-USA.[3]
The bowl made its debut as part of the 2020–21 bowl season, matching North Texas of C-USA and Appalachian State of the Sun Belt.[10]
Game results
| Date | Winning Team | Losing Team | Attendance | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 21, 2020 | Appalachian State | 56 | North Texas | 28 | 5,000 | notes |
| December 20, 2021 | Tulsa | 30 | Old Dominion | 17 | 6,557 | notes |
| December 19, 2022 | Marshall | 28 | UConn | 14 | 12,023 | notes |
MVPs
| Year | Player | College | Position | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Camerun Peoples | Appalachian State | RB | [11] |
| 2021 | Davis Brin | Tulsa | QB | [12] |
| 2022 | Rasheen Ali | Marshall | RB | [13] |
Appearances by team
Updated through the December 2022 edition (3 games, 6 total appearances).
| Rank | Team | Appearances | Record | Win pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | [[Appalachian State Mountaineers football|Appalachian State]] | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| T1 | [[Tulsa Golden Hurricane football|Tulsa]] | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| T1 | [[Marshall Thundering Herd football|Marshall]] | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| T1 | [[UConn Huskies football|UConn]] | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| T1 | [[North Texas Mean Green football|North Texas]] | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| T1 | [[Old Dominion Monarchs football|Old Dominion]] | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
Appearances by conference
Updated through the December 2022 edition (3 games, 6 total appearances).
| Conference | Record | Appearances by season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | W | L | Win pct. | Won | Lost | |
| Sun Belt | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 2020, 2022 | |
| C-USA | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 2020, 2021 | |
| The American | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2021 | |
| Independent | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 2022 | |
Independent appearances: UConn (2022)
Media coverage
Television
| Year | Network | Play-by-play announcers | Color commentators | Sideline reporters | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ESPN | Courtney Lyle | Eric MacLain | Marty Smith and Ryan McGee | [14] |
| 2021 | Mike Corey | Hutson Mason | |||
| 2022 | Mike Morgan | Eric MacLain | Tera Talmadge |
Radio
| Year | Network | Play-by-play announcers | Color commentators | Sideline Reporters | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | FirstTeam Radio | Travis Jones | Landry Burdine | [15] | |
| 2021 | Bowl Season Radio | Molly Cotten |
Game records
Updated through the December 2022 game.
| Team | Performance vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored | 56, Appalachian State vs. North Texas | 2020 |
| Fewest points allowed | 14, Marshall vs. UConn | 2022 |
| Margin of victory | 28, Appalachian State vs. North Texas | 2020 |
| First downs | 35, Tulsa vs. Old Dominion | 2021 |
| Total yards | 638, Appalachian State vs. North Texas | 2020 |
| Rushing yards | 502, Appalachian State vs. North Texas | 2020 |
| Passing yards | 285, Tulsa vs. Old Dominion | 2021 |
| Most points scored (losing team) | 28, North Texas vs. Appalachian State | 2020 |
| Most points scored (both teams) | 84, Appalachian State vs. North Texas | 2020 |
| Fewest yards allowed | 247, Old Dominion vs. Tulsa | 2021 |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | 71, Old Dominion vs. Tulsa | 2021 |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | 93, Marshall vs. UConn | 2022 |
| Individual | Player (Team) | Year |
| Points scored | 30, Camerun Peoples (Appalachian State) | 2020 |
| Rushing yards | 319, Camerun Peoples (Appalachian State) | 2020 |
| Passing yards | 285, Davis Brin (Tulsa) | 2021 |
| Receiving yards | 131, Austin Ogunmakin (North Texas) | 2020 |
| Touchdowns (all-purpose) | 5, Camerun Peoples (Appalachian State) | 2020 |
| Passing touchdowns | 2, shared by: Jason Bean (North Texas) Davis Brin (Tulsa) Cam Fancher (Marshall) |
2020 2021 2022 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 5, Camerun Peoples (Appalachian State) | 2020 |
| Receiving touchdowns | 2, shared by: Henry Pearson (Appalachian State) Loronzo Thompson (North Texas) |
2020 |
| Receptions | 8, Josh Johnson (Tulsa) | 2021 |
| Tackles | 13, shared by: Kaiden Smith (Appalachian State) Jason Henderson (Old Dominion) R'Tarriun Johnson (Old Dominion) |
2020 2021 2021 |
| Tackles for loss | 3, shared by: Nick Hampton (Appalachian State) Jordan Young (Old Dominion) |
2020 2021 |
| Sacks | 1.0, shared by multiple people; most recent: TyQaze Leggs (Marshall) Pryce Yates (UConn) |
2022 2022 |
| Interceptions | 1, shared by: Steven Jones (Appalachian State) LJ Wallace (Tulsa) Damion Barber (Marshall) Corey Gammage (Marshall) Malik Dixon-William (UConn) Micah Abraham (Marshall) |
2020 2021 2022 2022 2022 2022 |
| Long Plays | Record, Player, Team | Year |
| Touchdown run | 70 yds., Marcus Williams Jr. (Appalachian State) | 2020 |
| Touchdown pass | 34 yds., Austin Ogunmakin (North Texas) | 2020 |
| Kickoff return | 100 yds., LaMareon James (Old Dominion) | 2021 |
| Punt return | 10 yds., Upton Stout (North Texas) | 2020 |
| Interception return | 63 yds., Steven Jones (Appalachian State) | 2020 |
| Fumble return | – | – |
| Punt | 52 yds., Bernardo Rodriguez (North Texas) | 2020 |
| Field goal | 35 yds., Zack Long (Tulsa) | 2021 |
References
- Blondin, Alan (August 8, 2019). "Expansion of Brooks Stadium is complete. What the new capacity and features mean for CCU". Myrtle Beach Sun News. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- "New FBS postseason game, Myrtle Beach Bowl, to start in 2020". AP News. November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- Nothaft, Patrick (November 13, 2018). "New college football bowl game to feature MAC, Sun Belt and C-USA teams". Kalamazoo Gazette. MLive Media Group. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- McMurphy, Brett (June 11, 2013). "'Group of Five' look to add bowls". ESPN. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
- Asberry, Derrek (November 13, 2018). "Myrtle Beach Bowl to become first college football bowl game played in South Carolina". Post and Courier. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- Hartsell, Jeff (August 26, 2015). "Medal of Honor Bowl now a 'traditional' bowl game". The Post and Courier. Charleston, South Carolina. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
- McMurphy, Brett (April 11, 2016). "NCAA approves three-year halt to new bowl games". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
- Taylor, John (November 13, 2018). "ESPN-owned Myrtle Beach Bowl to debut in 2020". CollegeFootballTalk. NBC Sports. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- "ESPN Events Announces Creation of Myrtle Beach Bowl Beginning in 2020". myrtlebeachbowlgame.com. November 13, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- "Myrtle Beach Bowl Preview: App State vs. North Texas". App State Athletics. 20 December 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- "App State's Peoples has historic day in Inaugural Myrtle Beach Bowl". WCSC-TV. AP. December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- IACOBELLI, PETE (21 December 2021). "Brin, Tulsa take Myrtle Beach Bowl 30-17 over Old Dominion". Chron. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- @LukeCreasy (December 19, 2022). "Rasheen Ali is the 2022 Myrtle Beach Bowl MVP" (Tweet). Retrieved December 19, 2022 – via Twitter.
- Contes, Brandon (December 15, 2020). "Marty & McGee Get ESPN Myrtle Beach Bowl Assignment". barrettsportsmedia.com. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- "FirstTeam Radio Myrtle Beach Bowl Assignment". Twitter. December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.