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 Conway, South Carolina, and owned by ESPN Events. The bowl has tie-ins with Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference and the Sun Belt Conference.[1] The affiliation contract with ESPN Events has each conference supplying a team four times in a six-year bowl cycle from 2020 to 2025.[2] Coastal Carolina University hosts the game at its Brooks Stadium, which has a capacity of 20,000 seats following an expansion project completed prior to the 2019 season.[3]
| Myrtle Beach Bowl | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Stadium | Brooks Stadium |
| Location | Conway, South Carolina |
| Operated | 2020–present |
| Conference tie-ins | |
| 2020 matchup | |
| North Texas vs. Appalachian State (Appalachian State 56–28) | |
| 2021 matchup | |
| Old Dominion vs. Tulsa (Tulsa 30–17) | |
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.[2]
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 |
MVPs
| Year | Player | College | Position | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Camerun Peoples | Appalachian State | RB | [11] |
| 2021 | Davis Brin | Tulsa | QB | [12] |
Appearances by team
Updated through the December 2021 edition (2 games, 4 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 | [[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 2021 edition (2 games, 4 total appearances).
| Conference | Record | Appearances by season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | W | L | Win pct. | Won | Lost | |
| C-USA | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 2020, 2021 | |
| Sun Belt | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2020 | |
| The American | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2021 | |
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 | [13] |
| 2021 | Mike Corey | Hutson Mason |
Radio
| Year | Network | Play-by-play announcers | Color commentators | Sideline Reporters | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | FirstTeam Radio | Travis Jones | Landry Burdine | [14] | |
| 2021 | Bowl Season Radio | Molly Cotten |
Game records
Updated through the December 2021 game.
| Team | Performance vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored | 56, Appalachian State vs. North Texas | 2020 |
| Fewest points allowed | 17, Old Dominion vs. Tulsa | 2021 |
| 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 | 136, North Texas vs. Appalachian State | 2020 |
| 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) |
2020 2021 |
| 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: Jason Henderson (Old Dominion) R'Tarriun Johnson (Old Dominion) |
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: Jordan Young (Old Dominion) Jaxon Player (Tulsa) |
2021 2021 |
| Interceptions | 1, shared by: Steven Jones (Appalachian State) LJ Wallace (Tulsa) |
2020 2021 |
| 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
- "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.
- 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.
- 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. 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.
- 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.