Click here to read the 2015 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl Weekly Release – Week 10 (PDF)
PASSPORT STAMPED (BOWL-ELIGIBLE TEAMS): Bowling Green (7-2), Louisiana Tech (6-3), Marshall (8-1), Northern Illinois (6-3), Southern Miss (6-3), Toledo (7-1) and WKU (6-2). AT CUSTOMS (ONE VICTORY SHY): Central Michigan (5-4), Ohio (5-4) and Western Michigan (5-3).
THIS WEEK: The week began with a pair of MAC games. Tuesday night, Northern Illinois (6-3, 4-1 MAC) gave No. 20 Toledo (7-1, 4-1 MAC) its first loss as the Huskies won 32-27. Wednesday, Bowling Green (7-2, 5-0 MAC) took control of the East Division and kept Ohio from clinching bowl eligibility with a 62-24 victory over the Bobcats.
Thursday, a pair of MAC games start the weekend as Buffalo (4-4, 2-2 MAC) visits Kent State (3-5, 2-2 MAC) in an important East Division game and Ball State (3-6, 2-3 MAC) is at West Division leader Western Michigan (5-3, 4-0 MAC).
Friday, Rice (4-4, 2-2 C-USA) travels to UTEP (3-5, 1-3 C-USA), as both teams try to keep pace in Conference USA’s West Division race.
Saturday in C-USA action, the East Division co-leaders are in action as Marshall (8-1, 5-0 C-USA) is at Middle Tennessee (3-5, 2-2 C-USA) and WKU (7-2, 5-0 C-USA) hosts Florida Atlantic (2-6, 2-3 C-USA). West co-leader Louisiana Tech (6-3, 4-1 C-USA) hosts North Texas (1-7, 1-4 C-USA). In other C-USA games, FIU (4-5, 2-3 C-USA) visits Charlotte (2-6, 0-5 C-USA) and Old Dominion (3-5, 1-3 C-USA) goes to UTSA (1-7, 1-3 C-USA).
Saturday in the MAC, Akron (3-5, 1-3 MAC) is at UMass (1-7, 0-4 MAC) and Ball State (3-6, 2-3 MAC) is at West leader Western Michigan (5-3, 4-0 MAC).
POLLING PLACE: Toledo (7-1) is No. 20 in the Associated Press Top 25 and the Amway USA Today Coaches’ Top 25 poll. Marshall (7-1) and WKU (6-2) are receiving votes in the USA Today poll.
DOUGHTY DEALING: WKU senior QB Brandon Doughty leads the FBS in completion percentage (71.8) and TD passes (30) while ranking third in passing yards (3,330).
#PassportToKickoff is not only our hashtag, but a reminder that all U.S. citizens must have a valid passport to travel to the Bahamas & the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. For passport info: passports.state.gov.
WEEK 10 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
CONFERENCE USA
Friday, November 6
* Rice at UTEP (CBSSN)
Saturday, November 7
* Charlotte at FIU (ASN)
* Florida Atlantic at WKU (FSN)
* North Texas at Louisiana Tech (FCS)
* Marshall at Middle Tennessee (FSN)
* Old Dominion at UTSA (ASN)
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Tuesday, November 3
* Northern Illinois 32, No. 20 Toledo 27
Wednesday, November 4
* Bowling Green 62, Ohio 24
Thursday, November 5
* Buffalo at Kent State (ESPN3)
* Ball State at Western Michigan (CBSSN)
Saturday, November 7
* Akron at UMass (CBSSN)
* Eastern Michigan at Miami (ESPN3)
* – conference games
(TV/digital network in parentheses)
ASN – American Sports Network
CBSSN – CBS Sports Network
ESPN3 – ESPN3.com (online)
FCS – Fox College Sports
FSN – Fox Sports Net
WEEK 9 RESULTS
CONFERENCE USA
Friday, October 30
* Louisiana Tech 42, Rice 17
Saturday, October 31
* WKU 55, Old Dominion 30
* Southern Miss 34, UTEP 13
* Florida Atlantic 31, FIU 17
* Marshall 34, Charlotte 10
* North Texas 30, UTSA 23
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Thursday, October 29
* Buffalo 29, Miami 24
* Western Michigan 58, Eastern Michigan 28
Saturday, October 31
* Ball State 20, UMass 10
* Central Michigan 14, Akron 6
* – conference games
WEEK 9 INDIVIDUAL HONORS
RB Anthony Wales, WKU: The junior rushed for 185 rushing yards and four touchdowns in a 55-30 victory at Old Dominion for C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honors.
S Kishawn McClain, North Texas: The sophomore had 11 tackles and returned a fumble 45 yards for a TD in a 30-23 victory over UTSA for C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honors.
DB Chad Davis, North Texas: The junior blocked an extra point 80 yards for a two-point conversion in a 30-23 victory over UTSA for C-USA Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
QB Joe Licata, Buffalo: The senior was 22-for-29 for 289 yards passing, two TDs and an interception in Buffalo’s 29-24 win at Miami for MAC East Division Offensive Player of the Week honors.
DB Brison Burris, Miami: The senior had a 76-yard interception return for a TD and seven tackles in a loss to Buffalo for MAC East Division Defensive Player of the Week honors.
P Tyler Grassman, Buffalo: The senior had six punts for a 43.5-yard average in a 29-24 win at Miami for MAC East Division Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
QB Zach Terrell, Western Michigan: The junior threw for 252 yards and ran for 71 in a 58-28 win over Eastern Michigan for MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week honors.
DL Blake Serpa, Central Michigan: The senior had six tackles (four for loss), two sacks and two forced fumbles in a 14-6 win at Akron for MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week honors.
KR Darian Green, Ball State: The junior returned a kickoff 85 yards in a 20-10 win over UMass for MAC West Division Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
“POWER FIVE” VICTORIES
A list of Conference USA and MAC victories over “Power Five” opponents (teams from the ACC, Big Ten, Big XII, Pac-12 and SEC)
C-USA/MAC Team vs. Opponent — Score
Sept. 3: WKU (C-USA) vs. Vanderbilt (SEC) — 14-12
Sept. 6: Marshall (C-USA) vs. Purdue (Big Ten)– 41-31
Sept. 12: Bowling Green (MAC) vs. Maryland (Big Ten) — 48-27
Sept. 12: Toledo (MAC) vs. No. 18 Arkansas (SEC) — 16-12
Sept. 19: Toledo (MAC) vs. Iowa State (Big XII) — 30-23 (2 OT)
Sept. 26: Bowling Green (MAC) vs. Purdue (Big Ten) — 35-28
PASS HAPPY
Conference USA has four quarterbacks that rank among the top 15 in the FBS in passing yards and all have topped the 2,400-yard mark already this season, more than any other league.
WKU senior Brandon Doughty is first (3,310 yards), followed by Nick Mullens in sixth (2,890), Louisiana Tech’s Jeff Driskel in ninth (2,736) and Middle Tennessee’s Brent Stockstill in 15th (2,445).
POPEYES BAHAMAS BOWL MEDIA PROJECTIONS
Media Organization (Reporter) – Date: C-USA vs. MAC Matchup
USA Today (Erick Smith) – Nov. 5: WKU vs. Toledo
Orlando Sentinel (Brant Parsons) – Nov. 4: FIU vs. Western Michigan
Athlon Sports (Steven Lassan) – Nov. 4: Middle Tennessee vs. Western Michigan
Phil Steele Magazine (Phil Steele) – Nov. 3: Marshall vs. Toledo
10thYearSeniors.com (John Marc Nutt) – Nov. 3: Marshall vs. Bowling Green
Nassau Tribune (Renaldo Dorsett) – Nov. 3 Louisiana Tech vs. Bowling Green
SI.com (Zac Ellis) – Nov. 3: Old Dominion vs. Buffalo
FOXSports.com (Stuart Mandel) – Nov. 3: Louisiana Tech vs. Bowling Green
The Sporting News (Bill Bender) – Nov. 2: Southern Miss vs. Northern Illinois
Bleacher Report (Bryan Fischer) – Nov. 2: WKU vs. Bowling Green
CollegeFootballNews.com (Pete Fiutak) – Nov. 2: Marshall vs. Bowling Green
ESPN.com (Brett McMurphy) – Nov. 1: Louisiana Tech vs. Northern Illinois
ESPN.com (Mark Schlabach) – Nov. 1: Bowling Green vs. Marshall
SB Nation (Jason Kirk) – Nov. 1: Old Dominion vs. Ohio
CBSSports.com (Jerry Palm) – Nov. 1: Marshall vs. Bowling Green
Associated Press (Ralph Russo) – June 9: Middle Tennessee vs. Ball State
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Each week in 2015, the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl will spotlight an alumni player from each of our partner conferences, Conference USA and the MAC.
BEN ROETHLISBERGER (MIAMI)
Ben Roethlisberger (Photo Credit: Miami Athletics)
Ben Roethlisberger, the 2003 MAC Offensive Player of the Year and the 2001 MAC Freshman of the Year, played his college career at Miami from 2001-03.
Roethlisberger threw for 10,829 yards and 84 touchdowns in only three seasons from 2001-03. His junior campaign was one for the ages, throwing for 4,486 yards and 37 touchdowns, leading Miami to 12 consecutive victories, including a MAC Championship and GMAC Bowl victory.
Roethlisberger was a third-team Associated Press All-American in 2003 and Freshman All-American in 2001,
He was a three-time All-MAC selection, earning first-team honors in 2003 and second-team recognition twice.
He still ranks first in Miami history in completion percentage and touchdowns, and is second in pass attempts, completions, yards and total offense (11,075).
Roethlisberger gave up his final season of eligibility to enter the 2004 NFL Draft. He was the 11th overall selection by the Pittsburgh Steelers, the highest draft pick in program history.
He guided the Steelers to two Super Bowl titles (Super Bowls XL and XLIII), and he became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl during the 2005 season. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Roethlisberger was selected as the 2004 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the AP.
Roethlisberger has thrown for over 40,000 yards and 250 touchdowns in his NFL career. A 12-time AFC Offensive Player of the Week, he was inducted into the MAC Hall of Fame in 2015.
POPEYES BAHAMAS BOWL PARTICIPANT SELECTION
The highest-ranked conference champion by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee from the American Athletic, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West or Sun Belt will play annually in one of the College Football Playoff bowls (VIZIO Fiesta and Chick-fil-A Peach bowls for the 2015 season) if it is not selected for the Playoff Semifinals.
C-USA has 2015 tie-ins with the Popeyes Bahamas, Arizona, Gildan New Mexico, Miami Beach, R&L Carriers New Orleans, St. Petersburg and Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas bowls, with a secondary tie-in with the Camping World Independence Bowl (if either the ACC or the SEC does not have enough eligible teams). There is no set selection order among C-USA’s bowl partners
The GoDaddy Bowl has first choice of a MAC bowl-eligible team, and the remainder of the selections will follow, with no set selection order among the MAC’s bowl partners. The MAC has 2015 tie-ins with Popeyes Bahamas, Famous Idaho Potato, GoDaddy, Marmot Boca Raton and Raycom Media Camellia bowls, with secondary tie-ins with the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl (if Army is not bowl eligible), various ESPN owned-and-operated bowls and the Quick Lane Bowl (if either ACC or Big Ten does not have enough eligible teams).
The 2015 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl participants will be announced Sunday, December 6.
ESPN EVENTS
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; 13 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 250-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Boca Raton, Boise, Birmingham, Dallas-Fort Worth, Albuquerque, St. Petersburg and Las Vegas, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.
Collegiate Football
AdvoCare Texas Kickoff (Houston); AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl (Houston); Birmingham Bowl (Alabama); Celebration Bowl (Atlanta); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise); Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); Marmot Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.); Orlando Kickoff (Florida); Popeyes Bahamas Bowl (Nassau); Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.); Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl (Nevada); St. Petersburg Bowl (Florida); The Home Depot College Football Awards (Atlanta) and Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth)
Collegiate Basketball
AdvoCare Invitational (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Armed Forces Classic (Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, Okinawa, Japan); DIRECTV Wooden Legacy (Orange County, Calif.); College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s (Los Angeles); Gildan Charleston Classic (South Carolina); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Men’s Classic Presented by Corona (New York City); Jimmy V Women’s Classic Presented by Corona (Hartford/Storrs, Conn.); NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan) and State Farm Champions Classic (Chicago)
