APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY AND UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM ACCEPT 2019 R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL INVITATIONS
NEW ORLEANS (Dec. 8, 2019) – Appalachian State University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham accepted invitations today to compete against one another in the 19th Annual R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 21, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The game will kick off at 8 p.m. CST and will air on ESPN and ESPN Radio.
“The R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Committee, staff, and volunteers are delighted to welcome the Appalachian State Mountaineers and the UAB Blazers to New Orleans,” said R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Chairman Sheriff Paul Valteau. “We look forward to celebrating a spectacular week of bowl activates with both universities coaches, student-athletes, alumni and fans.”
Appalachian State, which is ranked No. 20 in the final College Football Playoff rankings released Sunday, is the first nationally ranked team to play in the New Orleans Bowl in its 19-year history.
The Mountaineers, under the guidance of first-year coach Eliah Drinkwitz, come to New Orleans with a 12-1 overall record and 7-1 mark in Sun Belt play. They defeated Louisiana 45-38 in the Sun Belt championship game Saturday.
In their first New Orleans Bowl appearance last year, App State defeated Middle Tennessee 45-13. The Mountaineers are the fourth team in the game’s history to make back-to-back appearances.
The Appalachian State offense averages 39.4 points per game and is led by quarterback Zac Thomas, the most outstanding player of last year’s New Orleans Bowl, and running back Darrynton Evans, the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year, who ranks second nationally with 23 touchdowns. The Mountaineers have committed only nine turnovers in 13 games, third-fewest in the nation.
Led by head coach Bill Clark, UAB brings a 9-4 overall record and 6-2 record in Conference USA to New Orleans after playing in the C-USA championship game on Saturday. This marks the Blazers’ first appearance in the New Orleans Bowl.
Clark has twice been named National Coach of the Year by CBS Sports and was the 2018 Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year by the Football Writers Association of America.
UAB’s defense has been the best in Conference USA and one of the best in the nation, ranking in the top 10 in the nation in four different categories. The Blazers defense allows 294 yards per game, ninth-fewest in the nation.
For more information on the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, visit www.neworleansbowl.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NewOrleansBowl.
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