68 Ventures Bowl
Template:Short description Template:Infobox college football bowl game
The 68 Ventures Bowl is a postseason NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game that has been played annually in Mobile, Alabama since 1999. In 2021, the game was moved from Ladd–Peebles Stadium to Hancock Whitney Stadium, on the campus of the University of South Alabama. The game currently matches teams from the Sun Belt Conference and the Mid-American Conference. Originally known as the Mobile Alabama Bowl during its first two playings, it has undergone numerous name changes.
History
The game was known as the Mobile Alabama Bowl for its first two playings, in 1999 and 2000. GMAC (now Ally Financial) had become the title sponsor for the 2000 playing, and the game was renamed as the GMAC Bowl for the 2001 though January 2010 playings. It was then the GoDaddy.com Bowl for the January 2011 to January 2013 playings when GoDaddy took over sponsorship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In May 2013, it was announced that the ".com" would be dropped from the bowl's name, rebranding it as the GoDaddy Bowl for the January 2014 through December 2015 editions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Dollar General took over sponsorship on August 17, 2016,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with the 2016 through 2018 playings branded as the Dollar General Bowl. It was announced on May 29, 2019, that Dollar General would no longer sponsor the bowl.<ref name=WKRG>Template:Cite news</ref> It was temporarily called by its original name, the Mobile Alabama Bowl,<ref name=WKRG/> until new sponsorship by LendingTree was announced on November 15, 2019, making it the LendingTree Bowl.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On May 15, 2023, the game was renamed as the 68 Ventures Bowl for its new sponsor, Daphne based 68 Ventures, a real estate investment company.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
When the bowl first began, it was played as one of the first games of the bowl season in December. The 2006 season saw the game moved to January, and it served as one of the last bowls played before the national championship game of either the Bowl Championship Series or the College Football Playoff. For the 2015 season, the bowl was moved back to December, where it remained for every subsequent playing except for the 2019 season.<ref name=WKRG/>
Conference tie-ins
From 1999 to 2009, the bowl pitted a Conference USA (C-USA) team against a team from the Mid-American Conference (MAC), except for the first two playings, when the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) could receive the bid if one of its easternmost teams qualified as bowl eligible.
For the January 2010 edition, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) was to participate in the bowl as its ninth bowl tie-in. The ACC failed to have sufficient bowl-eligible teams to fill the slot, and the bowl chose Sun Belt Conference champion Troy as a replacement.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A MAC vs. Sun Belt matchup was then featured for a total of 11 consecutive bowls, through the January 2020 edition. That streak was broken when the December 2020 edition invited teams from C-USA and the Sun Belt. After Arkansas State of the Sun Belt appeared in the 2012 through 2015 editions of the bowl, the conference and bowl committee agreed on changing the team selection bylaws to avoid repeat appearances by teams in consecutive years.Template:Cn
Notable games
- The 2001 game between the Marshall Thundering Herd and East Carolina Pirates set the record as the highest-scoring bowl game of all time, and Marshall achieved what was then the greatest scoring comeback in bowl history.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In this contest, Marshall battled back from a 38–8 deficit to win 64–61, in double overtime. Thundering Herd quarterback Byron Leftwich threw for 576 yards in the game.
- The 2008 game had the largest margin of victory in the bowl's history, with Tulsa defeating Bowling Green, 63–7.
- Following the 2023 game, a 59–10 win by South Alabama over Eastern Michigan, an altercation took place on-field between the teams prior to the trophy presentation, initiated by an Eastern Michigan player sucker punching a South Alabama player while the South Alabama marching band and team were singing the school's alma mater.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Game results
Source:<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
MVPs
| Date played | MVP | School | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 22, 1999 | Casey Printers | TCU | QB |
| December 20, 2000 | LaDainian Tomlinson | TCU | RB |
| December 19, 2001 | Byron Leftwich | Marshall | QB |
| December 18, 2002 | Byron Leftwich | Marshall | QB |
| December 18, 2003 | Ben Roethlisberger | Miami (OH) | QB |
| December 22, 2004 | Omar Jacobs | Bowling Green | QB |
| December 21, 2005 | Bruce Gradkowski | Toledo | QB |
| January 7, 2007 | Damion Fletcher | Southern Miss | RB |
| January 6, 2008 | Paul Smith | Tulsa | QB |
| January 6, 2009 | Tarrion Adams | Tulsa | RB |
| January 6, 2010 | Dan LeFevour | Central Michigan | QB |
| January 6, 2011 | Austin Boucher | Miami (OH) | QB |
| January 8, 2012 | Chandler Harnish | Northern Illinois | QB |
| January 6, 2013 | Ryan Aplin | Arkansas State | QB |
| January 5, 2014 | Fredi Knighten | Arkansas State | QB |
| January 4, 2015 | Kareem Hunt | Toledo | RB |
| December 23, 2015 | Favian Upshaw | Georgia Southern | QB |
| December 23, 2016 | Justin Lucas | Troy | LB |
| December 23, 2017 | Jalin Moore | Appalachian State | RB |
| December 22, 2018 | Sawyer Smith | Troy | QB |
| January 6, 2020 | Levi Lewis | Louisiana | QB |
| December 26, 2020 | Cornelious Brown IV<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> | Georgia State | QB |
| December 18, 2021 | Malik Willis<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> | Liberty | QB |
| December 17, 2022 | Frank Gore Jr.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Southern Miss | RB |
| December 23, 2023 | Gio Lopez<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | South Alabama | QB |
| December 26, 2024 | Jaylen Raynor<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Arkansas State | QB |
| December 26, 2024 | Justin Parks<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Arkansas State | S |
| December 26, 2024 | Courtney Jackson<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Arkansas State | PR/WR |
Most appearances
Updated through the December 2024 edition (26 games, 52 total appearances).
- Teams with multiple appearances
| Rank | Team | Appearances | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas State | 5 | 3–2 |
| 2 | Bowling Green | 4 | 1–3 |
| 3 | Southern Miss | 3 | 3–0 |
| Miami (OH) | 3 | 2–1 | |
| Toledo | 3 | 2–1 | |
| Troy | 3 | 2–1 | |
| 7 | Marshall | 2 | 2–0 |
| Tulsa | 2 | 2–0 | |
| TCU | 2 | 1–1 | |
| Ball State | 2 | 0–2 | |
| East Carolina | 2 | 0–2 | |
| Eastern Michigan | 2 | 0–2 | |
| Louisville | 2 | 0–2 | |
| Ohio | 2 | 0–2 |
- Teams with a single appearance
Won (8): Appalachian State, Central Michigan, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Liberty, Louisiana, Northern Illinois, South Alabama
Lost (7): Buffalo, Kent State, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State, Rice, UTEP, Western Kentucky
Appearances by conference
Updated through the December 2024 edition (26 games, 52 total appearances).
| Conference | Record | Appearances by season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | W | L | Win pct. | Won | Lost | |
| MAC | 22 | Template:WinLossPct | 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009*, 2010*, 2011*, 2014* | 2006*, 2007*, 2008*, 2012*, 2013*, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019*, 2021, 2023, 2024 | ||
| Sun Belt | 15 | Template:WinLossPct | 2012*, 2013*, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019*, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 | 2009*, 2010*, 2011*, 2014* | ||
| C-USA | 12 | Template:WinLossPct | 2000, 2006*, 2007*, 2008* | 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2020, 2022 | ||
| WAC | 2 | Template:WinLossPct | 1999 | 2000 | ||
| Independent | 1 | Template:WinLossPct | 2021 | Template:Nbsp | ||
- Games marked with an asterisk (*) were played in January of the following calendar year.
- The WAC no longer sponsors FBS football.
- Independent appearances: Liberty (2021)
Game records
| Team | Record, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored (one team) | 64, Marshall vs. East Carolina | 2001 |
| Most points scored (losing team) | 61, East Carolina vs. Marshall | 2001 |
| Most points scored (both teams) | 125, Marshall vs. East Carolina | 2001 |
| Fewest points allowed | 0, Appalachian State vs. Toledo | 2017 |
| Largest margin of victory | 56, Tulsa vs. Bowling Green | 2008 |
| Total yards | 649, Marshall vs. East Carolina | 2001 |
| Rushing yards | 482, Tulsa vs. Ball State | 2009 |
| Passing yards | 576, Marshall vs. East Carolina | 2001 |
| First downs | 36, Marshall vs. East Carolina | 2001 |
| Fewest yards allowed | 146, Appalachian State vs. Toledo | 2017 |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | –16, TCU vs. East Carolina | 1999 |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | 73, South Alabama vs. Eastern Michigan | 2023 |
| Individual | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| All-purpose yards | ||
| Touchdowns (all-purpose) | 5, Kareem Hunt (Toledo) | Jan. 2015 |
| Rushing yards | 329, Frank Gore Jr. (Southern Miss) | 2022 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 5, Kareem Hunt (Toledo) | Jan. 2015 |
| Passing yards | 576, Byron Leftwich (Marshall) | 2001 |
| Passing touchdowns | 5, most recent: Fredi Knighten (Arkansas State) |
Jan. 2015 |
| Receptions | 17, Harold Fannin Jr. (Bowling Green) | 2024 |
| Receiving yards | 234, Denero Marriott (Marshall) | 2001 |
| Receiving touchdowns | 3, most recent: Booker Mays (Arkansas State) |
Jan. 2015 |
| Tackles | ||
| Sacks | ||
| Interceptions | ||
| Long plays | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Touchdown run | 88 yds., Lionel Gates (Louisville) | 2003 |
| Touchdown pass | 79 yds., Jaylen Raynor to Corey Rucker (Arkansas State) | 2024 |
| Kickoff return | 95 yds., Antonio Brown (Central Michigan) | 2010 |
| Punt return | 60 yds., Courtney Jackson (Arkansas State) | 2024 |
| Interception return | 94 yds., Money Hunter (Arkansas State) | Jan. 2015 |
| Fumble return | 93 yds., Tyrone Hill<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> (Buffalo) | 2018 |
| Punt | 65 yds., Britt Barefoot (Southern Miss) Template:Dagger 73, Joseph Davidson, (Bowling Green)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
2007 Dec. 2015 |
| Field goal | 49 yds., Jesús Gómez (Eastern Michigan) | 2023 |
Source:<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
- Template:Dagger While listed in the record book as the bowl's longest punt, contemporary box scores indicate the longest punt happened in 2015, not 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Media coverage
The bowl has been televised on ESPN or ESPN2 since its inception.