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New Orleans Bowl

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New Orleans Bowl
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
StadiumCaesars Superdome
LocationNew Orleans, Louisiana
Previous stadiumsCajun Field (2005)
Previous locationsLafayette, Louisiana (2005)
Operated2001–present
Conference tie-insSun Belt, C-USA
Previous conference tie-insMWC (2001, 2011, 2014)
PayoutUS$825,000 (2019)[1]
Sponsors
Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation (2001)
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (2002–2004)
R+L Carriers (2006–present)
Former names
New Orleans Bowl (2001)
Wyndham New Orleans Bowl (2002–2004)
New Orleans Bowl at Lafayette (2005)
2023 matchup
Jacksonville State vs. Louisiana
(Jacksonville State 34–31OT)
2024 matchup
Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston
(December 19, 2024)

The New Orleans Bowl is an NCAA-sanctioned post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually since 2001. It is normally held at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans; when the Superdome and the rest of the city suffered damage due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the game was temporarily moved to Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana, and given the name New Orleans Bowl at Lafayette. Since 2006, the bowl has been sponsored by R+L Carriers and officially known as the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. The game was previously sponsored by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from 2002 to 2004 and was officially called the Wyndham New Orleans Bowl.

Conference tie-ins

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In 2001, the Sun Belt Conference signed a temporary contract to play against the 5th-ranked team from the Mountain West Conference. Beginning in 2002, the New Orleans Bowl established conference tie-ins with the Sun Belt and Conference USA (C-USA). The Sun Belt usually sends its conference champion to the New Orleans Bowl, but can (and has) sent the champion to what is now known as the 68 Ventures Bowl, such as Arkansas State playing in the 2013 GoDaddy.com Bowl. For the 2021 season, the New Orleans Bowl has first pick in the Sun Belt Conference.

In 2010, Ohio represented the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in the New Orleans Bowl, after the Bowl released UTEP to compete in the regional New Mexico Bowl.[2] In 2011 and 2014, a Mountain West team replaced C-USA as the opponent to the Sun Belt representative.

History

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In the 2001 inaugural game, Colorado State defeated North Texas, 45–20. Starting in 2002, the Sun Belt signed a multi-year contract with Conference USA, and the two conferences began their bowl rivalry with a North Texas defeat of then-Conference USA member Cincinnati.

Due to damage by Hurricane Katrina to the Superdome, where the game is usually played, the 2005 game was played in Lafayette, Louisiana, at Cajun Field on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette,[3] and was dubbed the New Orleans Bowl at Lafayette.[4] The game returned to the Superdome for the 2006 edition, with a new corporate sponsor in freight company R+L Carriers, renaming the game the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. That game was won by Troy, co-champions of the Sun Belt Conference, over Rice, making their first bowl appearance since the 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl.

The 2011 through 2014 games were each won by the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns by a combined score of 115–88 over four different opponents. However, the Ragin' Cajuns later had to vacate their 2011 and 2013 victories, due to major NCAA violations including ACT fraud.[5][6] The Ragin' Cajuns also played in the 2016 edition of the bowl, losing to Southern Miss, and in the 2021 edition as well where they defeated Marshall.

Game results

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Rankings per AP Poll prior to the game being played.

Date Winning Team Losing Team Attendance Notes
December 18, 2001 Colorado State 45 North Texas 20 27,004 notes
December 17, 2002 North Texas 24 Cincinnati 19 19,024 notes
December 16, 2003 Memphis 27 North Texas 17 25,184 notes
December 14, 2004 Southern Miss 31 North Texas 10 27,253 notes
December 20, 2005 Southern Miss 31 Arkansas State 19 18,338 notes
December 22, 2006 Troy 41 Rice 17 26,423 notes
December 21, 2007 Florida Atlantic 44 Memphis 27 25,146 notes
December 21, 2008 Southern Miss 30 Troy 27 (OT) 30,197 notes
December 20, 2009 Middle Tennessee 42 Southern Miss 32 30,228 notes
December 18, 2010 Troy 48 Ohio 21 29,159 notes
December 17, 2011 Louisiana-Lafayette (vacated) 32 San Diego State 30 42,841 notes
December 22, 2012 Louisiana-Lafayette 43 East Carolina 34 48,828 notes
December 21, 2013 Louisiana-Lafayette (vacated) 24 Tulane 21 54,728 notes
December 20, 2014 Louisiana-Lafayette 16 Nevada   3 34,014 notes
December 19, 2015 Louisiana Tech 47 Arkansas State 28 32,847 notes
December 17, 2016 Southern Miss 28 Louisiana-Lafayette 21 35,061 notes
December 16, 2017 Troy 50 North Texas 30 24,904 notes
December 15, 2018 Appalachian State 45 Middle Tennessee 13 23,942 notes
December 21, 2019 No. 20 Appalachian State 31 UAB 17 21,202 notes
December 23, 2020 Georgia Southern 38 Louisiana Tech   3   3,000 notes
December 18, 2021 No. 16 Louisiana 36 Marshall 21 21,642 notes
December 21, 2022 Western Kentucky 44 South Alabama 23 13,456 notes
December 16, 2023 Jacksonville State 34 Louisiana 31 (OT) 14,485 notes
December 19, 2024 Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston notes

Source:[7]

(OT)

  • The 2005 game was played at Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana, due to damage to the Superdome by Hurricane Katrina.
  • Louisiana-Lafayette vacated all 9 wins from 2011, including the New Orleans Bowl, and vacated 8 wins from 2013, including the New Orleans Bowl, due to major NCAA violations including ACT fraud.[5][6]
  • Louisiana–Lafayette has been known simply as Louisiana since the 2017 season.

MVPs

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2007 MVP Rusty Smith
2013 MVP Orleans Darkwa
Year MVP Team Position
2001 Justin Gallimore Colorado State DB
2002 Kevin Galbreath North Texas RB
2003 Danny Wimprine Memphis QB
2004 Michael Boley Southern Miss LB
2005 Shawn Nelson Southern Miss TE
2006 Omar Haugabook Troy QB
2007 Rusty Smith Florida Atlantic QB
2008 Austin Davis Southern Miss QB
2009 Dwight Dasher Middle Tennessee QB
2010 Corey Robinson Troy QB
2011 Blaine Gautier Louisiana-Lafayette‡ QB
2012 Terrance Broadway Louisiana-Lafayette QB
2013 Orleans Darkwa Tulane† RB
2014 Terrance Broadway Louisiana-Lafayette QB
2015 Kenneth Dixon Louisiana Tech RB
2016 Allenzae Staggers Southern Miss WR
2017 Brandon Silvers Troy QB
2018 Zac Thomas Appalachian State QB
2019 Darrynton Evans Appalachian State RB
2020 Shai Werts Georgia Southern QB
2021 Levi Lewis[8] Louisiana QB
2022 Austin Reed[9] Western Kentucky QB
2023 Ron Wiggins[10] Jacksonville State RB

† MVP's team did not win the game
‡ MVP's team later vacated its victory

Most appearances

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Updated for the December 2024 edition (24 games, 48 total appearances).

Teams with multiple appearances
Rank Team Appearances Record
1 Louisiana 7 3–2*
2 Southern Miss 5 4–1
North Texas 5 1–4
4 Troy 4 3–1
5 Appalachian State 2 2–0
Georgia Southern 2 1–0
Louisiana Tech 2 1–1
Memphis 2 1–1
Middle Tennessee 2 1–1
Arkansas State 2 0–2

* Record excludes two vacated wins by Louisiana (known as Louisiana–Lafayette prior to the 2017 season).
† December 2024 participant

Teams with a single appearance

Won (4): Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Jacksonville State, Western Kentucky
Lost (10): Cincinnati, East Carolina, Marshall, Nevada, Ohio, Rice, San Diego State, South Alabama, Tulane, UAB
TBD (1): Sam Houston

Appearances by conference

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Updated for the December 2024 edition (24 games, 48 total appearances).

Conference Record Appearances by season
Games W L Win pct. Won Lost Vacated
Sun Belt 24 12 9 .571* 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2022, 2023 2011, 2013
C-USA 20 8 11 .421 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2022, 2023 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021  
Mountain West 3 1 2 .333 2001 2011, 2014  
MAC 1 0 1 .000   2010  

* Two vacated wins are excluded from the Sun Belt's win–loss record and winning percentage.
† December 2024 participant

Game records

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Team Performance vs. Opponent Year
Most points scored 50, Troy vs. North Texas 2017
Fewest points allowed 3, shared by:
Louisiana–Lafayette vs. Nevada
Louisiana Tech vs. Georgia Southern

2014
2020
Margin of victory 35, Georgia Southern vs. Louisiana Tech 2020
First downs 31, Jacksonville State vs. Louisiana 2023
Rushing yards 322, Georgia Southern vs. Louisiana Tech 2020
Passing yards 522, Western Kentucky vs. South Alabama 2022
All-purpose yards 791, Louisiana Tech vs. Arkansas State 2015
Most points scored (losing team) 34, Louisiana–Lafayette vs. East Carolina 2012
Most points scored (both teams) 80, Troy vs. North Texas 2017
Fewest yards allowed 232, Louisiana Tech vs. Georgia Southern 2020
Fewest rushing yards allowed -8, Troy vs. North Texas 2017
Fewest passing yards allowed 95, Southern Miss vs. Louisiana–Lafayette 2016
Individual Player, Team Year
Points scored 24, Kenneth Dixon (Louisiana Tech) 2015
Passing touchdowns 5, Rusty Smith (Florida Atlantic) 2007
Rushing yards 201, Dwight Dasher (Middle Tennessee) 2009
Passing yards 497, Austin Reed (Western Kentucky) 2022
Receiving yards 230, Allenzae Staggers (Southern Miss) 2016
All-purpose yards 283, Darryl Surgent (Louisiana–Lafayette) 2016
Touchdowns (all-purpose) 4, Kenneth Dixon (Louisiana Tech) 2015
Rushing touchdowns 3, shared by:
Orleans Darkwa (Tulane)
Shai Werts (Georgia Southern)
Rasheen Ali (Marshall)

2013
2020
2021
Receiving touchdowns 3, shared by:
Colin Lockett (San Diego State)
Teblarus Gill (Troy)

2011
2010
Tackles 18, K.C. Ossai (Louisiana) 2023
Sacks 3.0, Ja’Boree Poole (Southern Miss) 2016
Interceptions 2, shared by:
Reed Blankenship (Middle Tennessee)
Sean Thomas (Louisiana–Lafayette)
Elbert Mack (Troy)
Justin Birdsong (Georgia Southern)

2018
2013
2006
2020
Long Plays Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent Year
Touchdown run 68 yds., Alonzo Harris (Louisiana–Lafayette) 2012
Touchdown pass 65 yds., Shai Werts to Khaleb Hood (Georgia Southern) 2020
Kickoff return 98 yds., Blaise Taylor (Arkansas State) 2015
Punt return 87 yds., Darryl Surgent (Louisiana–Lafayette) 2011
Interception return 82 yds., Corey Trim (Louisiana–Lafayette) 2013
Fumble return 56 yds., Colton McDonald (North Texas) 2017
Punt 70 yds., Jarre Humphrey (Memphis) 2007
Field goal 50 yds., shared by:
Jonathan Barnes (Louisiana Tech)
Brett Baer (Louisiana–Lafayette)
Michael Taylor (Troy)

2015
2011, 2012
2010

Media coverage

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Five early editions of the bowl were carried on ESPN2 (2001–2003, 2006, 2007); all other editions have been broadcast by ESPN.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  2. ^ "Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns Accept Invitation". neworleansbowl.org (Press release). 2011. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014 – via Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ "New Orleans Bowl move to Lafayette's Cajun Field due to storm". The Daily Advertiser. Lafayette, Louisiana. December 30, 2005. p. 15. Retrieved December 22, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "2005-06 Bowl schedule". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, Vermont. November 23, 2005. p. 18. Retrieved December 22, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b "Exam fraud, recruit payments among NCAA accusations against UL-Lafayette, ex-assistant coach David Saunders". The Baton Rouge Advocate. October 11, 2015. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Patterson, Chip (March 3, 2016). "Ragin' Cajuns vacate 2013 Sun Belt title, 22 wins due to NCAA violations". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  7. ^ "R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl" (PDF). Bowl/All Star Game Records. NCAA. 2020. p. 14. Retrieved January 3, 2021 – via NCAA.org.
  8. ^ @ScottMimic (December 19, 2021). "Louisiana quarterback Levi Lewis named New Orleans Bowl MVP" (Tweet). Retrieved December 19, 2021 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ @WKUFootball (December 22, 2022). "Your 2022 @NewOrleansBowl MVP, Austin Reed" (Tweet). Retrieved December 22, 2022 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ @ThomasAshworth0 (December 16, 2023). "Jacksonville State running back Ron Wiggins is the New Orleans Bowl MVP" (Tweet). Retrieved December 16, 2023 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ Kelly, Doug (ed.). "2019–20 Football Bowl Association Media Guide" (PDF). footballbowlassociation.com. p. 58. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
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