2020 First Responder Bowl
| 2020Servpro First Responder Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 11th First Responder Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 26, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Gerald J. Ford Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Dallas, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Elijah Mitchell(RB, Louisiana)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Louisiana by 14[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Riley Johnson (ACC)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 3,512 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Anish Shroff(play-by-play),Tom Luginbill(analyst) andQuint Kessenich(sideline) | ||||||||||||||||||
| International TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN Deportes | ||||||||||||||||||
The2020 First Responder Bowlwas acollege footballbowl gameplayed on December 26, 2020, with kickoff at 3:30 p.m.EST(2:30 p.m. localCST) onABC.[4]It was the 11th edition of theFirst Responder Bowl,and was one of the2020–21 bowl gamesconcluding the2020 FBS football season.Sponsored by fire and water cleanup and restoration companyServpro,the game was officially known as theServpro First Responder Bowl.
Teams
[edit]Based on conference tie-ins, the First Responder Bowl was expected to feature teams from theAmerican Athletic Conference(AAC),Atlantic Coast Conference(ACC), or theBig 12 Conference.[5]The announced contest matchesLouisianaof theSun Belt ConferenceagainstUTSAofConference USA(C-USA). This was the first meeting of the two programs.[6]
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
[edit]Louisiana accepted their bid to the First Responder Bowl on December 20, 2020.[7]The Ragin' Cajuns entered the bowl with a record of 9–1 (7–1 in conference play) and ranked 16th in theAP Poll.Their only loss of the season was toCoastal Carolina,who they were due to face in a rematch in theSun Belt Championship Game,but it was cancelled due to COVID-19 effects within the Coastal Carolina program.[8]
UTSA Roadrunners
[edit]UTSA accepted their bid to the First Responder Bowl on December 15, 2020.[9]The Roadrunners had originally accepted a bid to playSMUin theFrisco Bowl,but that game was canceled due toCOVID-19problems at SMU.[10]The Roadrunners entered the bowl with a record of 7–4 (5–2 in conference play). They faced one ranked team during the season, losing toBYUin October.
During the week prior to the game, UTSA head coachJeff Traylortested positive forCOVID-19,and thus did not accompany the team to Dallas. Associate head coach and offensive coordinatorBarry Lunney Jr.served as the Roadrunners' coach for the game.[11]
Game summary
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 19 Louisiana | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| UTSA | 0 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 24 |
atGerald J. Ford Stadium•University Park, Texas
- Date:Saturday, December 26, 2020
- Game time:3:30 p.m.EST(2:30 p.m.CST)
- Game weather:Sunny •Temperature:70 °F (21 °C) •Wind:S 15 mph
- Referee:Riley Johnson (ACC)
- TV announcers (ABC):Anish Shroff(play-by-play),Tom Luginbill(analyst) andQuint Kessenich(sideline)
- ESPN game summary
| Game information |
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Statistics
[edit]| Statistics | LA | UTSA |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 23 | 27 |
| Plays–yards | 69–411 | 65–431 |
| Rushes–yards | 46–265 | 44–223 |
| Passing yards | 146 | 208 |
| Passing:comp–att–int | 12–23–0 | 13–21–1 |
| Time of possession | 32:37 | 27:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | Passing | Levi Lewis | 12/22, 146 yards, 2 TD |
| Rushing | Elijah Mitchell | 19 carries, 127 yards, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Elijah Mitchell | 2 receptions, 45 yards | |
| UTSA | Passing | Frank Harris | 13/21, 208 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Sincere McCormick | 23 carries, 122 yards | |
| Receiving | Zakhari Franklin | 5 receptions, 115 yards, 1 TD |
Notes
[edit]- ^Prior to the game, Traylor tested positive for COVID-19. Associate head coach Barry Lunney Jr. was UTSA's acting head coach for the game.
References
[edit]- ^@TDARaginCajuns (December 26, 2020)."MVP of the First Responder Bowl: UL RB Elijah Mitchell (19 carries, 127 yards, 1 TD)"(Tweet).RetrievedDecember 26,2020– viaTwitter.
- ^"ESPN Game Summary - Louisiana vs. UTSA - December 26, 2020".ESPN.com.RetrievedDecember 26,2020.
- ^Austro, Ben (December 23, 2020)."2020-21 bowl officiating assignments".footballzebras.com.RetrievedDecember 23,2020.
- ^"College Football Bowl Schedule | 2020".FBSchedules.com.RetrievedOctober 30,2020.
- ^Mercer, John David (March 17, 2020)."2020-2021 College Football Bowl Ties, Affiliations For Each Conference".collegefootballnews.com.USA Today.RetrievedDecember 6,2020.
- ^"UTSA Roadrunners vs. Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football series history".winsipedia.com.RetrievedDecember 25,2020.
- ^"2020 Servpro First Responder Bowl to Feature No. 19 Louisiana and UTSA".firstresponderbowl.com(Press release). December 20, 2020.RetrievedDecember 25,2020.
- ^"Sun Belt championship game canceled due to COVID issues".AL.com.December 18, 2020.
- ^"UTSA accepts invitation to play in SERVPRO First Responder Bowl".kens5.com.December 15, 2020.RetrievedDecember 15,2020.
- ^"Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl Canceled; UTSA to Play in SERVPRO First Responder Bowl".thefriscobowl.com(Press release). December 15, 2020.RetrievedDecember 15,2020.
- ^Sun Belt Conference (December 26, 2020)."No. 16 Louisiana tops UTSA 31-24 in First Responder Bowl".sunbeltsports.org.Sun Belt Conference.RetrievedDecember 29,2020.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Game statisticsat statbroadcast.com