The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Accepts Invitation to Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl
12/2/2018 2:26:00 PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM - Champions of Conference USA, the UAB football team has accepted an invitation to play MAC champion Northern Illinois in the 2018 Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at FAU Stadium.
The game kicks at 7 p.m. EST/6 p.m. CST and will be nationally televised on ESPN. The matchup is the only bowl game outside of the New Years Six to feature two conference champions against each other.
This will be UAB's third bowl game in program history and its second-consecutive after playing in last year's Bahamas Bowl. UAB (10-3) and NIU (8-5) have never met on the gridiron and the Blazers look to register their first-ever bowl victory.
"We are thrilled to play a quality opponent such as Northern Illinois in the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl," head coach Bill Clark said. "We look forward to an incredible challenge and will be eager to finish off our historic season with a bowl victory."
Experiencing their best season in school history which includes tallying a program-best 10 victories, the Blazers are coming off a 27-25 victory over Middle Tennessee to claim the 2018 C-USA title.
Sophomore running back Spencer Brown was named the game's MVP as he ran for 156 yards and a touchdown. Brown ranks sixth nationally in rushing touchdowns with 16 and 20th nationally in rushing yards with 1,149.
UAB is 10th nationally in total defense, while it leads the nation in fourth down defense and is second in third down defense. The game with NIU will pair two elite defenses as the Huskies lead the country in sacks (50) and rank sixth in tackles for loss (8.0), while UAB is fourth in sacks (43) and fifth in tackles for loss (8.1).
Northern Illinois defeated Buffalo in the MAC Championship Game 30-29 to win its fifth conference title overall. The Huskies finished 6-2 in conference play and boast a strength of schedule of 65 after having played Iowa, Utah, Florida State and BYU in 2018.
"We are honored to have been selected to a premier bowl such as the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl," said Director of Athletics Mark Ingram. "Congratulations to NIU on winning the MAC title; this game will be a fantastic matchup between two championship teams. We are grateful to Conference USA and all of our bowl partners for their hard work during the bowl selection process. Our team and staff look forward to traveling with our fans to sunny South Florida."
Tickets to the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl can be purchased by clicking here. For more information on the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl, click here.
The game kicks at 7 p.m. EST/6 p.m. CST and will be nationally televised on ESPN. The matchup is the only bowl game outside of the New Years Six to feature two conference champions against each other.
This will be UAB's third bowl game in program history and its second-consecutive after playing in last year's Bahamas Bowl. UAB (10-3) and NIU (8-5) have never met on the gridiron and the Blazers look to register their first-ever bowl victory.
"We are thrilled to play a quality opponent such as Northern Illinois in the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl," head coach Bill Clark said. "We look forward to an incredible challenge and will be eager to finish off our historic season with a bowl victory."
Experiencing their best season in school history which includes tallying a program-best 10 victories, the Blazers are coming off a 27-25 victory over Middle Tennessee to claim the 2018 C-USA title.
Sophomore running back Spencer Brown was named the game's MVP as he ran for 156 yards and a touchdown. Brown ranks sixth nationally in rushing touchdowns with 16 and 20th nationally in rushing yards with 1,149.
UAB is 10th nationally in total defense, while it leads the nation in fourth down defense and is second in third down defense. The game with NIU will pair two elite defenses as the Huskies lead the country in sacks (50) and rank sixth in tackles for loss (8.0), while UAB is fourth in sacks (43) and fifth in tackles for loss (8.1).
Northern Illinois defeated Buffalo in the MAC Championship Game 30-29 to win its fifth conference title overall. The Huskies finished 6-2 in conference play and boast a strength of schedule of 65 after having played Iowa, Utah, Florida State and BYU in 2018.
"We are honored to have been selected to a premier bowl such as the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl," said Director of Athletics Mark Ingram. "Congratulations to NIU on winning the MAC title; this game will be a fantastic matchup between two championship teams. We are grateful to Conference USA and all of our bowl partners for their hard work during the bowl selection process. Our team and staff look forward to traveling with our fans to sunny South Florida."
Tickets to the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl can be purchased by clicking here. For more information on the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl, click here.
Players Mentioned
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