Frisco Bowl
The Frisco Bowl is an annual National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sanctioned post-season Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football bowl game played in Frisco, Texas, since December 2017. The bowl has a tie-in with the American Athletic Conference, and chooses another team at-large. Originally known as the DXL Frisco Bowl, the bowl has been sponsored by Tropical Smoothie Cafe since 2019 and is officially the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl.
| Frisco Bowl | |
|---|---|
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl | |
 | |
| Stadium | Toyota Stadium |
| Location | Frisco, Texas |
| Operated | 2017–present |
| Conference tie-ins | The American |
| Payout | US$650,000 (2019)[1] |
| Preceded by | Miami Beach Bowl |
| Sponsors | |
| Former names | |
DXL Frisco Bowl (2017–2018) | |
| 2019 matchup | |
| Utah State vs. Kent State (Kent State 51–41) | |
| 2020 matchup | |
| Cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns | |
History
On April 21, 2017, it was announced that the Miami Beach Bowl—which had been owned and operated by the American Athletic Conference (The American)—had been sold to ESPN Events and that it would relocate to Frisco, Texas, to be played in Toyota Stadium starting in the 2017 season.[2] On November 8, 2017, it was announced that Destination XL Group, a retailer specializing in big and tall menswear, had signed on as the inaugural title sponsor of the bowl.[3] On December 3, 2017, SMU and Louisiana Tech were announced as the teams for the inaugural playing of the bowl.[4] In 2019, Tropical Smoothie Cafe became the new title sponsor.[5]
The 2020 Frisco Bowl was originally set to be contested by the SMU Mustangs, from The American, and the UTSA Roadrunners, from Conference USA.[6][7] The game was slated to be the first matchup between the two teams.[8] Two days after the matchup was announced, the 2020 edition was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns with the SMU football team.[9][10]
Conference tie-ins
Initial planning had been to have teams from The American face a Sun Belt opponent in 2017 and 2019, and face a Mid-American Conference (MAC) opponent in 2018.[2] In 2017, the inaugural game featured a matchup between The American and Conference USA (C-USA).
The Frisco Bowl then secured an affiliation with The American through the 2021 season, with opponents to be selected at-large. The 2018 matchup featured teams from the MAC and Mountain West, as The American was unable to provide a team, due to its champion, UCF, receiving a New Year's Six bowl bid.[11] MAC and Mountain West teams again met in 2019,[12] as The American's champion, Memphis, again received a New Year's Six bid.
Game results
| Date | Winning Team | Losing Team | Attendance | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 20, 2017 | Louisiana Tech | 51 | SMU | 10 | 14,419 | notes |
| December 19, 2018 | Ohio | 27 | San Diego State | 0 | 11,029 | notes |
| December 20, 2019 | Kent State | 51 | Utah State | 41 | 12,120 | notes |
| December 19, 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[10] | |||||
Source:[13]
MVPs
| Year | Offensive MVP | Defensive MVP | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | College | Position | Player | College | Position | ||
| 2017 | J'Mar Smith | Louisiana Tech | QB | Amik Robertson | Louisiana Tech | CB | [14] |
| 2018 | A. J. Ouellette | Ohio | RB | Evan Croutch | Ohio | LB | [15] |
| 2019 | Dustin Crum | Kent State | QB | Qwuantrezz Knight | Kent State | DB | [16] |
Appearances by team
Updated through the December 2019 edition (3 games, 6 total appearances).
| Rank | Team | Number of Appearances | Record | Win pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | [[Kent State Golden Flashes football|Kent State]] | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| T1 | [[Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football|Louisiana Tech]] | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| T1 | [[Ohio Bobcats football|Ohio]] | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| T1 | [[SMU Mustangs football|SMU]] | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| T1 | [[San Diego State Aztecs football|San Diego State]] | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| T1 | [[Utah State Aggies football|Utah State]] | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
Appearances by conference
Updated through the December 2019 edition (3 games, 6 total appearances).
| Conference | Record | Appearances by season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | W | L | Win pct. | Won | Lost | |
| MAC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 2018, 2019 | |
| Mountain West | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 2018, 2019 | |
| C-USA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2017 | |
| The American | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 2017 | |
Game records
| Team | Record, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored (one team) | 51, shared by: Louisiana Tech vs. SMU Kent State vs. Utah State |
2017 2019 |
| Most points scored (losing team) | 41, Utah State vs. Kent State | 2019 |
| Most points scored (both teams) | 92, Kent State vs. Utah State | 2019 |
| Fewest points allowed | 0, Ohio vs. San Diego State | 2018 |
| Largest margin of victory | 41, Louisiana Tech vs. SMU | 2017 |
| Total yards | 550, Kent State vs. Utah State | 2019 |
| Rushing yards | 252, Kent State vs. Utah State | 2019 |
| Passing yards | 317, Utah State vs. Kent State | 2019 |
| First downs | 29, Utah State vs. Kent State | 2019 |
| Fewest yards allowed | 287, Ohio vs. San Diego State | 2018 |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | 141, SMU vs. Louisiana Tech | 2017 |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | 127, Louisiana Tech vs. SMU | 2017 |
| Individual | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| All-purpose yards | 197, A. J. Ouellette, Ohio vs. San Diego State | 2018 |
| Touchdowns (all-purpose) | 2, shared by Rourke, Veal, and Mariner (see below) | |
| Rushing yards | 164, A. J. Ouellette, Ohio vs. San Diego State | 2018 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 2, Nathan Rourke, Ohio vs. San Diego State | 2018 |
| Passing yards | 317, Jordan Love, Utah State vs. Kent State | 2019 |
| Passing touchdowns | 3, shared by: J'Mar Smith, Louisiana Tech vs. SMU Jordan Love, Utah State vs. Kent State | 2017 2019 |
| Receiving yards | 118, Teddy Veal, Louisiana Tech vs. SMU | 2017 |
| Receiving touchdowns | 2, shared by: Teddy Veal, Louisiana Tech vs. SMU Siaosi Mariner, Utah State vs. Kent State | 2017 2019 |
| Tackles | 14, Troy Lefeged Jr., Utah State vs. Kent State | 2019 |
| Sacks | 2, Nick Heninger, Utah State vs. Kent State | 2019 |
| Interceptions | 1, multiple players | |
| Long Plays | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Touchdown run | 57, Deven Thompkins, Utah State vs. Kent State | 2019 |
| Touchdown pass | 78, Dustin Crum to Isaiah McKoy, Kent State vs. Utah State | 2019 |
| Kickoff return | 65, Jaqwis Dancy, Louisiana Tech vs. SMU | 2017 |
| Punt return | 30, Kylan Nelson, Ohio vs. San Diego State | 2018 |
| Interception return | 45, Amik Robertson, Louisiana Tech vs. SMU | 2017 |
| Fumble return | 8, Eric Kendzior, Louisiana Tech vs. SMU | 2017 |
| Punt | 51, Davan Dyer, Louisiana Tech vs. SMU | 2017 |
| Field goal | 45, Dominik Eberle, Utah State vs. Kent State | 2019 |
Media coverage
Television
| Date | Network | Play-by-play announcers | Color commentators | Sideline reporters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | ESPN | Mike Couzens | John Congemi | Kris Budden |
| 2018 | Kevin Brown | Andre Ware | ||
| 2019 | ESPN2 | Anish Shroff | John Congemi |
Radio
| Date | Network | Play-by-play announcers | Color commentators | Sideline reporters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Gameday Radio | Brian Estridge | John Denton | Elvis Gallegos |
| 2018 | Landry Burdine | Melanie Newman | ||
| 2019 | Elvis Gallegos |
References
- "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- McMurphy, Brett (April 21, 2017). "Miami Beach Bowl moving to Frisco, Texas". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
- "DXL Men's Apparel Named Title Sponsor for Inaugural Frisco Bowl". thefriscobowl.com. November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
- "SMU AND LOUISIANA TECH SELECTED TO PLAY IN INAUGURAL 2017 DXL FRISCO BOWL". dxlfriscobowl.com (Press release). December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
- Lind, Andrew (December 19, 2019). "Tropical Smoothie Cafe Takes Over As Title Sponsor Of Frisco Bowl". sportslogos.net. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- "SMU football will finish season with Frisco Bowl appearance on Dec. 19". Dallas News. 9 December 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- "UTSA headed to Frisco Bowl to face SMU". MySanAntonio. 13 December 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- "Winsipedia - SMU Mustangs vs. UTSA Roadrunners football series history". Winsipedia. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- "Frisco Bowl Canceled Over SMU COVID-19 Protocols, Organizers Say". NBC DFW. 14 December 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- "Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl Canceled; UTSA to Play in SERVPRO First Responder Bowl". thefriscobowl.com (Press release). December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- Phillips, Troy (December 7, 2018). "2018 DXL Frisco Bowl Preview". dxlfriscobowl.com. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- "Utah State Accepts Invite to Frisco Bowl Against Kent State". theFriscoBowl.com. December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- "Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl" (PDF). Bowl/All Star Game Records. NCAA. 2020. p. 17. Retrieved January 3, 2021 – via NCAA.org.
- "Smith, Robertson named MVPs in LA Tech's Frisco bowl victory". ESPN. December 2017.
- @MACSports (December 19, 2018). "MVP's of the Game!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Flashes Win First Bowl Game in Program History". kentstatesports.com. December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.