Texas Bowl

The Texas Bowl is an annual postseason NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game first held in 2006 in Houston, Texas. Each edition of the bowl has been played at NRG Stadium, previously known as Reliant Stadium. The bowl replaced the defunct Houston Bowl, which was played annually from 2000 to 2005, and before that the Bluebonnet Bowl, the first bowl game in Houston, played from 1959 through 1987.

Texas Bowl
Mercari Texas Bowl
StadiumNRG Stadium
LocationHouston, Texas
Operated2006–present
Conference tie-insBig 12, SEC
Previous conference tie-ins
PayoutUS$6.4 million (2019)[1]
Preceded byHouston Bowl
Sponsors
Former names
  • Texas Bowl (2006–2010)
  • Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (2011–2012)
  • Texas Bowl (2013)
  • AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl (2014–2016)
  • Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl (2017–2019)
2019 matchup
Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M
(Texas A&M 24–21)
2020 matchup
Cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns

Beginning with the 2020 edition, the bowl is sponsored by Mercari, a Japanese e-commerce company, and is officially known as the Mercari Texas Bowl. The game was previously sponsored by Academy Sports + Outdoors from 2017 to 2019 when it was known as the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl, AdvoCare from 2014 to 2016 when it was known as the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl, and Meineke Car Care from 2011 to 2012 when it was known as the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas.

The 2020 edition, slated for December 31 between TCU and Arkansas, was cancelled on December 29 due to COVID-19 issues within the TCU program.[2]

History

Replacing the Houston Bowl

Speculation surfaced questioning the long-term survival of the former Houston Bowl. The three-year contract with EV1.net expired on December 31, 2005, leaving the bowl game without a title sponsor. A college football official told the Houston Chronicle that the bowl was in danger of ceasing operations, as a result of the game losing its title sponsor and because the Houston Bowl still owed roughly $600,000 to the Big 12 and Mountain West conferences following the 2005 game.[3] However, the NCAA approved Lone Star Sports & Entertainment, a division of the Houston Texans, who also play in Reliant Stadium, to take over game management. In July 2006, the NFL Network acquired TV rights and naming rights to the bowl.[4]

Texas Bowl introduction

The Texas Bowl name and logo were officially unveiled on August 10, 2006, at a press conference along with conference affiliations for the bowl spots. The Big 12, Big East and Conference USA will be affiliated with the game, as well as Texas Christian University of the Mountain West. The 2006 matchup featured teams from the Big 12 and Big East Conferences.[5]

On December 3, 2006, Rutgers accepted an invitation to play Kansas State in the inaugural Texas Bowl. "We're ecstatic about having Rutgers," Texas Bowl director David Brady said. "This is a top-15 team that was three yards away from a BCS game. We couldn't be happier to have them here."[6]

2010 marked the eleventh consecutive year a bowl game has played in Houston, and the 40th year overall with a bowl game there (the Bluebonnet Bowl lasted 29 years). It was also announced on December 30, 2009, that ESPN Events would take over as part owner and operator of the game, while Lone Star Sports and Entertainment will maintain a stake in the bowl, and would be carried on ESPN.

Sponsors

On April 12, 2011, ESPN announced Meineke Car Care signed a three-year title sponsorship deal beginning in 2011, changing name of the bowl to the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas.[7]

On February 12, 2014, it was announced that AdvoCare will be the title sponsor for the bowl game.[8] That sponsorship concluded after the 2016 game.

On November 15, 2017, Academy Sports + Outdoors became the new title sponsor of the bowl.[9][10] That sponsorship concluded after the 2019 game.

On December 14, 2020, Mercari was announced as the new title sponsor of the game.[11]

Conference tie-ins

On May 17, 2007, it was announced Conference USA would have a team in the 2007 Texas Bowl. The Texas Bowl has a rotating commitment with the Big East Conference and Conference USA for 200609 while the Big 12 Conference will have a team in all four of those games. In 2007, TCU took the place of the Big 12 team when Kansas and Oklahoma were put into the BCS, and Houston, a "home team," represented C-USA. The conferences would receive $612,500 each as per the rules of the agreements as usually, the Big East (or Big 12) would have received $750,000 for playing and C-USA would have received a $500,000 stipend for their team playing.

Issues

According to Sports Illustrated, in 2008 the bowl required Western Michigan University to purchase 11,000 tickets at full price in order to accept the invitation to play in the bowl. The university was only able to sell 548 tickets at that price, forcing it to accept a $462,535 loss, before travel expenses, to pay for the privilege of playing in the bowl.[12]

Game results

Rankings are based on the AP Poll prior to the game being played.

Date Time (CST) Bowl name Winning team Losing team Attnd. TV
December 28, 20067:00 PMTexas BowlNo. 16 Rutgers37Kansas State1052,210NFL
Network
December 28, 20077:00 PMTexas BowlTCU20Houston1362,097
December 30, 20087:00 PMTexas BowlRice38Western Michigan1458,880
December 31, 20092:30 PMTexas BowlNavy35Missouri1369,441ESPN
December 29, 20105:00 PMTexas BowlIllinois38Baylor1468,211
December 31, 201111:00 AMMeineke Car Care Bowl of TexasTexas A&M33Northwestern2268,395
December 28, 20128:00 PMMeineke Car Care Bowl of TexasTexas Tech34Minnesota3150,386
December 27, 20135:00 PMTexas BowlSyracuse21Minnesota1732,327
December 29, 20148:00 PMTexas BowlArkansas31Texas771,115
December 29, 20158:00 PMTexas BowlNo. 22 LSU56Texas Tech2771,307
December 28, 20168:00 PMTexas BowlKansas State33Texas A&M2868,412
December 27, 20178:00 PMTexas BowlTexas33Missouri1667,820
December 27, 20188:00 PMTexas BowlBaylor45Vanderbilt3851,104
December 27, 20195:45 PMTexas BowlTexas A&M24No. 25 Oklahoma State2168,415
December 31, 20207:00 PMTexas BowlCancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[13]

Source:[14]

MVPs

2009 MVP Ricky Dobbs
YearMVPTeamPosition
2006Ray RiceRutgersRB
2007Andy DaltonTCUQB
2008Chase ClementRiceQB
2009Ricky DobbsNavyQB
2010Mikel LeshoureIllinoisRB
2011Ryan TannehillTexas A&MQB
2012Seth DoegeTexas TechQB
2013Terrel HuntSyracuseQB
2014Brandon AllenArkansasQB
2015Leonard FournetteLSURB
2016Jesse ErtzKansas StateQB
2017Michael DicksonTexasP
2018Charlie BrewerBaylorQB
2019Kellen MondTexas A&MQB

Most appearances

Head coach Jerry Kill led Minnesota to Texas Bowl appearances in 2012 and 2013.

Updated through the December 2019 edition (14 games, 28 total appearances).

Teams with multiple appearances
Rank Team Appearances Record
1Texas A&M32–1
T2Baylor21–1
T2Kansas State21–1
T2Texas21–1
T2Texas Tech21–1
T2Minnesota20–2
T2Missouri20–2
Teams with a single appearance

Won: Arkansas, Illinois, LSU, Navy, Rice, Rutgers, Syracuse, TCU
Lost: Houston, Northwestern, Western Michigan, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt

Appearances by conference

Updated through the December 2019 edition (14 games, 28 total appearances).

Conference Record Appearances by season
Games W L Win pct. Won Lost
Big 121156.4552011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 20182006, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2019
SEC633.5002014, 2015, 20192016, 2017, 2018
Big Ten413.25020102011, 2012, 2013
C-USA211.50020082007
ACC1101.0002013 
Big East1101.0002006 
Independents1101.0002009 
Mountain West1101.0002007 
MAC101.000 2008

Game records

Team Record, Team vs. Opponent Year
Most points scored (one team) 56, LSU vs. Texas Tech 2015
Most points scored (losing team) 38, Vanderbilt vs. Baylor 2018
Most points scored (both teams) 83, shared by:
LSU (56) vs. Texas Tech (27)
Baylor (45) vs. Vanderbilt (38)
 
2015
2018
Fewest points allowed 7, Arkansas vs. Texas 2014
Largest margin of victory 29, LSU vs. Texas Tech 2015
Total yards 668, Baylor vs. Vanderbilt 2018
Rushing yards 385, Navy vs. Missouri 2009
Passing yards 384, Baylor vs. Vanderbilt 2018
First downs 30, Baylor vs. Vanderbilt 2018
Fewest yards allowed 59, Arkansas vs. Texas 2014
Fewest rushing yards allowed 2, Arkansas vs. Texas 2014
Fewest passing yards allowed 57, Arkansas vs. Texas 2014
Individual Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent Year
All-purpose yards
Touchdowns (all-purpose)
Rushing yards243, Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt vs. Baylor2018
Rushing touchdowns4, Leonard Fournette, LSU vs. Texas Tech2015
Passing yards384, Charlie Brewer, Baylor vs. Vanderbilt2018
Passing touchdowns4, Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech vs. LSU2015
Receiving yards154, Josh Reynolds, Texas A&M vs. Kansas State2016
Receiving touchdowns3, Jakeem Grant, Texas Tech vs. LSU2015
Tackles
Sacks
Interceptions2, Michael Carter, Minnesota vs. Texas Tech2012
Long Plays Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent Year
Touchdown run79, D. J. Chark, LSU vs. Texas Tech2015
Touchdown pass79, shared by:
Byron Pringle from Jesse Ertz, Kansas State vs. Texas A&M
Johnathon Johnson from Drew Lock, Missouri vs. Texas

2016
2017
Kickoff return99, Jakeem Grant, Texas Tech vs. Minnesota2012
Punt return76, Yamon Figurs, Kansas State vs. Rutgers2006
Interception return61, Wyatt Middleton, Navy vs. Missouri2009
Fumble return
Punt65, Chase Turner, Houston vs. TCU2007
Field goal47, Randy Bullock, Texas A&M vs. Northwestern2011

Media coverage

The first three editions of the bowl were televised by NFL Network. Since 2009, it has been carried by ESPN.

References

  1. "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  2. Fornelli, Tom; Kercheval, Ben (December 29, 2020). "2020 Texas Bowl canceled as COVID-19 outbreak at TCU forces it to pull out vs. Arkansas". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  3. Duarte, Joseph (18 April 2006). "Houston Bowl in jeopardy". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  4. "NFL Network gets bowl game in Houston". NFL.com. 20 July 2006. Archived from the original on 23 August 2006.
  5. Chavez, Ana (29 August 2006). "Texas Bowl Board of Directors announced". houstontexans.com (Press release).
  6. Duarte, Joseph (3 December 2006). "Rutgers to play in inaugural Texas Bowl". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  7. Rittenberg, Adam (12 April 2011). "Texas Bowl gains new title sponsor". ESPN.com.
  8. Cook, Kara (11 February 2014). "Advocare, LSSE excited for Texas Bowl partnership". houstontexans.com.
  9. "ACADEMY SPORTS + OUTDOORS NAMED THE NEW TITLE SPONSOR OF THE TEXAS BOWL". academytexasbowl.com (Press release). November 15, 2017.
  10. "Texas Bowl Hopes New Title Sponsor Deal With Locally-Based Academy Sports Brings Stability". Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  11. "Mercari Named New Title Sponsor of Texas Bowl". ESPN Events. 14 December 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  12. Murphy, Austin; Wetzel, Dan (15 November 2010). "Does It Matter?". Sports Illustrated. p. 47.
  13. Khan Jr., Sam (December 29, 2020). "Texas Bowl between TCU Horned Frogs, Arkansas Razorbacks canceled". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  14. "Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl" (PDF). Bowl/All Star Game Records. NCAA. 2020. p. 15. Retrieved January 3, 2021 via NCAA.org.
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