Fenway Bowl
The Fenway Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. Organized by ESPN Events and Fenway Sports Management, it features teams from the American Athletic Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference.[1] Upon its inaugural playing in 2022, it became the fourth active bowl game staged in a baseball stadium, along with the Pinstripe Bowl (Yankee Stadium), the Holiday Bowl (Petco Park) and Guaranteed Rate Bowl (Chase Field).[2][3][4]
| Fenway Bowl | |
|---|---|
| Wasabi Fenway Bowl | |
 | |
| Stadium | Fenway Park |
| Location | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Operated | 2022–present |
| Conference tie-ins | The American, ACC |
| Sponsors | |
Wasabi Technologies (2022–present) | |
| 2021 matchup | |
| SMU vs. Virginia (canceled) | |
| 2022 matchup | |
| Cincinnati vs. Louisville (Louisville 24–7) | |
History
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American football games at Fenway Park date to at least 1916. Various professional and college football teams have played at Fenway, including the Boston Patriots during the American Football League (AFL) era, and the Boston College Eagles. Prior to the Fenway Bowl, no bowl game had been scheduled for the ballpark.
Organizers had planned for the inaugural playing of the Fenway Bowl to be during the 2020–21 bowl season. On October 23, 2020, it was reported that the bowl would not debut as planned, citing COVID-19 pandemic concerns.[5] Postponement of the bowl was confirmed by organizers the following week, with the temporary Montgomery Bowl being created as a substitute.[6][7]
On May 27, 2021, organizers announced a game date for the 2021–22 bowl season of December 29, 2021.[8] On November 4, 2021, Wasabi Technologies signed on as the title sponsor of the game.[9] However, the game was canceled three days prior to kickoff due to COVID issues within the Virginia team; they had been set to face SMU.[10]
On December 17, 2022, as part of the 2022–23 bowl season, the Fenway Bowl was played for the first time, featuring Cincinnati and Louisville.
Game results
| Date | Winning Team | Losing Team | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 17, 2022 | Louisville | 24 | Cincinnati | 7 | 15,000[11] |
MVPs
| Year | Offensive MVP | Defensive MVP | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Pos. | Player | Team | Pos. | ||
| 2022 | Jawhar Jordan | Louisville | RB | Monty Montgomery | Louisville | LB | [12] |
Appearances by team
Updated through the 2022 edition (1 game, 2 total appearances).
- Teams with a single appearance
Won: Louisville
Lost: Cincinnati
Appearances by conference
for the 2022 edition (1 game, 2 total appearances).
| Conference | Record | Appearances by season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | W | L | Win pct. | Won | Lost | |
| ACC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2022 | |
| The American | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2022 | |
Game records
| Team | Performance vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored (one team) | 24, Louisville vs. Cincinnati | 2022 |
| Most points scored (losing team) | 7, Cincinnati vs. Louisville | 2022 |
| Most points scored (both teams) | 31, Louisville vs. Cincinnati | 2022 |
| Fewest Points Allowed | 7, Cincinnati vs. Louisville | 2022 |
| Largest margin of victory | 17, Louisville vs. Cincinnati | 2022 |
| Total yards | 419, Louisville vs. Cincinnati (132 pass, 287 rush) | 2022 |
| Rushing yards | 287, Louisville vs. Cincinnati | 2022 |
| Passing yards | 132, Louisville vs. Cincinnati | 2022 |
| First downs | 24, Louisville vs. Cincinnati | 2022 |
| Fewest yards allowed | 127, Cincinnati vs. Louisville | 2022 |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | 44, Cincinnati vs. Louisville | 2022 |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | 83, Cincinnati vs. Louisville | 2022 |
| Individual | Performance, Team | Year |
| All-Purpose yards | 160, Maurice Turner (Louisville) (160 pass) | 2022 |
| Touchdowns (all-purpose) | 2, Jawhar Jordan (Louisville) | 2022 |
| Rushing yards | 160, Maurice Turner (Louisville) | 2022 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 2, Jawhar Jordan (Louisville) | 2022 |
| Passing yards | 132, Brock Domann (Louisville) | 2022 |
| Passing touchdowns | 1, shared by: Evan Prater (Cincinnati) Brock Domann (Louisville) | 2022 |
| Receiving yards | 50, Jaelin Carter (Louisville) | 2022 |
| Receiving touchdowns | 1, shared by: Wyatt Fischer (Cincinnati) Marshon Ford (Louisville) | 2022 |
| Tackles | 16, Ivan Pace Jr. (Cincinnati) | 2022 |
| Sacks | 1.5, shared by: Yasir Abdullah (Louisville) YaYa Diaby (Louisville) | 2022 |
| Interceptions | 1, shared by: Armorion Smith (Cincinnati) Ja'von Hicks (Cincinnati) | 2022 |
| Long Plays | Performance, Team | Year |
| Touchdown run | 49 yds., Jawhar Jordan (Louisville) | 2022 |
| Touchdown pass | 20 yds., Evan Prater to Wyatt Fischer (Cincinnati) | 2022 |
| Kickoff return | 32 yds., Drew Donley (Cincinnati) | 2022 |
| Punt return | 5 yds., Braden Smith (Louisville) | 2022 |
| Interception return | 20 yds., Armorion Smith (Cincinnati) | 2022 |
| Fumble return | ||
| Punt | 56 yds., Mark Vassett (Louisville) | 2022 |
| Field goal | 48 yds., James Turner (Louisville) | 2022 |
Source:[13]
Media coverage
Television
| Date | Network | Play-by-play announcer | Color commentator | Sideline reporter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | ESPN | Chris Cotter | Mark Herzlich | Kelsey Riggs |
Radio
| Date | Network | Play-by-play announcer | Color commentator | Sideline reporter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Bowl Season Radio | Travis Jones | John Denton | David Beaudin |
References
- "New bowl game at Fenway Park to match teams from ACC, AAC". San Francisco Chronicle. September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- "Boston's Fenway Park to host new 2020 college football bowl game between ACC, AAC teams". Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- "Fenway Park will reportedly begin hosting a bowl game in 2020". Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- "Fenway Sports Management and ESPN Events Officially Introduce "The Fenway Bowl"". Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- Saunders, Alan (October 23, 2020). "Report: 2020 Fenway Bowl Won't Be Played, 2nd ACC-Tied Bowl to Cancel". pittsburghsportsnow.com. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
- "ESPN Events Reveals 13-Game College Football Bowl Schedule for 2020-21: Inaugural Launch of the Fenway Bowl Postponed". espnpressroom.com (Press release). October 30, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
- "2020-21 Bowl Season Schedule Announced". bowlseason.com. October 30, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
- "Inaugural 'Fenway Bowl' Announced For December 29". WBZ-TV. CBS. May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- "Fenway Bowl Announces Wasabi Technologies as Title Sponsor". Retrieved November 4, 2020.
- Adelson, Andrea (December 26, 2021). "Military, Fenway Bowls Canceled Because of COVID-19 Issues". ESPN. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- Golen, Jimmy (December 17, 2022). "Interim coach Deion Branch leads Louisville past Cincinnati at Fenway Bowl". CBS News. AP. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
- Cubit, Alexis (December 17, 2022). "Louisville dominates Cincinnati in Fenway Bowl to retain Keg of Nails". Louisville Courier Journal. Retrieved December 17, 2022 – via MSN.com.
- "Cincinnati vs. Louisville - College Football Game Summary - December 17, 2022". ESPN. Retrieved 27 December 2022.