68 Ventures Bowl

The 68 Ventures Bowl is a postseason NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game that has been played annually in Mobile, Alabama since 1999. In 2021, the game was moved from Ladd-Peebles Stadium to Hancock Whitney Stadium, on the campus of the University of South Alabama. The game currently matches teams from the Sun Belt Conference and the Mid-American Conference. Originally known as the Mobile Alabama Bowl during its first two playings, it has undergone many name changes.

68 Ventures Bowl
StadiumHancock Whitney Stadium
LocationMobile, Alabama
Previous stadiumsLadd-Peebles Stadium
Operated1999–present
Conference tie-insSun Belt, MAC
Previous conference tie-insACC, C-USA, WAC
PayoutUS$1.5 million (2019 season)[1]
Sponsors
Mobile Alabama, Inc. (1999)
GMAC (now Ally Financial) (2000–2010)
GoDaddy (2011–2015)
Dollar General (2016–2018)
LendingTree (2019–2022)
68 Ventures (2023–present)
Former names
Mobile Alabama Bowl (1999, May-Nov. 2019)
GMAC Mobile Alabama Bowl (2000)
GMAC Bowl (2001–2010)
GoDaddy.com Bowl (2011–2013)
GoDaddy Bowl (2014–2015)
Dollar General Bowl (2016–2018)
LendingTree Bowl (2019–2022)
2021 matchup
Liberty vs. Eastern Michigan (Liberty 56–20)
2022 matchup
Rice vs. Southern Miss (Southern Miss 38–24)

History

The game was known as the Mobile Alabama Bowl for its first two playings, in 1999 and 2000. GMAC (now Ally Financial) had become the title sponsor for the 2000 playing, and the game was renamed as the GMAC Bowl for the 2001 though January 2010 playings. It was then the GoDaddy.com Bowl for the January 2011 to January 2013 playings when GoDaddy took over sponsorship.[2] In May 2013, it was announced that the ".com" would be dropped from the bowl's name, rebranding it as the GoDaddy Bowl for the January 2014 through December 2015 editions.[3] Dollar General took over sponsorship on August 17, 2016,[4] with the 2016 through 2018 playings branded as the Dollar General Bowl. It was announced on May 29, 2019, that Dollar General would no longer sponsor the bowl.[5] It was temporarily called by its original name, the Mobile Alabama Bowl,[5] until new sponsorship by LendingTree was announced on November 15, 2019, making it the LendingTree Bowl.[6] On May 15, 2023, the game came under new sponsorship and was renamed as the 68 Ventures Bowl.[7]

When the bowl first began, it was played as one of the first games of the bowl season in December. The 2006 season saw the game moved to January, and it served as one of the last bowls played before the national championship game of either the Bowl Championship Series or the College Football Playoff. For the 2015 season, the bowl was moved back to December, where it remained for every subsequent playing except for the 2019 season.[5]

Conference tie-ins

From 1999 to 2009, the bowl pitted a Conference USA (C-USA) team against a team from the Mid-American Conference (MAC), except for the first two playings, when the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) could receive the bid if one of its easternmost teams qualified as bowl eligible.

For the January 2010 edition, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) was to participate in the bowl as its ninth bowl tie-in. The ACC failed to have sufficient bowl-eligible teams to fill the slot, and the bowl chose Sun Belt Conference champion Troy as a replacement.[8] A MAC vs. Sun Belt matchup was then featured for a total of 11 consecutive bowls, through the January 2020 edition. That streak was broken when the December 2020 edition invited teams from C-USA and the Sun Belt.

Notable games

The 2001 game between the Marshall Thundering Herd and East Carolina Pirates set the record as the highest-scoring bowl game of all time, and Marshall achieved what was then the greatest scoring comeback in bowl history.[9] In this contest, Marshall battled back from a 38–8 deficit to win 64–61 in double overtime. Thundering Herd quarterback Byron Leftwich threw for 576 yards in the game. The 2008 game had the largest margin of victory in bowl history, with Tulsa defeating Bowling Green, 63–7.

Game results
Date Bowl name Winning team Losing team Attnd. Ref.
December 22, 1999Mobile Alabama BowlTCU28East Carolina1434,200[10]
December 20, 2000Mobile Alabama BowlSouthern Miss28TCU2140,300[11]
December 19, 2001GMAC BowlMarshall64East Carolina61 (2OT)40,139[12]
December 18, 2002GMAC BowlMarshall38Louisville1540,646[13]
December 18, 2003GMAC BowlMiami (Ohio)49Louisville2840,620[14]
December 22, 2004GMAC BowlBowling Green52Memphis3529,500[15]
December 21, 2005GMAC BowlToledo45UTEP1335,422[16]
January 7, 2007GMAC BowlSouthern Miss28Ohio728,706[17]
January 6, 2008GMAC BowlTulsa63Bowling Green736,932[18]
January 6, 2009GMAC BowlTulsa45Ball State1332,816[19]
January 6, 2010GMAC BowlCentral Michigan44Troy41 (2OT)34,486[20]
January 6, 2011GoDaddy.com BowlMiami (Ohio)35Middle Tennessee2138,168[21]
January 8, 2012GoDaddy.com BowlNorthern Illinois38Arkansas State2038,734[22]
January 6, 2013GoDaddy.com BowlArkansas State17Kent State1337,913[23]
January 5, 2014GoDaddy BowlArkansas State23Ball State2036,119[24]
January 4, 2015GoDaddy BowlToledo63Arkansas State4436,811[25]
December 23, 2015GoDaddy BowlGeorgia Southern58Bowling Green2728,656[26]
December 23, 2016Dollar General BowlTroy28Ohio2332,377[27]
December 23, 2017Dollar General BowlAppalachian State34Toledo028,706[28]
December 22, 2018Dollar General BowlTroy42Buffalo3231,818[29]
January 6, 2020LendingTree BowlLouisiana27Miami (Ohio)1729,212[30]
December 26, 2020LendingTree BowlGeorgia State39Western Kentucky21  5,128[31]
December 18, 2021LendingTree BowlLiberty56Eastern Michigan2015,186[32]
December 17, 2022LendingTree BowlSouthern Miss38Rice2420,512[33]

Source:[34]

MVPs
Date playedMVPSchoolPosition
December 22, 1999Casey PrintersTCUQB
December 20, 2000LaDainian TomlinsonTCURB
December 19, 2001Byron LeftwichMarshallQB
December 18, 2002Byron LeftwichMarshallQB
December 18, 2003Ben RoethlisbergerMiami (OH)QB
December 22, 2004Omar JacobsBowling GreenQB
December 21, 2005Bruce GradkowskiToledoQB
January 7, 2007Damion FletcherSouthern MissRB
January 6, 2008Paul SmithTulsaQB
January 6, 2009Tarrion AdamsTulsaRB
January 6, 2010Dan LeFevourCentral MichiganQB
January 6, 2011Austin BoucherMiami (OH)QB
January 8, 2012Chandler HarnishNorthern IllinoisQB
January 6, 2013Ryan AplinArkansas StateQB
January 5, 2014Fredi KnightenArkansas StateQB
January 4, 2015Kareem HuntToledoRB
December 23, 2015Favian UpshawGeorgia SouthernQB
December 23, 2016Justin LucasTroyLB
December 23, 2017Jalin MooreAppalachian StateRB
December 22, 2018Sawyer SmithTroyQB
January 6, 2020Levi LewisLouisianaQB
December 26, 2020Cornelious Brown IV[35]Georgia StateQB
December 18, 2021Malik Willis[36]LibertyQB
December 17, 2022Frank Gore Jr.[37]Southern MissRB

Most appearances

Updated through the December 2022 edition (24 games, 48 total appearances).

Teams with multiple appearances
Rank Team Appearances Record
1Arkansas State42–2
2Southern Miss33–0
Miami (OH)32–1
Toledo32–1
Troy32–1
Bowling Green31–2
7Marshall22–0
Tulsa22–0
TCU21–1
Ball State20–2
East Carolina20–2
Louisville20–2
Ohio20–2
Teams with a single appearance

Won (7): Appalachian State, Central Michigan, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Liberty, Louisiana, Northern Illinois
Lost (8): Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State, Rice, UTEP, Western Kentucky

Appearances by conference

Updated through the December 2022 edition (24 games, 48 total appearances).

Conference Record Appearances by season
Games W L Win pct. Won Lost
MAC20911.450 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009*, 2010*, 2011*, 2014* 2006*, 2007*, 2008*, 2012*, 2013*, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019*, 2021
Sun Belt1394.692 2012*, 2013*, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019*, 2020, 2022 2009*, 2010*, 2011*, 2014*
C-USA1248.333 2000, 2006*, 2007*, 2008* 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2020, 2022
WAC211.500 1999 2000
Independent1101.000 2021  
  • Games marked with an asterisk (*) were played in January of the following calendar year.
  • The WAC no longer sponsors FBS football.
  • Independent appearances: Liberty (2021)

Game records
Team Record, Team vs. Opponent Year
Most points scored (one team) 64, Marshall vs. East Carolina 2001
Most points scored (losing team) 61, East Carolina vs. Marshall 2001
Most points scored (both teams) 125, Marshall vs. East Carolina 2001
Fewest points allowed 0, Appalachian State vs. Toledo 2017
Largest margin of victory 56, Tulsa vs. Bowling Green 2008
Total yards 649, Marshall vs. East Carolina 2001
Rushing yards 482, Tulsa vs. Ball State 2009
Passing yards 576, Marshall vs. East Carolina 2001
First downs 36, Marshall vs. East Carolina 2001
Fewest yards allowed 146, Appalachian State vs. Toledo 2017
Fewest rushing yards allowed –16, TCU vs. East Carolina 1999
Fewest passing yards allowed 82, Bowling Green vs. Georgia Southern Dec. 2015
Individual Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent Year
All-purpose yards
Touchdowns (all-purpose)5, Kareem Hunt (Toledo)Jan. 2015
Rushing yards329, Frank Gore Jr. (Southern Miss)2022
Rushing touchdowns5, Kareem Hunt (Toledo)Jan. 2015
Passing yards576, Byron Leftwich (Marshall)2001
Passing touchdowns5, most recent:
Fredi Knighten (Arkansas State)
Jan. 2015
Receiving yards234, Denero Marriott (Marshall)2001
Receiving touchdowns3, most recent:
Booker Mays (Arkansas State)
Jan. 2015
Tackles
Sacks
Interceptions
Long plays Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent Year
Touchdown run88 yds., Lionel Gates (Louisville)2003
Touchdown pass70 yds., Austin Boucher to Armand Robinson (Miami (OH))†
66, Fredi Knighten to Tres Houston, Arkansas State vs. Toledo[38]		2011
Jan. 2015
Kickoff return95 yds., Antonio Brown (Central Michigan)2010
Punt return44 yds., DeMarco Paine (Miami (OH))2011
Interception return94 yds., Money Hunter (Arkansas State)Jan. 2015
Fumble return93 yds., Tyrone Hill[39] (Buffalo)2018
Punt65 yds., Britt Barefoot (Southern Miss)2007
Field goal47 yds., Louie Zervos (Ohio)2016

Source:[40]
† While listed in the record book as the bowl's longest touchdown pass, contemporary box scores indicate that this play did not result in a touchdown.[41]

Media coverage
Main article: List of LendingTree Bowl broadcasters

The bowl has been televised on ESPN or ESPN2 since its inception.

References
  1. "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  2. "GODADDY.COM JOINS COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL LINEUP". 2010-10-18. Archived from the original on 2010-10-23. Retrieved 2010-10-18 – via Wayback Machine.
  3. Inabinett, Mark (May 15, 2013). "GoDaddy Bowl tweaks name, sets date for 2014 game". AL.com/mobile. Mobile Press-Register. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  4. Stephenson, Creg (August 17, 2016). "Dollar General takes over as title sponsor of Mobile bowl game". AL.com. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  5. "Mobile's college bowl game no longer called 'Dollar General Bowl'". WKRG-TV. May 29, 2019. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  6. "Mobile's college bowl game renamed LendingTree Bowl". WPMI-TV. November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  7. "68 Ventures is New Title Sponsor for Mobile Alabama Bowl". 68venturesbowl.com. May 15, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  8. "ACC adds GMAC Bowl to its postseason lineup : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis". Archived from the original on 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  9. "Leftwich throws for 576 yards in 64–61 GMAC Bowl win". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. December 19, 2001.
  10. "1999 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  11. "2000 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  12. "2001 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  13. "2002 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  14. "2003 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  15. "2004 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  16. "2005 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  17. "2007 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  18. "2008 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  19. "2009 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  20. "2010 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  21. "2011 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  22. "2012 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  23. "2013 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  24. "2014 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  25. "2015 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  26. "Dec. 2015 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  27. "2016 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  28. "2017 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  29. "2018 Game Recap – LendingTree Bowl".
  30. "Louisiana vs. Miami (OH) - Game Summary". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  31. "Western Kentucky vs. Georgia State - Game Summary". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  32. Stephenson, Creg (December 18, 2021). "Malik Willis, Liberty rout Eastern Michigan in LendingTree Bowl, 56-20". al.com. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  33. Busby, Garrett (December 17, 2022). "Gore Jr.'s record night highlights Southern Miss' first bowl victory since 2016". WLBT.com. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  34. "Lending Tree Bowl" (PDF). Bowl/All Star Game Records. NCAA. 2020. p. 13. Retrieved January 3, 2021 – via NCAA.org.
  35. @JMacDonaldSport (December 26, 2020). "Cornelious Brown is the LendingTree Bowl MVP, Destin Coates is the Offensive MVP, Jontrey Hunter was the Defensive MVP and Noel Ruiz was the Special Teams MVP" (Tweet). Retrieved December 26, 2020 – via Twitter.
  36. @CregStephenson (December 18, 2021). "Malik Willis is your game MVP after accounting for 289 yards & 5 TDs" (Tweet). Retrieved December 18, 2021 – via Twitter.
  37. Busby, Garrett (December 17, 2022). "Gore Jr.'s record night highlights Southern Miss' first bowl victory since 2016". WLBT.com. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  38. "Toledo vs. Arkansas State - Play-By-Play". ESPN.com. January 4, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2020. Fredi Knighten pass complete to Tres Houston for 66 yds for a TD.
  39. "2018 Dollar General Bowl Highlights". Troy Trojans. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved January 4, 2020 – via YouTube.
  40. "LendingTree Bowl Records". LendingTree Game Day Program. LendingTree Bowl Media Relations Department. December 2020. pp. 18–19. Retrieved December 26, 2020 – via lendingtreebowl.com.
  41. "Middle Tennessee vs. Miani (OH) - Play-By-Play". ESPN.com. January 6, 2011. Retrieved December 26, 2020. Austin Boucher pass complete to Armand Robinson for 70 yards to the MTnSt 3 for a 1ST down.
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