The 2019 First Responder Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 30, 2019, with kickoff at 12:30 p.m. EST (11:30 a.m. local CDT) on ESPN.[5] It was the 10th edition of the First Responder Bowl (although only the ninth to be played, as the 2018 edition of the game was declared a no contest while the game was in the first quarter), and was one of the 2019–20 bowl games concluding the 2019 FBS football season. Sponsored by fire and water cleanup and restoration company Servpro, the game was officially known as the Servpro First Responder Bowl.
| 2019 Servpro First Responder Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th First Responder Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Date | December 30, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Gerald J. Ford Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | University Park, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Lucky Jackson (WR, Western Kentucky)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Western Kentucky by 3[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Jeremy Parker (Sun Belt)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 13,164 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Payout | US$824,545[4] | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Dave Neal (play-by-play), DJ Shockley (analyst) and Dawn Davenport (sideline) | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2019 First Responder Bowl was played in Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University in University Park, Texas. The move was necessitated by the National Hockey League's announcement that the league's annual New Year's Day outdoor game would be played in the bowl's normal host stadium, Dallas' Cotton Bowl, which created a scheduling conflict. Ford Stadium previously hosted two editions of the Armed Forces Bowl due to construction at its host stadium, Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.[6]
Teams
editThe game featured the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers of Conference USA (C-USA) and the Western Michigan Broncos of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). This was the 16th meeting between the two programs, and the first since 1947; Western Michigan led the all-time series, 11–3–1.[7]
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
editWestern Kentucky entered the game with an 8–4 record (6–2 in conference). The Hilltoppers finished tied for second place with Marshall in the East Division of C-USA.
Western Michigan Broncos
editWestern Michigan entered the game with a 7–5 record (5–3 in conference). The Broncos finished in second place of the West Division of the MAC. Each of their five losses during the regular season were away games.
Game summary
edit| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Kentucky | 0 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 23 |
| Western Michigan | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
at Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, Texas
- Date: Monday, December 30, 2019
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST (11:30 a.m. CST)
- Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 50 °F (10 °C) • Wind: WNW 12 mph
- Game attendance: 13,164
- Referee: Jeremy Parker
- TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), DJ Shockley (analyst) and Dawn Davenport (sideline)
- ESPN game summary
| Game information |
|---|
|
Statistics
edit| Statistics | WKU | WMU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 28 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 80–481 | 67–307 |
| Rushes–yards | 28–123 | 31–114 |
| Passing yards | 358 | 193 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 35–52–2 | 19–36–1 |
| Time of possession | 32:01 | 27:59 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Ty Storey | 35/51, 358 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Gaej Walker | 15 carries, 93 yards | |
| Receiving | Lucky Jackson | 17 receptions, 148 yards, 1 TD | |
| Western Michigan | Passing | Jon Wassink | 19/36, 193 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | LeVante Bellamy | 18 carries, 60 yards | |
| Receiving | Skyy Moore | 4 receptions, 68 yards |
References
edit- ^ @FRBowl (December 30, 2019). "Your @FRBowl MVP is Lucky Jackson" (Tweet). Retrieved December 30, 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Western Kentucky vs. Western Michigan". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ "2019-20 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- ^ "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- ^ "2019-20 college football bowl schedule, games, dates, times, TV channels". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
- ^ Baby, Ben (May 23, 2019). "Conflict with Winter Classic forces First Responder Bowl to move from Cotton Bowl to SMU's Ford Stadium". dallasnews.com. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
- ^ "Winsipedia - Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs. Western Michigan Broncos football series history". Retrieved December 8, 2019.
External links
edit- Official website
- Game statistics at statbroadcast.com