The 2023 Famous Toastery Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 18, 2023, at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Originally planned as the 9th annual Bahamas Bowl, it was renamed and relocated due to renovations at its usual site, Thomas Robinson Stadium in the Bahamas. The game featured the Old Dominion Monarchs from the Sun Belt Conference and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers from Conference USA. It started at approximately 2:30 p.m EST and was broadcast on ESPN. The Famous Toastery Bowl was one of the 2023–24 bowl games concluding the 2023 FBS football season.[5]
| 2023 Famous Toastery Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 9th Bahamas Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 18, 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Jerry Richardson Stadium | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Charlotte, North Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Caden Veltkamp (QB, Western Kentucky)[1] & Anthony Johnson Jr. (DB, Western Kentucky)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Old Dominion by 2.5[3] | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Andrew Speciale (MAC)[4] | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 5,632 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Dave Neal (play-by-play), Tom Luginbill (analyst), and Abby Labar (sideline) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| International TV coverage | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN Brazil | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | ESPN Brazil: Thiago Alves (play-by-play) and Deivis Chiodini (analyst) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Relocation
editThe bowl was originally scheduled, as the Bahamas Bowl, to be played on December 16, 2023, with a start time of 11:00 a.m. EST. However, on October 26, it was announced that the game would be held at Jerry Richardson Stadium in North Carolina due to renovations at Thomas Robinson Stadium in the Bahamas.[6] The game also swapped dates and start times with the 2023 Myrtle Beach Bowl. The game was originally sponsored by mortgage lender HomeTown Lenders, and was, before relocation, to be officially known as the HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl.[7][8] On November 14, 2023, the Famous Toastery restaurant chain was named the title sponsor of the relocated bowl.[9] The game is expected to return to the Bahamas in 2024.[10]
Teams
editThe game originally planned to feature teams from the Sun Belt Conference and Mid-American Conference (MAC).[11][a] While the Old Dominion Monarchs from Sun Belt were named as a participant, the MAC did not have enough bowl-eligible teams to fill their spot.[11] The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers of Conference USA (C-USA) were then selected.[11]
This was the eighth meeting between Old Dominion and Western Kentucky; entering the bowl, the Hilltoppers led the all-time series 6–1, with the Monarchs' lone win coming in 2018.[12] From 2014 to 2021, Old Dominion and Western Kentucky played together in C-USA, parting ways when the Monarchs joined the Sun Belt for 2022.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
editWestern Kentucky entered the season returning star quarterback-wide receiver duo Austin Reed and Malachi Corley and hoping to contend for a C-USA title. They entered conference play 2–2 following a blowout loss to Ohio State and a close loss to Troy. In Week 11, a 38–29 loss to New Mexico State gave the Hilltoppers their third conference loss and ended their hopes of a C-USA title. They clinched bowl eligibility a week later with a 28–23 win over Sam Houston. The Hilltoppers entered the Famous Toastery Bowl with a record of 7–5.
Old Dominion Monarchs
editThe Monarchs started the season 2–3 with two one-score losses as well as a blowout loss to Virginia Tech. A three-game losing streak in late October and early November dropped them to 4–6, one loss away from bowl ineligibility. However, the Monarchs managed to win their final two games, a three-point win over Georgia Southern and a one-point win over Georgia State. This allowed them to clinch bowl eligibility in the final week of the season. Old Dominion entered the Famous Toastery Bowl with a record of 6–6.
Game summary
edit| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Kentucky | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 3 | 38 |
| Old Dominion | 21 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 35 |
at Jerry Richardson Stadium, Charlotte, NC
- Date: Monday, December 18, 2023
- Game time: 2:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Fair • Temperature: 46 °F (8 °C)
- Game attendance: 5,632
- Referee: Andrew Speciale
- TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Tom Luginbill (analyst), and Abby Labar (sideline)
- Box score
| Game information |
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Statistics
edit| Statistics | WKU | ODU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 29 | 12 |
| Plays–yards | 92–471 | 57–319 |
| Rushes–yards | 35–73 | 31–196 |
| Passing yards | 398 | 123 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 43–56–2 | 13–22–1 |
| Time of possession | 40:39 | 19:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Caden Veltkamp | 40/52, 383 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Caden Veltkamp | 19 rushes, 53 yards | |
| Receiving | Jimmy Holiday | 4 receptions, 93 yards | |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Grant Wilson | 13/22, 123 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Grant Wilson | 8 rushes, 126 yards, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Isiah Paige | 4 receptions, 63 yards, 1 TD |
Notes
edit- ^ All prior editions of the Bahamas Bowl featured teams from the Mid-American Conference and Conference USA.
References
edit- ^ Londergan, Joe (December 18, 2023). "BREAKING: Western Kentucky Ride Furious Comeback To Bowl Win In Charlotte". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
Veltkamp was named the game's offensive MVP.
- ^ "Famous Toastery Bowl Postgame". ESPN.com. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Parks, James (December 11, 2023). "College football bowl schedule, game odds, point spreads for 2023-24". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
- ^ Austro, Ben (December 3, 2023). "2023-24 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ Hofheimer, Bill (November 14, 2023). "Famous Toastery Named Title Sponsor of ESPN Events' Charlotte Bowl Game". ESPN Pressroom (Press release). ESPN. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Bahamas Bowl to Move to Alternate Location". Mid-American Conference. October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ Straka, Dean (May 31, 2023). "2023-24 college football bowl schedule, games, dates, locations, kickoff times, TV channels". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ^ Lewis, Barry (June 3, 2023). "2023-24 College Football Bowl Schedule, Dates, Times Announced". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ^ Hofheimer, Bill (November 14, 2023). "Famous Toastery Named Title Sponsor of ESPN Events' Charlotte Bowl Game". ESPN Pressroom (Press release). ESPN. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Bahamas Bowl to Be played at 49ers' Jerry Richardson Stadium". Charlotte49ers.com. October 26, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ a b c Gaylord-Day, Kaden (December 15, 2023). "How WKU became a part of the first ever 'Famous Toastery Bowl'". WBKO. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ "Old Dominion Monarchs vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football series games list". winsipedia.com. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
External links
edit- Game statistics at statbroadcast.com