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Save the date: December 26, 2015.
The Huskies are going bowling in Florida! @UConnFootball will play Marshall in the @StPeteBowl on 12.26. #BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/UDzCAafs7W
— UConn Huskies (@UConnHuskies) December 6, 2015
Desmond Conner of The Hartford Courant and Jim Fuller of the New Haven Register reported yesterday that UConn Football will be making its first bowl game appearance in five years at the St. Petersburg Bowl in the Tampa area.
The news was first reported by Matt Schonvisky and confirmed by ESPN's Brett McMurphy this afternoon that the opponent would be the Marshall Thundering Herd.
Marshall has a record of 9-3 and finished second in the Conference USA East Division with a 6-2 record. The Thundering Herd dropped two out of their final three games, to Middle Tennessee State and Western Kentucky, and also have a loss to Ohio early in the season. Technically speaking, they have a "power five" win, having beaten Purdue in their season opener, 41-31. According to Football Outsiders, Marshall has an advantage over UConn, ranked 54th in overall efficiency, 24 spots ahead of the Huskies.
The St. Petersburg Bowl is formerly known as the Beef'O'Brady's Bowl, so things could be worse. As it is, playing at 11 a.m. on the day after Christmas is pretty bad if you are a fan hoping to attend.
We'll have more on this situation as it develops. Ticket and travel information should be available later tonight.
In the meantime, enjoy checking out what kind of swag players will get for participation in each bowl game.