MOBILE, AL (WNSP) — Troy’s first bowl in five years will be a rematch with the last team it faced.
On Sunday, the Dollar General Bowl announced that the Ohio Bobcats (8-5, 6-2 MAC) will face off against the Trojans (9-3, 6-2 Sun Belt) on Friday, December 23.
“We are excited to welcome back Ohio and Troy to the great city of Mobile,” Dollar General Bowl President Jerry Silverstein said. “We look forward to treating each team and their fans to a first class bowl experience.”
This is both the Bobcats’ and the Trojans’ second appearance in the bowl and the second time the two teams have played. Troy won 48-21 in the 2010 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, which is incidentally the Trojans’ last bowl game.
Ohio won the MAC East Division, but it lost 29-23 to No. 15 Western Michigan in the MAC Championship game on Friday. The undefeated Broncos will play Wisconsin in the Cotton Bowl on January 2.
The Bobcats have now been bowl eligible for eight years in a row.
“We are proud of the accomplishments of our team to go to another bowl game and excited for the opportunity to return to Mobile,” Ohio Athletic Director Jim Schaus said. “This is an outstanding bowl and great destination for our studentathletes, coaches and fans. This has been an exciting year for our team and we are looking forward to the opportunity to play in a great city against Troy in the Dollar General Bowl.”
8-1 Troy was ranked no. 25 in the AP Poll in November, the first time any Sun Belt team has been ranked in the top 25. The next Thursday, the Trojans lost 35-3 to Sun Belt co-champions Arkansas State.
Troy leads the Sun Belt in scoring, passing and total offense with 49 touchdowns and 5,263 total yards. Junior running back Jordan Chunn’s 13 touchdowns lead the league.
“We are excited to be selected to play in the Dollar General Bowl against an outstanding Ohio University team,” Troy Athletic Director Jeremy McClain said. “We look forward to spending our bowl season in Mobile, and bringing the Troy fan base down to cheer on the Trojans.”
Troy head coach Neal Brown, who is one of the youngest coaches in the FBS (36), has led the team to one of the program and the nation’s best turnarounds. Despite last year’s 4-8 record, he is 11-7 against conference opponents in his two years with the Trojans.
Kickoff is set for 7:00 pm CST in Ladd-Peebles Stadium and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN. For more, check out dollargeneralbowl.com.
