2022 LendingTree Bowl Notebook
Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022
TREY LOWE HAS CONNECTIONS TO RICE HEAD COACH
Southern Miss’ Trey Lowe will start at quarterback against Rice on Saturday.
Lowe is a third-generation college football player and has ties to Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren.
Bloomgren began his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at Alabama under Mike DuBose and Dennis Franchione. On that same coaching staff was Woodrow Lowe, Jr., the father of the USM quarterback. Bloomgren said earlier this week that
he attended Trey Lowe’s first birthday party when living in Tuscaloosa.
Woodrow Lowe, Jr., was recently named the head football coach at North Side High School in Jackson, Tenn.,
Lowe’ grandfather, Woodrow Lowe, Sr., was a three-time All-American linebacker at Alabama under Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. Lowe still holds the Alabama single-season record with 134 tackles in 1973. Lowe finished his career with 315 tackles, which currently ranks fourth on the school’s all-time list.
Trey Lowe now has registered three starts this season, and eight for his career, after going 10-for-16 for 170 yards and a touchdown in the regular season finale at ULM. Lowe threw for a career-high 295 yards on 19-of-36 throws with a 15-yard touchdown toss to Tiaquelin Mims in his first start versus Coastal Carolina. His completion and attempts were also career highs, as he surpassed his previous throwing best game of 209 against Florida Atlantic in 2020.
For his career, Lowe has thrown for 1,460 yards over 12 career games for Southern Miss on 114-of-204 throws with six touchdown passes and seven interceptions.
Lowe is the third quarterback to start this season. Redshirt freshman Ty Keyes opened the year at starting QB, but was hurt in the opening game and true freshman Zach Wilcke started the next eight games for the Golden Eagles.
C-USA BOWL TEAMS
Conference USA has six bowl teams this season. The list includes UAB, Troy, Rice, North Texas, Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee. All six games will be completed before Christmas Day.
C-USA Bowl Schedule
Dec. 16 Miami (Ohio) vs. UAB (Bahamas Bowl)
Troy vs. UTSA (Cure Bowl)
Dec. 17 Southern Miss vs. Rice (LendingTree Bowl)
Boise State vs. North Texas (Frisco Bowl)
Dec. 21 Western Kentucky vs. South Alabama (New Orleans Bowl)
SUN BELT CONFERENCE BOWL TEAMS
Sun Belt Conference has a record seven bowl teams this season. The list includes UTSA, Southern Miss, Marshall, South Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina.
SBC Bowl Schedule
Dec. 16 UTSA vs. Troy (Cure Bowl)
Dec. 17 Rice vs. Southern Miss (LendingTree Bowl)
Dec. 19 UConn vs. Marshall (Myrtle Beach Bowl)
Dec. 21 Western Kentucky vs. South Alabama (New Orleans Bowl)
Dec. 23 Houston vs. Louisiana (Independence Bowl)
Dec. 27 Buffalo vs. Georgia Southern
East Carolina vs. Coastal Carolina
CONFERENCE BRAGGING RIGHTS
Conference USA and Sun Belt Conference will go head-to-head in three bowl games this post-season. The headline game is Friday, Dec. 16 when C-USA Champion UTSA faces Sun Belt Champion Troy in the Cure Bowl in Orlando. The second matchup takes place here in Mobile as Southern Miss and Rice meet in the LendingTree Bowl. The final game takes place on Dec. 21 when Western Kentucky and South Alabama meet in the New Orleans Bowl.
C-USA v. SBC Bowls
Dec. 16 UTSA vs. Troy (Cure Bowl)
Dec. 17 Rice vs. Southern Miss (LendingTree Bowl)
Dec. 21 Western Kentucky vs. South Alabama (New Orleans Bowl)
RICE BOWL HISTORY
Rice is making its first bowl appearance since a 30-6 win over Fresno State in the 2014 Hawaii Bowl. The Owls are playing in their 13th bowl game in school history and have compiled a 7-5 record in bowl games.
This will be the second earliest appearance for the Owls during bowl season as they fell to Kansas 33-7 in the Bluebonnet Bowl (at Rice Stadium) on December 16, 1961. That game came just two weeks after Rice earned a bowl bid with a 26-14 win over Baylor on December 2 at home, one week less than the turnaround this year (three weeks between games).
Rice’s bowl history includes four Cotton Bowl games, one Sugar Bowl and one Orange Bowl.
Perhaps the most famous game took place in the 1954 Cotton Bowl when Rice beat Alabama 28-6. Rice running back Dickey Maegle ran 11 times for 265 yards (24.1 yards per carry) and four touchdowns in the win. On his 95-yard TD run, Maegle was tackled by Alabama’s Tommy Lewis, who came off the sidelines to prevent the TD. Maegle was awarded the touchdown.
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