25TH 68 VENTURES BOWL MATCHUP SET WITH SOUTH ALABAMA AND EASTERN MICHIGAN
MOBILE, Ala. – The 25th 68 Ventures Bowl will feature a matchup of the University of South Alabama and Eastern Michigan University following an announcement by the bowl committee on Sunday.
The Jaguars and Eagles will meet at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama on Saturday, Dec. 23 at 6:00 p.m. CST. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Ticket prices start at $15 with a total of six different pricing locations throughout the stadium available for purchase. Tickets and parking are available at 68VenturesBowl.com.
“It is a special year for us, as we celebrate our 25th year of providing great match-ups and bringing the post season, Bowl Season, to Mobile, Alabama,” said 68 Ventures Bowl President Jerry Silverstein. “The game is proud to welcome back to the city of Mobile, Eastern Michigan and to have South Alabama making their first appearance.
“We’re very excited to have the University of South Alabama in our 25th bowl game, as we feel they will bring more fans out of City & State than the great crowd that Southern Mississippi brought last year, as USA has 50,000 alumni in the State of Ala, with 20,000 living outside of Mobile and Baldwin County.
“USA has almost 20,000 more alumni living in the four surrounding States (Florida, Georgia, Louisiana & Mississippi), and they traveled well to Bowl games in Montgomery and New Orleans.”
USA went 6-6 in the regular season and 4-4 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Jaguars won two of their final three games to ensure their second-consecutive bowl appearance for the first time in program history.
This will be South’s first appearance in its hometown bowl and fourth overall. They have previously gone bowling in 2014, 2016 and 2022.
“We are excited to participate in the 68 Ventures Bowl,” said USA Athletic Director Dr. Joel Erdmann. “This bowl is known for its premier student-athlete and fan experience which only happens through the efforts of the bowl staff, its volunteers and the City of Mobile. We encourage everyone to join us at Hancock Whitney Stadium the evening of the 23rd.”
“We are thrilled to accept an invitation to represent #OurCity in the 68 Ventures Bowl!,” said USA Head Coach Kane Wommack. “We are very excited to be given the opportunity for the South Alabama fan base to watch Mobile’s Football Team play in Mobile’s Bowl Game. We cannot wait to get to work in bowl preparation and represent this community well on December 23.”
EMU went 6-6 in 2023 and won its final two games to become bowl eligible. The Eagles were 4-4 in the Mid-American Conference to post the third-consecutive league mark of .500 or better for the first time since 1986-89.
The Eagles are in the postseason for the seventh time, including their sixth in the last eight seasons. This will be their second appearance in Mobile after playing in the 2021 contest.
“We are once again thrilled for the opportunity for our program to represent this university on a national stage,” said EMU Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee. “We cannot thank Jerry Silverstein, Sherrie Dyal, and the entire bowl staff enough for inviting us back to The Azalea City. The hospitality displayed to us by the Mobile community in 2021 was fantastic and I hope a bunch of Eastern fans make the trip to a great destination to support our team.”
“We are excited to accept an invitation to compete in the 68 Ventures Bowl,” added EMU Head Coach Chris Creighton. We had to dig deep to make this last game possible and I am super proud of how we finished. We know we will face a great opponent and we are really looking forward to this opportunity.”
This will be the first-ever meeting on the gridiron between the two schools.
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