What is expected to be the biggest American football match in the history of The Bahamas kicks off today at 12 noon at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.
In the inaugural Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, the Central Michigan University (CMU) Chippewas will take on the Western Kentucky University (WKU) Hilltoppers, both 7-5, and the game will be televised live on the ESPN Network, and also carried live on ESPN Radio. The historic college football bowl game is the first to be played in The Bahamas, and the first outside of the United States and Canada since 1937. The Chippewas play under the banner of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), and the Hilltoppers are under Conference USA.
The game is billed to be one of the greatest products of the Ministry of Tourism's sports tourism events this year, and stands to fulfill the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture's "sports in paradise" agenda for 2014. It climaxes a year in which a number of mega sporting events were held here in The Bahamas.
Britton Banowsky, Commissioner of Conference USA, serves as the president of the inaugural Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. He said that it's been a great week so far, and they are looking forward to a great game.
"Popeyes has done a phenomenal job in coming on board with us, and we are very grateful for that. Also, Atlantis has been great, and there is no better destination than The Bahamas. It has certainly exceeded our expectations thus far. We are ready to go, and we wish both teams the very best," he said.
Hector Munoz, Chief Marketing Officer Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in the United States, said that they are honored to be the title sponsor of the game and look forward to a very competitive battle.
"This game features two great coaches and two great teams so it promises to be just an exceptional football game," said Munoz. "This is the first time that Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has ever sponsored a bowl game and we couldn't be more pleased with the partners involved, with the two teams, the setting, and of course the leadership of Conference USA. Like college football, Popeyes enjoys a real avid fan base. We felt that partnering with this historic game just made a lot of sense to us and we are happy to do it. On behalf of Popeyes and our 60,000 family members worldwide, we want to wish both coaches and both schools the best of luck."
Popeyes will be unveiling its newest product at today's game. The first 4,000 fans will receive free samples of the franchise's newest product. The new innovation won't be in restaurants in the United States until December 26.
"Right now, we're just introducing it to the public," said Munoz. "This is a great opportunity for the locals to sample what we believe is going to be an exceptional product."
Welcoming the teams and organizers to The Bahamas yesterday was Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe. With the organizers signing a five-year contract with the islands of The Bahamas, the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl is expected to become a staple on the sports tourism calendar.
"It's certainly a pleasure to be a part of this new opportunity for The Bahamas," said the minister. "This is an opportunity for us to show the world our wonderful nation, and also to show the world our love for sports. When you come to our nation you will appreciate that we are a hospitable people and we have a great love for sports. We know how sports have helped young men and young women. Here in The Bahamas, we have outstanding athletes who have done very well, and we have one or two who have played professional football.
"Your stay is short, but we want you to enjoy everything about our nation while you are here. You must take as much as you can out of The Bahamas, and then you must come back. We thank you very much for being a part of this wonderful experience for The Bahamas, and on behalf of our people we are grateful. We are grateful to Popeyes because you are showing your support. We welcome you and we hope that you stay here for a very long time. Welcome to this wonderful bowl opportunity, and may the best team win."
The historic game features a high-powered offense, Western Kentucky, being challenged by a shut-down defense, Central Michigan - a rematch of the 2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl that was won by Central Michigan, 24-21.
Western Kentucky boasts the 2014 Conference USA Most Valuable Player in quarterback Brandon Doughty. Doughty passed for 4,344 yards this year to go along with 44 touchdowns. He completed 67.5 percent of his passes, a rating which led the conference. He likes the field at the stadium, is ready to go, and is looking forward to performing well.
"It's been an awesome experience thus far," said Doughty yesterday. "At this point, we're just enjoying ourselves and enjoying spending time with each other. Also, we're trying to keep the focus on the football game. That's important for us. It's very important for us to win this game, and I think we're ready."
After starting out 3-5, the Hilltoppers ended the year by winning four straight to qualify for a bowl game. In their final game of the season, they glided past then-No. 19 Marshall, 67-66, in an overtime thriller.
"It's been an outstanding experience this entire week, not just for the coaches and our players, but for the entire administration and our fans," said Western Kentucky Head Coach Jeff Brohm. "The Bahamas itself is an ideal bowl destination and we're fortunate enough to be here. We've had a fantastic time thus far. Our players are as happy as they have ever been and I think they're ready to play. It's a great opponent that we are playing in Central Michigan and hopefully we will have a good game, and everyone involved will have a good time."
When pressed if it's hard to avoid being sidetracked by the beauty and aura of The Bahamas, Hilltoppers' junior linebacker Nick Holt said that they just have to remain focussed on what they need to do.
"It's great here, but what we did was just take care of the business side first, get in good practices and focussed on what we needed to do in the football game. After the game, then we could enjoy the festivities and the amenities that this place has to offer but it's been absolutely fantastic so far," he said. Holt leads the team with 103 tackles.
The Hilltoppers plan to play to their strengths, which is stopping the run on defense, and spreading the field on offense.
As for Central Michigan, they boast a nationwide top-20 defense and will be focussed on slowing down the high-powered Hilltoppers. Central Michigan has won five of its past seven games, and three of its last four. The Chippewas lead the MAC in total defense (331.2 yards per game), rushing defense (119.8 yards per game), passing defense (211.4 yards per game), interceptions (24) and were second in the conference in scoring defense (23.2 points per game).
"This has been a first-class experience and we have really had a marvelous time thus far," said Chippewas' Head Coach Dan Enos. "We appreciate all of the hospitality that we have received, and we just look forward to having a good showing in the game. Our guys work very hard, they have a good mindset and they're tough. We just find a way to continue to get better and find a way to win some close games. One of the goals at the beginning of each season is always to play in a bowl game. This team has accomplished that and we are very proud of that, and also there's not a better place that anyone is playing that what we have right here in The Bahamas. We feel very blessed to be here and we looking forward to stepping on the field."
Chippewas' wide receiver Titus Davis, who leads the team in receiving with 54 catches for 843 yards, said that they're just soaking in everything that The Bahamas has to offer.
"The warm weather has been fantastic. This is an amazing place, and I'm just glad to be here," he said.
Over 110 million viewers are expected to tune into the inaugural Popeyes Bahamas Bowl today, as the game will carried live on the ESPN Network and ESPN Radio.
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