The 2014 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, which was voted one of the top 25 bowl games of all time during the 150th-anniversary celebration of college football last year, will be re-aired on Thursday, Dec. 24 at 7 pm ET on ESPNU in the United States and ESPN Caribbean in the Bahamas.
While the 2020 Bahamas Bowl was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the longest-running international bowl game in college football history is scheduled to return to the Bahamas in December 2021.
WKU defeated Central Michigan 49-48 in a thrilling inaugural game on December 24, 2014 that featured a furious comeback by Central Michigan in the fourth quarter as the Chippewas scored 34 unanswered points, including the “Bahamas Relay” final play that pulled CMU to 49-48. Only an incomplete pass on the 2-point conversion attempt stopped what would have been the largest comeback in bowl game history and gave the Hilltoppers the victory.
The final CMU play from scrimmage that was started off by a pass from quarterback Cooper Rush and finished off three laterals later by Titus Davis’ 15-yard dash and dive to the end zone was selected as the No. 1 play of the bowl season by SportsCenter, and it was a finalist for the ESPY Best Play Award. During the celebration of the 150th season of college football in 2019, the game was selected as the 25th-best bowl game of all time.
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl Offensive Player of the Game honors went to WKU quarterback Brandon Doughty, who threw for 486 yards, 350 in the first half with five touchdowns, all to different receivers. Rush set FBS bowl records for touchdown passes with seven and most net passing yards with 255 in the fourth quarter alone. The combined 971 passing yards and 12 TD passes for Doughty and Rush also broke FBS two-team bowl records.
Nine players in the game, including WKU tight end Tyler Higbee, who currently stars for the Los Angeles Rams, have gone on to play in the NFL.
The ESPN broadcast crew of Steve Levy (currently the play-by-play voice of ESPN’s Monday Night Football), Lou Holtz, Mark May and Laura Rutledge called the action from Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.
In conjunction with the re-air telecast of the game on ESPNU, the Bahamas Bowl is conducting a social media photo contest for the best picture of the game or travel experience from fans, family and friends who have participated in the Bahamas Bowl weeks from 2014-19. To enter, fans can post their favorite pictures and remembrance of the Bahamas Bowl game or their activities in Nassau on Twitter and Facebook. Along with posting their best picture, entrants should add the bowl hashtag (#BowlGamesAreBetterInTheBahamas) and tag the bowl on Twitter (@TheBahamasBowl) or Facebook (@BahamasBowl). The contest runs through January 1.
For more information on the Bahamas Bowl, visit BahamasBowl.com. The game is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN.
About The Bahamas Bowl
The Bahamas Bowl will provide student-athletes, conference partners, alumni, fans and sponsors a first-class international bowl experience while promoting The Bahamas and highlighting the educational and athletic opportunities for the youth of The Islands through college football. The seventh-annual Bahamas Bowl, the longest-running international bowl game in college football history, is scheduled to return to Nassau, Bahamas in December 2021 at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium between teams from Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference. The game will be televised nationally in the United States on the ESPN family of networks.
ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of 35 collegiate sporting events. The roster includes four early-season neutral site college football games, 17 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events, a college softball event and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 400-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 800,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in more than 10 markets across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.
