For the fifth straight season, the Bobcats are going bowling.
Ohio will be heading to St. Petersburg, Fla. to play East Carolina (9-3) in the Beef 'O’ Brady’s Bowl on Dec. 23 at 2 p.m.
The Pirates finished second in the East Division of Conference USA and have wins against BCS-conference foes in North Carolina and North Carolina State.
East Carolina’s offense is among the most potent in the country, averaging 40.4 points per game ranking 11th nationally, with a pass offense that averages 312 yards per game, which ranks 10th among FBS teams.
Junior quarterback Shane Carden has thrown for 3866 yards and 32 touchdowns, throwing for at least three scores in seven games this season.
Ohio will be seeking its third consecutive bowl win, as the Bobcats defeated Louisian-Monroe 45-14 in the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl last season in Shreveport, La.
UPDATE: 7:35 p.m.
The news of a bowl game was a surprise to senior quarterback Tyler Tettleton.
He knew that it was between Ohio and Toledo for the Mid-American Conference’s final bowl bid, but he wasn’t exactly feeling optimistic until he received a text from one of his coaches while sitting on the couch with teammate Beau Blankenship earlier this afternoon.
“We really had no idea,” Tettleton said. “Honestly, I didn’t think we were going to make it and I think that was kind of the belief around the locker room.”
But the Bobcats did indeed receive that bowl bid over Toledo, which had a 7-5 record and a 5-3 mark within the MAC, including wins against Central Michigan and Bowling Green.
It’s the fifth consecutive bowl appearance for the Bobcats and Tettleton said that it says a good deal about what his class has accomplished during their time in Athens.
“What we’ve been able to do here is remarkable,” he said. “It’s probably one of the best things to happen to this program. We want to make it three straight (bowl wins) and make some momentum for the guys coming into next year.”
As far as his knowledge on East Carolina, Tettleton admitted that he doesn’t know much about the program at this point, but he said for them to make it to the postseason would indicate that the Pirates are a good team.
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