The 26th Annual 68 Ventures Bowl will be played on Thursday, December 26th at 8 p.m. CT at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the University of South Alabama campus in Mobile. The bowl will air on ESPN and feature teams from the Sun Belt Conference, Conference USA or the Mid-American Conference.
The 2024 college football season marks the 26th anniversary of the bowl game. In its inaugural game, played on December 22, 1999, TCU defeated East Carolina 28-14. In 2022, Southern Miss running back Frank Gore, Jr., shattered the NCAA single-game bowl record with 329 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He scored on runs of 59 and 55 yards. He also had an 18-yard touchdown pass in the 38-24 win over Rice.
Last year’s game brought a record-tying first half which proved more than enough to pace South Alabama to a 59-10 win over Eastern Michigan. Mobile has had a penchant for high-scoring games. Through 25 games, the teams have combined for 1,588 total points, an average of 63.5 points per game.Marshall defeated East Carolina 64-61 in double-overtime in 2001. The 125 combined points are the most in any game in NCAA bowl history.
Toledo outscored Arkansas State 63-44 in 2005. The 107 points scored marks the seventh highest-scoring game in NCAA bowl history. The Rockets and Red Wolves combined for 15 touchdowns. The 15 total TDs are tied for the fourth-most in NCAA bowl history.