JONESBORO, Ark. – The Sun Belt Conference champion Arkansas State football team will play Mid-American Conference member Ball State in the 2014 GoDaddy Bowl, it was announced Sunday after the Cardinals accepted an invitation to the Jan. 5 bowl game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.
The Red Wolves accepted an invitation last Monday, Dec. 2, to play in the GoDaddy Bowl for an unprecedented third consecutive year in the game’s 15-year history. Arkansas State dropped a 38-20 decision to Northern Illinois in the 2012 GoDaddy Bowl, but claimed a 17-13 victory over then-ranked No. 25 Kent State in last year’s version of the bowl game.
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Ball State completed the regular season with a 10-2 overall record and as the Mid-American Conference’s West Division runner-up behind Northern Illinois with a 7-1 league mark. The Cardinals reached 10 victories for the third time in school history, winning eight of their last nine games to conclude the regular season.
Ball State head coach Pete Lembo said, “We are excited about the opportunity to represent the Mid-American Conference against a terrific Arkansas State team in this year’s GoDaddy Bowl. The trip to Mobile, Ala., will be an excellent experience for our team, families and fans. We are very grateful for this opportunity.”
Led by 13 All-MAC selections, Ball State will be making a bowl-game appearance for the second consecutive season. The Cardinals dropped a 38-17 decision against UCF last season at the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl that brought their final 2012 record to 9-4.
The 2014 GoDaddy Bowl will mark the first ever meeting between Arkansas State and Ball State. The Red Wolves won four of their final five regular-season games this season to finish with a 7-5 overall record, which included a 5-2 league mark that placed them atop the final Sun Belt Conference standings with Louisiana-Lafayette.
Quick facts on Ball State:
Ball State finished the regular season with a 10-2 overall record and 7-1 in the Mid-American Conference . . . The Cardinals have won 16 of their past 18 regular season contests . . . Ball State is 12-1 in its last 13 MAC contests.
Ball State has posted 10 victories in 2013, which marks only the third time in the school’s 89 year football history the Cardinals have won at least 10 games in a season . . . The Cardinals were 10-1 overall in 1978 . . . Ball State was 12-2 overall in 2008.
Ball State’s seven MAC wins marks only the fifth time since joining the league in 1975 the Cardinals have tallied at least seven wins in the MAC . . . The Cardinals were 8-0 in 1978 and 2008, 7-0-1 in 1993 and 7-1 in 1996.
Ball State finished second in the MAC’s West Division, which is the best finish for the program since winning the West in 2008.
Ball State has reached bowl eligibility for a third straight season . . . The last time the Cardinals won at least six games in three straight seasons came when the team reached the mark in four straight campaigns from 1988-91 . . . Ball State won six games in 2011, nine games in 2012 and 10 in 2013 . . . This marks the second time the Cardinals have played in back-to-back bowl games . . . Ball State played in the 2007 International Bowl and the 2008 GMAC Bowl plus played in the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl and now the GoDaddy Bowl.
The Cardinals have scored 481 points this season, which ranks as the second highest single-season total in school history . . . The school standard for points in a year is 489 in 2008.
Ball State reached the 40-point mark for the seventh time this season when it won its regular season finale 55-14 over Miami University, setting the school record for the most games of 40 or more points in school history . . . The Cardinals scored 50 or more points three times in 2013, which is a Ball State school record.
Ball State ranks No. 1 in the Mid-American Conference and ninth in the country in passing offense (333.3) plus is No. 2 in the MAC and 13th in the nation in scoring offense (40.1) . . . The Cardinals rank No. 7 in the nation in turnovers gained (30), ninth nationally in turnover margin (+1.0) and fourth in the MAC in scoring defense (24.8) . . . Ball State leads the country with 18 fumble recoveries . . . The Cardinals lead the MAC and are eighth in the nation for fewest penalties per game (3.83) and are No. 7 in the NCAA in fewest penalty yards per game (31.58).
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Fans are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets only through the A-State Ticket Office to directly support the Red Wolves and to ensure they receive priority seating within the designated A-State area.
Bowl tickets are only $45 per ticket when purchased through the A-State Ticket Office. Tickets will be available for purchase at the pep rally event, but fans can also go to AStateRedWolves.com and click on ‘Bowl Game Central’ (AStateRedWolves.com/BowlGame) to order tickets. The A-State Ticket Office, located at the Convocation Center’s lower red entrance, is also taking walk-up or telephone (870-972-2781) orders.
Special pricing is also available for students in the designated student zone when ordered through the A-State Ticket Office. Students may also use their A-State Express Dollars to purchase tickets.
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Speaking of bowl games, only two members of the Sun Belt Conference, Arkansas State and UL-Lafayette, were selected for bowls this season, despite a coordinated effort by the conference to see more representation. Below is a statement on the bowl situation for the Sun Belt, from the conference’s commissioner, Karl Benson.
Statement from Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson
The 2013 regular season was the most competitive in the 13-year history of the Sun Belt – we had seven teams with records strong enough to qualify for bowls, the best ever non-conference win record, and a 6-1 record against our peer conferences – Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference and the Mountain West Conference.
When it was all over, UL-Lafayette and Arkansas State emerged as the league’s co-champions with the Cajuns accepting a bid to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl and Arkansas State being selected by the Sun Belt’s second primary bowl, the GoDaddy Bowl.
The seven Sun Belt bowl eligible teams breaks the league’s previous record of five teams set last year and of all the other nine FBS conferences, the Sun Belt had the highest percentage of teams reach the bowl eligible mark – a tremendous achievement for the conference.
With seven bowl eligible teams from the Sun Belt along with a number of teams from other conferences in the at-large pool, we have known for several weeks that it was going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to place all of the bowl eligible teams from the Sun Belt into bowls that had open spots.
And during the past several weeks, I have been in discussions and negotiations with all the bowls that might be open. Specifically, the Sun Belt targeted the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl and Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl and was in negotiations with both up until final decisions were made.
The Sun Belt Conference Presidents and Chancellors authorized me two weeks ago to use Sun Belt funds at my discretion to entice both bowls to take a Sun Belt team. As a result, the Sun Belt made very significant financial offers to both bowls that clearly exceeded anything the Sun Belt has done in previous years.
I am extremely disappointed, that while our efforts were very aggressive, we ended up not being able to place more than two of our bowl eligible teams – especially Western Kentucky University with an 8-4 record. While the current bowl system is beneficial, the system is flawed when in the last two years three teams with eight or more wins – WKU, Middle Tennessee and Louisiana Tech – are denied post season opportunities when 12 teams last season with 6-6 records and seven teams this season are allowed to play in bowl games. This comes in addition to 6-7 teams being allowed to play in bowl games in 2012 and 2011.
With all of this being said, it is important to reiterate several important facts.
First, the champion of the Sun Belt Conference does not automatically go to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
Second, while the Sun Belt has suggested guidelines on how we would like teams to be selected for bowls, both the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl and GoDaddy Bowl ultimately have the freedom to choose the team that they feel is best for their game.
Lastly, once our two current bowl slots are filled there becomes a great deal of competition for open bowl slots. The discussions that we had with these open bowls involved significant financial contributions that put our teams in a position where they could be at or near the top of each bowl’s list of potential invitees.
We salute and congratulate the two bowl representatives from the Sun Belt. This is a time to celebrate the accomplishments of Sun Belt teams this season – and not focus on the negative. The Sun Belt continues to evolve, grow, and mature as one of ten FBS conferences. Beginning next season the Sun Belt will have a third primary bowl partner with the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama and other guaranteed spots in the Bahamas Bowl and the Miami Beach Bowl, along with other potential new bowls that we are trying to develop. And of course, a major goal of ours will be to have a team in the newly formed College Football Playoff.
“Together we Rise” is the theme of the Sun Belt Conference because we stand firmly committed to our membership and our communities and we embrace the growth and evolution of the Sun Belt.
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