HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University (8-4) will face UCF (9-3) in the 2019 Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl on Monday, Dec. 23 at 2:30 p.m., the bowl announced Sunday afternoon. The game, which will be televised on ESPN, will be played in Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium, home of the National Football League’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This will be Marshall’s fourth invitation (and second consecutive) to the bowl, as the Thundering Herd knocked off USF 38-20 in the Bulls’ home stadium a season ago.
The Thundering Herd enters the game featuring an .857 winning percentage (12-2) in all NCAA-sanctioned bowl games, the highest mark nationally among programs that have made at least five appearances.
“Over the years, Tampa has been great for our fan base,” said Marshall Director of Athletics Mike Hamrick.
“We always look forward to making the trip down there as so many of our alums reside in that area. This will be a very easy trip for all of them to go see us play.”
Marshall head coach Doc Holliday is 6-0 in bowl games with the Thundering Herd and will appear in his 28th bowl since entering the coaching ranks.
Since the beginning of the 2013 season, Holliday is 14-3 in games contested in the state of Florida and/or against Florida schools.
“We’re excited to take the Thundering Herd back to Tampa,” said Holliday, the program’s all-time leader in coaching victories over FBS opponents.
“The state of Florida has been great to our program for so many years and we’re eager to get back down there to face an excellent UCF team.”
Marshall defeated FIU 20-10 in the 2011 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl and UConn 16-10 in the 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl. Both of those games were played in Tropicana Field.
Ticket information will be released as soon as it is made available.