| 2020 LendingTree Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 21st LendingTree Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 6, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Ladd–Peebles Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Mobile, Alabama | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Levi Lewis (QB, Louisiana)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Louisiana by 15[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Mike Roche (AAC)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 29,212 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Payout | US$1,500,000[4] | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Dave LaMont (play-by-play),Gene Chizik (analyst) andLauren Sisler (sideline) | ||||||||||||||||||
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The2020 LendingTree Bowl was acollege footballbowl game played on January 6, 2020, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m.EST (6:30 p.m. localCST) onESPN.[5] It was the 21st edition of theLendingTree Bowl,[a] and was the last of the2019–20 bowl games concluding the2019 FBS football season, with only theNational Championship and all-star games to follow. The game's title sponsor was online lending marketplaceLendingTree.
The game matched theMid-American Conference (MAC) championsMiami RedHawks and theLouisiana Ragin' Cajuns from theSun Belt Conference. This was the third meeting between the two programs; the RedHawks had won both of the prior meetings.[7]
Miami entered the game with an 8–5 record (6–2 in conference). They finished atop the MAC's East Division, then won theMAC Championship Game overCentral Michigan, 26–21. The RedHawks lost to both ranked opponents they faced,Iowa andOhio State. After starting their season 2–4, Miami had a five-game winning streak before losing toBall State in their regular season finale.
This was Miami's third LendingTree Bowl. The RedHawks had won both of their previous appearances; the2003 GMAC Bowl (overLouisville) and the2011 GoDaddy.com Bowl (overMiddle Tennessee), when the bowl operated under different names.
Louisiana entered the game with a 10–3 record (7–1 in conference). The finished atop the West Division of the Sun Belt, then lost theSun Belt Championship Game toAppalachian State, 45–38. Along with a regular season loss to Appalachian State, the only other team to defeat the Ragin' Cajuns wasMississippi State. This was the first LendingTree Bowl appearance for Louisiana.
This was Louisiana's seventh bowl game in program history; in their prior six bowls, they had an official record of 2–2, as two other bowl wins were later vacated. The Cajuns won four consecutiveNew Orleans Bowls under head coachMark Hudspeth. In the2011 edition, the8–4 Cajuns beatSan Diego State, 32–30, on a game-winning field goal. In the2012 edition, the8–4 Cajuns defeatedEast Carolina, 43–34. In the2013 edition, the8–4 Cajuns defeated the hometownTulane Green Wave, 24–21. In the2014 edition, the8–4 Cajuns defeatedNevada, 16–3. Subsequently, the Cajuns had to the vacate their 2011 and 2013 wins, due to NCAA violations.[8] The team returned to play in the2016 New Orleans Bowl, with the6–6 Cajuns losing toSouthern Miss, 21–28, one of the closest games in rivalry history. In 2018, the Cajuns hired a new head coach,Billy Napier, who led the7–6 Cajuns to theSun Belt West Divisional Championship and the2018 Cure Bowl, losing toTulane, 24–41.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 0 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 27 |
| Miami | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
atLadd–Peebles Stadium •Mobile, Alabama
| Game information |
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This was the first bowl win for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns program outside the state of Louisiana since 1944, when the team was known as Southwestern Louisiana and they won theOil Bowl in Houston.[9] In additional to Louisiana quarterback Levi Lewis being named the game's overall MVP,[1] wide receiver Ja’Marcus Bradley, defensive back Eric Garror, and placekicker Stevie Artigue were recognized as offensive, defensive, and special teams MVPs, respectively.[10]
| Statistics | LA | MIA |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 18 | 22 |
| Total yards | 401 | 351 |
| Rushes–yards | 34–155 | 37–103 |
| Passing yards | 246 | 248 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 19–26–0 | 22–31–0 |
| Time of possession | 28:17 | 31:43 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | Passing | Levi Lewis | 19/26, 246, 2 TD |
| Rushing | Levi Lewis | 8 carries, 62 yards | |
| Receiving | Ja'Marcus Bradley | 7 receptions, 88 yards | |
| Miami | Passing | Brett Gabbert | 22/31, 248 yards |
| Rushing | Tyre Shelton | 6 carries, 59 yards | |
| Receiving | Jack Sorenson | 10 receptions, 107 yards |