BOWL FAN GUIDE (PDF)

STATESBORO – The Georgia Southern football team wraps up its season Tuesday as it takes on the Buffalo Bulls in the Camellia Bowl in a game to be played in the Historic Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. local time, noon Eastern and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. The game will also be available via radio on the Georgia Southern Sports Network. Here’s all you need to know about the game:

Camellia Bowl: Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022 • 12:02 (ET)/11:02 AM (Local)   
Location: Montgomery, Ala. (Historic Cramton Bowl; 25,000)

Records:
Buffalo: 6-6, 5-3 MAC
Georgia Southern: 6-6, 3-5 SBC

Broadcast Information
Broadcast: ESPN 
PBP: Drew Carter; Analyst: Aaron Murray; Sidelines: Lauren Sisler

Radio: Georgia Southern Sports Network
PBP: Danny Reed (@GSEaglesVoice); Analysts: Terry Harvin (@TerryHarvin) and Russ Brown; Sidelines: Frank Sulkowski (@TheBigGuyWJCL)
Radio Affiliates (PDF)

GS: GAME NOTES (PDF)

Inside The Series
Series Record Never Met
Linguist vs. GS Never Met
Helton vs. UB Never Met
Helton vs. Linguist Never Met
GS vs. current MAC Members 4-1
GS vs. teams from New York 3-1
GS in state of Alabama 11-11

Of Note:

• While Georgia Southern and Buffalo have never met in football, the two programs are linked by record-setting Eagle quarterback Kyle Vantrease. Vantrease (Stow, Ohio) spent five years at Buffalo, playing in 36 games with 26 starts. He threw for 4,755 yards and 25 touchdowns, leading the Bulls to the 2020 MAC Championship Game and then a win in the Camellia Bowl. After graduating, he transferred to Southern in January of 2022, and has thrown for 3,901 yards and 25 touchdowns this season.
• GS is 1-0 all-time in the Camellia Bowl, beating Eastern Michigan 23-21 in 2018 on a 40-yard field at the final horn by now Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass. 
• Four players on this year’s team played in the 2018 Camellia Bowl, including Brian Miller who started at right tackle. Also playing in the game were Justin Birdsong, Zyon McGee and Najee Thompson.
• The Eagles are 4-1 all-time against current members of the MAC (1-0 vs. Ball State this year; 1-0 vs. Bowling Green in 2015 GoDaddy Bowl; 1-0 vs. Eastern Michigan in 2018 Camellia Bowl; and 1-1 vs. Western Michigan).
• Buffalo defensive staff members Brandon Bailey (DC), Kevin Corless (LB) and Nate Baker (QC) have all spent time at Georgia Southern on staff.
• This will be the first time Clay Helton has coached a game on a Tuesday as a head coach.

Countdown to Kickoff
10: The Georgia Southern bowl record for passing completions in a game is 10, set by Shai Werts in the 2019 Cure Bowl. Kyle Vantrease has had 10 completions by halftime in 11 of 12 games this year.

9: The Eagles enter the bowl game having had fewer penalty yards than their opponent in nine of 12 games.

8: Georgia Southern has a red zone stop (no points allowed) in eightstraight games and in nine of 12 games this season. The 15 red zone stops are the second most in the FBS behind UCF’s 17.

7: GS has won seven of nine ESPN broadcasts at neutral sites, the last coming in the 2020 New Orleans Bowl.

6: This will be head coach Clay Helton‘s sixth bowl game as a head coach.

5: The Camellia Bowl will be Georgia Southern’s fifth bowl game since moving up from the FCS in 2014 and becoming bowl eligible in 2015. The Eagles have won three of their first four bowls.

4: Four players on this year’s team played in the 2018 Camellia Bowl, including Brian Miller who started at right tackle. Also playing in the game were Justin Birdsong, Zyon McGee and Najee Thompson.

3: Georgia Southern has won three of its first four bowl games, the 2015 GoDaddy Bowl, 2018 Camellia Bowl and the 2020 New Orleans Bowl.

2: Justin Birdsong had a GS bowl-record two interceptions in the Eagles’ last bowl game, a win over Louisiana Tech in the 2020 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

1: Khaleb Hood already stands first in school history for single-season receptions (80) and yards (896) as well as the career record for receptions (144) needs 139 yards receiving in the bowl game to set the school’s all-time mark in that category and 104 for 1,000 yards for the season.
Up Next:
Season Complete

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