Last Updated on December 3, 2017 3:22 pm
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State will face Toledo on Dec. 23 in the 2017 Dollar General Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET), televised by ESPN.
The matchup of top teams from the Sun Belt Conference and Mid-American Conference was announced Sunday as the 2017-18 bowl schedule was unveiled.
BOWL TICKETS: Tickets are available by visiting the Bowl Central page. The deadline for priority seating is Thursday, Dec. 7, at noon. For additional information or help with purchasing tickets, contact the App State athletics ticket office at 828-262-2079. If you cannot attend the Dollar General Bowl, please consider donating your tickets by contacting the ticket office, which will enable App State to provide opportunities through local charity that will showcase the pride of App Nation.
For additional information on tickets, bowl week events, gameday information, travel and lodging, visit Bowl Central and appstatesports.com throughout the week.
BOWL TRAVEL: Appalachian State Athletics has partnered with Sports & Entertainment Travel (SET) to provide a turnkey bowl travel and lodging experience for Mountaineer fans. Please visit appstatefantravel.com for packages. Bowl tickets must be purchased separately.
“This is an exciting opportunity for Appalachian State University,” Director of Athletics Doug Gillin said. “We’re proud of what our student-athletes, coaches and staff have accomplished as co-champions of the Sun Belt Conference, and this is a deserved reward for their hard work and dedication. The Dollar General Bowl is a great bowl game with a rich tradition and an impressive lineup of activities. We have the best fan base in the Sun Belt, and we look forward to a special experience in Mobile.”
This is the Mountaineers’ third straight bowl appearance in as many years eligible after transitioning from the FCS to FBS level, becoming the second program to accomplish that feat. Marshall earned six straight bowl bids from 1997-2002. App State is the only team in history to win bowl games in its first two years after the transition to FBS, having claimed Camellia Bowl victories over Ohio in 2015 (31-29) and Toledo in 2016 (31-28).
App State (8-4, 7-1 Sun Belt) won its second straight Sun Belt Championship thanks to a 63-14 victory against Louisiana on Saturday. This year’s team enters the postseason on a hot streak, as it has rushed for 933 yards, allowed only 364 rushing yards and outscored its opponents 121-30 in the last three games. App State ranks among the top 20 teams nationally in fewest sacks allowed (No. 2), passing efficiency (No. 19), fewest passes intercepted (No. 13), defensive interceptions (No. 18), sacks (No. 19) and turnover margin (No. 18).
The Dollar General Bowl will be a rematch of last year’s back-and-forth Camellia Bowl, which the Mountaineers won 31-28. App State never trailed, four times taking a seven-point lead, only to see Toledo tie the score in each instance. Michael Rubino kicked a 39-yard field goal with 5:14 left to break the final tie.
“Since January, our players and staff have been focused on winning a championship and making it back to the postseason,” App State head coach Scott Satterfield said. “We are proud to have reached the top of the Sun Belt again, and we’re looking forward to facing the MAC Champion in a Toledo team that we are very familiar with. Our players will get to play in a different bowl this year, and I’m sure App Nation will be there in full force in Mobile on December 23.”
This year’s matchup will feature two of the nation’s most efficient quarterbacks. App State senior Taylor Lamb, who rushed for 126 yards in the Camellia Bowl win against Toledo, has 27 touchdown passes and only six interceptions this year. Highly regarded Toledo senior Logan Woodside has thrown 28 touchdown passes and five interceptions. The only other FBS quarterback with more than 25 touchdown passes and less than eight interceptions is Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield.
Woodside leads an offense that ranks 11th nationally in scoring (39.2 points per game) and eighth nationally with an average of 509.9 yards, including 291.9 through the air. The Rockets’ only losses were against Miami (52-30) and Ohio (38-10), as Toledo is moving forward from a 45-28 victory against Akron in the MAC championship game.
Satterfield’s Mountaineer program boasts a 35-9 record over its last 44 games, the best of any Group of 5 team. Only Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Oklahoma have better records during that span.
After another successful conference campaign, App State has now won gone 27-3 in Sun Belt play since starting 0-2 in 2014.
Sun Belt all-conference awards will be released Wednesday afternoon. A bowl practice schedule, media availability and bowl travel plans for the Apps will be announced Monday.
Mobile, Ala. (Dec. 3, 2017) – The Dollar General Bowl announced today that Sun Belt Conference Co-Champion Appalachian State University (7-1, 8-4) will face Mid-American Conference Champion the University of Toledo (7-1, 11-2) in the 19th annual Dollar General Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:00 pm CST and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
“We are excited to welcome back Toledo and host Appalachian State for the first time here in Mobile,” said Dollar General Bowl President Jerry Silverstein. “We look forward to treating each team and their fans to a first class bowl experience.”
The Appalachian State Mountaineers will make their first appearance in the Dollar General Bowl. Appalachian State clinched a share of a second straight Sun Belt Conference championship by defeating Louisiana 63-14 on Saturday. The Mountaineers rank in the top five in the conference in quarterback rating, sacks, rushing yards and interceptions, earning 15 players spots on the All Sun Belt Conference team.
“This is an exciting opportunity for Appalachian State University,” Director of Athletics Doug Gillin said. “We’re proud of what our student-athletes, coaches and staff have accomplished as co-champions of the Sun Belt Conference, and this is a deserved reward for their hard work and dedication. The Dollar General Bowl is a great bowl game with a rich tradition and an impressive lineup of activities. We have the best fan base in the Sun Belt, and we look forward to a special experience in Mobile.”
Last season, head coach Scott Satterfield lead the Mountaineers to a Sun Belt record 11 wins in the program’s first bowl eligible season and captured the 2016 Sun Belt Conference Championship for back-to-back 10 win seasons.
Appalachian State will face the Toledo Rockets, who return for their third appearance in Mobile, having played in the 2005 and 2015 bowl games. In the 100th anniversary season of their founding as a football program, and the two-year anniversary of the hiring of Jason Candle as head coach, the Rockets claimed their 11th conference title, defeating Akron 45-28.
“We are very excited to return to Mobile to play in the Dollar General Bowl. We would like to thank President Jerry Silverstein, Executive Director Frank Modarelli and the entire Dollar General Bowl selection committee for choosing the University of Toledo to participate in their outstanding bowl. We are looking forward to another terrific bowl experience in the beautiful state of Alabama against a very fine Appalachian State team. I also want to congratulate head coach Jason Candle, his staff and our entire Rocket football team on a memorable MAC Championship season,” said University of Toledo Vice President and Athletic Director Mike O’Brien.
The Rockets swept this year’s postseason football awards in the Mid-American Conference. Toledo senior quarterback Logan Woodside was chosen as the winner of the 36th Vern Smith Leadership Award and was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year, while Coach Candle was selected as the MAC Head Coach of the Year.
Teams are slated to arrive in Mobile on Tuesday, Dec. 19. The Dollar General Bowl will feature a week of activities before the game itself, including the USO Mayor’s Luncheon presented by Coca-Cola, Greer’s/This is Alabama Mardi Gras Parade, This is Alabama Street Party and Pep Rallies, Wind Creek Fanfest, iHeart Media Concert featuring Holli Mosley, and the Piggly Wiggly VIP Buffet.
The USO Mayor’s Luncheon presented by Coca-Cola will feature former Oklahoma head football coach Bob Stoops as the keynote speaker. The luncheon will be held Friday, Dec. 22 at noon at the Mobile Convention Center. Tickets for the event are $30 each and can be purchased online at www.DollarGeneralBowl.com/tickets or by calling 251-635-0011.
After the Mayor’s Luncheon, the fun moves to Downtown Mobile. The This is Alabama Street Party kicks off the night beginning at 5:00 pm in Bienville Square, and will feature a DJ, Santa Claus, games and activities for all. The Greer’s/This is Alabama Mardi Gras Parade will begin at 6:30 pm, followed by the This is Alabama Pep Rally in Bienville Square.
On game day, stop by the Wind Creek Fanfest, a tailgate experience with games and activities for all football fans. Also for your entertainment, catch the free iHeart Media Concert featuring country artist Holli Mosley. Fans can also purchase a $15 all-you-can-eat buffet ticket at the Piggly Wiggly VIP buffet. All the fun starts at 3:00 pm in the East parking lot at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Dollar General Bowl game and event tickets can be purchased online at www.DollarGeneralBowl.com/tickets or by calling the Dollar General Bowl office at 251-635-0011. Tickets are $45 for sideline seats and $15 for general admission.
