The BYU Cougars will play in the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl, the American Athletic Conference officially announced today.
BYU will face a team from The American at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida in December. A specific date will be announced later.
“We are excited about this outstanding opportunity to have one of our teams play BYU in the Miami Beach Bowl,” said American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco. “Our representative will have the opportunity to compete against a respected and accomplished BYU team with a storied history and national following, which will make the Miami Beach Bowl one of the most exciting postseason games in 2014. This matchup quickly establishes the game as one of the premier bowls in the coming years.”
“We are delighted to have Brigham Young University on board for the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl,” said Miami Beach Bowl executive director Carlos Padilla. “BYU is one of the most-respected programs, with one of the most passionate fan bases in the nation. With BYU and an American Athletic Conference team in our first game, we expect to have great interest and support from the Miami and Miami Beach communities and will deliver an exciting game for college football fans everywhere.”
“We are excited our football program has the opportunity to participate in the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl against a team from the AAC,” said BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe. “Marlins Park is a fantastic facility and we look forward to being in Miami in December.”
ESPN’s Brett McMurphy first reported the BYU to the Miami Beach Bowl news yesterday. According to his report, the Miami Beach bowl “was originally scheduled to pit teams from the American and Conference USA this year. However, the AAC gave C-USA its spot in the Bahamas Bowl and C-USA allowed BYU to take its spot in the Miami Beach Bowl.”
The last time BYU played in a bowl game in Florida was the 1985 Citrus Bowl in Orlando. The Cougars also played in the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando in 1976.
BYU is 13-18-1 overall in bowl games. They had won four straight until last season when they were defeated 31-16 by Washington in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.
Football Schedules