The South Alabama Jaguars and Western Michigan Broncos will play in the 2024 IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl, it was announced Tuesday.
South Alabama and Western Michigan will square off on Saturday, December 14, 2024 at the historic Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. The game, the 11th edition of the bowl, will kickoff at 9:00pm ET / 8:00pm CT and it will be televised nationally by ESPN.
The game will mark the first-ever meeting on the gridiron between South Alabama of the Sun Belt Conference and Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). South Alabama has played in the Montgomery bowl game once previously, while Western Michigan will be making its first appearance.
“As we usher in a new era of Bowl Season in Montgomery, we are thrilled to have South Alabama and Western Michigan in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl,” Johnny Williams, executive director of the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl, said.
“South Alabama played in our inaugural game in 2014 and helped us set the foundation for what our bowl has become. Western Michigan will be coming to Montgomery for the first time with Mobile native Lance Taylor as their head coach.”
South Alabama will be making their second consecutive appearance in a bowl game and fifth overall (1-3 record). Last season, the Jaguars played the Eastern Michigan Eagles in the 68 Ventures Bowl and came away with a 59-10 blowout victory.
South Alabama heads into the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl after closing its regular-season with a 45-38 loss on the road against the Texas State Bobcats. The Jaguars finished the 2024 regular-season 6-6 overall and 5-3 in Sun Belt play.
“We are grateful and excited to be heading to Montgomery for the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl,” Dr. Joel Erdmann, South Alabama Director of Athletics, said. “The proximity of Montgomery, combined with the Saturday game day, provides a tremendous opportunity for South Alabama students and fans to travel and support the Jags. We look forward to the national spotlight being on the University of South Alabama as we compete in the first game of the 2024 FBS bowl season.”
Western Michigan also enters the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl with a 6-6 overall record (5-3 MAC) and are coming off of a 26-18 victory in its regular-season finale at home against the Eastern Michigan Eagles.
The Broncos have played in 11 post-season bowl games in their history. Western Michigan most recently played in the 2021 Quick Lane Bowl and defeated the Nevada Wolf Pack, 52-24, to improve their overall bowl record to 2-9.
“We are thrilled to accept an invitation to the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl,” Dan Bartholomae, Western Michigan Vice President/Director of Athletics, said. “The opportunity to visit such an historic place as Montgomery, Alabama and compete against a great program in South Alabama is exciting, and we look forward to opening the bowl season in great style!”
The IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl is the second of two confirmed bowl matchups this season, the other being the Hawai’i Bowl. The South Carolina State Bulldogs, who won the MEAC championship this season, will appear in the Cricket Celebration Bowl against the SWAC champion, which will be either Southern or Jackson State.
The 2024 season marks the debut of the 12-team College Football Playoff. The complete field is set to be announced on Selection Day on Sunday, Dec. 8 on ESPN.
The College Football National Championship concludes the college football season on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. The two playoff semifinal winners will meet at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and the game will be televised by ESPN at 7:30pm ET.
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Is this the Camilla Bowl?
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