NIU TO TAKE ON MARSHALL IN FIRST BOCA RATON BOWL
Match-Up of Conference Champions Takes Place Dec. 23rd
DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University Huskies, champions of the Mid-American Conference for the third time in the last four years, will meet the Conference USA Champion Marshall Thundering Herd in the inaugural Boca Raton Bowl in Boca Raton, Fla., the league office and NIU Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics Sean Frazier announced Sunday.
The game features a match-up of conference champions with the 11-2 Huskies taking on the 12-1 Thundering Herd on Tuesday, Dec. 23 at 6 p.m. (ET)/5 p.m. (CT) from FAU Stadium in Boca Raton.
“Congratulations first to our team and coaches for putting themselves in this position with a fantastic season, capped off with a dominating performance Friday night in the MAC Championship game,” Frazier said. “I am so excited that this NIU team is going to be able to take on a quality opponent like Marshall in a big-time game in south Florida.
“There are many people that were instrumental in making this historic opportunity happen for our players and staff,” Frazier said. “Thanks go to MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher and his staff, NIU President Doug Baker and all of the league’s bowl partners. I know [Boca Raton Bowl Executive Director] Doug Mosley and his staff will provide our team and our fans with an outstanding experience in Boca Raton.”
With the invitation to the Boca Raton Bowl, NIU extends its school and MAC record for consecutive bowl seasons to seven and the Huskies will play in a bowl for the ninth time in the last 11 years. The Huskies will play in a bowl game for the 10th time in its history as a major college program (since 1969) and for the 15th time overall.
NIU comes into the game on a seven-game winning streak after defeating MAC East Champion Bowling Green, 51-17, in the Marathon MAC Championship game on Friday night at Ford Field in Detroit. The Huskies won their third MAC title in the last four seasons and are the only team in the country to win 11 or more games over each of the last five seasons.
NIU Head Coach Rod Carey, who has led NIU to a 23-5 record since being named head coach prior to the Huskies’ last trip to Florida for a bowl game in the 2013 Orange Bowl, said the Huskies and NIU fans can look forward to the trip back to south Florida and to the match-up versus Marshall.
“We’re super-excited for our team and our fans to go back to a bowl game in Florida,” Carey said. “In terms of the location, the opponent and the date, it’s ideal for our players and for our fans. This is our second bowl game in Florida, and last time we were there, we had a great turnout and I look forward to a lot of fans coming back to Florida with us.
