Northern Illinois Huskies and South Florida Bulls to play in International Bowl
MEDIA RELEASE
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| NCAA College Football returns to Toronto |
TORONTO, ONTARIO – The Northern Illinois University Huskies have accepted an invitation to represent the Mid-American Conference at the 2010 International Bowl in Toronto. They will be facing the University of South Florida Bulls from the BIG EAST Conference on January 2, 2010 at Rogers Centre.
For more information, visit the event details page.
Northern Illinois Huskies: Led by head coach Jerry Kill in his second season at the helm, the Huskies found success in 2009 finishing second in the MAC’s West Division with a record of 7-5. This included a record of 5-3 in conference play.
The upcoming International Bowl will mark Northern Illinois’s fifth appearance in a bowl game. In their four previous bowl appearances they have a record of 2-2 including their most recent post-season win, a 34-21 victory over Troy State in the 2004 Silicon Valley Classic.
"This is a great time for the Huskies. It's the first time in school history that NIU will be in back-to-back bowl games, which is a huge accomplishment for our seniors and another step forward for our program. We're very excited about the International Bowl and the opportunity for our players and fans to have a first-class experience in a beautiful stadium and a great city," said Kill. "This is a tremendous opportunity for our program versus a tremendous opponent as we know South Florida is a very good football program from a great league. It will be a great challenge."
The Huskies this season are led by junior running back Chad Spann, who was one of three Huskies to garner first team All-Mac selections. Spann fished the season with 945 yards on 159 carries and a conference high 19 touchdowns.
NIU had the top rushing offence in the MAC as the Huskies averaged 202.4 rushing yards per game. In addition, the Huskies offensive line has allowed just 14 sacks this season, the second-lowest total in the league.
International Bowl Executive Director Ken Hoffman said Coach Kill and the Huskies have to be commended for the success they have had on the field in 2009.
"With the team that Coach Kill has put on the field at Northern Illinois in 2009, their success is something that they can be proud of, we are excited to welcome them to the International Bowl," Hoffman noted.
South Florida Bulls:
Led by Jim Leavitt, the only head coach South Florida has known in the 13 years of the program’s existence, the Bulls finished in a tie for fourth in the Big East Conference with a record of 7-5. In his 13 seasons with the team Coach Leavitt has guided the Bulls to a record of 94 victories and 57 losses.
The upcoming International Bowl will mark South Florida's fifth appearance in a bowl game. In their four previous bowl appearances they have a record of 2-2 including their most recent post-season win, a 41-14 victory over Memphis in the 2008 Magic Jack St. Petersburg Bowl.
"Our entire program is excited about the upcoming experience in the International Bowl. We have been to every bowl game, besides the BCS, that our league has partnered with and this guarantees to be among the most unique. We can't wait to begin preparations for the challenge in front of us," said Leavitt.
The Bulls this season were led by the multi-talented quarterback B.J. Daniels, who completed 108 of 205 passes for 1,766 yards and 12 touchdowns. The red-shirt freshman also eluded defences on the ground, rushing for 798 yards and nine scores.
Junior wide receiver Carlton Mitchell has been a force on offence for the Bulls. In South Florida’s season finale at Connecticut he had four catches for 49 yards, and in doing so broke Hugh Smith's career receiving yards record of 1,523 yards. Mitchell sits at 1,554 for his career. With 50 yards receiving in the upcoming International Bowl he will also surpass Smith’s single season mark of 661 yards.
International Bowl Executive Director Ken Hoffman commented that the Bulls are one of the exciting up-and-coming teams in college football.
"When you consider the successful program that Coach Leavitt has built from the ground up at South Florida including what will be five trips to the post-season, we are excited to welcome them to the International Bowl," Hoffman remarked.
ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL BOWL:
The International Bowl is the only NCAA Division I football game played outside the U.S. The fourth annual International Bowl will be played on Saturday, January 2, 2010 at Rogers Centre with a noon kick-off. Tickets are now on sale at all Ticketmaster outlets, online at Ticketmaster.ca or by calling 416-872-5000.
For further information, including media credential requests, please visit the official International Bowl website at www.internationalbowl.org.
The 2010 International Bowl will be broadcast in the U.S. on ESPN2 and in Canada on The Score.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Campbell Blake
Director, Communications and Media Relations International Bowl
CBlake@internationalbowl.net
416-938-4097
Donna Turner
Associate Athletic Director, Communications
Northern Illinois University
donnaturner@niu.edu (815) 793-5474
Chris Freet
Assistant Athletic Director/Communications
University of South Florida
cfreet@admin.usf.edu (813) 625-6075
