#By TENAJH SWEETING
#Tribune Sports Reporter
#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net
#THE ninth edition of the 2023 HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl will return to Bahamian soil on Saturday, December 16.
#The event is set to kick off at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium at 11am to commence the start of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football bowl season.
#The event will be televised by ESPN and it will be the earliest kickoff start time in its nine-year history.
#Lea Miller-Tooley, executive director of the HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl, talked about her excitement surrounding December’s football extravaganza.
#“It’s an honour to be the very first game of bowl season,” she said.
#“It’s an action-packed time of year for college football, and the HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl delivers a unique atmosphere with two great teams enjoying a week in one of the most beautiful locations in the world,” she added.
#The bowl game will feature teams from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and Conference USA (C-USA).
#The HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl is just one of 17 bowl games owned and operated by ESPN events.
#In last year’s game, for one of the longest running international bowl games in college football history, the University of Alabama (UAB) Blazers took down the Miami University (Ohio) Redhawks 24-20.
#The Blazers won after their Reynard Ellis responded with a defensive tackle on the Redhawks’ receiver Jalen Walker at the two-yard line, disrupting any late game offence as time winded down in the game.
#For the Blazers it was their second consecutive bowl game win as they previously took home the win of the 2021 Independence Bowl against Brigham Young University (BYU).
#Other previous bowl game winners include the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders who defeated the University of Toledo Rockets in 2021.
#The University of Buffalo bested the University of North Carolina 49ers in 2019.
#Additionally, the Florida International University (FIU) Panthers got the victory over the Toledo Rockets in 2018.
#The Redhawks won in 2017, Old Dominion claimed victory in 2016, Western Michigan got the win in 2015 and Western Kentucky in 2014.
#The HomeTown Lenders will once again serve as the title sponsor of the Bahamas Bowl for the second consecutive year after last week’s announcement.