The Group of Five teams have finished their play in bowl games for the 2023 season. Here is a look back at some of the highlights.
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Group of Five Bowl Records
| G5 Conference | Bowl Record |
| AAC | 3-3 |
| Conference USA | 2-2 |
| Mountain West | 3-4 |
| Sun Belt | 5-7 |
| MAC | 2-4 |
G5 Bowl Results And MVPs
G5 vs. G5
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Ohio 41, Georgia Southern 21. MVP: Ohio RB Rickey Hunt (17 carries, 115 yards, 4 TDs; 1 reception, 18 yards, 1 TD).
New Orleans Bowl: Jacksonville State 34, Louisiana 31 (OT). MVP: JSU RB Ron Wiggins (27 carries, 126 yards, 1 TD; 3 receptions, 17 yards).
Cure Bowl: Appalachian State 13, Miami (Ohio) 9. MVP: App State QB Joey Aguilar (18-of-32 passing, 211 yards, 1 INT; 5 carries, 14 yards, 1 TD).
New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State 37, New Mexico State 10. MVP(s): Offense – Fresno State QB Mikey Keene (31-of-39 passing, 380 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT; 2 carries, 9 yards, 1 TD); Defense – Fresno State LB Levelle Bailey (8 tackles, 1 sack).
Famous Toastery Bowl: Western Kentucky 38, Old Dominion 35 (OT). MVP(s): Offense – WKU: QB Caden Veltkamp (40-of-52 passing, 383 yards, 5 TDs); Defense – WKU DB Anthony Johnson Jr. (8 tackles, 1 INT).
Frisco Bowl: UTSA 35, Marshall 17. MVP(s): Offense – UTSA WR Joshua Cephus (7 receptions, 102 yards, TD); Defense – UTSA CB Kam Alexander (57-yard INT return for TD, 2 PBUs, 1 TFL).
Camellia Bowl: Northern Illinois 21, Arkansas State 19. MVP: NIU QB Rocky Lombardi (18-of-29 passing, 200 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs; 3 carries, 21 yards, 1 TD).
Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force 31, James Madison 21. MVP: Air Force FB Emmanuel Michel (35 carries, 203 yards, 2 TDs).
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Georgia State 45, Utah State 22. MVP: Georgia State QB Darren Grainger (19-of-22 passing, 257 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs; 24 carries, 111 yards, 2 TDs).
68 Ventures Bowl: South Alabama 59, Eastern Michigan 10. MVP: South Alabama QB Gio Lopez (14-of-19 passing, 192 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs; 7 carries, 88 yards, 1 TD). MVP(s): Offense – South Alabama WR Jamaal Pritchett (8 receptions, 127 yards, 2 TDs); Defense – South Alabama DL Jamie Sheriff (4 tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 QB hurries); Special Teams – South Alabama K Diego Guajardo (46-yard FG, 8-for-8 PATs).
Hawaii Bowl: Coastal Carolina 24, San Jose State 14. MVP: Coastal Carolina QB Ethan Vasko (20-of-33 passing, 199 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs; 17 carries, 50 yards).
First Responder Bowl: Texas State 45, Rice 21. MVP: Texas State LB Brian Holloway (2 INTs returned for TDs, 6 tackles).
Arizona Bowl: Wyoming 16, Toledo 15. MVP: Wyoming K John Hoyland (3-for-3 FGs).
Group of Five vs. Power Five
LA Bowl: UCLA 35, Boise State 22. MVP(s): Offense – UCLA QB Ethan Garbers; Defense – UCLA LB Darius Muasau.
Boca Raton Bowl: USF 45, Syracuse 0. MVP(s): Offense – USF QB Byrum Brown (19-of-26 passing, 214 yards, 3 TDs; 14 carries, 64 yards; 1 reception, 21 yards); Defense – USF DB Daquan Evans (5 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 FF that was returned for a TD); Special Teams – USF DB Aamaris Brown-Bunkley (returned a botched FG for a TD and had 3 special teams tackles).
Birmingham Bowl: Duke 17, Troy 10. MVP: Duke CB Chandler Rivers.
Quick Lane Bowl: Minnesota 30, Bowling Green 24. MVP: Minnesota RB Darius Taylor.
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Kansas 49, UNLV 36. MVP(s): Offense – Kansas QB Jason Bean; Defense – Kansas S Kenny Logan Jr.
Military Bowl: Virginia Tech 41, Tulane 20. MVP: Virginia Tech QB Kyron Drones.
Fenway Bowl: Boston College 23, SMU 14. MVP(s): Offense – Boston College QB Thomas Castellanos; Defense – LB Kam Arnold.
Liberty Bowl: Memphis 36, Iowa State 26. MVP(s): Offense – Memphis QB Seth Henigan (24-of-34 passing, 364 yards, 4 TDs; 27 yards rushing, 1 TD); Defense – Memphis LB Chandler Martin (8 tackles, 5 TFLs, 1 sack).
Fiesta Bowl: Oregon 45, Liberty 6. MVP(s): Offense – Oregon QB Bo Nix; Defense – Oregon LB Jeffrey Bassa.
Group of Five Bowl Performances
Best Comeback
Western Kentucky overcame a 28-point deficit to beat Old Dominion 38-35 in OT during the Famous Toastery Bowl in Charlotte.
Most Impressive Win
USF’s 45-0 rout of Syracuse in the Boca Raton Bowl. Yes, Syracuse was down to playing a tight end at quarterback due to injuries, but the USF defense was dominating, holding the Orange to 1 for 17 on third downs and forcing 10 punts. The Bulls forced four turnovers and scored two defensive touchdowns. The USF offense accounted for 407 yards.
Most Lopsided Game
Eastern Michigan lost by 49 points in a 59-10 defeat to South Alabama in the 68 Ventures Bowl. It was the seventh-most lopsided loss in NCAA bowl history. Eastern Michigan was outgained 627-150.
Best Exit
Retiring Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl won his final game 16-15 over Toledo in the Arizona Bowl. John Hoyland kicked a winning 24-yard field goal as time expired. Bohl coached 42 years, including the last 10 at Wyoming.
G5 Bowl Game Notes
South Alabama, which began playing football in 2009, earned its first bowl win with its 59-10 rout of Eastern Michigan in the 68 Ventures Bowl. … Texas State, playing in its first ever bowl game, forced seven turnovers while beating Rice 45-21 in the First Responder Bowl. … Air Force, which won its first eight games this season, snapped a four-game losing streak with its 31-21 win over James Madison in the Armed Forces Bowl. JMU entered the game as the nation’s top rushing defense (62 yards per game allowed) but surrendered 351 yards on the ground to the Falcons. … Jacksonville State, playing its first FBS bowl game, beat Louisiana 34-31 in OT in the New Orleans Bowl. … Northern Illinois’ 21-19 win over Arkansas State in the Camellia Bowl was the Huskies’ first bowl win since a 38-20 victory over the same Arkansas State team following the 2011 regular season during the GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. … Fresno State’s 37-10 win over New Mexico State in the New Mexico Bowl under acting head coach Tim Skipper was the Bulldogs’ fifth straight bowl win. … Ohio’s 41-21 win over Georgia Southern in the Myrtle Beach Bowl was its fifth consecutive bowl victory.
