USF Bulls Face Texas Tech In Birmingham Bowl

TAMPA, FL - The University of South Florida (9-2) returns to the Birmingham Bowl for the third time and will face the Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-6), game officials announced Sunday. This will be the first ever meeting between the two schools. The 2017 Birmingham Bowl will be played noon Saturday, Dec. 23, at Legion Field in Birmingham. The game will air on ESPN.

“We are pleased to have USF return for their third Birmingham Bowl appearance and we welcome Texas
Tech for their first appearance in the Birmingham Bowl. We look forward to a great match-up and an
exciting game for our great city,” said Mark Meadows, executive director of the Birmingham Bowl. “We
know the fans of these two teams will experience the unique Southern Hospitality that Birmingham is
famous for during their stay.”

“This is an exciting bowl match-up and a chance for our team and this tremendous senior class to close the
2017 season with a win,” said USF head coach Charlie Strong. “It’s the third straight bowl game for our
program and a chance to go out and try to beat an exciting opponent and get to double-digit wins for a
second straight year. Our guys are excited to play.”

The Bulls defeated East Carolina 24-7 in the inaugural Birmingham Bowl in 2006. The Bulls defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks in last year’s Birmingham Bowl. The Bulls’ victory against the South Carolina Gamecocks in last year’s Birmingham Bowl was the highest scoring game in the 11-year history of the Bowl. It was also the first overtime in Birmingham Bowl history.

“Our football program looks forward to participating in the Birmingham Bowl,” Texas Tech head coach Kliff
Kingsbury said. “South Florida is a quality program, and we look forward to seeing Legion Field packed with
scarlet and black here in a few weeks.”

Patch photo by Amanda Lamela