Military Bowl Welcomes University of North Carolina, Temple

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The University of North Carolina and Temple University will square off in the 2019 Military Bowl Dec. 27 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. The game will be televised on ESPN. This will be the first time these two teams have faced each other.

North Carolina (6-6) will be making its first appearance in the Military Bowl, ending a two-year postseason absence by beating Mercer and North Carolina State to close the season and become bowl eligible. The Tar Heels feature freshman quarterback Sam Howell, who was named the ACC’s Rookie of the Year after passing for 3,347 yards and a school single-season record 35 touchdowns. Brown’s return to the sidelines helped energize the North Carolina fan base as the Tar Heels sold out each of their home games this season. North Carolina was competitive in every game; its six losses were by a total of 26 points, including a 21-20 loss to undefeated Clemson when a potential game-winning two-point conversion in the final minute was unsuccessful.

Temple (8-4) will appear in a bowl game for the fifth consecutive year, a stretch that includes a loss to Wake Forest in the 2016 Military Bowl. The Owls also played in the 2009 EagleBank Bowl. Defensive end Quincy Roche, who is from Randallstown, Md., was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Year after posting 44 tackles and 13 sacks. Six other Temple players received All-AAC honors as the Owls won three of the final four games to finish the regular season with plenty of momentum.

Tickets for the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman, benefiting the USO, are on sale. Starting at $30, tickets can be purchased online at militarybowl.org/tickets or by calling TicketWest at 888-479-6300. This year’s Military Bowl once again will match representatives from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the American Athletic Conference. Proceeds from the Bowl also benefit Patriot Point, the Military Bowl’s 290-acre retreat for recovering service members, their families and caregivers on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.