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You can find a Middle Tennessee connection in every bowl game this season





Purdue head coach Jeff Brohn holds up the trophy after Purdue beat Tennessee 48-45 in overtime to win the Music City Bowl NCAA college football game Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. Purdue receiver TJ Sheffield, who played at Independence, had a TD catch in the game. Mark Humphrey/AP

Purdue head coach Jeff Brohn holds up the trophy after Purdue beat Tennessee 48-45 in overtime to win the Music City Bowl NCAA college football game Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. Purdue receiver TJ Sheffield, who played at Independence, had a TD catch in the game. Mark Humphrey/AP

Bowl season is flourishing into the New Year.

To celebrate, we’ve compiled at least one Midstate connection in every bowl game. (Some are downright wacky.)

Take a look.

Bahamas Bowl (MTSU 31, Toledo 24)

The Middle Tennessee State roster is obviously packed with Nashville-area guys, 11 players in all. That includes three players from Overton: H-back Aran Mohamad-Ali and offensive linemen Jacob King and Steven Losoya III.

For Toledo, Ensworth defensive back and track star Roland McGhee signed with the Rockets in December.

Cure Bowl (Coastal Carolina 47, Northern Illinois 41)

Coastal Carolina freshman long-snapper John Kirkpatrick came to the Chanticleers by way of the U.S. Naval Preparatory Academy. He played linebacker and fullback for Franklin.

Boca Raton Bowl (Western Kentucky 59, Appalachian State 38)

Former Oakland defensive back Kaleb Oliver is one of 11 area products on Western Kentucky’s team. He made five tackles against Appalachian State.

 

 

At Appalachian State, former Father Ryan quarterback DC Tabscott is a freshman on the depth chart. … Former Lebanon offensive lineman Luke Smith is in the App State line rotation, which was named a semifinalist for the Joe Smith Award.

Celebration Bowl (South Carolina State 31, Jackson State 10)

Former Father Ryan linebacker Nyles Gaddy is on the Jackson State roster after transferring from Tennessee.

New Mexico Bowl (Fresno State 31, UTEP 24)

Page quarterback Jake McNamara received a scholarship offer from UTEP recently, after decommitting from Colorado State. Former Smyrna defensive line standout Deylon Williams is already in El Paso.

Independence Bowl (UAB 31, No. 13 BYU 28)

Former Independence punter Kyle Greenwell averaged 42.1 yards per punt this season for UAB, with six pinned inside the 20.

LendingTree Bowl (Liberty 56, Eastern Michigan 20)

Former Vanderbilt coach George MacIntyre’s final coaching position was as a running backs coach for Liberty. He died in 2016 at age 77.

LA Bowl (Utah State 24, Oregon State 13)

Utah State’s single-game scoring record (73) came against Tennessee Tech in 2018.

New Orleans Bowl (No. 23 Louisiana 36, Marshall 21)

Former Pearl-Cohn standout Jayden Harrison, a redshirt sophomore receiver for Marshall, had one catch for six yards in the game.

Myrtle Beach Bowl (Tulsa 30, Old Dominion 17)

Tulsa co-passing game coordinator and receivers coach Calvin Lowry played special teams and safety for the Tennessee Titans in 2006 and 2007.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Wyoming 52, Kent State 38)

Kent State linebacker Marvin Pierre transferred from Murray State, where he made four tackles and recorded an interception in a 35-13 win against Tennessee State in 2020.

Frisco Bowl (No. 24 San Diego State 38, UTSA 24)

In 2016, former East Nashville and LSU linebacker Jacob Phillips stood on stage with the Class 3A Mr. Football Lineman Award. Next to him was UTSA star receiver Tykee Ogle-Kellog, who won Class 3A Back of the Year after standing out for Alcoa.

Armed Forces Bowl (Army 24, Missouri 22)

MBA beat Baylor 10-7 in the 2004 Division II-AAA state quarterfinals. On the Baylor sideline was Army inside linebackers coach Cortney Braswell, who won Mr. Football Back of the Year.

Frisco Football Classic (Miami-Ohio 27, North Texas 14)

Miami freshman defensive lineman CJ Ware IV is from Nolensville.

Gasparilla Bowl (UCF 29, Florida 17)

UCF offensive line coach Glenn Elarbee was at Middle Tennessee State in 2012 when the Blue Raiders’ offensive line was No. 2 nationally in sacks allowed.

Hawaii Bowl (Memphis vs. Hawaii, not played)

Memphis’ roster has 10 players from Middle Tennessee, and the Tigers have already signed one this year in Cane Ridge defensive end Eric Gaston.

Camellia Bowl (Georgia State 51, Ball State 20)

Georgia State redshirt sophomore nose guard Thomas Gore is from Brentwood Academy. He made one tackle in the game.

Quick Lane Bowl (Western Michigan 52, Nevada 24)

Western Michigan cornerback Keni-H Lovely has three siblings that have played in the NFL. His brother, Joe Looney, started six games at center for the Titans in 2015.

Birmingham Bowl (No. 20 Houston 17, Auburn 13)

Auburn senior receiver Jackson McFadden attended Montgomery Bell Academy.

First Responder Bowl (Air Force 31, Louisville 28)

Air Force and Louisville have a combined four Middle Tennessee products: Dalton King (Mt. Juliet/Air Force); Rory White (Pope Prep/Air Force); Nick Okeke (Smyrna/Louisville); Yirayah LaNier (Brentwood/Louisville).

Liberty Bowl (Texas Tech 34, Mississippi State 7)

Joel Filani, a former Texas Tech receiver who coaches Red Raiders outside receivers now, was a sixth-round draft choice of the Titans in 2007. Mississippi State also features Izuchukwu King Ani (defensive end/Davidson Academy), Landon Guidry (safety/Independence), and Tucker Day (punter/Brentwood),

Holiday Bowl (No. 18 NC State vs. UCLA, will not be played)

Former NC State offensive guard Leroy Harris enjoyed a career with the Titans from 2007-12. He’s now an assistant coach at CPA.

Guaranteed Rate Bowl (Minnesota 18, West Virginia 6)

The last opponent to block a Minnesota punt was Middle Tennessee’s Chase Pennycuff in 2014.

Pinstripe Bowl (Maryland 54, Virginia Tech 10)

Virginia Tech long-snapper Oscar Shadley’s sister, Marinna, played two years of softball at MTSU. Also, Virginia Tech senior director of football operations Josh Bost graduated from MTSU.

Cheez-It Bowl (No. 19 Clemson 20, Iowa State 13)

Former Christ Presbyterian Academy and Clemson linebacker Kane Patterson recently announced a transfer to Vanderbilt.

Alamo Bowl (No. 16 Oklahoma 47, No. 14 Oregon 32)

Woodi Washington (DB/Oakland), Key Lawrence (DB/Ensworth) and Reggie Grimes (DE/Ravenwood) are factors on OU’s defense.

Duke’s Mayo Bowl (South Carolina 38, North Carolina 21)

Duke Mayonnaise partnered with Nashville Butcher & Bee Restaurant Group last July with four rotating, seasonal menus featuring Duke Mayo and its heirloom tomatoes.

Music City Bowl (Purdue 48, Tennessee 45 / OT)

Independence product and Purdue receiver TJ Sherrill caught 3 passes for 61 yards and a touchdown.

Peach Bowl (No. 10 Michigan State vs. No. 12 Pittsburgh)

Pearl-Cohn product Alex Okelo is a freshman defensive end for Michigan State.

Las Vegas Bowl (Wisconsin vs. Arizona State)

Former Pope Prep running back Antwan Roberts signed with Wisconsin last year, but has since entered the transfer portal.

Friday, Dec. 31

Gator Bowl

No. 17 Wake Forest vs. Rutgers (No. 25 Texas A&M out because of COVID)

Rutgers had never had a player taken in the first round before Kenny Britt went 30th overall to the Tennessee Titans in 2009.

Sun Bowl

Washington State vs. Central Michigan (Miami-FL out because of COVID)

Miami was supposed to play in this game. Oakland star receiver Isaiah Horton has signed with the Hurricanes.

Cotton Bowl Classic (College Football Playoff semifinal)

No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Cincinnati

Stewarts Creek kicker/punter Upton Bellenfant recently committed to Alabama. … Lipscomb Academy star Luther Richesson has signed with Cincinnati. 

Orange Bowl (College Football Playoff semifinal)

No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Georgia

Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara is the older brother of Page quarterback Jake McNamara.

Saturday, Jan. 1

Outback Bowl (No. 21 Arkansas vs. Penn State)

Arkansas junior receiver Trey Knox attended Blackman High School.

Citrus Bowl (No. 15 Iowa vs. No. 22 Kentucky)

San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle attended Iowa. His dad, Bruce, is a performance coach in Nashville. … Local prep stars Destin Wade (Summit), Keaten Wade (Summit) and Barion Brown (Pearl-Cohn) signed with Kentucky last month.

Fiesta Bowl (No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State)

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy came close to making regular appearances in Nashville for the Tennessee-Vanderbilt game. Gundy flirted seriously with Tennessee’s head coach opening in 2017.

Rose Bowl (No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Utah)

Independence junior tight end Ty Lockwood is committed to Ohio State.

Sugar Bowl (No. 7 Baylor vs. No. 8 Ole Miss)

East Robertson senior Taylor Groves signed with Ole Miss last month.

Tuesday, Jan. 4

Texas Bowl (Kansas State vs. LSU)

Former East Nashville linebacker Jacob Phillips played at LSU.

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