A-State, Sun Belt Champion, Accepts GoDaddy.com Bowl Invitation for Jan. 6
JONESBORO – The Sun Belt Conference champion Arkansas State football team accepted an official invitation Sunday to play in the 2013 GoDaddy.com Bowl, where it will face the 11-2 and 25th-ranked Kent State Golden Flashes from the Mid-American Conference at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala., on Jan. 6 at 8 p.m.
“I’ve coached in the GoDaddy.com Bowl twice and had a great experience both times,” said ASU Head Football Coach Gus Malzahn. “We’re playing a top-25 team, and we’re excited about the opportunity to play in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Mobile is a football town -- they show up, support the bowl and do a great job with the way they treat the guests and players, so it’s a great bowl.”
The Red Wolves will make their second consecutive appearance in the GoDaddy.com Bowl and will play their ninth bowl game all-time. This year’s game will be the 14th edition of the GoDaddy.com Bowl, which was played for the first time in 1999.
“We are certainly excited about the opportunity to play in a first-class postseason game such as the GoDaddy.com Bowl,” said ASU Chancellor Dr. Tim Hudson. “We are looking forward to completing what has been a very special season for our team and fans with another great experience in the city of Mobile.”
The Red Wolves capped off a 9-3 regular season Saturday with a 45-0 victory over a Middle Tennessee team that was receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll. A-State completed its Sun Belt title run with seven straight victories to finish 7-1 in the league.
Arkansas State, which has never finished ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation as an FBS member, is receiving votes in both major polls and is listed No. 34 and No. 37 in latest CBSSports.com 124 and BCS rankings, respectively. As an FBS program, the Red Wolves will also be looking for their first win ever against a top-25 ranked team when they face 25th-ranked Kent State.
Fans are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets only through the ASU Ticket Office to directly support the Red Wolves and to ensure they receive priority seating within the designated A-State area.
Bowl tickets are only $45 per ticket when purchased through the ASU Ticket Office. Fans can go to AStateRedWolves.com and click on ‘Bowl Game Central’ (bowl game link on the football page) to order tickets, and the ASU Ticket Office, located at the Convocation Center’s lower red entrance, will be taking walk-up or telephone (870-972-ASU1) orders beginning Monday, Dec. 3, at 8:30 a.m. All fans who submitted early ticket reservations will receive order confirmation.
Special pricing is also available for students in the designated student zone when ordered through the ASU Ticket Office. Seating allocation will begin immediately and tickets purchased will be mailed out two weeks prior to the game. Land travel packages based on priority will also be available through the Red Wolf Club by calling 870-972-2401.
“Our fans are familiar with the GoDaddy.com Bowl and the fantastic hospitality not only shown by (bowl president) Jerry Silverstein and his staff, but by the city of Mobile,” said ASU Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir. “The game will also present our team with a fantastic opportunity to play a quality opponent ranked in the top 25 and to potentially end the season as a top-25 team for the first time as an FBS member. It is also my goal to bring the most fans ever to a GoDaddy.com Bowl, so we need the A-State Nation to buy all their tickets through the ASU Ticket Office. We want to paint the town scarlet and black.”
A-State, the back-to-back Sun Belt champions, is making its third bowl appearance since its return as an FBS member in 1992. In addition to their GoDaddy.com Bowl appearance last season, the Red Wolves also played in the 2005 New Orleans Bowl.
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