MIAMI FOOTBALL

Miami accepts invitation to Orlando's Cure Bowl

RedHawks will face Sun Belt's Appalachian State 

ORLANDO, Fla.-- The Miami University football team will take on Appalachian State University in the Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 16 in Orlando, Fla. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at FBC Mortgage Stadium and the game will be televised on ABC.
 
The Cure Bowl will be Miami's 15th all-time bowl appearance, as the Red and White will play in a bowl game for the fourth consecutive full season (2020 Lending Tree Bowl, 2021 Frisco Football Classic, 2022 Bahamas Bowl). The RedHawks are 8-6 in bowl games and have been bowl-eligible in seven of the last eight years. The bowl game against App State will be Miami's third all-time appearance on ABC (2004 vs. Michigan, 2005 vs. Ohio State).

“We are honored to be selected to play in the Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl. This is a great reward for our players and coaches who have put in so much work and effort during this incredible MAC Championship season," Miami Director of Athletics David Saylor said. 

Miami owns an 11-2 record after a 23-14 victory over then-No. 23 Toledo in the .  .  .

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.  .  . Mid-American Conference Championship Game on Dec. 2 and is receiving votes in the most recent Associated Press poll. The RedHawks won six road games this season, one of only two FBS teams in the country to do so, and posted a 7-1 record in conference play. In its last 59 games against MAC teams, Miami is a conference-best 42-17. The RedHawks defeated seven MAC foes this season by a scoring margin of at least two possessions.
 
Quarterback Aveon Smith is 5-0 as a starter this season and was named the Offensive Player of the Game with 208 all-purpose yards in Miami's MAC Championship triumph. Rashad Amos leads Miami with 895 rushing yards (5.1 yards per carry) and 12 touchdowns.
 
Matt Salopek was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year and also earned MACC Defensive Player of the Game honors Saturday in Detroit. Salopek is averaging double-digit tackles (134 in 13 games played) and ranks seventh in the nation in total tackles. He has produced 8.5 tackles for loss this year, including three sacks.
 
Graham Nicholson is 26-for-27 on field goals this season and was tabbed the conference's Special Teams Player of the Year and the MACC Special Teams Player of the Game. The Lou Groza Award Finalist leads the nation in made field goals and will break the program record for most makes in a year with his next successful field goal.
 
App State comes into the Cure Bowl with an 8-5 record (6-2 SBC). The Mountaineers won their final five regular-season games before falling to Troy 49-23 in the Sun Belt Championship Game on Dec. 2. Quarterback Joey Aguilar has thrown for a school-record 3,546 yards this season, which ranks ninth in FBS, and has a program-record 33 touchdowns through the air. He is tied with Michael Penix Jr. for third in the nation in touchdown passes (behind Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix). Defensive standout Andrew Parker Jr. leads the Mountaineers with 108 tackles. App State is 6-1 in bowl games since moving to the FBS level in 2014.

​Complete Miami Bowl Game Results
1948 Sun Bowl (Won 13-12 vs. Texas Tech)
1950 Salad Bowl (Won 34-21 vs. Arizona State)
1962 Tangerine Bowl (Lost, 49-21 vs. Houston)
1973 Tangerine Bowl (Won, 16-7 vs. Florida)
1974 Tangerine Bowl (Won, 21-10 vs. Georgia)
1975 Tangerine Bowl (Won, 20-7 vs. South Carolina)
1986 California Bowl (Lost, 37-7 vs. San Jose State)
2003 GMAC Bowl (Won, 49-28 vs. Louisville)
2004 Independence Bowl (Lost, 17-13 vs. Iowa State)
2010 GoDaddy Bowl (Won, 35-21 vs. Middle Tennessee State)                                                   
2016 St. Petersburg Bowl (Lost, 17-16 vs. Mississippi State)
2020 LendingTree Bowl (Lost, 27-17 vs. Louisiana)
2021 Frisco Football Classic (Won, 27-14 vs. North Texas)
2022 HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl (Lost, 24-20 vs. UAB)