2023 76 Birmingham Bowl
17th Birmingham Bowl
Troy Trojans Duke Blue Devils
(11–2) (7–5)
Sun Belt ACC
10 17
Head coach: 
Greg Gasparato (interim)		 Head coach: 
Trooper Taylor (interim)
1234 Total
Troy 0037 10
Duke 8603 17
DateDecember 23, 2023
Season2023
StadiumProtective Stadium
LocationBirmingham, Alabama
MVPChandler Rivers (CB, Duke)[1]
FavoriteTroy by 7.5[2]
RefereeNolan Dumas (Mountain West)[3]
Attendance20,023
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC
AnnouncersTom Hart (play-by-play), Cole Cubelic (analyst), and Dawn Davenport (sideline)

The 2023 Birmingham Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 23, 2023, at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama. The 17th annual Birmingham Bowl featured the Troy Trojans from the Sun Belt Conference and the Duke Blue Devils from the Atlantic Coast Conference. The game began at approximately 11:00 a.m. CST and was aired on ABC.[4][5] The Birmingham Bowl was one of the 2023–24 bowl games concluding the 2023 FBS football season. The game was sponsored by gas station chain 76 and was officially known as the 76 Birmingham Bowl.[6]

Teams

The game featured Sun Belt Conference champion Troy Trojans and the Duke Blue Devils from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). This was the third meeting between Troy and Duke; the Blue Devils defeated the Trojans in both prior meetings. It was also both teams' first appearance in the Birmingham Bowl.[7]

Troy Trojans

The Trojans entered the game with a 11–2 record (7–1 in the Sun Belt). After clinching their conference's West Division title, the Trojans defeated Appalachian State, 49–23, in the Sun Belt Championship Game to capture their eighth Sun Belt title.

Duke Blue Devils

The Blue Devils entered the game with a 7–5 record (4–4 in the ACC), tied for sixth place in their conference. Their quarterback, Riley Leonard transferred to Notre Dame, while their backup, Henry Belin IV, had an "upper-body" injury. It meant that their 3rd stringer true freshman quarterback Grayson Loftis had to start.

Game summary

2023 76 Birmingham Bowl
Period 1 2 34Total
Troy 0 0 3710
Duke 8 6 0317

at Protective Stadium • Birmingham, Alabama

  • Date: Tuesday, December 23, 2023
  • Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny• Temperature: 60 °F (16 °C) • Wind: 5 mph (8.0 km/h) NW
  • Game attendance: 20,023
  • Referee: Nolan Dumas
  • TV announcers (ABC): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Cole Cubelic (analyst), and Dawn Davenport (sideline)
  • Box score
Game information
First Quarter
  • (2:29) DUKE – Jaylen Coleman 1 yard run, Nicky Dalmolin 2-point run conversion (Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 3:33; Duke 8–0)
Second Quarter
  • (6:51) DUKE – Todd Pelino 34 yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 50 yards, 5:23; Duke 11–0)
  • (0:00) DUKE – Todd Pelino 37 yard field goal (Drive: 17 plays, 54 yards, 6:24; Duke 14–0)
Third Quarter
  • (1:36) TROY – Scott Taylor Renfroe 44 yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 5:29; Duke 14–3)
Fourth Quarter
  • (13:29) DUKE – Todd Pelino 45 yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, 3:07; Duke 17–3)
  • (5:54) TROY – Derrick Graham 2 yard run, Scott Taylor Renfroe kick (Drive: 10 plays, 87 yards, 3:13; Duke 17–10)

Statistics

Statistics TROY DUKE
First downs1719
Plays–yards64–33067–330
Rushes–yards26–8938–147
Passing yards241183
Passing: comp–att–int22–38–119–29–1
Time of possession27:5632:04
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Troy PassingGunnar Watson21/36, 230 yards, INT
RushingKimani Vidal17 carries, 79 yards
ReceivingJabre Barber10 receptions, 107 yards
Duke PassingGrayson Loftis19/29, 183 yards, INT
RushingJaquez Moore14 carries, 73 yards
ReceivingSahmir Hagans5 receptions, 55 yards

References

  1. ↑ @BuzzSportsRadio (December 23, 2023). "Duke CB Chandler Rivers is game MVP" (Tweet). Retrieved December 23, 2023 – via Twitter.
  2. ↑ Parks, James (December 11, 2023). "College football bowl schedule, game odds, point spreads for 2023-24". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  3. ↑ Austro, Ben (December 3, 2023). "2023-24 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  4. ↑ Straka, Dean (May 31, 2023). "2023-24 college football bowl schedule, games, dates, locations, kickoff times, TV channels". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  5. ↑ Lewis, Barry (June 3, 2023). "2023-24 College Football Bowl Schedule, Dates, Times Announced". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  6. ↑ "76 Named Title Sponsor of Birmingham Bowl". Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Winsipedia - Troy Trojans vs. Duke Blue Devils". Winsipedia. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
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