The 2019 Music City Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 30, 2019, with kickoff at 4:00 p.m. EST (3:00 p.m. local CDT) on ESPN.[5] The 22nd edition of the Music City Bowl featured Southeastern Conference member Mississippi State and Atlantic Coast Conference member Louisville, and was one of the 2019–20 bowl games concluding the 2019 FBS football season. Sponsored by the Franklin American Mortgage Company, the game was officially known as the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl.

2019 Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
22nd Music City Bowl
1234 Total
Mississippi State 77014 28
Louisville 0101414 38
DateDecember 30, 2019
Season2019
StadiumNissan Stadium
LocationNashville, Tennessee
MVPMalik Cunningham (QB, Louisville)[1]
FavoriteMississippi State by 4.5[2]
RefereeMark Duddy (Pac-12)[3]
Attendance46,850
PayoutUS$5,700,000[4]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN & ESPN Radio
AnnouncersESPN: Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst) and Cole Cubelic (sideline)
ESPN Radio: Dave O'Brien (play-by-play), Mike Golic Jr. (analyst) and Jerry Punch (sideline)
Music City Bowl
 < 2018  2020 2021

Teams

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The 2019 Music City Bowl was contested by the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Louisville Cardinals. The teams had met five times previously, with Mississippi State holding a 3–2 edge in the series.[6] Louisville's two wins came via forfeit, as the Bulldogs were forced to forfeit all their wins in 1975 and 1976 for fielding a player who was later ruled ineligible.[7] The teams had last met in the 2017 TaxSlayer Bowl, won by the Bulldogs, 31–27.

Mississippi State Bulldogs

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The Bulldogs entered the bowl with a 6–6 record (3–5 in conference); they finished in fifth place of the SEC's West Division. This was Mississippi State's second Music City Bowl; their 2011 team won that season's Music City Bowl over Wake Forest, 23–17. This was the 10th consecutive bowl appearance for the Bulldogs, dating back to their 2010 season. This was Mississippi State's 23rd overall bowl game in program history.

Head coach Joe Moorhead had initially named true freshman Garrett Shrader the starting quarterback for the game, but he was injured prior to the game, resulting in Tommy Stevens (a graduate transfer from Penn State) getting the start.[8]

Louisville Cardinals

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Louisville entered the bowl with a 7–5 record (5–3 in conference), including an upset win against No. 19 Wake Forest by three points on October 12. The Cardinals finished in second place in the ACC's Atlantic Division. This was Louisville's second Music City Bowl; their 2015 team won that season's Music City Bowl over Texas A&M, 27–21. This was the first bowl game for the Cardinals since 2017, and the 23rd overall bowl game for the program.

Game summary

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2019 Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Mississippi State 7 7 01428
Louisville 0 10 141438

at Nissan StadiumNashville, Tennessee

  • Date: Monday, December 30, 2019
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST (3:00 p.m. CST)
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 53 °F (12 °C) • Wind: SW 12 mph
  • Game attendance: 46,850
  • Referee: Mark Duddy
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst) and Cole Cubelic (sideline)
  • ESPN game summary
Game information
First Quarter
  • (4:48) MSST – Tommy Stevens 3 yard rush, Jace Christmann kick (Drive: 8 plays, 99 yards, 4:10; Mississippi State 7–0)
Second Quarter
  • (10:19) MSST – Nick Gibson 3 yard rush, Jace Christmann kick (Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 3:49; Mississippi State 14–0)
  • (7:57) LOU – Tutu Atwell 33 yard pass to Marshon Ford, Ryan Chalifoux kick (Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 2:30; Mississippi State 14–7)
  • (0:00) LOU – Ryan Chalifoux 31 yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 50 yards, 3:14; Mississippi State 14–10)
Third Quarter
  • (5:01) LOU – Malik Cunningham 24 yard pass to Devante Peete, Ryan Chalifoux kick (Drive: 7 plays, 56 yards, 2:07; Louisville 17–14)
  • (2:51) LOU – Khane Pass 31 yard fumble return, Ryan Chalifoux kick (Louisville 24–14)
Fourth Quarter
  • (13:52) LOU – Malik Cunningham 8 yard pass to Marshon Ford, Ryan Chalifoux kick (Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 2:30; Louisville 31–14)
  • (10:25) MSST – Tommy Stevens 18 yard pass to Stephen Guidry, Jace Christmann kick (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:27; Louisville 31–21)
  • (2:13) LOU – Javian Hawkins 5 yard rush, Ryan Chalifoux kick (Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 1:47; Louisville 38–21)
  • (0:27) MSST – Tommy Stevens 24 yard pass to Osirus Mitchell, Jace Christmann kick (Drive: 7 plays, 86 yards, 1:46; Louisville 38–28)

Statistics

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Statistics MSST LOU
First downs 24 23
Plays–yards 62–366 69–510
Rushes–yards 36–145 44–198
Passing yards 221 312
Passing: compattint 17–26–0 17–25–0
Time of possession 28:26 31:34
Team Category Player Statistics
Mississippi State Passing Tommy Stevens 17/26, 221 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Tommy Stevens 17 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Stephen Guidry 6 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD
Louisville Passing Malik Cunningham 16/23, 279 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Javian Hawkins 23 carries, 105 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Tutu Atwell 9 receptions, 147 yards

References

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  1. ^ @UofLFootball (December 30, 2019). "Your 2019 @MusicCityBowl MVP, Malik Cunningham" (Tweet). Retrieved December 30, 2019 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ "Mississippi State vs. Louisville - Game Summary". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  3. ^ "2019-20 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  4. ^ "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  5. ^ Sallee, Barrett (May 10, 2017). "2019-20 college football bowl schedule, games, scores, dates, kickoff times, TV channels". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  6. ^ "Winsipedia - Louisville Cardinals vs.Mississippi State Bulldogs football series history". Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  7. ^ "Bulldogs forced to forfeit 19 football games". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. May 24, 1978. p. 19. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  8. ^ Rittenberg, Adam (December 26, 2019). "Tommy Stevens to start at QB for Mississippi State for injured Garrett Shrader". ESPN. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
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