Football to face Wyoming in 2017 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Dec. 22
Central Michigan football is headed to Boise, Idaho to face Wyoming in the 2017 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
The game will be played at 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 22. The game will be aired on ESPN and available to stream on the WatchESPN app.
CMU has reached a bowl game in five of the last six years. In 2014, the Chippewas fell to Western Kentucky, 49-48 in the Bahamas Bowl. CMU lost to Minnesota 21-14 in the 2015 Quick Lane Bowl.
In last season's Miami Beach Bowl, the Chippewas were routed by Tulsa 55-10.
CMU finished the regular season with an 8-4 (6-2 in Mid-American Conference) record. The Chippewas won the last five games of conference play and finished second in the MAC West Division.
Wyoming finished the regular season with a 7-5 record. The Cowboys participate in the Mountain West Conference. They are led by junior quarterback Josh Allen who is a projected first round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
"We want to send the seniors out and let them finish their careers with a bowl win," Bonamego said. "It would really put an exclamation point on their careers."
This is CMU's 11th bowl game in program history. The Chippewas hold a 3-7 record in bowl play — dating back to the California Bowl against San Jose State in 1990. The Chippewas have not won a bowl game since the 2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl against Western Kentucky.
"I think (players) are going to get a lot from the experience," Bonamego said. "There is a lot to be said about branching out and seeing another part of the country."
Graduate transfer quarterback Shane Morris said he's excited to play against Allen.
"He's projected to go pretty high in the (NFL) draft next year so it will be a good challenge for me and the team," Morris said.
Bonamego was unprepared to comment on Allen because he found out about the bowl just moments before it was announced in the press conference.
Senior defensive end Joe Ostman gave his perspective on the announcement.
"It would be huge for us," defensive end Joe Ostman said. "We aren't focused on where the game is and who the game is against. We need to win."
