2024 Fenway Bowl

Last updated
2024 Wasabi Fenway Bowl
3rd Fenway Bowl
1234Total
UConn10143027
North Carolina700714
DateDecember 28, 2024
Season 2024
Stadium Fenway Park
Location Boston, Massachusetts
MVPOffense: Joe Fagnano (QB, UConn) [1]
Defense: Pryce Yates (DL, UConn) [2]
Favorite North Carolina by 1.5
Referee Patrick Foy (Mountain West) [3]
Attendance27,900
United States TV coverage
Network ESPN
Announcers Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), and Coley Harvey (sideline)
  2023
2025  

The 2024 Fenway Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 28, 2024, at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. The third edition of the Fenway Bowl game featured UConn and North Carolina. The game started at approximately 11:00 a.m. EST and was aired on ESPN. [4] [5] The Fenway Bowl was one of the 2024–25 bowl games concluding the 2024 FBS football season. The game was sponsored by cloud storage company Wasabi Technologies and was officially known as the Wasabi Fenway Bowl.

Contents

Teams

The matchup of UConn and North Carolina was announced on December 8.

UConn Huskies

UConn, competing as an independent, compiled an 8–4 record, coming off of their first winning season since 2010. The Huskies did not face any ranked teams during the season.

WIth the win over North Carolina, the Huskies won their first bowl game since the 2010 PapaJohns.com Bowl.

North Carolina Tar Heels

North Carolina compiled a 6–6 overall record (3–5 in conference play) during the regular season. The Tar Heels started the season with three consecutive wins, lost their next four games, won the next three, and finished with back-to-back losses. They did not face any ranked teams.

Game summary

2024 Wasabi Fenway Bowl
Quarter1234Total
UConn10143027
North Carolina700714

at Fenway ParkBoston, Massachusetts

  • Date: Saturday, December 28, 2024
  • Game time: 11:06 a.m. EST
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 38 °F (3 °C) • Wind: 3 mph (4.8 km/h) northeast
  • Game attendance: 27,900
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), and Coley Harvey (sideline)
  • Box score
Game information
First Quarter
  • (10:46) CONN – Chris Freeman 32 yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 4:14; UConn 3–0)
  • (3:45) CONN – Skyler Bell 38 yard pass from Joe Fagnano, Chris Freeman kick (Drive: 2 plays, 51 yards, 0:31; UConn 10–0)
  • (3:24) UNC – Chris Culliver 95 yard kickoff return, Lucas Osada kick (Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:21; UConn 10–7)
Second Quarter
  • (14:10) CONN – Alex Honig 4 yard pass from Joe Fagnano, Chris Freeman kick (Drive: 11 plays, 79 yards, 4:14; UConn 17–7)
  • (0:54) CONN – Cam Edwards 2 yard run, Chris Freeman kick (Drive: 14 plays, 56 yards, 5:54; UConn 24–7)
Third Quarter
  • (7:40) CONN – Chris Freeman 24 yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 40 yards, 4:56; UConn 27–7)
Fourth Quarter
  • (6:46) UNC – John Copenhaver 17 yard from Caleb Hood, Noah Burnette kick (Drive: 8 plays, 96 yards, 4:09; UConn 27–14)

Statistics

StatisticsCONNUNC
First downs2010
Plays–yards70–36142–206
Rushes–yards46–21028–96
Passing yards151110
Passing: compattint16–24–011–14–1
Time of possession34:5025:10
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
UConnPassing Joe Fagnano 16/23, 151 yards, 2 TD
RushingMel Brown11 carries, 96 yards
ReceivingSkyler Bell3 receptions, 77 yards, TD
North CarolinaPassingMichael Merdinger9/12, 86 yards, INT
RushingCaleb Hood11 carries, 78 yards
ReceivingJohn Copenhaver4 receptions, 44 yards, TD

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References

  1. @FenwayBowl (December 28, 2024). "Give it up for your 2024 Wasabi Fenway Bowl Offensive MVP!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 28, 2024 via Twitter.
  2. @FenwayBowl (December 28, 2024). "Congrats to Defensive MVP, Pryce Yates!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 28, 2024 via Twitter.
  3. Austro, Ben (December 9, 2024). "2024-25 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  4. Cobb, David. "2024-25 college football bowl schedule, games, dates, locations, kickoff times, TV channels". CBS Sports. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  5. Kelley, Kevin. "College football bowl schedule for 2024-25 season released". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved 30 June 2024.