The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

JUST eight days remain until both visiting teams kickoff play in the 2015 Popeye’s Bahamas Bowl and head coaches for both teams anticipate a hard fought contest on Christmas Eve.

Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders head coach Rick Stockstill and Western Michigan Broncos head coach PJ Fleck looked ahead to the December 24 matchup at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium, which will be the first time the teams have ever met.

“We get to play an elite opponent. We talked about it before, that these two teams are like looking in a mirror. I think everybody is in for a treat on Christmas eve,” Fleck said. “My team is very excited about preparing. Our culture has come so far and we are just pleased and privileged and honoured to be a part of this. We’re looking at the opportunity for the first back to back eight win seasons and the first bowl game win in school history. It’s been a year of the nevers for us and a year of firsts, accomplishing a lot. We defeated our first top 25 programme this year.. We know when we took this job it would be very difficult but we were able to accomplish that. Our players are excited and our administration is as well. We’re very pleased to represent the MAC.”

The Popeye’s Bahamas Bowl will mark Western Michigan’s seventh overall bowl game appearance, and it will be the second straight for the Broncos under Fleck, who is in his third season at the school and is the youngest head coach at the FBS level. The Broncos played in the 2014 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against Air Force.

Fleck said he expects a full contingent of support for his Broncos with a trip to the Bahamas as a main selling point for family members and friends of the programme.

“I don’t think it’s very hard to convince your family members to come the Bahamas. We have a video release of when we told our players were coming to the Bahamas and they went absolutely crazy. They’re like little kids in a candy store. Practices are absolutely crazy when you know you’re coming to the Bahamas because there’s that light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “We will have a great turnout, we really will because we have a very close knit family. We want their entire families to show support no matter where they go.”

For the Blue Raiders, it will mark the fifth bowl game of the Stockstill era, second in the last three years and ninth in school history.

Despite the exotic location serving as host, Stockstill said he wants his players to remain focused on the task at hand.

“I want this experience to be fun for these guys, but also have the mindset that we are here to win the game. That’s the main objective. The second-most important objective is to have fun and enjoy it because you don’t want to put in all the work throughout the year and the coach makes the bowl trip a miserable experience. There is a fine line, but we are going to have fun and enjoy it,” he said. “This will be the first time that some of these guys have been to the Bahamas and my first time was last Thursday. I don’t know if I will have a chance to go back. I want them to enjoy it but understand there is a time to work and there is a time to enjoy it. When you work, you work. When it is time to enjoy, you enjoy, but don’t let the enjoyment get in the way of the work. Obviously as a coach, you always concern yourself with everything. I have always said how much I like this team and how much leadership we have on this team. To me, that hasn’t changed. When we go to the Bahamas, I am going to rely on those leaders and your team to stay focused and be accountable to each other and understand why we are really there. Don’t do something to jeopardise yourself playing in this game because you enjoy too much of the Bahamas. I will talk to the team about it and the focus we will have to have while we are there.”

The 2014 game featured Western Kentucky of Conference USA against Central Michigan of the MAC in the first FBS-level bowl game outside of the United States or Canada since 1937. The Hilltoppers held on for a 49-48 victory over the Chippewas in one of the most memorable bowl games of the 2014 season.

Stockstill said he hopes this year’s game provides less drama and with his team in a favourable position to win.

“I hope not. I hope we can score and I hope our defence can slow them down. Just because this team has a good offence and that team has a good offence, you don’t know. I like our defence and I think our defence will rise to this challenge just like I think our offensive players will rise to this. You don’t go into it thinking that it’s going to be a high-scoring game,” he said. “We faced a lot of good offensive teams this season and some games have been 27-24 and others have been higher scoring. We just have to prepare and play sound, fundamental, competitive, tough football.”

For more information on the 2015 Popeye’s Bahamas Bowl, visit www.PopeyesBahamasBowl.com