UB going to Camellia Bowl vs. Georgia Southern, former QB Kyle Vantrease

FILE – Buffalo head coach Maurice Linguist, center, celebrates a Bulls touchdown against Coastal Carolina during the second half of an NCAA football game…

FILE – Buffalo head coach Maurice Linguist, center, celebrates a Bulls touchdown against Coastal Carolina during the second half of an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021 in Amherst, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

by: Jonah Bronstein

Posted: Dec 4, 2022 / 02:53 PM EST

Updated: Dec 5, 2022 / 09:31 AM EST

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Kyle Vantrease quarterbacked University at Buffalo to the Camellia Bowl championship in 2020. Vantrease and the UB Bulls will return to Montgomery, Alabama for another bowl game — this time as opponents.

UB accepted a bid to the Camellia Bowl on Sunday and will play Georgia Southern on Dec. 27 at historic Cramton Bowl stadium. The game is scheduled to kickoff at noon and will be televised on ESPN.

The Bulls (6-6) are playing in a bowl for the fourth time in five seasons and sixth in school history. Georgia Southern (6-6) is making its fourth bowl appearance since 2015, which includes a 2018 Camellia Bowl victory against Eastern Michigan from the Mid-American Conference.

UB beat Charlotte on Christmas Day, 2020 to win the Camellia Bowl and finish that season 6-1 and ranked No. 25 in the final Associated Press poll. Vantrease had 140 yards passing and a rushing touchdown in the game.

Vantrease is having his most productive college season as a graduate transfer at Georgia Southern, completing 61% of his passes for 3,895 yards and 25 touchdowns. He’s also rushed for three scores. Vantrease started 26 games over four seasons at UB, completing 59% of his passes for 4,755 yards and 25 touchdowns, while running for 13 TDs. He also filled in at punter for a few games.

Cole Snyder, the Southwestern graduate starting for UB now after transferring from Rutgers, has a 59% completion rate for 2,765 yards passing and 17 touchdowns this season.

The Bulls rallied to salvage a bowl bid with a 23-22 comeback win against Akron in Friday’s season finale at UB Stadium. After winning five in a row and leading the MAC with a 5-3 record, the Bulls then lost three straight when needing one more victory for bowl eligibility.

This will be UB’s first bowl trip under second-year coach Maurice Linguist.

UB coach Mo Linguist, expecting his 3rd child soon, says he’s trying to get his wife to agree to naming the child after the Bulls’ bowl destination. pic.twitter.com/UsKDLXoFjJ
— Jonah Bronstein (@lebronstein) December 2, 2022