Marshall University Director of Athletics Mike Hamrick announced that the Thundering Herd football team accepted a bowl invitation to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl on Dec. 26 at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. MU will play Ohio University at 1 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN.

“We are excited to take part in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl,” Hamrick said. “We have accepted this bowl invitation for our seniors who have not had this opportunity; actually none of our current players have represented Marshall in a bowl game. The team will get three weeks of additional practice along with gaining national television exposure [ESPN].”

MU finished the regular season 6-6 and will partake in a postseason game for the first time since the 2004 Fort Worth Bowl, when the Herd lost to Cincinnati 32-14.

“Number one is we are excited and ecstatic to go to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in the Motor City of Detroit,” interim coach Rick Minter said. “Mike [Hamrick] promised the coaching staff and players he would do all he could to have us play in a bowl game and we thank him for this opportunity. Now we are going to take the ball and run with it. It is a great reward for the seniors and the younger players realize the investment we have in them. This is a great day for Marshall football and we hope the fans will come out on Saturday [Dec. 26] and watch the Herd play in the Motor City.”

It marks the fifth time that MU has played in the bowl, participating each season from 1997 to 2000, earning victories against Louisville (48-29), BYU (21-3) and Cincinnati (25-14).

Ohio finished the regular season 9-4, 7-1 MAC on the season. The Bobcats lost the Marathon Mid-American Conference Championship to Central Michigan, 20-10, on Friday, Dec. 4 at Ford Field.

“We had a team meeting tonight and there was a lot of tension as we were waiting to hear the news,” junior captain Lee Smith said. “No one on this team has ever played in a bowl game and all our hard work and all the 6 am practices have paid off. Everybody burst out when we found out we were going to Detroit, and it was a good moment for Marshall football. These seniors have left their stamp and hopefully we will be going to bowl games for the next couple of years.”

Ohio holds a 29-17-6 advantage in the all-time series against Marshall, but the Herd has won the last four meetings and eight of nine. The last time the two teams squared off was Oct. 9, 2004 in Athens, Ohio, with the Herd winning 16-13.

“It feels really good for the players and coaches to get back to a bowl,” junior Brian Anderson said. “I hope our fans come out and support us in Detroit.”

The Herd is one of six Conference USA teams that have accepted bowl invitations, including: East Carolina, Houston, SMU, Southern Miss and UCF.

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OFFICIAL LITTLE CAESARS BOWL ANNOUNCEMENT:

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl officials announced today that the Marshall University Thundering Herd will play the MAC East Champion Ohio University Bobcats in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl on Saturday, December 26 (1:00 p.m., ESPN) in Detroit. Bowl officials extended the bid to both teams on Sunday.

The MAC East Champion Bobcats will be making their first appearance in the Detroit bowl, after having played at Ford Field in their conference championship game on Friday evening. The Thundering Herd will be making their fifth appearance in the Detroit bowl, the first four as members of the Mid-American Conference. “We’re excited to host the first meeting in four years between these two traditional rivals,” said Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Chairman & Executive Director Ken Hoffman. “The schools’ campuses are less than 90 minutes apart, and from what we have already heard, the teams, fans and alumni are enthusiastic about renewing their rivalry in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.”

2009 marks the bowl’s thirteenth consecutive year as a Detroit holiday sporting tradition. Little Caesars Pizza®, the international pizza chain celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is in its first year as title sponsor for the bowl. For its first 12 years, the game was called the Motor City Bowl.

“We are eager to watch these talented players compete in the first Little Caesars Pizza Bowl,” said David Scrivano, president of Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. “Little Caesars looks forward to enhancing the bowl game experience for the players and the fans with special events and national promotions. Pizza and football make a great combination!”

The MAC East Champion Bobcats bring a 9 - 4 record, the Mid-American Conference’s number three pass defense, and the conference’s top positive turnover margin, into the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. The Thundering Herd brings a 6 - 6 record and Conference USA’s fourth-rated defense into the game.

The Herd played seven bowl-eligible football teams in 2009, including the nationally-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies, and West Virginia Mountaineers. The Bobcats played six bowl-bound football teams in 2009, including narrow fourth-quarter losses to traditional SEC power Tennessee and the University of Connecticut, from the Big East.

“We’re couldn’t be more ecstatic about coming back to Detroit, and getting to play a longtime rival – Marshall, in the bowl that we most wanted to play in. It’s very close to our base, with more than 120,000 Ohio alumni within a five-hour drive of Detroit,” said Ohio University Director of Athletics Jim Schaus. “Our fans have missed this rivalry, which is why we have a six-year run of games scheduled with them beginning next year. I can’t think of a better way to kick it off than in Ford Field at the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl.”

The MAC East Champion Bobcats are led by wide receiver Taylor Price, the university’s all-time leader in career catches; LaVon Brazill, the MAC’s top punt returner; and running back Chris Garrett, who led the MAC in kickoff return yardage. Ohio is coached by former Nebraska Head Coach Frank Solich.

“We’re excited to play in a bowl that we participated in many times, during its years at the Pontiac Silverdome,” said Marshall Athletic Director Mike Hamrick. “Our team and our fans have had a great experience in the past. And this year, getting to compete against one of our traditional rivals in Ford Field, one of the premier sports facilities in the country on national TV . . . it is a great Christmas gift for our program.”

The Thundering Herd is led by tight end and Mackey Award finalist Cody Slate and running back Darius Marshall, Conference USA’s number two player in all-purpose yardage. Marshall will be coached by Interim Head Coach Rick Minter, who led Cincinnati against Marshall in the 2000 bowl.

The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl will be played before a national television audience on ESPN. The game will be in downtown Detroit’s Ford Field for the eighth consecutive season, after five years at the Pontiac Silverdome.

Last year, Florida Atlantic beat Central Michigan 24 – 21, before 41,399 fans.

The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl is the only major college football bowl game in the Midwest region of the United States. Gates will open at 11:30a.m. on game day. Pre-game festivities will begin at 12:30p.m.

Tickets are now on sale at TicketMaster outlets by calling 800-745-3000 and at www.ticketmaster.com . Tickets are also on sale at the Ford Field Box Office and at the Ohio and Marshall University athletic ticket offices.

The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl website is located at www.littlecaesarspizzabowl.com.

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ORIGINAL STORY

In an unexpected turn of events, Marshall could be going bowling in Detroit.

Ohiobobcats.com is reporting that Ohio University will be facing the Thundering Herd in the Little Caesars Bowl on Dec. 26 in Detroit.

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN at 1 p.m.

The 6-6 Herd had been looking at New Orleans or the EagleBank Bowls as likely scenarios.

This will mark the revival of the Battle for the Bell.

OU leads the all-time series against the Herd, 29-17-6.

However, when it comes to bowl game success in Detroit, no one can top the Herd.

Marshall boasts a 3-1 record all-time in the game formerly known as the Motor City Bowl.