Wednesday, November 27, 2007
For Immediate Release

University of Connecticut Accepts Bid
to 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl

Charlotte, N.C. – The University of Connecticut Huskies have accepted a bid to play in the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl, it was announced today by bowl officials. The Huskies (9-3), representing the Big East Conference, will face a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference to be announced at a later date.

The 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl will take place on Saturday, December 29, at 1 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ESPN. The game is played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

“We are very excited to invite the University of Connecticut to the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl,” said executive director Will Webb. “We were able to secure the second place team in the Big East Conference, which is a great achievement for UConn and for the Bowl. The Huskies fans also have a proven history of supporting their athletic teams. That enthusiasm should carry over to the streets of Charlotte during the Uptown Street Festival and Pep Rally. Once again, the Meineke Car Care Bowl will be an excellent opportunity for fans to experience an exciting and competitive college bowl game.”

UConn finished the regular season 9-3 overall and 5-2 in the Big East. The Huskies began the season with five straight victories and reached a national ranking of #16. They also defeated South Florida, selected ahead of them by the Sun Bowl earlier today, by a score of 22-15. The Huskies average 27.8 points per game while holding opponents to 18.2 average.

Head Coach Randy Edsall has guided UConn to 39 wins in the last 63 games after a 2-7 start in NCAA FBS competition (Division 1-A). The Huskies began FBS play in 2002 and are the second fastest team to garner a national top-25 ranking after moving up from Division 1-AA, behind only Marshall.

"We are ecstatic to have been selected to play in the Meineke Car Care Bowl,” said Edsall. “We were almost picked to play in Charlotte in 2004 and 2005 and I am excited that we will have this opportunity in 2007. This game will be an ideal way to cap off an exciting season of firsts here at UConn. The Meineke Car Care Bowl presents us with an opportunity to play against a good team from the Atlantic Coast Conference in a wonderful city and a top-notch NFL stadium. We greatly look forward to the challenge that our ACC opponent will bring and I know that our team, our fans and myself all eagerly await traveling to Charlotte next month."

Tickets for the game are on sale now. Upper Level Seats are priced at $30 and Lower Level Seats are $55. Individual tickets are available through TicketMaster. To purchase tickets, please visit any TicketMaster outlet in the southeast or online at www.ticketmaster.com. To order from TicketMaster by phone in Charlotte, call (704) 522-6500. Tickets are also available at the Carolina Panthers Box Office, located at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Club Level seats are only available through ticket and sponsorship packages. To purchase ticket and sponsorship packages, please call the Meineke Car Care Bowl office toll free at (800) 618-8149 or online at www.meinekecarcarebowl.com.

The Meineke Car Care Bowl has averaged nearly 63,000 fans each year and has sold out two of its five years. In addition, the game has reached over 6.5 million television households. In 2003, it was named one of the five-best start-ups in sports over the past five years by the Sports Business Journal, behind only the NFL Houston Texans and ESPN the Magazine.

The inaugural game, played on December 28, 2002 before a sold-out stadium, saw Virginia defeat West Virginia, 48-22. In 2003, Virginia once again claimed victory, this time over Pittsburgh, 23-16. The third year again produced a sellout, as Boston College defeated North Carolina, 37-24. In 2005, NC State defeat South Florida, 14-0. And last year Boston College edged Navy 25-24 on a field goal as time expired.

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