STATESBORO - For the fifth time in school history, the Georgia Southern Eagles will be competing in a postseason bowl contest, taking on the Buffalo Bulls in the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama, on Tuesday, Dec. 27. In preparation for the bowl game, this feature will highlight information about the Eagles' opponent.

FAMILIAR FACES
In one of the most discussed storylines of the bowl season, Georgia Southern quarterback Kyle Vantrease will be facing his previous team in the bowl game. The Stow, Ohio, native put up 4,755 in his five years at Buffalo, with a total of 25 touchdowns through the air with a 132.1 QB rating during his career at UB.

Vantrease, however, is not the only player having a reunion with a former school. Buffalo defensive coordinator Brandon Bailey was a student assistant under former head coaches Jeff Monken and Willie Fritz, earning his bachelors degree in health and physical education in May 2016. Linebackers coach Kevin Corless was also on staff in Statesboro during the Monken days, where he served as co-defensive coordinator and LBs coach, helping guide the Eagles to the FCS national semifinals in 2012 and an upset win over Florida in its final game as a FCS squad. Nate Baker, defensive quality control at UB, was a graduate assistant under Fritz before taking a job at Savannah State.

And of course, former Georgia Southern kicker Tyler Bass now calls Orchard Park home, playing for the NFL's Buffalo Bills. Bass made the game-winning kick in the 2018 Camellia Bowl, leading the Eagles to a 23-21 victory over Eastern Michigan.

BUFFALO'S ROAD TO MONTGOMERY
Buffalo fell in its first three games of the season, but won the next five straight games, beginning 4-0 in MAC (Mid-American Conference) play, which includes a win over the MAC Champion Toledo Rockets on Oct. 22, 34-27. At 5-3, the Bulls fell in their next three consecutive games and went into a rescheduled match with Akron on Dec. 2 with a 5-6 record. In a back-and-forth affair, both squads had chances to come out on top of the game, but the Bulls sealed the game with late interception to clinch a bowl berth. 

EAGLES VS MACTION
Georgia Southern is no stranger to playing teams from the MAC. The Eagles are currently 4-1 all-time against current MAC teams, with the Eagles' last matchup against a MAC team happening on September 24 of this season, when the Eagles defeated the Ball State Cardinals at Paulson Stadium, 34-23. Previous matchups include the aforementioned 2018 Camellia Bowl against Eastern Michigan (GS won 23-21), the 2015 GoDaddy Bowl against Bowling Green (GS won 58-27), and two regular season matchups against Western Michigan (GS won 43-17 in 2015, WMU won 49-31 in 2016). 

BUFFALO BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Bulls have been in the FBS since 1999, but this is the third incarnation of the Bulls football program. UB first started the original football program in 1894 with 14 medical students. The team played until 1903, when the program was disbanded until 1915. When the program returned in 1915, the team played under the name of the Buffalo Bisons. The Bisons played until 1970, when the program was disbanded a second time. UB reinstated the football program seven years later as a Division III program, where they competed until 1993, when the school jumped up to Division I-AA (now known as FCS). Since 1999, the Bulls have been a member of Division I-A (FBS) and a member of the MAC.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
Both squads have participated in one Camellia Bowl in years past. In 2018, Georgia Southern took on EMU in a classic in the historic Cramton Bowl. A fourth quarter 29-yard run by Shai Werts on 4th and 10 set up the 40-yard game-winning field goal from Tyler Bass to give GS its second bowl win in five years as a FBS team. Buffalo, on the other hand, played in the 2020 Camellia Bowl against then-C-USA member Marshall. The game was tied 10-10 in the fourth quarter, but a rushing touchdown by Kevin Marks Jr. with 1:09 left in the game gave Buffalo its second consecutive bowl win and second bowl win ever.

The Eagles and Bulls will kick off at 11:02 a.m. (CT) on Tuesday, Dec. 27 in the Historic Cramton Bowl.