Date Result Attendance TV
Dec. 20, 2014 Bowling Green 33, South Alabama 28 20,256 ESPN
Dec. 19, 2015 Appalachian State 31, Ohio 29 21,395 ESPN
Dec. 17, 2016 Appalachian State 31, Toledo 28 20,300 ESPN
Dec. 16, 2017 Middle Tennessee 35, Arkansas St. 30 20,612 ESPN
Dec. 15, 2018 Georgia Southern 23, E. Michigan 21 17,710 ESPN
Dec. 21, 2019 Arkansas St. 34, FIU 26 16,209 ESPN
Dec. 25, 2020 Buffalo 17, Marshall 10 2,512 (Covid) ESPN
Dec. 25, 2021 Georgia State 51, Ball State 20 7,345 ESPN
Dec. 27, 2022 Buffalo 23, Georgia Southern 21 15,232 ESPN
Dec. 23, 2023 Northern Illinois 21, Arkansas State 19 11,310 ESPN
MONTGOMERY - The Camellia Bowl will welcome Integrated Solutions for Systems (IS4S) as its corporate sponsor beginning with the 2024 bowl season.
As a result of this new partnership the game will become the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl.
“We are very excited to partner with an Alabama based company and honor those men and women in the United States military,” executive director Johnny Williams said. “This is an exciting time in the history of our game. We’ve developed a great relationship with the City of Montgomery and Montgomery County in our first 10 years, and now we are thrilled to partner with IS4S to further promote college football.”
The city of Montgomery has been named a Great American Defense Community by the Association of Defense Communities, and Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed is excited by the new partnership.
“We are excited to see this change coming to the [former] Camellia Bowl,” said Mayor Reed. “Considering IS4S’ involvement with our military, and Montgomery having the distinction of being named a Great American Defense Community by the Association of Defense Communities, I can think of no better partnership for this prestigious bowl game we host right here in our community.”
The IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl will be played Saturday, Dec. 14 at the historic Cramton Bowl in downtown Montgomery. The game will be televised by ESPN and kick off at 8 p.m. (CT), immediately following the 2024 Heisman Trophy presentation.
“The IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl is more than just a football game - it's a celebration of Montgomery County's deep-rooted history as a proud military community,” Doug Singleton, Chairman of the Montgomery County Commission, said. “This event gives us a special opportunity to honor the brave men and women who have served our country, while also showcasing the incredible athletic talent of two universities. Montgomery County is proud to support this game, which reflects our commitment to recognizing the sacrifices of our veterans and their contributions to our community and nation. We look forward to a great game!"
IS4S is an employee-owned and controlled small business that provides a wide range of engineering and management solutions to the United States Armed Forces and other government and commercial agencies.
Since its founding in 2008, IS4S has grown to more than 400 employee-owners and 15 office locations across the eastern United States, including its largest single-state presence in Alabama where the company is headquartered. IS4S is committed to supporting those who serve, delivering government-owned solutions in several key technology areas, including:
“Sponsoring this bowl is a small gesture to express our immense gratitude for the men and women who have sacrificed so much to protect our nation and defend our freedoms,” IS4S President and CEO Glenn Rolader, PhD, said. “We’re not doing this to advertise IS4S. We simply want to salute our veterans and thank them for what they do for our country. And to do it here in Montgomery - the capital of our home state - we consider it the highest honor to be the title sponsor of the Salute to Veterans Bowl.”
The IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl, formerly the Camellia Bowl, is in its 11th season, and nine of the first 10 games were decided by eight points or less.
ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2024, the 34-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans. Follow ESPN Events on Facebook, Twitter/X and YouTube.
MONTGOMERY - The Camellia Bowl is back in primetime.
The 11th annual Camellia Bowl will be played on Saturday, Dec. 14, with kick off set for 9 p.m. (ET) on ESPN at the historic Cramton Bowl.
“We are excited to kick off the 2024 Bowl Season and to be showcasing our event in primetime,” Johnny Williams, Executive Director of the Camellia Bowl said. “We have had some outstanding matchups with thrilling finishes, and we anticipate another exciting game this year.”
The Camellia Bowl has seen nine games within one score in the first 10 meetings. In addition, there have been three game-winning field goals and two game-winning touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
The 2024 Camellia Bowl will mark the seventh time the game has been played on Saturday, and the third time the game has been played primetime.
The game traditionally matches teams from the Sun Belt Conference and Mid-American Conference.
Previously announced, the Cramton Bowl will host two games in Week 0 and Week 1.
Southeast Missouri State and North Alabama will play in the FCS Kickoff on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. (ET) on ESPN.
Johnson C. Smith and Tuskegee will play in the Red Tails Classic on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. (ET) on ESPNU.
For FCS Kickoff and Red Tails Classic ticket information log on to www.Montgomerykickoffgames.com
Ticket information for the 2024 Camellia Bowl will be announced at a later date.
About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2024, the 34-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premier regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans. Follow ESPN Events on Facebook, Twitter/X and YouTube.
By Barry Allen
The Game:
General Notes:
By Tim Gayle
Montgomery - His statistics may not rank among the best passers in the history of the Camellia Bowl but what Northern Illinois quarterback Rocky Lombardi brought to Saturday’s matchup to Arkansas State meant a lot more than yards and touchdowns.
The seventh year senior orchestrated a beautiful opening possession in the 10th annual Camellia Bowl, setting the tone for the Huskies’ 21-19 win over Arkansas State on Saturday afternoon at Cramton Bowl.
Lombardi rushed for 21 yards and a touchdown while completing 18 of 29 passes for 200 yards and another touchdown, closing out a long collegiate career with a satisfying win and capturing the Bart Starr MVP Award in the process.
“I’m proud to be a Huskie and I’m happy that I’m here, but I’m ready to move on,” Lombardi said. “It’s my time to be done and to move on, so I’m really excited about my future.”
Northern Illinois coach Thomas Hammock will hate to see Lombardi leave, giving his veteran the credit for directing the offense to three first-half touchdowns. The first touchdown was masterful as Lombardi converted three third-and-long situations into first downs.
“Those plays were all the quarterback,” Hammock said. “The quarterback, he made plays and he left the ball in the spots that guys need to make them. The first one was to Grayson Barnes, the second one was to Trayvon Rudolph. He just executed. And, obviously, when you start picking up some third downs, that gives guys momentum.
“I thought Arkansas State came up with some energy and juice, they had us behind the sticks on the first third down, but when you get that first down and you keep those guys on the field for an extended period of time, that allows you to start to wear them down. And, obviously, to finish that drive with a touchdown, a beautiful ball in the back of the end zone to Grayson Barnes, was outstanding.”
That pass has to rank among the best in his career. Facing third down and 13 and a hard-rushing Arkansas State defense, Lombardi placed the ball at the back of the end zone, where Barnes snared it and got one foot down in bounds for the points.
Unfortunately for Lombardi, he never saw it.
“I was hit as I threw it, but we had the look we wanted, we had Grayson one-on-one,” Lombardi said. “Just put it in the spot where I thought he could get it. He’s got tremendous ball skills and he’s got great hands. I saw him signaling touchdown. I tried to look up at the JumboTron afterward. I didn’t quite catch it, but I heard a lot of people talking. It was a crazy catch.”
Hammock said the communication with Lombardi helped the game plan and enabled the Huskies to keep the Arkansas defense off balance throughout much of the first half.
“First of all, the helmet communication was outstanding,” Hammock said. “We are a huddle team and have the ability to talk to the quarterback. We were able to put a lot more offense shifts and motions in the game plan, knowing that we had the communication. I think we probably moved five to six seconds quicker with that communication. I thought the guys executed at a high level, we weren’t jumping offsides, we didn’t have a lot of illegal formations or anything like that.”
Late in the first quarter, Lombardi added a 6-yard touchdown run to give his team a 13-7 lead, then watched from the sidelines as his teammate, placekicker Kanon Woodill, ran 32 yards with a reception out of field goal formation.
“You saw it open up and he was gone,” Lombardi said. “I mean, there was nobody catching him. It was awesome. It was very cool.”
Lombardi threw a two-point pass to Rudolph following Woodill’s touchdown to close out the Huskies’ scoring and ultimately provide the game-winning points in a 21-19 victory. It was a fitting end to a career that started at Michigan State, moved to Northern Illinois and ended with a medical redshirt year that allowed him a seventh season to get the Huskies from three wins last year to a 7-6 finish this year.
“People don’t understand how much work he puts in to be able to do his job at a high level,” Hammock said. “He was a coach on the field. I know he wants to play (in the National Football League) and hopefully he has an opportunity to continue to play. But for us, he’s been everything. He’s leaving a legacy of what that position looks like and we’re going to miss him.”
Perhaps fittingly, the last game in a long collegiate career earned a Lombardi the Bart Starr Award.
“It means a lot to go out a winner,” he said. “We’ve done a lot more winning than losing here. We didn’t quite have the season we wanted, but we made it to a bowl game and we’re proud to be here and we’re proud to be bowl champs.”