The 2023 Myrtle Beach Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 16, 2023, at Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina. The fourth edition of the Myrtle Beach Bowl, the game featured the Georgia Southern Eagles from the Sun Belt Conference and the Ohio Bobcats from the Mid-American Conference (MAC). It began at approximately 11:00 a.m. EST and was televised on ESPN. It was the first of the 2023–24 bowl games concluding the 2023 FBS football season.
The game was originally scheduled for December 18, 2023, but was moved forward by two days to help accommodate a venue move for the 2023 Famous Toastery Bowl.
Ohio's Freshman running back Rickey Hunt Jr. had 115 rushing yards and five total TDs with four of those coming on the ground. That won him the game's MVP and came in the first extended playing time of his career. His 5 TDs tied the record in bowl games and set an Ohio program record. Third-string quarterback Parker Navarro also played well in his first collegiate with start with 11 competitions on 16 attempts for 120 yards and 71 rushing yards. For Georgia Southern, Davis Brin threw for a Myrtle Beach Bowl record 350 yards, bringing his total for the year to 3,781, but his three interceptions and lost fumble provided much of the difference in the game in Ohio's 41–21 victory. Georgia Southern outgained Ohio by 21 yards but Ohio won the turnover battle 5–0, held the Eagles to 1.6 yards per rush attempt, and, with 232 total rushing yards, held the ball for almost seven more minutes. Bryce Houston led the Bobcat defense with eight tackles. Ohio sacked Brin five times.
Teams The game featured the Georgia Southern Eagles from the Sun Belt Conference against the Ohio Bobcats from the Mid-American Conference (MAC). This was the first time Georgia Southern and Ohio ever played each other, as well as the first time either team played in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Georgia Southern
Behind their senior transfer QB Davis Brin, the Eagles started the year 6–2, with the sole losses coming to James Madison, who went on to finish the season 11–1, and Power Five opponent Wisconsin, a game in which Brin threw five interceptions. However, after clinching bowl eligibility on October 26 with a win over Georgia State, the Eagles were winless in November and finished their regular season with a record of 6–6.
Ohio
After finishing as the runner-up in the MAC the previous year, the Bobcats returned most of their offensive talent in 2023, including quarterback Kurtis Rourke. After opening the season with a loss to San Diego State, Ohio rattled off five straight wins, including a 10–7 victory over Power Five foe Iowa State. Ohio clinched bowl eligibility with a 20–17 victory over Western Michigan, but missed out on the MAC championship after a 30–16 loss to division winners Miami (OH). The Bobcats finished their regular season with a record of 9–3. After the regular season Ohio took a huge transfer hit as Rourke, starting receivers Miles Cross and Ty Walton, their top two backs Sieh Bangura and O'Shaan Allison, and middle linebacker Keye Thompson all entered the transfer portal.
Game summary
Statistics
+Team statistical comparisonStatisticGeorgia SouthernOhioFirst downs 15 16First downs rushing 8 8First downs passing 6 6First downs penalty 1 2Third down efficiency 5–12 10–15Fourth down efficiency 3–5 0-1Total plays–net yards 63–383 65–352Rushing attempts–net yards 21–33 46–232Yards per rush 1.6 5Yards passing 350 120Pass completions–attempts 32–42 11–16Interceptions thrown 3 0Punt returns–total yards 0–0 0–0Kickoff returns–total yards 5-96 1–15Punts–average yardage 2–36.5 3–38.3Fumbles–lost 2–2 0–0Penalties–yards 6–70 6-60Time of possession 26:42 33:18
+Georgia Southern statisticsEagles passing Davis Brin 32–42 350 2–3Eagles rushing David Mbadinga 4 44 1 Dalen Cobb 2 8 0 OJ Arnold 5 6 0 Jalen White 1 –2 0 Davis Brin 9 –23 0Eagles receiving Derwin Burgess Jr. 6 117 1 Dalen Cobb 7 109 0 Jjay Mcafee 5 62 1 Khaleb Hood 7 31 0 David Mbadinga 4 20 0 OJ Arnold 2 7 0 Jalen White 1 4 0
+Ohio statisticsBobcats passing Parker Navarro 11–16 120 1–0Bobcats rushing Rickey Hunt 17 115 4 Parker Navarro 15 71 0 Nolan McCormick 11 40 0 Will Kacmarek 1 5 0 Sam Wiglusz 1 1 0Bobcats receiving Sam Wiglusz 5 64 0 Chase Hendricks 3 25 0 Rickey Hunt 1 18 1 Tyler Foster 1 9 0 Rodney Harris II 1 4 0
References
External links Game statistics at statbroadcast.com