WMU Home > About WMU > WMU News

WMU News

WMU takes on Cincinnati in first International Bowl

Dec. 4, 2006

KALAMAZOO--Western Michigan University will face the University of Cincinnati in the inaugural International Bowl Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

The football Broncos, playing in their first bowl game since the 1988 California Bowl, were named as the Mid-American Conference representative to the International Bowl Nov. 27. Cincinnati was named to represent the Big East Conference yesterday. The two teams have met only twice before, in 1949 and 1950, with Cincinnati winning both contests by identical 27-6 scores.

WMU finished the 2006 regular season with an 8-4 overall record and was 6-2 in the MAC. The eight wins were the most since the Broncos posted nine during the 2000 campaign. Cincinnati finished 7-5 overall and 4-3 in the Big East. Cincinnati is on a two-game winning streak, following victories over nationally-ranked Rutgers, 30-11, and Connecticut, 26-23.

WMU is led offensively by sixth-year senior Ryan Cubit, who is just 46 yards from eclipsing the 2,000-yard mark for the season and already has a career-high 15 touchdown passes this season. Cubit has thrown at least one scoring strike in nine-straight games this year and a season-best three at Ball State on Oct. 21. The Broncos also boast a potent running attack with Mark Bonds over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.

Five Broncos were all-conference selections this season and linebacker Ameer Ismail was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year.

The International Bowl will air live on ESPN2 in the United States and TSN in Canada beginning at noon EST Jan. 6. It will be the first time a bowl game has been played outside of United States since the 1937 Bacardi Bowl in Havana, Cuba.

Arrangements for game tickets, travel packages and pre-game events for Bronco fans will be available at wmubroncos.com as soon as they are finalized.

Media contact: Mat Kanan, (269) 387-4125, mat.kanan@wmich.edu

WMU News
Office of University Relations
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA
(269) 387-8400
www.wmich.edu/wmu/news