There are many different college bowl games held across various locations—forty-one, to be exact. However, no venue offers the unique blend of tradition, history, and excitement quite like Fenway Park. The Green Monster out in left field, the Ted Williams red seat, and the history of iconic moments provide the backdrop for the matchup between North Carolina (UNC) and the University of Connecticut (UConn) on a cold morning in Boston. In this article, I want to share my experience attending the Wasabi Fenway Bowl. All the photos you see are taken by me.
I arrived at around 8 a.m. for the Fenway Bowl Fan Fest, which was inside the concourse located at Gate C in center field. You could also go out onto the field in left field near the Monster. From there, I walked around the football field, taking it all in. My biggest issue was the rain—it only rained during pre-game, but I could still take photos.
Once the game started, I went all the way to the fifth floor of Fenway. I felt the crowd and the energy right from the start, even in the cold weather.
Uconn Runs Out to the Field
Before the game, UNC was projected to win; however, UConn had other ideas. In the first quarter, Chris Freeman scored the first points with a 32-yard field goal. Quarterback Joe Fagnano connected with Skyler Bell on a 38-yard pass for the first touchdown of the game, putting the Huskies up by 10.
On the next possession, the Tar Heels responded with a kickoff return as Chris Culliver scored a 95-yard touchdown return, becoming the first player to ever score a kickoff return at the Fenway Bowl.
In the second quarter, Fagnano hit Tight End Alex Honig with a four-yard pass to make the game 17-7. As the quarter neared its end, with 0:54 left, Cam Edwards ran in a two-yard touchdown, making it 24-7.
Huskies Running Back Cam Edwards Celebrates for the Touchdown
The only turnover in this game came when Tui Faumuina-Brown intercepted a pass to end the second quarter. By halftime, the Huskies had held the Tar Heels to just one first down. On third downs, the Tar Heels didn't convert, going 0-4 by the half. In the second half, Chris Freeman kicked a 24-yard field goal to make it 27-7 in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Tar Heels got its offense going when running back Caleb Hood threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to John Copenhaver. However, it was too little, too late, as the UConn Huskies won the Fenway Bowl 27-14. The last time the Huskies won a bowl game was in 2010 in the Papajohns.com Bowl against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
For the Tar Heels, I would be concerned with this loss, as it made them 6-7 to end the season. They didn’t have their key players, who opted out of the NFL or are in the transfer portal. With Bill Belichick coming in (though he wasn’t in attendance for this game), I am interested to see where the Tar Heels go from here.
When I got on the field for the celebration, I could feel the excitement and joy from the players. A couple of them asked if I could take a photo of them, and I was happy to oblige! Then came the post-game ceremony, where this year's Fenway Bowl Offensive MVP went to Joe Fagnano, who threw for 151 yards and two touchdowns. The Defensive MVP went to Pryce Yates with six tackles and one sack.
Huskies Head Coach Jim Mora thanking the crowd
I then attended the post-game press conference, where Huskies Head Coach Jim Mora, defensive back Rante Jones, and offensive lineman Valentin Senn spoke to the media. After that, the day came to an end, marking my first-ever college bowl game.
Defensive Back Rante Jones speaking to the media
What I like about the Fenway Bowl is that it maintained many of the traditions of a normal Red Sox game. They played "Sweet Caroline" in the fourth quarter, and the manual scoreboard, instead of showing innings and outs, displayed quarters and downs.
As you know, Boston isn’t really known for its college sports fandom; it’s more of a pro sports town. What made this bowl game special was that 90% of the crowd were UConn fans, making it feel like a home game for them.
In closing, I recommend checking it out. I’ve now seen Fenway Park as a Red Sox game, a concert, a hockey game, and now, a football game.
Finally, I would like to give a big thank you to the Boston Red Sox and the Fenway Sports Group for allowing me to write this article and be a part of a once-in-a-lifetime event as a member of the media representing the Dean Daily. I also want to thank everyone I met, whether at the pre-game press conference or at the game itself. Players, media members, photographers whoever you are Thank you so much. I hope to do this again next year and until then be well stay safe and Happy New Year!
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