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The 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl will feature a matchup between the Marshall Thundering Herd and Connecticut Huskies.

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St. Petersburg Bowl Broadcast Info

Date: Saturday, December 26
Time: 11:00 pm ET
Network: ESPN
Venue: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL 

The 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl will feature a matchup between the Marshall Thundering Herd and Connecticut Huskies.

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Now that the foundation is down, second-year UConn coach Bob Diaco has something to build upon

The Huskies have been one of the American’s pleasant surprises, finishing tied for third place a year after going 2-10 in Diaco’s debut. And this first postseason game since the Fiesta Bowl trip in 2010 is an enormous achievement for a program grasping for momentum and positive developments. At a Northeast basketball school, extra practices and a nationally televised game in December will only make the staff’s job easier going forward. Connecticut has actually been outscored on the year, winning with a no-name, blue-collar defense. It also holds the distinction of ending Houston’s perfect season on the penultimate weekend of the regular season.

Marshall was never quite the same this year without QB Rakeem Cato and RB Devon Johnson in the backfield

Cato was tearing up the CFL in Montreal, and Johnson and starting QB Michael Birdsong were hurt for much of the fall. And the revamped backfield caught up with the Herd, which averaged almost two touchdowns a game fewer than it did in 2014. True, the defense was nastier than ever, but it wasn’t enough in losses to Ohio, Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky on the final weekend, which decided the Conference USA East Division champ. For the first time since 2012, Marshall was idle on the opening weekend of December, which means more rest than normal prior to the bowl game.

For complete College Football Playoff coverage, visit our CFP home.