| Game Name: | Camellia Bowl |
| Subheader: | 5th Camellia Bowl |
| Title Sponsor: | Raycom Media |
| Date Game Played: | December 15 |
| Year Game Played: | 2018 |
| Football Season: | 2018 |
| Stadium: | Cramton Bowl |
| City: | Montgomery, Alabama |
| Visitor School: | Georgia Southern University |
| Visitor Name Short: | Georgia Southern |
| Visitor Nickname: | Eagles |
| Visitor Record: | 9–3 |
| Visitor Conference: | Sun Belt |
| Visitor Coach: | Chad Lunsford |
| Visitor 1Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 10 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 6 |
| Home School: | Eastern Michigan University |
| Home Name Short: | Eastern Michigan |
| Home Nickname: | Eagles |
| Home Record: | 7–5 |
| Home Conference: | MAC |
| Home Coach: | Chris Creighton |
| Home 1Q: | 0 |
| Home 2Q: | 7 |
| Home 3Q: | 7 |
| Home 4Q: | 7 |
| Mvp: | Shai Werts (QB, Georgia Southern)[1] |
| Odds: | Georgia Southern by 1[2] |
| Referee: | Anthony Calabrese (AAC) |
| Attendance: | 17,710[3] |
| Payout: | 250,000 [4] |
| Us Network: | ESPN & ESPN Radio |
| Us Announcers: | Mike Corey, Rene Ingoglia and Lauren Sisler (ESPN) Jay Alter and Ben Hartsock (ESPN Radio) |
| Intl Network: | ESPN Deportes |
| Intl Announcers: | Eduardo Varela and Pablo Viruega |
| Game Link: | Salute to Veterans Bowl |
The 2018 Camellia Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 15, 2018,[5] with kickoff scheduled for 5:30 p.m. EST (4:30 p.m. local CST).[6] It was the fifth edition of the Camellia Bowl, and one of the 2018–19 bowl games concluding the 2018 FBS football season. Sponsored by broadcasting company Raycom Media, the game was officially known as the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl.
The game featured the Eastern Michigan Eagles from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and the Georgia Southern Eagles of the Sun Belt Conference. This was the first meeting between the two programs.[7]
See main article: article and 2018 Georgia Southern Eagles football team. On November 28, Georgia-based news organizations reported that Georgia Southern would play in the Camellia Bowl,[8] [9] which was confirmed via an official announcement on December 2.[10] They entered the bowl with a 9–3 record (6–2 in conference). The Eagles had previously played in one bowl game, winning the 2015 GoDaddy Bowl over Bowling Green; before 2014, the team competed in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-AA).
See main article: 2018 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team. Eastern Michigan received and accepted a bid to the Camellia Bowl on December 2.[10] The Eagles entered the bowl with a 7–5 record (5–3 in conference). This was the Eagles' second bowl game in the last three years, having also played in the 2016 Bahamas Bowl where they were defeated by Old Dominion, 24–20.
| Statistics | GASO | EMU | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First downs | 18 | 14 | |
| Plays–yards | 65–364 | 50–301 | |
| Rushes–yards | 58–331 | 24–97 | |
| Passing yards | 33 | 204 | |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 4–7–0 | 17–26–0 | |
| Time of possession | 37:38 | 22:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Southern | Passing | Shai Werts | 4/7, 33 yds |
| Rushing | Wesley Kennedy III | 9 car, 107 yds | |
| Receiving | Ellis Richardson | 1 rec, 15 yds | |
| Eastern Michigan | Passing | Mike Glass | 17/25, 204 yds, 3 TD |
| Rushing | Willie Parker | 9 car, 44 yds | |
| Receiving | Arthur Jackson | 3 rec, 86 yds, 2 TD |