2020 First Responder Bowl
The 2020 First Responder Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 26, 2020, with kickoff at 3:30 p.m. EST on ESPN [College Football on ABC|ABC]. It was the 11th edition of the First Responder Bowl, and was one of the 2020–21 bowl games concluding the 2020–21 [NCAA Division I FBS football season|2020 FBS football season]. Sponsored by fire and water cleanup and restoration company Servpro, the game was officially known as the Servpro First Responder Bowl.
Teams
Based on conference tie-ins, the First Responder Bowl was expected to feature teams from the American Athletic Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, or the Big 12 Conference. The announced contest matches Louisiana of the Sun Belt Conference against UTSA of Conference USA. This was the first meeting of the two programs.Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Louisiana accepted their bid to the First Responder Bowl on December 20, 2020. The Ragin' Cajuns entered the bowl with a record of 9–1 and ranked 16th in the AP Poll. Their only loss of the season was to 2020 [Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team|Coastal Carolina], who they were due to face in a rematch in the Sun Belt Conference [Football Championship Game|Sun Belt Championship Game], but it was cancelled due to COVID-19 effects within the Coastal Carolina program.UTSA Roadrunners
UTSA accepted their bid to the First Responder Bowl on December 15, 2020. The Roadrunners had originally accepted a bid to play 2020 [SMU Mustangs football team|SMU] in the Frisco Bowl, but that game was canceled due to COVID-19 problems at SMU. The Roadrunners entered the bowl with a record of 7–4. They faced one ranked team during the season, losing to 2020 [BYU Cougars football team|BYU] in October.During the week prior to the game, UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor tested positive for COVID-19, and thus did not accompany the team to Dallas. Associate head coach and offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. served as the Roadrunners' coach for the game.