With the 2019 addition of the America's Crossroads Bowl, four DII college football bowls were played Saturday, Dec. 7 alongside the DII football championship quarterfinals.
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Here's the final scores for Saturday's bowl games, a brief history of each bowl and matchup.
Agent Barry Live United Bowl: Missouri Western 35, Henderson State 14
The Reddies and Griffons are set to battle in the seventh annual meeting of the Agent Barry Live United Bowl. It should be a good one from Texarkana, Arkansas. The top finisher from the Great American Conference that doesn't make the DII football championship squares off against an at-large team from the MIAA or LSC. Both teams this year were in the regional rankings and playoff hunt until the final week of the season.
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Missouri Western is appearing for the second-straight season, defeating Southern Arkansas 30-25 in last year's rendition. Should the Griffons do it again, it will be the 300th win in their program's history. This is the Griffons 11th bowl appearance, and thus far, they have won eight.
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Henderson State finished 9-2 with two tightly-contest losses to Ouachita Baptist and Harding. The Reddies haven't made a bowl appearance in over 30 years. This is the second meeting between the two programs, the first coming in the 2012 DII football championship tournament. Missouri Western won that day 45-21.
Mineral Water Bowl: Nebraska-Kearney 50, Winona State 33
This 54th rendition of the Mineral Water Bowl — which takes place in Excelsior Springs, Missouri — features an MIAA vs. NSIC showdown. Nebraska-Kearney will make its second bowl appearance in program history in taking on the Winona State Warriors in the second meeting between the two programs. This is the Warriors fourth Mineral Water Bowl appearance having won two of those trips, most recently in 2012.
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The Lopers handed Northwest Missouri State its lone loss of the 2019 season in finishing 6-5. Winona State was in the DII football championship hunt down to the final week of the season, finishing 8-3. The last time these two met was in 1994 when Winona State handed UNK a 50-34 loss.
Heritage Bowl: Eastern New Mexico 20, Southern Arkansas 13
The bowl formerly known as the Corsicana Bowl — after the city it is played in Texas — is in its third season hosting a matchup of schools from the Lone Star Conference, MIAA, or Great American Conference. The Muleriders are making their second bowl appearance in as many years after an appearance in last year's Agent Barry Live United Bowl, while the Greyhounds are in their third bowl game in the past five years. This is the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
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Paul Terry had a monster season for Eastern New Mexico, rushing for 1,778 yards and 14 touchdowns while playing a big part in wins over nationally-ranked Angelo State and GNAC-champion Western Oregon. The Muleriders finished the season with eight wins, just as they did in 2018, marking the first time in 20 years Southern Arkansas has had consecutive eight-win seasons.
America's Crossroads Bowl: Truman 21, Ohio Dominican 7
This will be the first rendition of the America's Crossroads Bowl. The game — played in Hobart, Indiana — will pit the highest-ranking teams that don't qualify for the DII football championship from the Great Lakes Valley Conference and Great Midwest Athletic Conference. The inaugural matchup should be a good one.
Ohio Dominican built a solid resume in 2019. Its only two losses were against tournament-bound teams, while the Panthers put up signature wins against Shepherd and Findlay. On the other side of the ball will be nine-win, nationally-ranked Truman, which made waves earlier this season by taking down two FCS schools in a three-week span. This is Truman's first DII football postseason matchup since 1994 and will be the first time the Bulldogs and Panthers meet.
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