2023 Fenway Bowl

{{Infobox NCAA football yearly game

| game_name = Fenway Bowl

| subheader = 2nd Fenway Bowl

| title_sponsor = Wasabi

| image =

| caption =

| date_game_played = December 28

| year_game_played = 2023

| football_season = 2023

| stadium = Fenway Park

| city = Boston, Massachusetts

| visitor_school = Southern Methodist University

| visitor_name_short = SMU

| visitor_nickname = Mustangs

| visitor_record = 11–2

| visitor_conference = The American

| visitor_rank_AP = 17

| visitor_rank_coaches = 19

| visitor_rank_CFP = 24

| visitor_coach = Rhett Lashlee

| visitor_1q = 0

| visitor_2q = 14

| visitor_3q = 0

| visitor_4q = 0

| home_school = Boston College

| home_name_short = Boston College

| home_nickname = Eagles

| home_record = 6–6

| home_conference = ACC

| home_rank_AP =

| home_rank_coaches =

| home_rank_CFP =

| home_coach = Jeff Hafley

| home_1q = 3

| home_2q = 7

| home_3q = 0

| home_4q = 13

| MVP = Thomas Castellanos (QB, Boston College){{cite tweet |user=FenwayBowl |number=1740463354093711463 |title=Your Wasabi Fenway Bowl Offensive MVP, Thomas Castellanos! |date=December 28, 2023 |accessdate=December 28, 2023}} & Kam Arnold (LB, Boston College){{cite tweet |user=FenwayBowl |number=1740464573709422709 |title=Congratulations to this year's Defensive MVP, Kam Arnold! |date=December 28, 2023 |accessdate=December 28, 2023}}

| odds = SMU by 10.5{{cite news|url=https://www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq/betting/college-football-bowl-season-schedule-games-odds-point-spreads|title=College football bowl schedule, game odds, point spreads for 2023-24|publisher=Sports Illustrated|first=James|last=Parks|date=December 11, 2023|access-date=December 13, 2023}}

| anthem =

| halftime = Boston College Marching Band, SMU Mustang Band

| referee = Kevin Mar (Big 12){{cite news|url=https://www.footballzebras.com/2023/12/2023-24-bowl-officiating-assignments/|title=2023-24 bowl officiating assignments|website=footballzebras.com|first=Ben|last=Austro|date=December 3, 2023|accessdate=December 6, 2023}}

| attendance = 16,238

| payout =

| us_network = ESPN

| us_announcers = Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), and Sherree Burruss (sideline)

| ratings =

| intl_network =

| intl_announcers =

| different_previous =

}}

The 2023 Fenway Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 28, 2023, at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. The second edition of the Fenway Bowl featured SMU from the American Athletic Conference (The American) and Boston College from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The game began at approximately 11:00 a.m. EST and aired on ESPN.{{cite web |last1=Straka |first1=Dean |title=2023-24 college football bowl schedule, games, dates, locations, kickoff times, TV channels |url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/2023-24-college-football-bowl-schedule-games-dates-locations-kickoff-times-tv-channels/ |website=CBS Sports |date=31 May 2023 |access-date=28 June 2023}}{{cite magazine |last1=Lewis |first1=Barry |title=2023-24 College Football Bowl Schedule, Dates, Times Announced |url=https://www.si.com/college/tcu/football/2023-24-college-football-bowl-schedule-dates-times-announced |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=3 June 2023 |access-date=28 June 2023}} The Fenway Bowl was one of the 2023–24 bowl games concluding the 2023 FBS football season. The game was sponsored by cloud storage company Wasabi Technologies and was officially known as the Wasabi Fenway Bowl.

Teams

Consistent with conference tie-ins, the game featured Boston College from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and SMU from the American Athletic Conference (The American). This was the second meeting between Boston College and SMU, their prior meeting being a 31–29 SMU victory in 1986.{{cite web |url=https://www.winsipedia.com/boston-college/vs/smu |title=Boston College Eagles vs. SMU Mustangs football series history |access-date=December 3, 2023}}

The Eagles and Mustangs entered the game due to become conference opponents starting with the 2024 season, as SMU committed to join the ACC.{{cite web |publisher=CBS Sports |last=Dodd |first=Dennis |url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/stanford-cal-smu-join-acc-conference-membership-growing-to-18-schools-as-latest-realignment-domino-falls/ |title=Stanford, Cal, SMU join ACC: Conference membership growing to 18 schools as latest realignment domino falls |date=September 1, 2023 |access-date=December 3, 2023}}

=Boston College=

Boston College finished the regular season 6–6, going 3–5 in ACC conference play. This was the Eagles' first appearance in a bowl game since the 2020 Birmingham Bowl, which they lost.

=SMU=

SMU finished the regular season 11–2, going 8–0 in conference play in The American. The Mustangs defeated the then 22nd-ranked Tulane, 26–14, in the AAC Championship Game, the program's first conference title since 1984 when it won a share of the Southwest Conference title.{{cite news |newspaper=Dallas Morning News |last=Stevenson |first=Stefan |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/smu-mustangs/2023/12/02/smu-asserts-dominance-over-tulane-secures-first-conference-championship-win-in-39-years/ |title=SMU asserts dominance over Tulane, secures first conference championship win in 39 years |date=December 2, 2023 |access-date=December 3, 2023}} The Mustangs entered the bowl 17th in the AP poll and 24th in the College Football Playoff rankings.

This was the Mustangs' second-straight bowl appearance, having appeared in the 2022 New Mexico Bowl, which they lost.

Game summary

{{Americanfootballbox

|titlestyle= background:#567e6e; color:#ffffff; border: 2px solid #000000; text-align:center;

|state=autocollapse

|bg=#fff

|bg2=#eee

|title=2023 Wasabi Fenway Bowl

|date=Thursday, December 28, 2023

|time=11:00 a.m. EST

|road=No. 24 SMU

|R1=0|R2=14|R3=0|R4=0

|home=Boston College

|H1=3|H2=7|H3=0|H4=13

|stadium= Fenway Park • Boston, Massachusetts

|attendance=16,238

|weather=Rain • Temperature: approx. {{convert|40|F|C}} • Wind: approx. {{convert|20|mph|kph|abbr=on}}{{cite news |url=https://www.si.com/college/2023/12/28/boston-college-smu-fenway-bowl-weather-rain |title=Fenway Bowl Between SMU and Boston College Plagued by Horrendous Weather Conditions |first=Dan |last=Gartland |website=Sports Illustrated |date=December 28, 2023 |accessdate=December 31, 2023}}

|referee=Kevin Mar

|TV=ESPN

|TVAnnouncers=Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), and Sherree Burruss (sideline)

|reference= [https://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore/_/gameId/401551750 Box score]

|scoring=

;First Quarter

(6:21) BC – Liam Connor 45 yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 25 yards, 3:42; Boston College 3–0)

;Second Quarter

(9:14) SMU – LJ Johnson Jr. 1 yard run, Collin Rogers kick (Drive: 15 plays, 78 yards, 6:32; SMU 7–3)
(3:07) BC – Kye Robichaux 6 yard run, Liam Connor kick (Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 6:07; Boston College 10–7)
(0:08) SMU – Jaylan Knighton 6 yard pass from Kevin Jennings, Collin Rogers kick (Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 2:59; SMU 14–10)

;Third Quarter

No scoring plays.

;Fourth Quarter

(12:22) BC – Thomas Castellanos 15 yard run, Liam Connor kick (Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 3:59; Boston College 17–14)
(9:48) BC – Thomas Castellanos 14 yard run, Liam Connor PAT failed (Drive: 3 plays, 42 yards, 1:19; Boston College 23–14)

}}