By: Jennifer Jones
Director of Sports Information
jonesj@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – For the first time in program history, the Juniata College football team is heading to an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) bowl game. The Eagles will face Albright College on the road Saturday, Nov. 23 in the Southwest Bowl at 1 p.m. This is only the third postseason appearance in program history for Juniata, who finished the regular season with a 7-3 overall record. They are 2-1 in postseason play.
"It's a reward for the hard work, preparation and effort that this team has put in," said head coach Tim Launtz. "We just want to keep doing what we've been doing all season. We're going to do what we do because we're proficient at it."
Juniata has not made a postseason appearance since the 1973 team played for a national championship. It is almost storybook that on the 40th anniversary year of the first Stagg Bowl that Juniata makes the postseason again. The only other postseason appearance was in the 1956 Tangerine Bowl.
The Eagles closed the regular season on a three-game win streak. Their 17-10 win over Susquehanna last Saturday tied them for the most wins since 1990 and the Eagles are hungry for more. The berth gives Juniata a chance to finish with the most wins since 1986.
"I think it's the next opportunity," said Launtz of the bowl game. "At this point in the season, you know what you need to do and we'll focus on Albright and get prepared."
Albright (7-3) is no stranger to the ECAC Championships. They have won six titles since 1995, including the 2012 Southeast Bowl in a come-from-behind 38-34 win over Franklin & Marshall. They are also on a three-game win streak and recently upset No. 22 Lebanon Valley College 40-25. The Lions finished third in the Middle Atlantic Conference with a 6-3 record, winning six of the last seven league games.
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