December, 2024
R0GER LEWIS WINS INAUGURAL BART STARR MVP TROPHY
MONTGOMERY – Bowling Green wide receiver Roger Lewis scored the first touchdown in Camellia Bowl history in the first quarter. He added a 78-yard game-winning TD catch in the final minutes to lift the Falcons to a 33-28 win over South Alabama in the inaugural Raycom Media Camellia Bowl at Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl.
“I saw the safety one-on-one with me and I just ran,” Lewis said. “I really didn’t have any jitters because this is what we practice every day.”
For his efforts, Lewis was named the inaugural winner of the Bart Starr MVP Trophy.
Lewis finished with 137 yards receiving and a pair of touchdowns on four catches.
“What a story,” Bowling Green coach Dino Babers said. “How he started (playing in) the first game, finishing up the WKU game, started the VMI game, big win over Indiana. Takes us to a 5-2 record, then we have a little bit of a slide. Still win the East, still get to the MAC Championship Game, then we have a bowl game like this. Man, who would have ever thunk that his name would be underneath Bart Starr for the MVP of this bowl game in its inaugural year? That’s an OMG right there.”
Lewis averaged 34.3 yards per catch in the win over South Alabama. Lewis caught four passes for 137 yards and two TDs in the win, including the 78-yard game-winning TD with 1:04 left in the game. He also caught the first TD pass in Camellia Bowl history with a 44-yard TD catch in the first quarter.