The 14th edition of the bowl began at 8:00 p.m. CST and aired on ESPN.
The Kent State Golden Flashes of the Mid-American Conference competed against the Sun Belt Conference champion Arkansas State Red Wolves.
Arkansas State had lost the prior appearance to Northern Illinois in the 2012 game.
Kent State went 11–1 in regular season games and 8–0 in MAC play before losing the MAC Championship Game to Northern Illinois; their eleven victories set a team record.
[4] The team finished the season ranked #25 in the AP Poll.