The 2022 Camellia Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 27, 2022, at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. The ninth annual Camellia Bowl, the game featured the Georgia Southern Eagles from the Sun Belt Conference and the Buffalo Bulls from the Mid-American Conference. The game began at 11:02 a.m. CST and was aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2022–23 bowl games concluding the 2022 FBS football season. Buffalo defeated Georgia Southern, 23–21, to claim their third consecutive bowl victory.
Teams
Consistent with conference tie-ins, the bowl featured teams from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and the Sun Belt Conference. This was the first meeting between Buffalo of the MAC and Georgia Southern of the Sun Belt.
Georgia Southern Eagles
Georgia Southern finished their regular season with a 6–6 record, 3–5 in conference play. They started their season with three wins in four games, and ended with three losses in four games. They became bowl eligible with a double-overtime win against Appalachian State in their final regular-season contest. The Eagles faced one ranked opponent during the season, James Madison, whom they defeated in mid-October. This was Georgia Southern's fifth bowl appearance in program history. They previously played in, and won, the 2018 edition of the Camellia Bowl. Eagles starting quarterback Kyle Vantrease previously played for Buffalo before changing schools prior to the 2022 season.
Buffalo Bulls
Buffalo also played to a 6–6 regular-season record, posting a 5–3 record in conference play. After starting the season with three losses, they won five games in a row, then lost three of their final four games. They became bowl eligible with a one-point win over Akron in their final regular-season contest. The Bulls did not face any ranked FBS opponents during the season. This was their seventh bowl game in program history; their most recent bowl appearance had been a win in the 2020 edition of the Camellia Bowl.
Because of the winter storm impacting Buffalo, New York, and the surrounding areas before and during the game, Buffalo's band, cheerleaders, and radio crew were unable to be at the game. The football team was forced to depart Buffalo earlier than planned, as the weather forced the cancellation of numerous flights in that area and ultimately caused the closure of Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
Game summary
The Camellia Bowl was televised by ESPN, with a commentary team of Drew Carter, Aaron Murray, and Lauren Sisler.
The Buffalo radio broadcast crew of Paul Peck and Josh Whetzel were unable to leave Buffalo because of the snowstorm. They were replaced on short notice by J.T. Crabtree and Pat Greenwood, the University of South Alabama radio broadcast crew.
The game's officiating crew, representing the American Athletic Conference, was led by referee Luke Richmond and umpire Joe Pennucci. The game was played at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama, where the weather at kickoff was sunny with a temperature of .