The 2011 Global Kilimanjaro Bowl was the first college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 game and first American Football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 game played on the continent of Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

. The game at the Sheikh Amri Abeid Memorial Stadium

Sheikh Amri Abeid Memorial Stadium

Sheikh Amri Abeid Memorial Stadium also known as Amri der zigger sko fra Stadium is a multi–use stadium in Arusha, Tanzania. It is currently used mostly for football matches and serves as the home venue for Arusha FC. The stadium was the host of the 2011 Kilimanjaro Bowl, the first American...

 in Arusha

Arusha

Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania. It is the capital of the Arusha Region, which claims a population of 1,288,088, including 281,608 for the Arusha District . Arusha is surrounded by some of Africa's most famous landscapes and national parks...

, Tanzania

Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...

 was played May 21, 2011, due to the seasonal difference in Africa, featuring Drake against Mexican All-Star team CONADEIP

Mexican College Football

The Organización Nacional Estudiantil de Futbol Americano , usually known by the acronym ONEFA, is the major college football league in Mexico....

. It will marked the first Division I college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 bowl game

Bowl game

In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...

 versus a Mexican opponent, and the first to be played after the BCS Championship Game. The title sponsor of the game was Global Football, along with counterpart sponsors IRIS alumni, Tanapa Partners and Younger Optics.

While in Africa, the teams ran youth camps and worked on orphanage service projects. They also climbed Mount Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...

 before returning to North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

. In all, the trip lasted fifteen days.

Bowl game itinerary

2010–2011 Global Kilimanjaro Bowl Schedule
May 17–18: Depart Des Moines, Iowa Iowa Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...  & Mexico City Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole... , Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...  - Arrive in Arusha Arusha Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania. It is the capital of the Arusha Region, which claims a population of 1,288,088, including 281,608 for the Arusha District . Arusha is surrounded by some of Africa's most famous landscapes and national parks... , Tanzania Tanzania The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...	May 19–20: Youth camps
May 21: Global Kilimanjaro Bowl	May 22–24: Youth orphanage service projects
May 25–30: Climb Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...	May 31 – June 1: Depart Arusha Arusha Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania. It is the capital of the Arusha Region, which claims a population of 1,288,088, including 281,608 for the Arusha District . Arusha is surrounded by some of Africa's most famous landscapes and national parks... , Tanzania Tanzania The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...  - Arrive in Des Moines, Iowa Iowa Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...  & Mexico City Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole... , Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
Total Trip — 15 Days

Game recap

American Football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 crossed a new international border when the Drake Bulldogs and CONADEIP Stars from Mexico met on the gridiron painted for the first time on African soil in Arusha

Arusha

Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania. It is the capital of the Arusha Region, which claims a population of 1,288,088, including 281,608 for the Arusha District . Arusha is surrounded by some of Africa's most famous landscapes and national parks...

, Tanzania

Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...

. Fans lined up outside Sheikh Amri Abeid Memorial Stadium

Sheikh Amri Abeid Memorial Stadium

Sheikh Amri Abeid Memorial Stadium also known as Amri der zigger sko fra Stadium is a multi–use stadium in Arusha, Tanzania. It is currently used mostly for football matches and serves as the home venue for Arusha FC. The stadium was the host of the 2011 Kilimanjaro Bowl, the first American...

 for at least three hours before kickoff, awaiting an opportunity to see America's version of football played for the first time in Africa.

Drake opened with a steady drive that started at their own 20-yard mark, but the drive stalled when quarterback Mike Piatkowski was intercepted in the corner of the end zone by CONADEIP cornerback Carlos Garcia. The Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs (fourth and inches on the CONADEIP goal line) during the next drive and they took the initial lead their third offensive possession courtesy of a Billy Janssen 27-yard field goal. Injury would sock Drake’s quarterbacking core as Piatkowski was injured in the first quarter and his replacement Tyler Castro (the Bulldogs regular back-up Cody Seeger was unavailable for action) left due to an injury later in the second quarter.

Both teams went scoreless in the second and third quarter. Two promising CONADEIP drives ended frustratingly with failed field goal attempts. CONADEIP also fumbled inside the Drake 10-yard line. Freshman quarterback Nick Ens took his first snaps under center for the Bulldogs due to the injuries of Piatkowski and Castro. Drake would struggle to find an offensive rhythm.

A CONADEIP Dwein Garcia 49-yard pass to Ivan Piña as time expired in the third quarter delighted the capacity crowd, setting up an action filled fourth quarter. Jose Reyes would score the first touchdown of the game on a 5-yards rush to give the Stars a 7-3 lead. Drake would fight back on their ensuing offensive possession. Ens settled into a grove with the Drake offense and sent an 18-yard pass over the middle to wide receiver Joey Orlando on third and long. The gain kept the drive alive leading to the answer touchdown by the Bulldogs, an Ens to Orlando 11-yard pass completed in the corner of the end zone. Having seen Drake regain the lead at 10-7, the CONADEIP offense drove down the filed to the Bulldogs 2-yard line, capped by Reyes 37-yard run (he was tripped only two yards short of the end zone). The Stars fumbled on the next possession due to a failed snap from center and the Bulldog defense recovered the loose football. Drake would take advantage of the opportunity, driving 98-yards, resulting in a Patrick Cashmore 2-yard rushing touchdown. The teams would trade possessions from that point. With just over two minutes remaining in the game, Bulldog Matt Buckley intercepted a pass from Garcia to seal the 17-7 Drake victory.

Drake finished the season with an 8-4 record. The victory marked the Bulldogs first bowl victory since the 1949 Salad Bowl

1949 Salad Bowl

The 1949 Salad Bowl was a college football bowl game played between Drake Bulldogs and Arizona Wildcats at Montgomery Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona. The game marked the second bowl game for each school. Drake had previously played in the 1946 Raisin Bowl, while Arizona was featured in the 1921 San...

. CONADEIP finished their tour with a 1-2 record. The All-Star team selected from Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

’s top college players had played two games in Mexico in order to prepare for the bowl.The game was watched by the American Ambassador to Tanzania Alfonso Lenhardt, the nation’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Lazaro Nyalandu, and a procession of dignitaries. Maasai tribesmen entertaining the crowd where cheerleaders would have danced in an American stadium.

Scoring summary

First Quarter

Drake- Billy Janssen 27 Yard Field Goal

Second Quarter

None

Third Quarter

None

Fourth Quarter

CONADEIP - Jose Reyes 5-Yard Run (Erick Gomez Vargas Kick)

Drake - Nick Ens 11-Yard Pass To Joey Orlando (Billy Janssen Kick)

Drake - Patrick Cashmore 2-Yard Run (Billy Janssen Kick)