2002 Motor City Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 2002 Motor City Bowl was a post-season college football
bowl game
between the and the on December 26, 2002, at Ford Field
in Detroit, Michigan
. Boston College scored touchdowns on its first six possessions and routed Toledo 51-25. It was the sixth time the Motor City Bowl had been played and the final game of the 2002 NCAA Division I FBS football season for both teams.
The game between the Mid-American Conference
(MAC) team Toledo and Big East Conference
Boston College was played at neutral-site Ford Field. This was the first Motor City Bowl played at Ford Field; all previous games were played at the Pontiac Silverdome
. As then organized the Motor City Bowl matched a MAC team and a team from either the Big Ten, the Big East Conference
, or an at-large team. Toledo accepted a bid for the Motor City Bowl after losing to Marshall
in the MAC Championship Game
. Toledo entered the bowl game as the defending champion, having defeated in the 2001 Motor City Bowl
. Boston College was the first Big East team to play in the Motor City Bowl and was playing in its fourth straight bowl game.
The bowl game MVP was Boston College quarterback Brian St. Pierre
, who completed 25 of 35 passes for 342 yards, a personal career high. Boston College scored on its first six possessions, and its 51 points set a Motor City Bowl record which would later be tied in the 2007 Motor City Bowl
when the Purdue Boilermakers
defeated the 51-48. On a sour note two Toledo players were ejected during the game; one for throwing a punch and another for a late hit out of bounds on St. Pierre.
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...
between the and the on December 26, 2002, at Ford Field
Ford Field
Ford Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, USA, that is the current home field of the NFL's Detroit Lions. It is owned by the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority. It regularly seats 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for...
in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. Boston College scored touchdowns on its first six possessions and routed Toledo 51-25. It was the sixth time the Motor City Bowl had been played and the final game of the 2002 NCAA Division I FBS football season for both teams.
The game between the Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
(MAC) team Toledo and Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
Boston College was played at neutral-site Ford Field. This was the first Motor City Bowl played at Ford Field; all previous games were played at the Pontiac Silverdome
Pontiac Silverdome
The Silverdome is a domed stadium located in the city of Pontiac, Michigan, USA, which sits on . It was the largest stadium in the National Football League until FedEx Field in suburban Washington, D.C...
. As then organized the Motor City Bowl matched a MAC team and a team from either the Big Ten, the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
, or an at-large team. Toledo accepted a bid for the Motor City Bowl after losing to Marshall
2002 Marshall Thundering Herd football team
The 2002 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University in 2002 season in NCAA Division I-A. Marshall won its 5th MAC title in 6 years and its 5th consecutive bowl win.-Schedule:-Miami :...
in the MAC Championship Game
MAC Championship Game
The Marathon MAC Football Championship is a football game between the winners of the East and West divisions of the Mid-American Conference to determine the conference champion. The game has been played since 1997, when the conference was first divided into divisions and since 2003 has been...
. Toledo entered the bowl game as the defending champion, having defeated in the 2001 Motor City Bowl
2001 Motor City Bowl
The 2001 Motor City Bowl was a National Collegiate Athletic Association bowl game in which the Toledo Rockets of the MAC defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats of the Conference USA 23–16...
. Boston College was the first Big East team to play in the Motor City Bowl and was playing in its fourth straight bowl game.
The bowl game MVP was Boston College quarterback Brian St. Pierre
Brian St. Pierre
Brian St. Pierre is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Boston College....
, who completed 25 of 35 passes for 342 yards, a personal career high. Boston College scored on its first six possessions, and its 51 points set a Motor City Bowl record which would later be tied in the 2007 Motor City Bowl
2007 Motor City Bowl
The 2007 Motor City Bowl, part of the 2007-08 NCAA football bowl games season, occurred on December 26, 2007 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, United States....
when the Purdue Boilermakers
2007 Purdue Boilermakers football team
The 2007 Purdue Boilermakers football represented Purdue University in the Big Ten Conference during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Joe Tiller, in his 11th season at Purdue, was the team's head coach. The Boilermakers' home games were played at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette,...
defeated the 51-48. On a sour note two Toledo players were ejected during the game; one for throwing a punch and another for a late hit out of bounds on St. Pierre.