2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl was a National Collegiate Athletic Association
bowl game
(previously the Motor City Bowl game) played at 1:00 PM EST on December 26, 2009 at Ford Field
in Detroit, Michigan and aired on ESPN
.
The game was the 13th installment of the bowl game played in Detroit. The Marshall Thundering Herd
of Conference USA
defeated the Ohio Bobcats
, champion of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference
, 21–17, giving the Thundering Herd a seven-win season. A lack of eligible teams from the Big Ten Conference
made a spot available in the game for Marshall.
Line judge Sarah Thomas
became the first female to officiate a college football bowl game.
, the rivalry between the two nearby teams (about 80 miles (128.7 km) apart), which has been on hiatus since Marshall's move from the MAC to C-USA in 2005. The teams were both members of the Mid-American Conference from 1997 to 2004 and will be meeting for the 53rd time. Marshall and Ohio planned to renew their rivalry in 2010.
This marked Ohio's first trip to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl and only the fourth time in the school's history that they appeared in a bowl game. Marshall was playing in its fifth Little Caesars Pizza Bowl but first since joining Conference USA, as they had qualified for the then-Motor City Bowl in its first four playings as MAC Champions. In those four games Marshall had only lost once. Marshall was coached by its defensive coordinator
/interim
head coach, Rick Minter
. Minter, who was previously the head coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats
took over as Marshall's temporary head coach after Mark Snyder
resigned at the conclusion of the regular season.
Defense dominated the game as Marshall was held to 275 yards of total offense, while Ohio only managed 123, including just 12 yards rushing. Ohio also recovered a fumble for a touchdown and Marshall returned a punt for a score. Marshall's Martin Ward was named the game's MVP as he rushed for 72 yards on nine carries and recorded two touchdowns. Theo Scott threw for 111 yards and a touchdown pass to lead the Bobcats.
The bowl game drew a record-low 30,311 fans. Just two years ago, more than twice as many people watched Purdue beat Central Michigan in Detroit. The game attracted fewer than 40,000 only once before when Marshall beat Louisville in 1998 at the Pontiac Silverdome
.
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
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...
(previously the Motor City Bowl game) played at 1:00 PM EST on December 26, 2009 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 and aired on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
The game was the 13th installment of the bowl game played in Detroit. The Marshall Thundering Herd
2009 Marshall Thundering Herd football team
The 2009 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the 2009 season. Marshall competed as a member of the East Division of Conference USA, and played their home...
of Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
defeated the Ohio Bobcats
2009 Ohio Bobcats football team
The 2009 Ohio Bobcats football team competed on behalf of Ohio University during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bobcats were led by head coach Frank Solich and played their home games in Peden Stadium located in Athens, Ohio....
, champion of the East Division of 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...
, 21–17, giving the Thundering Herd a seven-win season. A lack of eligible teams from the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
made a spot available in the game for Marshall.
Line judge Sarah Thomas
Sarah Thomas (American football official)
Sarah Thomas is a college football official who became the first woman to officiate a bowl game when she worked as a line judge during the 2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl between Marshall and Ohio. Later she became the first woman to officiate in a Big Ten stadium when Northwestern hosted Rice on...
became the first female to officiate a college football bowl game.
Teams
The 2009 game marked an unexpected renewal of the Battle for the BellBattle for the Bell (Marshall-Ohio)
The Battle for the Bell is an an American college football rivalry game played by the Marshall Thundering Herd football team of Marshall University and the Ohio Bobcats football team of Ohio University. It is a regional rivalry, with the universities' campuses located about 80 miles from each...
, the rivalry between the two nearby teams (about 80 miles (128.7 km) apart), which has been on hiatus since Marshall's move from the MAC to C-USA in 2005. The teams were both members of the Mid-American Conference from 1997 to 2004 and will be meeting for the 53rd time. Marshall and Ohio planned to renew their rivalry in 2010.
This marked Ohio's first trip to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl and only the fourth time in the school's history that they appeared in a bowl game. Marshall was playing in its fifth Little Caesars Pizza Bowl but first since joining Conference USA, as they had qualified for the then-Motor City Bowl in its first four playings as MAC Champions. In those four games Marshall had only lost once. Marshall was coached by its defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
/interim
Interim
Interim is an album by British rock band The Fall, compiled from live and studio material and released in 2004. It features the first officially released versions of "Clasp Hands", "Blindness" and "What About Us?" — all of which were later included on the band's next studio album Fall Heads Roll —...
head coach, Rick Minter
Rick Minter
Rick Minter is an American football coach in the United States. He is currently the co-defensive coordinator at the University of Kentucky...
. Minter, who was previously the head coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati Bearcats football
The Cincinnati Bearcats football program represents the University of Cincinnati in a college football. They compete at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level as members of the Big East Conference. The Bearcat football program is one of the nation's oldest, having fielded a team as...
took over as Marshall's temporary head coach after Mark Snyder
Mark Snyder
Mark Snyder is the former head coach of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team in Huntington, West Virginia. He is currently the defensive coordinator at the University of South Florida...
resigned at the conclusion of the regular season.
Game summary
Ohio wore their home green jerseys and Marshall wore their white away jerseys.Defense dominated the game as Marshall was held to 275 yards of total offense, while Ohio only managed 123, including just 12 yards rushing. Ohio also recovered a fumble for a touchdown and Marshall returned a punt for a score. Marshall's Martin Ward was named the game's MVP as he rushed for 72 yards on nine carries and recorded two touchdowns. Theo Scott threw for 111 yards and a touchdown pass to lead the Bobcats.
The bowl game drew a record-low 30,311 fans. Just two years ago, more than twice as many people watched Purdue beat Central Michigan in Detroit. The game attracted fewer than 40,000 only once before when Marshall beat Louisville in 1998 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...
.
Scoring summary
| Scoring Play | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | |||
| MAR – Martin Ward 12 yard run (Craig Ratanamorn kick), 1:17 | MAR 7–0 | ||
| MAR – Andre Booker 58 yard punt return (Craig Ratanamorn kick), 0:00 | MAR 14–0 | ||
| 2nd Quarter | |||
| MAR – Martin Ward 2 yard run (Craig Ratanamorn kick), 7:50 | MAR 21–0 | ||
| OHIO – Shannon Ballard 75 yard fumble recovery return (Matt Weller kick), 5:25 | MAR 21–7 | ||
| 3rd Quarter | |||
| OHIO – Terrence McCrae 8 yard pass from Theo Scott (Matt Weller kick), 7:11 | MAR 21–14 | ||
| OHIO – Matt Weller 46 yard, 4:38 | MAR 21–17 | ||
| 4th Quarter | |||
| No scoring | MAR 21–17 | ||