2009 Poinsettia Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 2009 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
was the fifth edition of the college football
bowl game
and was played at Qualcomm Stadium
in San Diego, California
. The game started at 5 PM US PST
on Wednesday, December 23, 2009
on ESPN
. The Utah Utes
defeated the California Golden Bears
by a score of 37–27 to win their ninth straight bowl game. The Bears lost their first bowl game since 2004, snapping a winning streak of four post-season victories.
had won eight straight bowl appearances, including the last season's Sugar Bowl
against Alabama
. The Utes also faced their former offensive coordinator, Andy Ludwig
, who had helped guide them the previous year
to a 13–0 record and #2 ranking.
Cal played its third bowl game in San Diego in six years, having made two previous trips to the Holiday Bowl
in 2004
and 2006
. The Bears had not lost a bowl game since 2004. It was the seventh straight year that Cal head coach Jeff Tedford
had guided Cal to a bowl appearance, the longest streak in school history. The game was Cal's first appearance in the Poinsettia Bowl, while Utah was playing in its second. The Utes defeated Navy by a score of 35–32 in the 2007 game
. It was the seventh overall meeting between the two schools and their first in post-season. Cal held a 4–2 advantage in the series, the first game of which took place in 1920. The last matchup between them was in 2003, a game won by Utah 31–24.
was sacked, resulting in a fumble which the Utes recovered late in the third quarter. Cal was able to hold Utah to a field goal and responded on the next possession by driving downfield, allowing Vereen to score his second touchdown of the night on a 1-yard run.
intercepted Riley on a tipped pass that he was able to return for a 27 yard touchdown. Riley threw a second straight interception, but the defense was able to hold the Utes. The final score of the game came late in the quarter on a 24-yard touchdown reception by Jeremy Ross to make the score 37–27 Utah. Cal attempted a two point conversion, which failed. An attempt at an onside kick was recovered by Utah, allowing Wynn to take three straight knees
.
, who had an interception return for a touchdown, was the game's defensive MVP. Wide receiver David Reed
set school records for catches (81) and receiving yards (1,188) in a season. Both records came on a 39-yard catch in the fourth quarter. The Utes scored 27 straight points to win their ninth straight bowl game, which tied them (with USC's 1923-1945 teams) for the second longest bowl winning streak in history. Shane Vereen
, who scored twice, was the seventh Cal running back to gain more than 100 yards in a bowl, finishing with 122 yards on 20 carries. Vereen had been filling in for star running back and Jahvid Best
, who was sitting out his fourth straight game after sustaining a concussion on November 7.
The attendance of 32,665 was the second-lowest in the bowl's history.
Poinsettia Bowl
The Poinsettia Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I-A college football bowl game that was created in 2005. The game was created by the organizers of the Holiday Bowl and is played annually at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The game is currently sponsored by the San Diego...
was the fifth edition of the 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...
and was played at Qualcomm Stadium
Qualcomm Stadium
Qualcomm Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in San Diego, California, in the Mission Valley area....
in San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The game started at 5 PM US PST
Pacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
on Wednesday, December 23, 2009
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the...
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 Utah Utes
2009 Utah Utes football team
The 2009 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team, coached by 5th year head football coach Kyle Whittingham, played its home games in Rice–Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah....
defeated the California Golden Bears
2009 California Golden Bears football team
The 2009 California Golden Bears football team represented the University of California, Berkeley in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition during the 2009 season...
by a score of 37–27 to win their ninth straight bowl game. The Bears lost their first bowl game since 2004, snapping a winning streak of four post-season victories.
Pre-game buildup
The Utes from the Mountain West ConferenceMountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
had won eight straight bowl appearances, including the last season's Sugar Bowl
2009 Sugar Bowl
The 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 75th annual edition of the annual college football bowl game that is part of the 2008–09 bowl season of the Bowl Championship Series 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
against Alabama
2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 76th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 17th within the SEC Western Division...
. The Utes also faced their former offensive coordinator, Andy Ludwig
Andy Ludwig
Andy Ludwig is the offensive coordinator at the San Diego State University. He played college football at Snow College and Portland State graduating in 1988.- Coaching career :...
, who had helped guide them the previous year
2008 Utah Utes football team
The 2008 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team, coached by 4th year head football coach Kyle Whittingham, plays its home games in Rice–Eccles Stadium...
to a 13–0 record and #2 ranking.
Cal played its third bowl game in San Diego in six years, having made two previous trips to the Holiday Bowl
Holiday Bowl
The Holiday Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I-A college football bowl game that has been played annually at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California, since 1978. Beginning with the 2010 playing the bowl will officially be known as the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl after...
in 2004
2004 Holiday Bowl
The 2004 Holiday Bowl was the third bowl game played of the 2004-2005 bowl season on December 30, 2004. The game was held at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, pitting the Pac-10's and the Big 12's Texas Tech Red Raiders...
and 2006
2006 Holiday Bowl
The 2006 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 28, 2006 in San Diego, California. It was part of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season and one of 32 games in the 2006-2007 bowl season. It featured the Texas A&M Aggies representing the Big 12 against the...
. The Bears had not lost a bowl game since 2004. It was the seventh straight year that Cal head coach Jeff Tedford
Jeff Tedford
Jeff Tedford is an American football coach and the current head coach of the California Golden Bears football team, a position he has held since 2002. As a first-time head coach, Tedford has won wide acclaim for revitalizing the Cal football program...
had guided Cal to a bowl appearance, the longest streak in school history. The game was Cal's first appearance in the Poinsettia Bowl, while Utah was playing in its second. The Utes defeated Navy by a score of 35–32 in the 2007 game
2007 Poinsettia Bowl
The 2007 Poinsettia Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game between the Navy Midshipmen and the Utah Utes on December 20, 2007 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. Utah defeated Navy 35–32 in a game that came down to the final seconds. It was one of 32 games in the...
. It was the seventh overall meeting between the two schools and their first in post-season. Cal held a 4–2 advantage in the series, the first game of which took place in 1920. The last matchup between them was in 2003, a game won by Utah 31–24.
First quarter
Cal won the coin toss and elected to defer until the second half. The game started promisingly for the Bears, who were able to hold the Utes on their first two possessions. Midway through the first quarter, Cal scored first on a 36-yard run by Shane Vereen. The Bears quickly struck again when linebacker Eddie Young intercepted Jordan Wynn for a 30-yard touchdown return on the ensuing possession. From this point on however, the game belonged to the Utes. Utah's comeback began with a 61-yard kickoff return by Shaky Smithson that helped set up the first touchdown pass of the night for Wynn on a 6-yard strike to Kendrick Moeai.Second quarter
Cal struggled offensively in the second quarter and could not get past midfield. Utah scored on all three of its possessions with a field goal, 15-yard touchdown reception by Moeai, and 21-yard touchdown reception by Jereme Brooks. The Utes led 24–14 at the half and had scored 24 unanswered points.Third quarter
The second half saw the game seesaw back and forth defensively until Kevin RileyKevin Riley
Kevin Riley is a former American football quarterback for the California Golden Bears. He played for California from 2007-2010.-High school:...
was sacked, resulting in a fumble which the Utes recovered late in the third quarter. Cal was able to hold Utah to a field goal and responded on the next possession by driving downfield, allowing Vereen to score his second touchdown of the night on a 1-yard run.
Fourth quarter
Utah put up the first points of the fourth quarter on a field goal, and Stevenson SylvesterStevenson Sylvester
Stevenson Ellis Sylvester is an American football inside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League.-Early years:...
intercepted Riley on a tipped pass that he was able to return for a 27 yard touchdown. Riley threw a second straight interception, but the defense was able to hold the Utes. The final score of the game came late in the quarter on a 24-yard touchdown reception by Jeremy Ross to make the score 37–27 Utah. Cal attempted a two point conversion, which failed. An attempt at an onside kick was recovered by Utah, allowing Wynn to take three straight knees
Quarterback kneel
In American football, a quarterback kneel, also called taking a knee, genuflect offense, or victory formation occurs when the quarterback immediately kneels to the ground after receiving the snap. It is primarily used to run the clock down, either at the end of the first half or the game itself, in...
.
Scoring summary
| Scoring Play | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | |||
| Cal — Shane Vereen 36 Yd run (Vince D'Amato Kick), 6:06 | Cal 7–0 | ||
| Cal — Eddie Young interception return for 31 Yd (Vince D'Amato Kick), 5:55 | Cal 14–0 | ||
| Utah — Kendrick Moeai 6 Yd pass from Jordan Wynn (Joe Phillips Kick), 1:35 | Cal 14–7 | ||
| 2nd Quarter | |||
| Utah — Joe Phillips 28 Yd, 9:31 | Cal 14–10 | ||
| Utah — Kendrick Moeai 15 Yd Pass From Jordan Wynn (Joe Phillips Kick), 4:58 | Utah 17–14 | ||
| Utah — Jereme Brooks 21 Yd Pass From Jordan Wynn (Joe Phillips Kick), 0:43 | Utah 24–14 | ||
| 3rd Quarter | |||
| Utah — Joe Phillips 29 Yd, 3:13 | Utah 27–14 | ||
| Cal — Shane Vereen 1 Yd run (Vince D'Amato Kick), 0:39 | Utah 27–21 | ||
| 4th Quarter | |||
| Utah — Joe Phillips 25 Yd, 13:05 | Utah 30–21 | ||
| Utah — Stevenson Sylvester interception return for 27 Yd (Joe Phillips Kick), 5:27 | Utah 37–21 | ||
| Cal — Jeremy Ross 24 Yd pass from Kevin Riley (2 pt conversion failed), 1:46 | Utah 37–27 | ||
Game notes
Utah's true freshman quarterback Jordan Wynn, who grew up less than an hour from San Diego, returned home and threw for a career-high 338 yards and three touchdowns on his way to being named the game's offensive MVP. Linebacker Stevenson SylvesterStevenson Sylvester
Stevenson Ellis Sylvester is an American football inside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League.-Early years:...
, who had an interception return for a touchdown, was the game's defensive MVP. Wide receiver David Reed
David Reed (American football)
-Baltimore Ravens:On December 13, 2010, against the Houston Texans, Reed scored his first NFL touchdown on a 103-yard kickoff return. The return set a new Ravens franchise record and his 233 kickoff return yards were also the second most in franchise history...
set school records for catches (81) and receiving yards (1,188) in a season. Both records came on a 39-yard catch in the fourth quarter. The Utes scored 27 straight points to win their ninth straight bowl game, which tied them (with USC's 1923-1945 teams) for the second longest bowl winning streak in history. Shane Vereen
Shane Vereen
Shane Patrick-Henry Vereen is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted 56th overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at California.-Early years:...
, who scored twice, was the seventh Cal running back to gain more than 100 yards in a bowl, finishing with 122 yards on 20 carries. Vereen had been filling in for star running back and Jahvid Best
Jahvid Best
Jahvid Andre Best is a running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was selected by the Lions with the 30th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. In college, he played for the California Golden Bears, setting several records, including most all-purpose yards in a single season and...
, who was sitting out his fourth straight game after sustaining a concussion on November 7.
The attendance of 32,665 was the second-lowest in the bowl's history.