2010 Alamo Bowl (January)
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Alamo Bowl
(known via corporate sponsorship as the Valero
Alamo Bowl) was the seventeenth edition of the college football
bowl game
, and was played at the Alamodome
in San Antonio, Texas
on Saturday, January 2, 2010
. The game featured the Michigan State Spartans
against the Texas Tech Red Raiders
.
The 2010 game was the last one to feature a team from the Big Ten. In the fall of 2009, it was announced that the Pac-10 second-place team will take part in the Alamo Bowl instead of the Holiday Bowl
which they currently participate in unless they qualify for the BCS. The Alamo Bowl will offer 2011 teams $3 million payouts, thus taking away a team from the Pac-10 and attracting higher ranking teams from the Big 12. According to Bruce Binkowski, the Holiday's executive director, average ticket prices for the Holiday Bowl would have had to have been increased from $60 to $100 to match the Alamo Bowl's offer.
This was the third Alamo Bowl appearance and first Alamo Bowl win for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Their most recent previously appearance was a 19–16 loss to Iowa
in the 2001 game
. Michigan State played in one previous Alamo Bowl, losing the 2003 edition
to Nebraska
17–3. The game also marked the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
With approximately 5,553,630 households watching it, the game was the most viewed Alamo Bowl in history. It also drew the highest rating of any bowl ever shown by ESPN
. Behind the BCS
bowl games and the Capital One Bowl
, it was the most viewed bowl shown up to that point in the 2009/10 bowl season
.
On December 28, 2009, Texas Tech suspended, and fired two days later, head coach Mike Leach over the alleged mistreatment of an injured player. Defensive Coordinator Ruffin McNeill
was named interim head coach.
Meanwhile, on November 22, 2009, Michigan State had suspended 14 players for the bowl resulting from a fight at one of the school's dormitories.
|Final
|colspan="6"|
|31
|41
|}
Source:
|}
Alamo Bowl
The Alamo Bowl is a major American college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the 65,000-seat Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. It matches the second choice team from the Pacific-12 Conference and the third choice team from the Big 12 Conference.Traditionally, the Alamo Bowl has been...
(known via corporate sponsorship as the Valero
Valero
Valero Energy Corporation is a Fortune 500 international manufacturer and marketer of transportation fuels, other petrochemical products, and power based in San Antonio, Texas, United States...
Alamo Bowl) was the seventeenth 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 the Alamodome
Alamodome
The Alamodome is a domed 65,000 seat, multi-purpose facility that is primarily used as a football/basketball stadium and convention center in San Antonio, Texas, U.S...
in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
on Saturday, January 2, 2010
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...
. The game featured the Michigan State Spartans
2009 Michigan State Spartans football team
The 2009 Michigan State Spartans football team competed on behalf of the Michigan State University in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Spartans were coached by Mark Dantonio, who was in his third season with the Spartans...
against the Texas Tech Red Raiders
2009 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team
The 2009 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University in the college football season of 2009–10. The team was coached by Mike Leach during the regular season, and was coached by interim head coach Ruffin McNeill during the 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl. The Red Raiders played...
.
The 2010 game was the last one to feature a team from the Big Ten. In the fall of 2009, it was announced that the Pac-10 second-place team will take part in the Alamo Bowl instead of 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...
which they currently participate in unless they qualify for the BCS. The Alamo Bowl will offer 2011 teams $3 million payouts, thus taking away a team from the Pac-10 and attracting higher ranking teams from the Big 12. According to Bruce Binkowski, the Holiday's executive director, average ticket prices for the Holiday Bowl would have had to have been increased from $60 to $100 to match the Alamo Bowl's offer.
This was the third Alamo Bowl appearance and first Alamo Bowl win for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Their most recent previously appearance was a 19–16 loss to Iowa
2001 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
The 2001 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa and the Iowa Hawkeyes football program during the 2001 college football season...
in the 2001 game
2001 Alamo Bowl
The 2001 edition to the Alamo Bowl featured the Iowa Hawkeyes, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders. It was a rematch of the 1996 Alamo Bowl.Nate Kaeding scored the first points of the game for Iowa, as he connected on a 36 yard field goal, to give Iowa an early 3-0 lead. In the second quarter, running...
. Michigan State played in one previous Alamo Bowl, losing the 2003 edition
2003 Alamo Bowl
The 2003 Alamo Bowl was an American football bowl game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Nebraska Cornhuskers played December 29, 2003 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas....
to Nebraska
2003 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 2003 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Frank Solich and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.-Schedule:...
17–3. The game also marked the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
With approximately 5,553,630 households watching it, the game was the most viewed Alamo Bowl in history. It also drew the highest rating of any bowl ever shown by 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....
. Behind the BCS
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
bowl games and the Capital One Bowl
2010 Capital One Bowl
The 2010 Capital One Bowl was the sixty-fourth edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. The game was played on January 1 and matched the LSU Tigers against the Penn State Nittany Lions...
, it was the most viewed bowl shown up to that point in the 2009/10 bowl season
2009–10 NCAA football bowl games
The 2009–10 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision College Football Post-Season followed the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It comprises 34 team-competitive bowl games, and three all-star games. The games began play on December 19, 2009 and included the 2010 BCS National Championship...
.
Game Buildup
The game featured two programs which, prior to the event, were undergoing controversies.On December 28, 2009, Texas Tech suspended, and fired two days later, head coach Mike Leach over the alleged mistreatment of an injured player. Defensive Coordinator Ruffin McNeill
Ruffin McNeill
Ruffin McNeill is the head football coach for the East Carolina Pirates. Before being named head coach, McNeill served the Texas Tech Red Raiders as an interim head coach, assistant head coach, special teams coordinator, and linebackers coach...
was named interim head coach.
Meanwhile, on November 22, 2009, Michigan State had suspended 14 players for the bowl resulting from a fight at one of the school's dormitories.
First Quarter
Texas Tech won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. The 67 yard kick off by the Red Raiders was returned by Keshawn Martin for 33 yards. The Spartans made it all the way to the Texas Tech 32 yardline before their opening driving ended in disappointment, when Jamar Wall intercepted a pass by quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Red Raiders opening drive ended with a 3 yard rushing touchdown by Barron Batch. Both teams went three-and-out in their next drive. Michigan State's first score came in their third drive of the game by way of an explosive run by Edwin Baker for a 46 yard rushing touchdown. The Spartan's scoring drive would be the last of the quarter, bringing the score at the end of the quarter to 7–7.Second Quarter
At the end of the second quarter the Red Raiders were leading with a score of 14–20.Third Quarter
At the end of the third quarter the Spartans were leading with a score of 28–27.Fourth Quarter
Michigan State took a four-point lead with 8:05 left in the game after a FG, but it was all Red Raiders after that point. The game ended with Texas Tech winning the game with a final score of 31–41.Scoring summary
|-|Final
|colspan="6"|
|31
|41
|}
Source:
|}