2009 Insight Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Insight Bowl
was the 21st edition of the college football
bowl game
, played at Sun Devil Stadium
in Tempe, Arizona
. The game matched the Iowa State Cyclones
against the Minnesota Golden Gophers
and kicked off at 6:00 PM US EST
on Thursday, December 31, 2009
. The game was telecast on the NFL Network
and simulcast in Iowa State's home market (Ames/Des Moines, Iowa) by WOI-DT, the ABC
affiliate formerly owned by the university.
The game marked the Cyclones' first postseason trip since 2005, and Minnesota's third Insight Bowl appearance in the last four years. The Gophers lost in 2008
to Kansas
and in 2006
to Texas Tech
. Iowa State played in the 2000 Insight Bowl, beating Pittsburgh
37–29. Cyclones first-year coach Paul Rhoads
turned around a team that finished 2–10 in 2008 and was winless in eight Big 12 games. Iowa State's last bowl appearance was a 27–24 loss to TCU
in the 2005 Houston Bowl
, now the Texas Bowl
.
Given the relative close proximity between them, the two schools have played each other a total of 25 times. Minnesota has dominated the matchup holding the series lead 22–2–1 up until the bowl game. However, only one of the games has been played in Iowa and the two teams have only played each other three times since 1924. The last meeting between the opponents was a 53–29 Gophers victory in 1997. This was the first bowl game played between the two schools.
and ran for 77 yards and a touchdown as the Cyclones got their 1st bowl win since 2004. The Gophers were paced by receiver
, Da'Jon McKnight who had 7 catches for 124 yards. With only a few minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Minnesota quarterback Marqueis Gray fumbled the ball at the Iowa State 15 yard line. The ball was recovered by Ter'ran Benton of Iowa State. This prevented Minnesota from taking a late fourth quarter lead with either a field goal or a touchdown, making it an important play in the Iowa State victory. Gray did finish the game with 261 yards passing and a touchdown.
Minnesota could not snap a 3 game bowl losing streak, the game also was their 3rd Insight Bowl loss, a new record for the bowl.
Insight Bowl
The Insight Bowl is an NCAA college football bowl game played in Arizona since 1989. From 1989 to 1999, the games were played at Arizona Stadium in Tucson. The game moved to Phoenix in 2000 and was played at Chase Field until 2005. After the 2005 playing the Insight Bowl moved to Sun Devil Stadium...
was the 21st 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...
, played at Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium is an outdoor football stadium, located on the campus of Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The stadium's current seating capacity is 71,706 and the playing surface is natural grass...
in Tempe, Arizona
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
. The game matched the Iowa State Cyclones
2009 Iowa State Cyclones football team
The 2009 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented Iowa State University in the college football season of 2009-2010. The team was led by first year head coach Paul Rhoads. They played their home games at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa...
against the Minnesota Golden Gophers
2009 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
The 2009 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team was the third under head coach Tim Brewster. They began play on September 5, 2009, at Syracuse, a member of the Big East Conference. On September 12, the Minnesota opened the new TCF Bank Stadium with a 20–13 win against Air Force, moving from the...
and kicked off at 6:00 PM US EST
North American Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
on Thursday, December 31, 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...
. The game was telecast on the NFL Network
NFL Network
NFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation...
and simulcast in Iowa State's home market (Ames/Des Moines, Iowa) by WOI-DT, the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate formerly owned by the university.
The game marked the Cyclones' first postseason trip since 2005, and Minnesota's third Insight Bowl appearance in the last four years. The Gophers lost in 2008
2008 Insight Bowl
The 2008 Insight Bowl was a college football bowl game played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The game, in its 20th year of existence, began at 5:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, December 31, 2008...
to Kansas
2008 Kansas Jayhawks football team
The 2008 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas for the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision intercollegiate football season of 2008-2009. It was the school's 119th year of intercollegiate football...
and in 2006
2006 Insight Bowl
The 2006 Insight Bowl, a college football bowl game held on December 29 at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, pitted the Texas Tech Red Raiders against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. This game featured the biggest comeback in NCAA Division I FBS bowl history...
to Texas Tech
2006 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team
The 2006 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University in the college football season of 2006–2007. The team was coached by Mike Leach. The Red Raiders played their home games at Jones SBC Stadium in Lubbock, Texas....
. Iowa State played in the 2000 Insight Bowl, beating Pittsburgh
2000 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 2000 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2000 college football season.- Regular season:The previous season saw Pitt miss the post season by finishing 5-6. For 2000, Pitt looked to find a replacement at defensive back for NFL drafted Hank Poteat.The...
37–29. Cyclones first-year coach Paul Rhoads
Paul Rhoads
Paul Rhoads is an American college football head coach at Iowa State University. Rhoads was formerly the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach of the Auburn University football team before then-head coach Tommy Tuberville was forced to resign at the 2008 season's end...
turned around a team that finished 2–10 in 2008 and was winless in eight Big 12 games. Iowa State's last bowl appearance was a 27–24 loss to TCU
2005 TCU Horned Frogs football team
The 2005 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2005 college football season. TCU finished with an 11–1 record and a #11 ranking in the AP Poll....
in the 2005 Houston Bowl
2005 Houston Bowl
The 2005 EV1.net Houston Bowl was the sixth and final edition of the college football bowl games and was played at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. The game pitted the from the Big 12 Conference and the TCU Horned Frogs from the Mountain West Conference...
, now the Texas Bowl
Texas Bowl
The Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, formerly known as the Texas Bowl, is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game that was held for the first time in 2006 in Houston, Texas. The bowl replaced the now-defunct Houston Bowl, which was played annually from 2000 to 2005...
.
Given the relative close proximity between them, the two schools have played each other a total of 25 times. Minnesota has dominated the matchup holding the series lead 22–2–1 up until the bowl game. However, only one of the games has been played in Iowa and the two teams have only played each other three times since 1924. The last meeting between the opponents was a 53–29 Gophers victory in 1997. This was the first bowl game played between the two schools.
Game summary
Austen Arnaud threw for 216 yards and a touchdownTouchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
and ran for 77 yards and a touchdown as the Cyclones got their 1st bowl win since 2004. The Gophers were paced by receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, Da'Jon McKnight who had 7 catches for 124 yards. With only a few minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Minnesota quarterback Marqueis Gray fumbled the ball at the Iowa State 15 yard line. The ball was recovered by Ter'ran Benton of Iowa State. This prevented Minnesota from taking a late fourth quarter lead with either a field goal or a touchdown, making it an important play in the Iowa State victory. Gray did finish the game with 261 yards passing and a touchdown.
Minnesota could not snap a 3 game bowl losing streak, the game also was their 3rd Insight Bowl loss, a new record for the bowl.
Scoring summary
| Scoring Play | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | |||
| MN — Eric Ellestad 36 yard field goal, 8:31 | MN 3–0 | ||
| 2nd Quarter | |||
| IS — Austen Arnaud 9 yard rush (Grant Mahoney kick), 4:35 | IS 7–3 | ||
| IS — Austen Arnaud 38 yard pass to Jake Williams (Grant Mahoney kick), 0:23 | IS 14–3 | ||
| 3rd Quarter | |||
| MN — Adam Weber Adam Weber Adam Weber is an American football quarterback who currently plays for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He played college football at Minnesota... 23 yard pass to Nick TowArnett (Eric Ellestad kick), 5:22 |
IS 14–10 | ||
| MN — Eric Ellestad 21 yard field goal, 0:21 | IS 14–13 | ||
| 4th Quarter | |||
| No Scoring | IS 14–13 | ||