2010 Liberty Bowl (January)
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Liberty Bowl was the fifty-first edition of the college football
bowl game
, and was played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
in Memphis, Tennessee
. The game started at 5:30 PM US EST
on Saturday, January 2, 2010
. The game was telecast on ESPN
and matched the Arkansas Razorbacks
against East Carolina University
, the Conference USA
Champion.
The game marked Arkansas' fourth appearance in the bowl. It was their first appearance since 1987 and their first win in the bowl. East Carolina also made its fourth appearance in the game. The Pirates played in the 2009 game
, a 25–19 loss to Kentucky
. Arkansas entered the game with a 7–5 record. East Carolina entered the game with a 9–4 record. It was the first ever meeting between the two schools.
and gave Arkansas a 20–17 win in the Liberty Bowl after East Carolina's Ben Hartman missed two field goal attempts late in regulation and another in the extra session. Arkansas quarterback
Ryan Mallett
was named most valuable player despite going only 15 of 36 for 202 yards and a touchdown
. Dominique Lindsay rushed for 151 yards on 33 carries for East Carolina. His 3-yard touchdown run opened the scoring in the second quarter, ending a 99-yard drive by the Pirates. It was 10–0 at halftime, the first time the Razorbacks had been shut out in the first half since September against Alabama
.
The Razorbacks tied it in the third quarter with a defensive touchdown when Tramain Thomas intercepted a pass and ran 37 yards to the end zone
. East Carolina took the lead again on Patrick Pinkney's 13-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Harris with 5:52 left in the third. Arkansas answered 36 seconds later when Mallett threw a 41-yard scoring pass to Jarius Wright to make it 17-all. Pinkney, a sixth-year senior
, went 17 of 33 for 209 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
East Carolina was physically dominant and Arkansas won despite its inability to convert a single third down. The Arkansas offense was 0–13 on third down conversions (scoring only ten points on offense, in regulation) but was aided by a defensive touchdown after an interception and four missed field goals by ECU (three in regulation, one in the overtime period). This may be the first time a college team has won a game (a bowl game, at least) while failing to convert a single third down attempt.
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 Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a football stadium, located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds, in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The stadium is the site of the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team...
in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. The game started at 5:30 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 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 was telecast 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....
and matched the Arkansas Razorbacks
2009 Arkansas Razorbacks football team
The 2009 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas in the 2009 football season. The Razorbacks played five home games at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and two home games at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. Head coach...
against East Carolina University
2009 East Carolina Pirates football team
The 2009 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the college football season of 2009-10 and played their home games in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The team was coached by Skip Holtz, who was in his fifth and final year with the program...
, the 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...
Champion.
The game marked Arkansas' fourth appearance in the bowl. It was their first appearance since 1987 and their first win in the bowl. East Carolina also made its fourth appearance in the game. The Pirates played in the 2009 game
2009 Liberty Bowl
The 2009 AutoZone Liberty Bowl is the fiftieth annual college football bowl game, and was played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee on January 2, 2009 as part of the 2008-09 bowl season. The East Carolina Pirates accepted their invitation after their victory over the Tulsa...
, a 25–19 loss to Kentucky
2008 Kentucky Wildcats football team
The 2008 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the college football season of 2008-2009. The team's head coach was Rich Brooks, who served his sixth year in the position...
. Arkansas entered the game with a 7–5 record. East Carolina entered the game with a 9–4 record. It was the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Game summary
Alex Tejada kicked a 37-yard field goal in overtimeOvertime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
and gave Arkansas a 20–17 win in the Liberty Bowl after East Carolina's Ben Hartman missed two field goal attempts late in regulation and another in the extra session. Arkansas quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Ryan Mallett
Ryan Mallett
Ryan Mallett , nicknamed "Big Tex", is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League , taken in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks...
was named most valuable player despite going only 15 of 36 for 202 yards and a touchdown
Touchdown
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:...
. Dominique Lindsay rushed for 151 yards on 33 carries for East Carolina. His 3-yard touchdown run opened the scoring in the second quarter, ending a 99-yard drive by the Pirates. It was 10–0 at halftime, the first time the Razorbacks had been shut out in the first half since September against Alabama
2009 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 77th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 18th within the SEC Western Division...
.
The Razorbacks tied it in the third quarter with a defensive touchdown when Tramain Thomas intercepted a pass and ran 37 yards to the end zone
End zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
. East Carolina took the lead again on Patrick Pinkney's 13-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Harris with 5:52 left in the third. Arkansas answered 36 seconds later when Mallett threw a 41-yard scoring pass to Jarius Wright to make it 17-all. Pinkney, a sixth-year senior
Senior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
, went 17 of 33 for 209 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
East Carolina was physically dominant and Arkansas won despite its inability to convert a single third down. The Arkansas offense was 0–13 on third down conversions (scoring only ten points on offense, in regulation) but was aided by a defensive touchdown after an interception and four missed field goals by ECU (three in regulation, one in the overtime period). This may be the first time a college team has won a game (a bowl game, at least) while failing to convert a single third down attempt.
Scoring summary
| Scoring Play | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Quarter | |||
| EC — Dominique Lindsay 3 yard rush (Ben Hartman kick), 7:03 | EC 7–0 | ||
| EC — Ben Hartman 34 yard field goal, 0:53 | EC 10–0 | ||
| 3rd Quarter | |||
| ARK — Alex Tejada 25 yard field goal, 10:41 | EC 10–3 | ||
| ARK — Tramain Thomas 37 yard interception return (Alex Tejada kick), 9:37 | TIE 10–10 | ||
| EC — Dwayne Harris 13 yard catch from Patrick Pinkney (Ben Hartman kick), 5:52 | EC 17–10 | ||
| ARK — Jarius Wright 41 yard catch from Ryan Mallett Ryan Mallett Ryan Mallett , nicknamed "Big Tex", is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League , taken in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks... (Alex Tejada kick), 5:16 |
TIE 17–17 | ||
| 1st Overtime | |||
| ARK - Alex Tejada 37 yard field goal, FINAL | ARK - 20–17 | ||