2010 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl was a NCAA
bowl game
(previously the Motor City Bowl game) played at 8:30 p.m. EST on December 26, 2010 at Ford Field
in Detroit, Michigan and aired on ESPN
. The bowl game matched up the Florida International Golden Panthers
of the Sun Belt Conference
against the Toledo Rockets
of the Mid-American Conference
.
The game was the 14th installment of the bowl game played in Detroit.
and Texas A&M
. FIU was invited to play in the bowl as the Big Ten Conference
was unable to fill its slot in the contest.
in the GMAC Bowl
. Three of its four losses this season were to bowl-bound teams: Boise State
, Northern Illinois
and Arizona
. This was the fourth time in school history that the Rockets played in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. They played in the game when it was known as the Motor City Bowl in 2001, 2002, and 2004. They were 1-2 in previous matchups with their only win coming in 2001 against Cincinnati
.
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 8:30 p.m. EST on December 26, 2010 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 bowl game matched up the Florida International Golden Panthers
2010 FIU Golden Panthers football team
The 2010 FIU Golden Panthers football team represented Florida International University during their 6th season of NCAA Division I FBS football and their 9th season overall...
of the Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
against the Toledo Rockets
2010 Toledo Rockets football team
The 2010 Toledo Rockets football team represented the University of Toledo during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Rockets, led by second-year head coach Tim Beckman, compete in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference and played their home games at the Glass Bowl...
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...
.
The game was the 14th installment of the bowl game played in Detroit.
Florida International
Florida International played in its first bowl game in school history. The Golden Panthers were the 2010 Sun Belt Conference Champions. They came into the game with a 6-6 overall record. They were led by an outstanding defense that had helped them almost pull off upsets against Rutgers2010 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
The 2010 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Scarlet Knights were led by head coach Greg Schiano in his 10th season. They played their home games at Rutgers Stadium and are members...
and Texas A&M
2010 Texas A&M Aggies football team
The 2010 Texas A&M Aggies football team represented Texas A&M University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by third-year head coach Mike Sherman and played their home games at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. The team's defense was led by first-year coach Tim...
. FIU was invited to play in the bowl as 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...
was unable to fill its slot in the contest.
Toledo
Toledo entered the bowl with an 8-4 overall record. The Rockets were making their first bowl appearance since 2005 when they defeated UTEPUTEP Miners
The UTEP Miners is the name given to the sports teams of the University of Texas at El Paso. Informally, the UTEP Miners have also been referred to as the Miners, UTEP, or Texas-El Paso. UTEP was a member of the Western Athletic Conference from 1967 to 2005, when they joined Rice, Tulsa, and SMU in...
in the GMAC Bowl
GMAC Bowl
The GoDaddy.com Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game that has been played annually at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama since 1999. It currently matches teams from the Sun Belt Conference and the Mid-American Conference, and...
. Three of its four losses this season were to bowl-bound teams: Boise State
2010 Boise State Broncos football team
The 2010 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos were led by fifth-year head coach Chris Petersen and played their home games at Bronco Stadium. They entered the 2010 season with winning streaks of 14 games...
, Northern Illinois
2010 Northern Illinois Huskies football team
The 2010 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University in the college football season of 2010. They compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the football season. Northern Illinois competed...
and Arizona
2010 Arizona Wildcats football team
The 2010 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the college football season of 2010. The team's head coach was Mike Stoops. The Wildcats played their home games at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona...
. This was the fourth time in school history that the Rockets played in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. They played in the game when it was known as the Motor City Bowl in 2001, 2002, and 2004. They were 1-2 in previous matchups with their only win coming in 2001 against Cincinnati
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...
.
Scoring
| Scoring Play | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | |||
| TOL - Adonis Thomas 4 yard run (Bill Claus kick), 5:40 | TOL 7–0 | ||
| 2nd Quarter | |||
| TOL - Adonis Thomas 87 yard run (Bill Claus kick), 10:45 | TOL 14–0 | ||
| FIU - Darriet Perry 1 yard run (Jack Griffin kick), 6:25 | TOL 14–7 | ||
| TOL - Terrance Owens 10 yard pass to Danny Noble (Bill Claus kick), 2:56 | TOL 21–7 | ||
| 3rd Quarter | |||
| TOL - Bill Claus 29 yard kick, 9:44 | TOL 24–7 | ||
| FIU - T.Y. Hilton 89 yard kickoff return (Jack Griffin kick), 9:32 | TOL 24–14 | ||
| FIU - Darriet Perry 7 yard run (Jack Griffin kick), 6:45 | TOL 24–21 | ||
| 4th Quarter | |||
| FIU - Wesley Carroll Wesley Carroll (quarterback) Wesley Mason Carroll is an American football quarterback. He currently attends Florida International University in his junior year, after transferring from Mississippi State University in January 2009.... 10 yard pass to T.Y. Hilton (Jack Griffin kick), 7:34 |
FIU 28–24 | ||
| FIU - Jack Griffin 31 yard kick, 3:18 | FIU 31–24 | ||
| TOL - Terrance Owens 14 yard run (Two point conversion) , 1:14 | TOL 32–31 | ||
| FIU - Jack Griffin 34 yard kick, 0:00 | FIU 34–32 | ||
Statistics
| Statistics | FIU | Toledo | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 15 | 24 | |||
| Total offense, plays-yards | 65–308 | 70–436 | |||
| Rushes-yards (net) | 37–168 | 43–305 | |||
| Passes, Comp-Att-Yds | 16-28-140 | >- | Fumbles-Interceptions | 0–1 | 1–3 |
| Time of Possession | 28:38 | 31:22 | |||