Ball State (7-5) vs. Rutgers (7-5)
Jan. 5th,
Noon p.m. ET, ESPN2
 |
|
International Bowl History
2007 Cincinnati 27, Western Mich 24 |
Get
Tickets for the International Bowl
-
2008 CFN International Bowl Preview
Scroll Down For Each Team's Bowl
History
By
Richard Cirminiello
Best
Scarlet Knight Bowl Moment:
The Scarlet
Knights knocked on the bowl door in 2005 before kicking it down a
year later, picking up a school-first bowl victory in the inaugural
Texas Bowl. Rutgers used big plays from RB Ray Rice and WR Tim
Brown to jump on Kansas State early, pulling away in the second half
for an easy 37-10 win.
Best Cardinal Bowl Moment: Although the Cardinals have taken
part in three bowl games throughout their history, they’re still
searching for their first postseason win. Ball State’s best effort
came in the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl, a 42-33 loss to Utah State that
closed out a successful 8-3-1 campaign in Muncie.
Ball State's
best win ...
Ball State 34 ... Navy 31 OT
After two big Navy mistakes, Jake Hogue nailed a 24-yard field
goal attempt to give Ball State the thrilling win. Brandon Crawford,
a 31-year-old Marine, blocked a 32-yard Navy field goal attempt to
force the game into overtime, and on Navy's possession, Jarod Bryant
lost a fumble on its first play. The two teams traded scores all
game long, with Nate Davis throwing three touchdown passes and
running for a fourth, while Navy's running game went wild. Helped by
an 80-yard touchdown dash from
Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, who also added a one-yard scoring run, and
a 71-yard run from Eric Kettani, Navy tore off 537 rushing yards.
Ball State's MiQuale Lewis ran for 161 yards and helped
tie the game with a 12-yard touchdown catch late in the fourth.
Player of the
game:
Ball State QB
Nate Davis completed 19 of 33 passes for 277 yards and three
touchdowns with an interception, and ran three times for 22 yards
and a score
Stat Leaders: Ball State - Passing: Nate Davis,
19-33, 277 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: MiQuale Lewis, 27-161. Receiving: Dante Love,
6-91, 1 TD
Navy - Passing: Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, 3-7,
51 yds
Rushing: Eric Kettani, 9-126, 2 TD. Receiving: Shun
White, 2-45
Ball
State's worst loss ...
Central Michigan 58 ... Ball State 38
Dan LeFevour accounted for 506 yards of total offense as CMU
ripped apart Ball State for 658 yards in a breathtaking performance.
The Chippewas
got up 14-0 on touchdown runs from Justin Hoskins and Antonio Brown, but Ball
State answered with a 100-yard Dante Love kickoff return for a score. And then
LeFevour went to work, throwing two second quarter touchdown passes, and then
connected with Bryan Anderson on scoring strikes from 39 and 24 yards out to
break the game open early in the third. Ball State stayed alive with a one-yard
Koreen Burch touchdown run, and a 22-yard Darius Hill scoring grab, but CMU
pulled away with ease on a 15-play, 80-yard drive finishing up with a one-yard
LeFevour scoring run.
Player of the game:
Central Michigan QB
Dan LeFevour went 30-of-38 for 360 yards, five touchdowns and an interception,
rushing for 146 yards and a score on 16 carries.
Stat Leaders: Central Michigan - Passing: Dan LeFevour,
30-38, 360 yds, 5 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Dan LeFevour, 16-146, 1 TD. Receiving: Bryan Anderson,
10-154, 2 TDs
Ball State - Passing: Nate Davis, 16-35, 204 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Koreen Burch, 17-67, 1 TD. Receiving: Darius Hill, 4-63, 1
TD
Rutgers' best win ... Rutgers 30 ... South Florida 27
Rutgers got 181 yards from Ray Rice, two touchdown catches
from Tiquan Underwood, including a catch-and-run from 69 yards out,
and a fake field goal for a perfectly placed pass from Andrew
DePaola to Kevin Brock from 15 yards out to get ahead, but it was a
51-yard Jeremy Ito field goal, and an aggressive defensive stand
that sealed it. Rutgers fought back in the fourth quarter with a
70-yard drive culminating in a one-yard Mike Ford touchdown run, and
down three, got great field position for a chance to score late, but
a sack, and later an offensive pass interference call on a 32-yard
pass on fourth and 22 set up a game-sealing interception for the
Scarlet Knights. Matt Grothe ran for a one-yard score and threw a
28-yard touchdown pass to Jessie Hester for the Bulls.
Player of the game:
Rutgers RB Ray Rice ran 39 times for 181 yards
Stat Leaders: South Florida - Passing: Matt
Grothe, 17-34, 247 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Matt Grothe, 18-58, 1 TD. Receiving:
Marcus Edwards, 4-50
Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 11-29, 179 yds, 2
TD
Rushing: Ray Rice, 39-181. Receiving:
Tiquan Underwood,
5-114, 2 TD
Rutgers' worst loss ...
Connecticut 38 ... Rutgers 19
Connecticut jumped out to an early 18-3 lead helped by two
Tyler Lorenzen touchdown passes and a bad snap for a safety, and
then let Donald Brown and the running game take over. The Huskies
ran for 256 yards to overcome 343 passing yards from Scarlet Knight
QB Mike Teel, while the defense did a good job of not breaking too
often, only allowing a four-yard Ray Rice touchdown run and four
Jeremy Ito field goals. After the second, Tyvon Branch put the game
away with a 97-yard kickoff return for a score. Tony Ciaravino added
field goals from 43, 30 and 26 for the Huskies.
Player of the
game:
Connecticut RB
Donald Brown ran 24 times for 154 yards and a touchdown, and caught
a pass for four yards.
Stat Leaders: Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel,
32-52, 343 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Ray Rice, 21-116, 1 TD. Receiving: Kenny
Britt, 8-122
Connecticut - Passing: Tyler Lorenzen, 10-21,
140 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Donald Brown, 24-154, 1 TD. Receiving: Steve
Brouse, 4-55, 1 TD
2007
International Bowl
Cincinnati 27 ... Western Michigan 24
Cincinnati appeared to be on its way to a blowout in the first
International Bowl after John Bowie picked off a tipped pass for a
touchdown and Dominick Goodman caught two 21-yard touchdown passes
on the way to a 24-0 lead after the first 20 minutes, but the
offense bogged down hurt by three turnovers, and Western Michigan
got hot. Jamarko Simmons scored a 76-yard touchdown on a trick play
pass from E.J. Biggers. A 30-yard Herb Martin touchdown catch and a
29-yard Nate Meyer field goal helped close the gap to 24-17 going
into halftime, and then Brandon West got the tying touchdown on a
seven-yard run early in the fourth quarter. The UC offense finally
got going with an 11-play, 76-yard drive finishing with a 33-yard
Kevin Lovell field goal with 6:11 to play, but Western Michigan
would have one more chance getting to the Bearcat 33 with just over
a minute to play. Meyer's 51-yard field goal attempt was wide and
short, and the Bearcats escaped.
Player of the game
... Cincinnati WR Dominick Goodman caught seven passes for 109 yards
and two touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Western Michigan - Passing: Ryan
Cubit, 23-43, 184 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Brandon West, 21-109, 1 TD Receiving: Jamarko
Simmons, 13-172, 1 TD
Cincinnati - Passing: Nick Davila, 19-35, 214
yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Butler Benton, 10-62 Receiving: Dominick
Goodman, 7-109, 2 TD
Rutgers Bowl History (1-2)
|
2006 |
Texas |
Rutgers 37, Kansas St 10 |
|
2005 |
Insight |
Arizona St 45,
Rutgers 40 |
|
1978 |
Garden State |
Arizona St 34,
Rutgers 18 |
|
Ball State Bowl History (0-3)
|
1996 |
Las Vegas |
Nevada 18, Ball St 15 |
|
1993 |
Las Vegas |
Utah St 42, Ball St 33 |
|
1989 |
California |
Fresno St 27, Ball St 6 |
|