2008 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Player
Profiles
Florida Atlantic (6-6) vs. Central Michigan (8-4)
Dec. 24th,
8:00 pm, ESPN
Get
Tickets for the Motor City Bowl
-
2008 CFN Motor City Bowl Preview
Scroll Down For Each Team's Bowl
History
By
Richard Cirminiello
 |
Motor City Bowl History
| 2007 |
Purdue 51, Central Mich
48 |
| 2006 |
C. Michigan 31, Middle
Tenn14 |
| 2005 |
Memphis 38, Akron 31 |
| 2004 |
Connecticut 39, Toledo
10 |
| 2003 |
Bo. Green 28,
Northwestern 24 |
| 2002 |
Boston College 51,
Toledo 25 |
| 2001 |
Toledo 23, Cincinnati 16 |
| 2000 |
Marshall 25, Cincinnati
14 |
| 1999 |
Marshall 21, BYU 3 |
| 1998 |
Marshall 48, Louisville
29 |
| 1997 |
Mississippi 34, Marshall
31 |
|
Best
Golden Eagle Bowl Moment:
TCU entered the 2000 Mobile Alabama Bowl with the nation’s No. 1
defense, top rusher in LaDainian Tomlinson, and a nifty 10-1 record.
The Horned Frogs left the Heart of Dixie with their second blemish.
Southern Miss rallied in the fourth quarter to stun the TCU 28-21
when Jeff Kelly found Kenneth Johnson for the game-winning touchdown
with eight ticks left in the game.
Best Trojan Bowl Moment: In its brief stay in the FBS, Troy
has split its two bowl appearances, losing to Northern Illinois in
the 2004 Silicon Valley Bowl and routing Rice in the 2006 New
Orleans Bowl. As was the case throughout the season, QB Omar
Haugabook was the headliner for the Trojans, accounting for 319
total yards and five touchdowns.
The Last Time You'll See ...
Notre
Dame:
SS David Bruton. Of this year’s class of draft-eligible Irish
players, no one has greater upside for the NFL than Bruton, a
big-hitting safety with the speed and hops usually reserved for
cornerbacks. A track guy when he arrived in South Bend, he’ll be
leaving as a 210-pound enforcer who has made 93 tackles and a
team-high three picks this season.
Hawaii:
DE David Veikune. Veikune took flight in the Oct. 14 defeat of
Louisiana Tech, and has been soaring into opposing backfields ever
since. The Warriors top pass rusher and MVP of the 2008 season, he’s
racked up 14 tackles for loss and nine sacks over the last eight
games, which ought to concern a flimsy Notre Dame offensive line.
Breakout Player ...
Notre
Dame:
TE Kyle Rudolph. The new Tight End U. has located its newest member
of the fraternity. Forced into a prominent role when starter Mike
Ragone tore his ACL in August, Rudolph has responded with 25 catches
for 262 yards and a pair of touchdowns. At 6-6 and 252 pounds, he
already has the size of a future Mackey Award candidate to go with
the long stride to create nightmares for opposing linebackers.
Hawaii: QB Greg Alexander. Okay, Alexander is not the
second-coming of Colt Brennan, but he sure has done a nice
impression since replacing Inoke Funaki in October. The first-year
transfer from Santa Rosa (Calif.) Junior College with the rocket arm
has thrown 12 touchdown passes and just two interceptions since
entering the lineup six games ago. He’s also shown unexpected
mobility for a 6-5, 240-pounder, scrambling for positive yards in
each of those games.
Best Non-Game Event
For the players, it’s the Motor City Bowl “Players Night Out”. For the
fans, it has to be the pre-game pep rally in Greektown.
Player Gift Package
Players from each school will receive a leather, rolling logoed athletic
travel bag, a computer/backpack style bag, a Motor City Bowl
commemorative watch, and an autographed Motor City Bowl souvenir
football.
Charitable Component
The Motor City Bowl contributes to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It’s also
a prominent member of the Stocking Stuffer Program, in which corporate
donations benefit charities and students throughout the Metro Detroit
and southeast Michigan area.
How Success is Measured
The bowl's success is measured by the combination of attendance and
local economic impact.
MVP of the Bowl
The bowl's Executive Director Ken Hoffman is the visionary that
devised the plan to bring a college bowl game to Detroit, and that it is
a celebration of the city's legacy with the auto industry. He brought in
partner, George Perles, and even today continues to be the driving force
behind the Motor City Bowl.
Impact to the Community
The Metro Detroit Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates that the
Motor City Bowl generates an economic impact of $14 million on the
Greater Detroit economy.
Role of Volunteers
The Motor City Bowl is a non-BCS bowl game, and is also only in its
12th year of operation. Therefore, the bowl does not have the
available budget of older, more historic bowls. Further, the bowl is
not in one of the nation's warm weather climates during the winter
months, which impacts the outdoor "play time" available to the bowl
travel parties and the ancillary sponsor opportunities that go with
such advantages. This combination makes for a limited paid-staff,
even though the same tasks that are required to operate a successful
bowl in those other locales must be carried out. As a result,
volunteers are the lifeblood of the Motor City Bowl's success.
Florida Atlantic
Bowl History (1-0)
|
2007 |
New Orleans |
Florida Atlantic 44,
Memphis 27 |
|
Central Mich.
Bowl History (1-3)
|
2007 |
Motor City |
Purdue 51, Central Mich
48 |
|
2006 |
Motor City |
Central Mich, 31, Middle
Tennessee 14 |
|
1994 |
Las Vegas |
UNLV 52, Central Mich 24 |
|
1990 |
California |
SJSU 48, Central Mich 24 |
|
-
2008 CFN Motor City Bowl Preview