Betting on the Motor City Bowl 2006
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Motor City Bowl 2006 Game Details
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Date: 26 December 2006, 7:30 PM EST
Teams: Middle Tennessee vs. Central Michigan
Televised on: ESPN
Motor City Bowl Betting Matchup
The 2006 edition of the Motor City Bowl has plenty to live up to, after last year’s classic battle. Big things had been expected of Memphis with running back DeAngelo Williams - the nation’s career active rushing leader – and he delivered with 230 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-31 victory.
But the Tigers, who had injuries to key players, had to recover an onside kick in the final minute to hold off a determined Akron team. The Zips made their first bowl appearance on the heels of an emotional 31-30 thriller against Northern Illinois where they won the MAC Championship game.
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About the Motor City Bowl 2005
The Motor City Bowl is a post-season college football game sanctioned by the NCAA that has been played annually in Michigan since 1997.
The 9th annual Motor City Bowl was played on 26 December 2005, at the 65,000-seat Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Akron represented the Mid-American Conference, while the Memphis Tigers were the representatives from the Conference USA.
With their surprise victory in the MAC title game, Akron earned its first-ever college bowl, while the Tigers played in their third straight bowl.
Motor City Bowl Prior Results
| Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Dec. 2005 | Memphis | 38 | Akron | 31 |
| 27 Dec. 2004 | Connecticut | 39 | Toledo | 10 |
| 26 Dec. 2003 | Bowling Green | 28 | Northwestern | 24 |
| 25 Dec. 2002 | Boston College | 51 | Toledo | 25 |
| 29 Dec. 2001 | Toledo | 23 | Cincinnati | 16 |
| 27 Dec. 2000 | Marshall | 25 | Cincinnati | 14 |
| 27 Dec. 1999 | Marshall | 21 | BYU | 3 |
| 23 Dec. 1998 | Marshall | 48 | Louisville | 29 |
| 26 Dec. 1997 | Mississippi | 34 | Marshall | 31 |
History of the Motor City Bowl
The Motor City Bowl features a team from the Mid-American Conference against a team from the Big Ten Conference. When the Big Ten does not have an eligible team, the game features a team from the Big East Conference.
In keeping with the name and spirit of the game, the Motor City Bowl is jointly sponsored by Detroit's "Big Three" automakers: Ford, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler.
The inaugural Motor City Bowl was played on 26 December 1997, and featured the Marshall Thundering Herd against the Mississippi Rebels. Freshman Deuce McAllister caught a touchdown pass and ran for the 34-31 Mississippi win with only 31 seconds remaining.
Marshall was back in the 1998 Motor City Bowl, this time pitted against the Louisville Cardinals. The two teams combined for 1,015 yards in an offensive affair, although the Herd managed to all but shut-down the Cardinals in the second half, and went on to post a 48-29 victory.
The 1999 Motor City Bowl saw the Herd on the bowl field yet again, this time against Brigham Young. In an impressive display of defense, Marshall managed to top off their perfect season with a 21-3 bowl victory, keeping the Cougars to a single field goal scored in the first quarter.
Marshall was in the game yet again in 2000, facing off against the Cincinnati Bearcats in front of some 26,000 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome. Despite leading through the first half, the Bearcats were unable to stop Marshall from scoring touchdowns on their first two drives of the second half, and the Herd ended up prevailing 25-14.
2001 marked the first Motor City Bowl appearance by the Toledo Rockets, who took on the Bearcats on 29 December. The Rockets' Chris Taylor ran for a Motor City Bowl-record 190 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 3:23 remaining, as Toledo emerged victorious 23-16.
Toledo returned for the 2002 Motor City Bowl, this time against Boston College. Toledo was unable to hold onto their Motor City title as the Eagles routed the Rockets 51-25, with Boston's Brian St. Pierre completing 25 of 35 passes for a career-high 342 yards and three touchdowns in his final college football game appearance.
51,000 fans were on hand in 2003 to watch the Bowling Green Falcons play the Northwestern Wildcats. Northwestern was leading by a narrow 10-7 margin after the first half, but failed to hang on as the Falcons went on to post a 28-24 victory.
2004 marked a return appearance by Toledo, this time against the Big East's Connecticut Huskies. Connecticut's Dan Orlovsky passed for 240 yards and two touchdowns as he led the Huskies to a lopsided 39-10 victory over the rockets.
The most recent game witnessed Akron’s bowl debut. The Zips rallied against Memphis, just as they had done on the same field in upsetting Toledo for the MAC title, but fell short 38-31.
DeAngelo Williams set an NCAA record with his 34th 100-yard rushing game, chewing up 230 yards for the Tigers. There were 46 points scored in the final quarter and a bit in a frantic finish to the 2005 Motor City Bowl.
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