2009 Cotton Bowl Classic

2009 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic
Ole Miss Rebels Texas Tech Red Raiders
(8–4) (11–1)
47 34
Head coach: 
Houston Nutt		 Head coach: 
Mike Leach
APCoachesBCS
202425
APCoachesBCS
887
1234 Total
Ole Miss 717149 47
Texas Tech 147013 34
Date January 2, 2009
Season 2008
Stadium Cotton Bowl
Location Dallas, Texas
MVP WR Dexter McCluster (Ole Miss)
WR Marshay Green (Ole Miss)
Favorite Texas Tech by 4½ [1]
Referee Jay Stricherz
Attendance 88,175
Payout US$3,000,000 per team[2]
United States TV coverage
Network FOX
Announcers Pat Summerall play-by-play
Brian Baldinger color
Krista Voda sideline
Jeanne Zelasko pre-game/halftime
Shepard Smithhalftime
Nielsen ratings 4.4

The 2009 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic was the 73rd edition of the annual college football bowl game that was part of the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was one of 34 games in the 2008-09 bowl season. The game featured the Ole Miss Rebels of the Southeastern Conference and the Texas Tech Red Raiders of the Big 12 Conference. Ole Miss won the game 47–34, in what turned out to be the highest scoring game in front of the largest Cotton Bowl Classic crowd in history.

The game was played on January 2, 2009, at the self-named stadium in Dallas, Texas, and was televised in the United States on FOX. This was the final Cotton Bowl Classic to be played at the stadium in the home of the State Fair of Texas, Fair Park. Since 2010, the game has been played at Cowboys Stadium in nearby Arlington.

Game summary

First half

Texas Tech was able to convert a pair of early turnovers into an early lead. The Raiders had the first two scores (both touchdowns) of the game with a 35-yard pass from Graham Harrell at the 6:31 mark of the first quarter and a Darcel McBath 45 yard interception return at the 5:22 mark of the first quarter to start the game with a 14-0 lead over the Ole Miss Rebels.

However, Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead was able to lead the Rebels to touchdowns on their next three drives, and a late field goal by Joshua Shene put the Rebels up 24-21 going into halftime.

Second half

The second half began with a Marshay Green 65-yard interception return for the Rebels which gave them a 10-point lead, 31-21. Ole Miss would remain in the lead over Texas Tech for the rest of the game, ending with a final score of 47-34.

By the end of the game, fans were chanting "S-E-C! S-E-C!"[3] in reference to the Southeastern Conference, which Ole Miss is a part of, and the perceived rivalry with the Big 12 Conference, with which Texas Tech is a part of. This had another meaning, as it foreshadowed the next week in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, which pitted the Florida Gators, also of the SEC, against the Oklahoma Sooners, also of the Big 12.

Records

The game was the highest scoring game in Cotton Bowl history, until the Baylor-Michigan State game on January 1, 2015.

After the game, the Rebels are 20-12 all-time in bowl games, with this being their fourth Cotton Bowl appearance. In their last appearance, they beat Oklahoma State by three points in the 2004 Cotton Bowl.

After the game, Texas Tech is now 10-21-1 all-time in bowl games. Ole Miss had 223 yards of rushing offense compared to 105 for Texas Tech.

Graham Harrell record

In the game, Graham Harrell broke the record for more touchdown passes thrown than anyone in major-college history. Harrell first tied, then broke, the record with two scoring passes. The record-setting 132nd touchdown pass was a two-yard slant to Michael Crabtree early in the second quarter. (Colt Brennan had previously held the record with Hawaii, having 131 from 2005 to 2007.) Harrell passed for 364 yards, which is a Cotton Bowl record, and finished his collegiate career with 15,793 yards passing and 134 TDs.

Scoring summary

QuarterTimeDriveTeamScoring Information[4]Score
LengthTimeOle MissTexas Tech
1 6:314 plays, 61 yards1:30Texas Tech Edward Britton 35–yard reception from Graham Harrell, Matt Williams kick good 07
5:220 plays, 0 yards0:00Texas Tech Darcel McBath 45–yard interception return, Matt Williams kick good 014
1:498 plays, 78 yards3:33Ole Miss Gerald Harris 8–yard reception from Jevan Snead, Joshua Shene kick good 714
2 11:5710 plays, 85 yards3:34Ole Miss Mike Wallace 41–yard reception from Jevan Snead, Joshua Shene kick good 1414
7:4411 plays, 75 yards4:13Texas Tech Michael Crabtree 2–yard reception from Graham Harrell, Matt Williams kick good 1421
4:099 plays, 80 yards3:35Ole Miss Gerald Harris 21–yard reception from Jevan Snead, Joshua Shene kick good 2121
1:086 plays, 35 yards1:46Ole Miss Joshua Shene 27–yard field goal 2421
3 12:120 plays, 0 yards0:00Ole Miss Marshay Green 65–yard interception return, Joshua Shene kick good 3121
6:553 plays, 40 yards1:08Ole Miss Brandon Bolden 17–yard run, Joshua Shene kick good 3821
4 12:139 plays, 83 yards3:31Texas Tech Edward Britton 12–yard reception from Graham Harrell, Matt Williams kick good 3828
10:020 plays, 0 yards0:00Ole Miss Patrick Trahan safety (Graham Harrell fumbled out of the end zone) 4028
4:349 plays, 48 yards5:28Ole Miss Dexter McCluster 4–yard run, Joshua Shene kick good 4728
1:377 plays, 62 yards2:57Texas Tech Eric Morris 17–yard reception from Graham Harrell, Graham Harrell fumble-attempt failed 4734
Final Score4734

References

  1. ↑ http://www.thespread.com/ncaa-football-top-stories-300/2009-cotton-bowl-ole-miss-vs.-texas-tech-spread-trends.html
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-12-19. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
  3. ↑ http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=290022641&confId=80
  4. ↑ "Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech (Jan 02, 2009) Box Score". Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations. 2009-01-02. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.