2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl officials announced today that the Marshall University Thundering Herd will play the MAC East Champion Ohio University Bobcats in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl on Saturday, December 26 (1:00 p.m., ESPN) in Detroit. Bowl officials extended the bid to both teams on Sunday.
The MAC East Champion Bobcats will be making their first appearance in the Detroit bowl, after having played at Ford Field in their conference championship game on Friday evening. The Thundering Herd will be making their fifth appearance in the Detroit bowl, the first four as members of the Mid-American Conference.
“We’re excited to host the first meeting in four years between these two traditional rivals,” said Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Chairman & Executive Director Ken Hoffman. “The schools’ campuses are less than 90 minutes apart, and from what we have already heard, the teams, fans and alumni are enthusiastic about renewing their rivalry in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.”
2009 marks the bowl’s thirteenth consecutive year as a Detroit holiday sporting tradition. Little Caesars Pizza®,the international pizza chain celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is in its first year as title sponsor for the bowl. For its first 12 years, the game was called the Motor City Bowl.
“We are eager to watch these talented players compete in the first Little Caesars Pizza Bowl,” said David Scrivano, president of Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. “Little Caesars looks forward to enhancing the bowl game experience for the players and the fans with special events and national promotions. Pizza and football make a great combination!”
The MAC East Champion Bobcats bring a 9 – 4 record, the Mid-American Conference’s number three pass defense, and the conference’s top positive turnover margin, into the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. The Thundering Herd brings a 6 – 6 record and Conference USA’s fourth-rated defense into the game.
The Herd played seven bowl-eligible football teams in 2009, including the nationally-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies, and West Virginia Mountaineers. The Bobcats played six bowl-bound football teams in 2009, including narrow fourth-quarter losses to traditional SEC power Tennessee and the University of Connecticut, from the Big East.
Source: Official Website.