2002 Continental Tire Bowl

The 2002 Continental Tire Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game between the Virginia Cavaliers (UVA) and the West Virginia Mountaineers at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, on December 28, 2002. The first edition of the Continental Tire Bowl, the game was the final contest of the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season[Note 1] for both teams, and ended in a 48–22 victory for Virginia. West Virginia represented the Big East Conference (Big East) in the game; Virginia represented the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

2002 Continental Tire Bowl
1234 Total
West Virginia 10066 22
Virginia 7211010 48
DateDecember 28, 2002
Season2002
StadiumEricsson Stadium
LocationCharlotte, North Carolina
MVPWali Lundy, Virginia (RB)
FavoriteWest Virginia by 1.5
Attendance73,535
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN
AnnouncersWayne Larivee (play-by-play; Randy Wright (analysis); Mike Gleason (sidelines)

Team selection

In its inaugural season the Continental Tire Bowl had contracts with the Big East and Atlantic Coast Conferences that allowed them to select one team from each conference to participate in their annual game. From the Big East the bowl selected No. 15[Note 2] West Virginia, the second-highest ranked team in the conference following conference champion and No. 1[Note 2] Miami; Virginia was selected out of the ACC.[2] The two teams had played each other twenty-two times historically, although not since 1985; the Cavaliers held a 12101 advantage in the all-time series.[3]

Virginia opened their 2002 season with two losses against ranked teams, losing at home to No. 21[Note 2] Colorado State 3529 and on the road at No. 16[Note 2] Florida State 4019. The Cavaliers bounced back from this early setback, winning their next six games. The first, against No. 22[Note 2] South Carolina, saw the breakout of future National Football League (NFL) starting quarterback Matt Schaub, who threw three touchdown passes in a 3421 win. Wins against Akron, Wake Forest, Duke, Clemson, and North Carolina followed, until the winning streak was broken by consecutive losses to Georgia Tech and No. 10[Note 2] Penn State. Virginia then won consecutive games against ranked teams, beating No. 17[Note 2] North Carolina State 149 and No. 18[Note 2] Maryland 4813, before closing out the regular season with a 219 loss to rival No. 19[Note 2] Virginia Tech. Virginia finished the regular season with a record of 85, 62 within the ACC.[4]

West Virginia's first game of the 2002 season was against Division IAA Chattanooga; the Mountaineers won handily 567. Their next game was at Wisconsin; West Virginia lost, 3417. Following two wins against Cincinnati and East Carolina, the Mountaineers lost their second game of the season, against No. 18[Note 2] Maryland 4817. West Virginia opened Big East conference play against Rutgers, whom they shut out 400. Following a win over Syracuse, the Mountaineers lost their only Big East contest of the year, against No. 1[Note 2] Miami 4023. West Virginia would close out their season with four straight wins, over Temple, Boston College, Virginia Tech, and Pittsburgh, finishing the regular season with a record of 93, 61 within the Big East.[5]

Game summary

Ericsson Stadium (later renamed Bank of America Stadium) was the home of the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl.

The game kicked off on December 28, 2002, at 12:00 PM, before a sellout crowd of 73,535 at Ericsson Stadium.[6]

First quarter

The Virginia Cavaliers received the ball to start the game, fielding the kickoff at the 1-yard line and returning it to the 15. After a short drive where the Cavaliers brought the ball to the West Virginia 45-yard-line, they were forced to punt. The Mountaineers received the ball at their own 18-yard line and proceed to drive down the field. West Virginia got as far as the Virginia 5-yard-line before being stopped; after a five-yard penalty, Mountaineer kicker Todd James connected on a 27-yard field goal, giving West Virginia a 30 lead with 6:11 left in the first quarter.[7]

Virginia got the ball back at their own 42-yard line after a 35-yard kickoff return by running back Wali Lundy. Driving to the West Virginia 14-yard line, on 2nd-and-10 Virginia executed a trick play where wide receiver Marques Hagans threw a pass to running back Wali Lundy. The play was good for a touchdown; after the successful extra-point, the Cavaliers held a 73 lead with 4:06 left in the first quarter.[7]

West Virginia began their next drive from their own 22-yard-line after a ten-yard penalty on the kickoff. On 3rd-and-5 from their own 27-yard-line, Mountaineer quarterback Rasheed Marshall completed a 43-yard pass to wide receiver Phil Braxton, moving his team into Virginia territory. After earning two more first downs, on 1st-and-goal from the Cavalier six-yard-line, West Virginia scored on a touchdown run by running back Avon Cobourne. Virginia would only have time to make one play after getting the ball back until the quarter expired, making the score at the end of the first quarter 107 in West Virginia's favor.[7]

Second quarter

The Cavaliers faced a 2nd-and-3 on their own 37-yard-line as the second quarter began. Behind the rushing of Wali Lundy, and the passing and rushing of quarterback Matt Schaub, Virginia moved down the field, earning four first downs. On 1st-and-goal from the seven-yard-line, Lundy ran right from two yards; on second down Schaub ran for four more, placing the ball on the one-yard-line. A third-down rush by Lundy failed to make progress. Rather than kick the field goal, the Cavaliers elected to go for it on fourth down. Matt Schaub ran the ball up the middle, scoring the touchdown. After the extra-point, Virginia held a 1410 lead with 10:12 left in the half.[8]

After a touchback on the kickoff, the Mountaineers began their next drive on their own 20-yard-line. They went three-and-out, and punted the ball back to Virginia. Marques Hagans caught the punt on his own 31-yard-line and ran it back 69 yards for the touchdown. After the extra-point, the Cavaliers now held a 2110 lead with 7:53 left in the half.[8]

West Virginia got the ball back and drove to midfield. On 3rd-and-15 from the Virginia 47-yard-line, the Mountaineers attempted a wide receiver passing play, similar to the one Virginia used earlier to score a touchdown. This play was far less successful, however; Phil Braxton's pass was intercepted by Cavalier linebacker Darryl Blackstock. Virginia proceeded to drive down the field, helped by a key Mountaineer mistake: a West Virginia penalty on 4th-and-2 gave the Cavaliers 1st-and-goal from the 4-yard-line. Wali Lundy would run the ball in on the next play, giving Virginia after the extra-point a 2810 advantage. With only seconds left in the half, West Virginia upon getting the ball back attempted a Hail Mary pass that was caught by wide receiver Miquelle Henderson; unfortunately, he was four yards short of the goal line, and West Virginia did not have enough time to run a play before the half expired. At halftime, Virginia held a 2810 lead.[8]

Third quarter

West Virginia got the ball to start the third quarter, but were unable to advance beyond their own 36-yard-line, and punted. Virginia began their drive at their own 25-yard-line, and achieved two first downs off Matt Schaub passes, moving to midfield. On 3rd-and-9 from the West Virginia 48-yard-line, Schaub passed the ball to Wali Lundy, who carried the ball all the way down the field for a touchdown. After another successful extra-point, Virginia now led the Mountaineers 3510 with 9:10 remaining in the quarter.[9]

West Virginia's misfortunes continued on their next drive, when, on the first play from scrimmage, Rasheed Marshall's pass was intercepted by cornerback Almondo Curry. The Cavaliers had a 1st-and-goal from the Mountaineer 9-yard-line, but this time were unable to drive the ball into the end zone. Instead, Connor Hughes kicked a 27-yard field goal, expanding the Virginia lead to 3810 with 6:48 left in the quarter.[9]

The Mountaineer finally responded on their next series. Starting from their own 20-yard-line, West Virginia drove down the field off of Rasheed Marshall passes and Avon Cobourne runs. Marshall would finally run in the touchdown himself from one yard out on 2nd-and-goal. The extra-point attempt was blocked, however. Virginia would complete two passes on their next drive before the quarter ended. The score was 3816 in favor of Virginia.[9]

Fourth quarter

Virginia started the final quarter with the ball at midfield. The Cavaliers continued their drive but were stopped at the West Virginia 15-yard-line. Connor Hughes kicked the 30-yard field goal, giving Virginia a 4116 lead with 12:12 left in the game.[10]

The Mountaineers, although well out of the game by now, drove down the field on their next possession. Starting from their own 19-yard-line, West Virginia earned six first downs and finally scored the touchdown on a 1-yard rush by Avon Cobourne. The Mountaineers went for the two-point conversion, but Rasheed Marshall was tackled before he could reach the end zone. The score was now 4122, in Virginia's favor, with 7:17 left in the game.[10]

West Virginia attempted an onside kick on the kickoff to regain possession, but the ball was recovered by Virginia safety Shernard Newby. Starting from the West Virginia 48-yard-line, the Cavaliers kept the ball on the ground in order to run out the clock. On 3rd-and-4 from the West Virginia 31-yard-line, however, Wali Lundy broke free and ran all the way to the end zone for the final score of the game. The Mountaineers got the ball back but after one first down were unable to convert on fourth down, giving the ball back to Virginia. The Cavaliers took two knees to end the game. Virginia won the game, 4822.[10]

Scoring summary

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP WVU UVA
1 06:11 72 5:29 WVU 27-yard field goal by Todd James 3 0
1 04:06 45 1:54 UVA Wali Lundy 14-yard touchdown reception from Marques Hagans, Connor Hughes kick good 3 7
1 00:19 78 3:36 WVU Avon Cobourne 6-yard touchdown run, Todd James kick good 10 7
2 10:12 70 4:55 UVA Matt Schaub 1-yard touchdown run, Connor Hughes kick good 10 14
2 07:53 0 0:00 UVA Marques Hagans 69 yard punt return, Connor Hughes kick good 10 21
2 00:19 48 4:36 UVA Wali Lundy 4-yard touchdown run, Connor Hughes kick good 10 28
3 09:10 75 2:24 UVA Wali Lundy 14-yard touchdown reception from Matt Schaub, Connor Hughes kick good 10 35
3 06:48 0 2:13 UVA 27-yard field goal by Connor Hughes 10 38
3 00:56 80 5:44 WVU Rasheed Marshall 1-yard touchdown run, Todd James kick blocked 16 38
4 12:12 53 3:39 UVA 30-yard field goal by Connor Hughes 16 41
4 07:17 81 4:57 WVU Avon Cobourne 1-yard touchdown run, 2-point run failed 22 41
4 03:48 49 3:25 UVA Wali Lundy 31-yard touchdown run, Connor Hughes kick good 22 48
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 22 48

Final statistics

Statistical Comparison[6]
WVUUVA
1st downs2120
Total yards459391
Passing yards215196
Rushing yards244195
Penalties6–392–9
3rd down conversions11–169–15
4th down conversions0–12–2
Turnovers20
Time of possession31:3428:26

For his performance in the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl4 touchdowns and 203 total yards receiving and rushingVirginia running back Wali Lundy was named the most valuable player of the game.[11] He led the Cavaliers in both rushing22 carries, 127 yardsand receivingfive catches, 76 yardswhile scoring four touchdowns. Two other Virginia players scored multiple touchdowns in the game: quarterback Matt Schaub passed for a touchdown and ran for a touchdown, while wide receiver and backup quarterback Marques Hagans passed for a touchdown and ran back a punt for a touchdown.[12]

Schaub led the Cavalier passing attack completing 16 out of 22 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown, while Hagans was 1-for-1 with his 14-yard touchdown pass being his only passing attempt on the game. In the running game, second after Lundy's performance was Matt Schaub's effortseven carries, 39 yards, and a touchdown. Running back Michael Johnson ran three times for 23 yards; running back Brandon Isaiah had three carries for 13 yards. Safety Marquis Weeks, playing offense, ran three times for a net loss of three yards. Receiving-wise, after Lundy, wide receiver Ryan Sawyer caught four passes for 41 yards; tight end Heath Miller caught three passes for 54 yards. Brandon Isaiah caught three passes for ten yards; Billy McMullen and Michael McGrew each caught one pass, for eight and seven yards respectively.[12]

For West Virginia, quarterback Rasheed Marshall completed 12 out of 18 passes for 215 yards and one interception. Wide receiver Phil Braxton attempted one pass that was intercepted; Danny Embick threw one incomplete pass. In the running game, Avon Cobourne led the Mountaineers with 25 carries for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Rasheed Marshall supplemented the rushing attack with 12 carries for 48 yards and a touchdown. Running back Quincy Wilson had ten carries for 38 yards; the remaining rushing attempts were made by Aaron Neal (one carry, 22 yards), Phil Braxton (two carries, 12 yards), and Danny Embick (two carries, seven yards). West Virginia's receiving attack was led by Phil Braxton, who caught four passes for 108 yards. Miquelle Henderson caught two passes for 75 yards; Derrick Smith caught two passes for nine yards. The remaining four receptions were split between Darnell Glover (14 yards), A.J. Nastasi (five yards), Tory Johnson (five yards), and Quincy Wilson (1 yard).[12]

See also

Notes

  1. In August 2006 the NCAA changed the name of Division I-A to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Division I-AA to Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).[1] In this article the old names are used when referring to events that occurred before August 2006.
  2. All rankings are based on the Associated Press (AP) Poll unless otherwise noted.

References

  1. Albright, Dave (December 15, 2006). "NCAA misses the mark in Division I-AA name change". espn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on August 19, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
  2. "Meineke Car Care Bowl - The Game". www.meinekecarcarebowl.com. Raycom Sports. Archived from the original on August 3, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  3. "Virginia vs West Virginia". www.cfbdatawarehouse.com. College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on August 3, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  4. "Virginia Cavaliers Schedule - 2002". espn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on August 3, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  5. "West Virginia Mountaineers Schedule - 2002". espn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on August 3, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  6. "Virginia snaps four-game bowl skid". espn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. December 28, 2002. Archived from the original on August 3, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  7. "1st Qtr Play-by-Play". espn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. December 28, 2002. Archived from the original on August 3, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  8. "2nd Qtr Play-by-Play". espn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. December 28, 2002. Archived from the original on August 3, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  9. "3rd Qtr Play-by-Play". espn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. December 28, 2002. Archived from the original on August 3, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  10. "4th Qtr Play-by-Play". espn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. December 28, 2002. Archived from the original on August 3, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  11. "Meineke Car Care Bowl - The Game". www.meinekecarcarebowl.com. Raycom Sports. Archived from the original on August 3, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  12. "West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Virginia Cavaliers - Box Score - December 28, 2002". espn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. December 28, 2002. Archived from the original on August 3, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
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