2002 New Orleans Bowl
The 2002 Wyndham New Orleans Bowl featured the Cincinnati Bearcats and the North Texas Mean Green. It was North Texas' second consecutive New Orleans Bowl appearance.
| 2002 Wyndham New Orleans Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 17, 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Louisiana Superdome | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | North Texas RB Kevin Galbreath | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Cincinnati by 7.5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Jim Knight (ACC) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 19,024[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Payout | US$750,000 per team[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN2[3] | ||||||||||||||||||
Quarterback Gino Guidugli got Cincinnati on the board first with a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tye Keith, to give Cincinnati a 7–0 lead. Nick Bazaldua connected on a 30-yard field goal, before the end of the first quarter to make the score 7–3. In the second quarter, running back Patrick Cobbs scored on a 27-yard touchdown run, to give North Texas a 10–7 lead. Cornerback Jeremy Pearl intercepted a Cincinnati pass and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown, to increase the lead to 17–7.
In the third quarter, Kevin Galbreath scored on a 35-yard touchdown run to increase the lead to 24–7. Johnathan Ruffin connected on two third-quarter field goals to cut the deficit to 24–13. Franklin Calicott returned a fumble 43 yards for a touchdown with five minutes left to cut the lead to 24–19. That was the final score of the game.