2010 Alamo Bowl (January)

The 2010 Alamo Bowl (known via corporate sponsorship as the Valero Alamo Bowl) was a college football bowl game played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday, January 2, 2010. It was the 17th edition of the Alamo Bowl. The game featured the Michigan State Spartans against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.[4][5]

This article is about the Alamo Bowl that followed the 2009 season, played on January 2, 2010. For the game that followed the 2010 season, played on December 29, 2010, see 2010 Alamo Bowl (December).

2010 Valero Alamo Bowl
Michigan State Spartans Texas Tech Red Raiders
(6–6) (8–4)
Big Ten Big 12
31 41
Head coach: 
Mark Dantonio		 Head coach: 
Ruffin McNeill
(interim)
1234 Total
Michigan State 77143 31
Texas Tech 713714 41
DateJanuary 2, 2010
Season2009
StadiumAlamodome
LocationSan Antonio, Texas
MVPOffensive: Taylor Potts (QB, Texas Tech)
Defensive: Jamar Wall (Texas Tech)
FavoriteTexas Tech by 9 [1]
National anthemAlamo City Brass
RefereeTom Ritter (Southeastern Conference)
Attendance64,757[2]
PayoutUS$2,200,000 (As of 2006)
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN
AnnouncersMike Patrick, Bob Davie
and Holly Rowe
Nielsen ratings4.8[3]

The 2010 game was the last one to feature a team from the Big Ten Conference. In the fall of 2009, it was announced that the Pacific-10 Conference's second-place team would take part in the Alamo Bowl instead of the Holiday Bowl.[6][7]

This was the third Alamo Bowl appearance and first Alamo Bowl win for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Their previous appearance was a 19–16 loss to Iowa in the 2001 game. Michigan State played in one previous Alamo Bowl, losing the 2003 game to Nebraska, 17–3. The game also marked the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

With approximately 5,553,630 households watching it, the game was the most viewed Alamo Bowl in history. It also drew the highest rating of any bowl ever shown by ESPN. Behind the BCS bowl games and the Capital One Bowl, it was the most viewed bowl shown up to that point in the 2009–10 bowl season.[8]

Game buildup

The game featured two programs which, prior to the event, were undergoing controversies.

On December 28, 2009, Texas Tech suspended, and fired two days later, head coach Mike Leach over the alleged mistreatment of an injured player.[9] Defensive Coordinator Ruffin McNeill was named interim head coach.[10]

Meanwhile, on November 22, 2009, Michigan State had suspended 14 players for the bowl resulting from a fight at one of the school's dormitories.

Game summary

First quarter

Texas Tech won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. The 67 yard kick off by the Red Raiders was returned by Keshawn Martin for 33 yards. The Spartans made it all the way to the Texas Tech 32-yard line before their opening driving ended in disappointment, when Jamar Wall intercepted a pass by quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Red Raiders opening drive ended with a 3 yard rushing touchdown by Barron Batch. Both teams went three-and-out in their next drive. Michigan State's first score came in their third drive of the game by way of an explosive run by Edwin Baker for a 46 yard rushing touchdown. The Spartan's scoring drive would be the last of the quarter, bringing the score at the end of the quarter to 7–7.

Second quarter

At the end of the second quarter the Red Raiders were leading with a score of 20–14.

Third quarter

At the end of the third quarter the Spartans were leading with a score of 28–27.

Fourth quarter

Michigan State took a four-point lead with 8:05 left in the game after a field goal, but it was all Red Raiders after that point. The game ended with Texas Tech winning the game with a final score of 41–31.

Scoring summary
Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP MSU TTU
1 8:00 9 61 3:43 TTU Baron Batch 3-yard touchdown run, Matt Williams kick good 0 7
1 3:47 2 65 0:36 MSU Edwin Baker 46-yard touchdown run, Brett Swenson kick good 7 7
2 14:11 11 70 4:17 TTU 21-yard field goal by Matt Williams 7 10
2 11:01 4 53 2:00 TTU Lyle Leong 2-yard touchdown reception from Taylor Potts, Matt Williams kick good 7 17
2 8:06 6 77 2:48 MSU Keshawn Martin 48-yard touchdown reception from Kirk Cousins, Brett Swenson kick good 14 17
2 0:20 9 37 2:28 TTU 38-yard field goal by Matt Williams 14 20
3 12:15 5 26 2:40 MSU Keith Nichol 7-yard touchdown run, Brett Swenson kick good 21 20
3 6:32 9 92 3:05 TTU Jacoby Franks 14-yard touchdown reception from Taylor Potts, Matt Williams kick good 21 27
3 1:18 6 80 2:19 MSU Blair White 8-yard touchdown reception from Keshawn Martin, Brett Swenson kick good 28 27
4 8:05 10 46 5:36 MSU 44-yard field goal by Brett Swenson 31 27
4 5:03 8 77 3:02 TTU Detron Lewis 11-yard touchdown reception from Steven Sheffield, Matt Williams kick good 31 34
4 2:08 9 35 2:11 TTU Baron Batch 13-yard touchdown run, Matt Williams kick good 31 41
Final 31 41

Source:[11]

References
  1. "College Football Texas Tech Red Raiders Team Page at VegasInsider.com, The Leader in Sportsbook and Gaming Information". VegasInsider.com. February 11, 2010. Archived from the original on March 5, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  2. "Bowl Ranks #1 as ESPN's Most-Watched Game". Valero Alamo Bowl. January 5, 2010. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  3. Jon Solomon, 2009-10 Bowl TV Ratings, The Birmingham News, January 13, 2010
  4. "Stanford in Sun Bowl". Archived from the original on September 2, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
  5. "Texas Tech Accepts Valero Alamo Bowl Invitation". Texas Tech Athletics. December 6, 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
  6. Griffin, Tim (August 28, 2008). "Valero Alamo Bowl, Pacific-10 Conference agree on deal starting in 2010 season". Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  7. "Holiday Bowl drops down in the pecking order". Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  8. Griffin, Tim (January 5, 2009). "Alamo Bowl draws largest rating in ESPN bowl history". ESPN. Retrieved January 6, 2009.
  9. Evans, Thayer; Thamel, Pete (December 31, 2009). "Texas Tech Fires Coach Mike Leach". New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  10. "Leach suspended after player complaint". ESPN.com. December 28, 2009. Archived from the original on December 31, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
  11. "Michigan State Spartans vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders Box Score, January 2, 2010 - NCAA College Football - ESPN". ESPN. January 3, 2010. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
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