2011 GoDaddy.com Bowl
The 2011 GoDaddy.com Bowl, the twelfth edition of the college football bowl game, was played at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama on January 6, 2011. The game was telecast on ESPN and matched Miami from the MAC versus Middle Tennessee from the Sun Belt. Previously, the bowl game was known as the GMAC Bowl.
Teams
Middle Tennessee
This was Middle Tennessee's first bowl appearance in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Entering the game, offense leaders for the Blue Raiders were RB Phillip Tanner (149 att., 841 yds. rushing, 11 TDs), QB Dwight Dasher (127 of 222 passes, 1,388 yards, 6 TDs) and WR Malcolm Beyah (27 rec., 364 yds., 2 TDs). Defensively, the team was led by DB Jeremy Kellem (101 tackles, 1.5 tfl, 2 INT), DE Jamari Lattimore (64 tackles, 14.5 tfl, 11.0 sacks) and LB Darin Davis (73 tackles, 8.0 tfl, 3.5 sacks, 3 interceptions).[2]
Miami
This was Miami's second appearance in this bowl game; they played in the 2003 edition when it was under the name GMAC Bowl. Miami was one of the most improved program in the country, capped a dramatic turnaround season by winning the 2010 marathon MAC Football Championship. The RedHawks defeated Northern Illinois, 26–21, with a touchdown
with 33 seconds left in regulation. Miami clinched the East Division with a 23–3 win over Temple on November 23.
Game summary
Scoring summary
| Scoring play |
Score |
| 1st quarter |
| MT – Phillip Tanner 18-yard run (Alan Gendreau kick), 4:37 |
MT 7–0 |
| Miami – Thomas Merriweather 3-yard run (Trevor Cook kick), 2:29 |
TIE 7–7 |
| MT – Dwight Dasher 51-yard run (Gendreau kick), 0:40 |
MT 14–7 |
| 2nd quarter |
| Miami — Thomas Merriweather 3-yard run (Trevor Cook Kick), 13:11 |
TIE 14–14 |
| 3rd quarter |
| Miami — Dayonne Nunley 52-yard interception return (Trevor Cook Kick), 13:22 |
Miami 21–14 |
| MT — Phillip Tanner 54-yard run (Alan Gendreau Kick), 12:32 |
TIE 21–21 |
| Miami — Chris Givens 17-yard pass from Austin Boucher (Trevor Cook Kick), 00:54 |
Miami 28–21 |
| 4th quarter |
| Miami — Nick Harwell 5-yard pass from Austin Boucher (Trevor Cook Kick), 5:25 |
Miami 35–21 |
Statistics
| Statistics | Middle Tennessee | Miami |
|---|
| First Downs | 15 | 22 |
| Total offense, plays - yards | 61–372 | 78–431 |
| Rushes-yards (net) | 32–211 | 40–134 |
| Passing yards (net) | 161 | 297 |
| Passes, Comp-Att-Int | 18–29–4 | 23–38–2 |
| Time of Possession | 21:02 | 38:58 |
|
Notes
- This was the first meeting between these two teams.
- Miami became the first FBS team ever to follow a 10-loss season with a 10-win season; the RedHawks went 1–11 the previous season. However, this was not the biggest turnaround in FBS history as measured by games. The FBS record turnaround by that measure remains the 8 1⁄2-game turnaround by Hawaiʻi from 0–12 in 1999 to 9–4 in 2000. Miami's turnaround from 1–11 to 10–4 amounted to an 8-game turnaround.
References
- ↑ The Tuscaloosa News, December 18, 2010
- ↑ Mid-American Conference
2010 Bowl Post Season Football Release, Mid-American Conference, December 17, 2010