2010 Liberty Bowl (January)
2010 Auto Zone Liberty Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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51st Liberty Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date | January 2, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Season | Nielsen ratings 3.8[1] | | ||||||||||||||||||||
The 2010 Liberty Bowl was a
The game marked Arkansas' fourth appearance in the bowl and first since 1987. East Carolina also made its fourth appearance in the game. The Pirates had played in the 2009 edition, a 25–19 loss to Kentucky. Arkansas entered the game with a 7–5 record. East Carolina entered the game with a 9–4 record. It was the first ever meeting between the two football programs.
Game summary
Alex Tejada kicked a 37-yard
The Razorbacks tied it in the third quarter with a defensive touchdown when Tramain Thomas intercepted a pass and ran 37 yards to the end zone. East Carolina took the lead again on Patrick Pinkney's 13-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Harris with 5:52 left in the third. Arkansas answered 36 seconds later when Mallett threw a 41-yard scoring pass to Jarius Wright to make it 17-all. Pinkney, a sixth-year senior, went 17 of 33 for 209 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.[4]
East Carolina was physically dominant and Arkansas won despite its inability to convert a single third down[citation needed]. The Arkansas offense was 0–13 on third down conversions (scoring only ten points on offense, in regulation) but was aided by a defensive touchdown after an interception and four missed field goals by ECU (three in regulation, one in the overtime period).[5][6] This may be the first time a college team has won a game (a bowl game, at least) while failing to convert a single third down attempt.[7]
Scoring summary
Scoring Play | Score | ||
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2nd Quarter | |||
EC — Dominique Lindsay 3-yard rush (Ben Hartman kick), 7:03 | EC 7–0 | ||
EC — Ben Hartman 34-yard field goal, 0:53 | EC 10–0 | ||
3rd Quarter | |||
ARK — Alex Tejada 25-yard field goal, 10:41 | EC 10–3 | ||
ARK — Tramain Thomas 37-yard interception return (Alex Tejada kick), 9:37 | TIE 10–10 | ||
EC — Dwayne Harris 13-yard catch from Patrick Pinkney (Ben Hartman kick), 5:52 | EC 17–10 | ||
ARK — Jarius Wright 41-yard catch from Ryan Mallett (Alex Tejada kick), 5:16 | TIE 17–17 | ||
1st Overtime | |||
ARK - Alex Tejada 37-yard field goal, FINAL | ARK 20–17 |
References
- ^ Jon Solomon, 2009-10 Bowl TV Ratings, The Birmingham News, January 13, 2010
- ^ UT Bowl Games are set [dead link]
- ^ "ECU Wins Conference USA Football Championship Game - C-USA OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE". Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
- ^ "Arkansas vs. East Carolina - Game Recap - January 2, 2010 - ESPN".
- ^ "Arkansas escapes ECU in Liberty Bowl". Archived from the original on May 7, 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ Cirminiello, Richard (January 9, 2010). "Who's Not (coming off the bowl season)?". College Football News. Archived from the original on January 13, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
- ^ "Instant Analysis - Arkansas Survives ECU". Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2010.