Following Washington State's win over UCLA Saturday, the Motor City Bowl extended a bid to Big East member Boston College. The Terriers will face Toledo in the game played at the new Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., Thursday, Dec. 26 at 5 p.m. (ESPN).
MAC commissioner Rick Chryst informed The Spectrum moments after Marshall's win over Toledo in the MAC Championship game Saturday that a Big East team would be invited to play in the bowl game if Washington State were to hang on for a victory. Had UCLA come back, a Big 12 or ACC team would have been invited.
The Motor City Bowl was originally scheduled to pit the No. 2 team from the MAC against the No. 7 team from the Big Ten. However, with the Big Ten receiving two Bowl Championship Series bids, the five other bowl-eligible teams had to commit to the conference's five bowl tie-ins.
Boston College finished the season with an 8-4 record. It is their fourth-straight bowl appearance.
Virginia Tech was selected to play in the San Francisco Bowl against Air Force.
Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich went 32-42 for 404 yards with four touchdowns and one interception Saturday in his second to last opportunity to impress the voters for the Heisman Trophy.
If they had a vote, each of the game's coaches would cast it for Leftwich.
"That guy right there. If any of you in here don't vote him first for the Heisman Trophy, it's unbelievable ... This is such a political thing, but he is a great football player," Marshall Head Coach Bob Pruett said.
"There is a young man who is still playing for his team. Obviously he has some injuries but he is still out there playing. Some guys would fold it up and wait to collect their money, but Byron did that for his team," said Toledo Head Coach Tom Amstutz.
It was announced during the game that Leftwich won the MAC's Vern Smith Leadership Award. He was also named the game MVP from Marshall University.
Following an incomplete pass during Marshall's game-winning drive, officials conferred on the field for roughly five minutes to debate about a controversial pass interference call. After the penalty was called it appeared officials changed their minds, and then changed back again.
Leftwich, who at one point was arguing vehemently with the referee, shed some light on the subject.
"It was one guy trying to change six guys on the call and all the players knew it," Leftwich said. "(The referee) was telling me, he doesn't care what happened he's got pass interference. It was the right call ... it's not like the ball was tipped at the line, it wasn't."
Toledo contended that the ball was tipped, thus negating pass interference.
Beginning in 2001 the MAC decided to alternate the site of the championship game between the East and West Division champions. In the past, the game was always played at Marshall university.
In an exclusive Spectrum interview after the game, Chryst fielded questions regarding a possible change of venue, or new non-rotational system, rather than a system based on conference record and tiebreakers.
"We have talked about, and this is earned almost all the way, but yes we've talked about whether you do a complete tiebreaker so that you play your way irrespective of (divisional alliance)," Chryst said. "I'm sure our athletic directors will probably talk about that again and I'm sure neutral sites will come up. I don't know if we have the perfect neutral site out there to sustain it and the right type of stadium. But this gives us a base for comparison right now, we know where we are at with this and it's not bad."
"Um, I don't really want to comment on that. It was just a great pass. That happens in football." - Amstutz when asked if Toledo cornerback Jehu Anderson was supposed to have inside help on Marshall's 40-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Darius Watts. Anderson played on the outside of the receiver and appeared to think that he had safety help to the inside.
"If he hits me in the chest, if he hits me up high, he's probably going to hurt himself more than he hurts me. As long as he doesn't hit me low I'm cool. Once he did it, I blew because on previous games he did it on film. (Offensive lineman Steve) Sciullo told me 'if he hits you low at any time during the game I'm going to get 15 yards, I promise you.' He said it and I told him no but he just said it. Once I got hit, the godfather who I call the referee, threw the flag and I see (offensive lineman Steve) Peretta but there was nothing I could do." - Leftwich on a hit delivered by Toledo's David Gardner that sparked a mid-field fight after a Rockets' interception.
"You have 28 bowl games right now, I think a couple will re-look at where they're at and sort of sort things out and we just have to be at the table when, and if, those opportunities are there. My call to the bowl directors now is a lot more different than it was three or four years ago, they just don't look at one name on the line." - Chryst on the potential for the MAC to obtain more bowl tie-ins.
