| 2009 International Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Bowl game | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 3, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Rogers Centre | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Toronto, Canada | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Donald Brown, Connecticut (RB) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Connecticut by 4.5[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Brad Allen (ACC) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 40,184[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Payout | US$750,000 per team[3] | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | John Saunders, Jesse Palmer, Doug Flutie | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 1.8 | ||||||||||||||||||
| International TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | The Score | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2009 International Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game between the Connecticut Huskies (UConn) and the Buffalo Bulls at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada, on January 3, 2009. The game was the final contest of the 2008 NCAA Division I-Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-FBS) football season[Note 1] for both teams, and ended in a 38–20 victory for Connecticut. UConn represented the Big East Conference (Big East) in the game; Buffalo entered as the Mid-American Conference (MAC) champion.
Connecticut was selected as a participant in the 2009 International Bowl following a 7–5 regular season where they won their first five games, only to lose five of their last seven contests. Facing the Huskies were the Buffalo Bulls with a regular season record of 8–5, highlighted by an upset win over then-No. 12[Note 2] and undefeated Ball State in the 2008 MAC Championship Game. Pre-game media coverage focused on the legacy of the 1958 Buffalo Bulls, the first team from the university to be invited to a bowl game. When told that the two African-American members of the team would not be allowed to play because of segregation, the team elected to refuse the bowl bid. Buffalo would not play in a bowl until this game, 50 years later.[5]
The game began at 12:00 p.m. EST. Connecticut, led by running back Donald Brown's 208 yards rushing, dominated the first half statistically,[6] but found themselves down 20–10 midway through the second quarter because they committed six fumbles, five of which were recovered by Buffalo. UConn would close the gap to 20–17 by halftime, and take the lead for good late in the third quarter off a 4-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tyler Lorenzen to tight end Steve Brouse. The Connecticut victory was sealed when, late in the fourth quarter, Buffalo quarterback Drew Willy threw a pass that was intercepted by UConn safety Dahna Deleston and returned 100 yards for a touchdown.
UConn junior running back Donald Brown was named player of the game.[7] He finished with 261 rushing yards and one touchdown; his 2,083 rushing yards for the 2008 season was best in the NCAA.[8] Following the game, Brown declared his eligibility for the 2009 NFL Draft; he would become the first Connecticut player ever drafted in the first round.[9] Three other UConn players were drafted in the second round.[9]
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