2006 Motor City Bowl
| 2006 Motor City Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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The Central Michigan marching band performing at the game | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 26, 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Ford Field | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Detroit, Michigan | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Gerald Wright (Mtn. West) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 54,113 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Dave LaMont, Ray Bentley, Vince Welch | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2006 Motor City Bowl, part of the 2006–07 NCAA football bowl games season, occurred on December 26, 2006, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The Central Michigan Chippewas beat the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 31–14.[1] The Chippewas claimed their first bowl win in program history.
Teams
Central Michigan University Chippewas
Main article: 2006 Central Michigan Chippewas football team
Central Michigan finished the regular season with an overall record of 8–4 and a 7–1 mark in conference play. While the Chippewas faced three Power Five teams, they dropped all three contests including a 17–41 loss at #10 Michigan. After finishing first in the MAC West division, they squared off against MAC East champion Ohio. Playing in Ford Field, Central Michigan won 31–10 to secure the MAC championship and a berth to the Motor City Bowl. This marked the first time since the bowl's inception in 1997 that an in-state team participated.[2] This was also Central Michigan's third Division I-A bowl game having previously lost the 1994 Las Vegas Bowl and the 1990 California Raisin Bowl.
Shortly after securing the conference title, head coach Brian Kelly was announced as head coach of Cincinnati.[3] He choose not to coach Central Michigan in the bowl game and offensive coordinator Jeff Quinn was named interim head coach.
Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders
Main article: 2006 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team
Middle Tennessee State compiled a 6–6 regular season record going 6–1 in Sun Belt Conference play. They squared off against four Power Five teams losing all including ranked opponents #17 Oklahoma and #8 Louisville.
Entering the final game of the regular season against Troy, Middle Tennessee State was undefeated in conference play while Troy had one loss. With just over two minutes remaining, Middle Tennessee lead Troy 20-7. However, Troy staged a dramatic comeback, scoring a touchdown, recovering an onside kick, and scoring again with just 15 seconds remaining. A final Hail Mary attempt by the Blue Raiders was unsuccessful, resulting in a 21–20 loss. As a result, Middle Tennessee State was forced to share the Sun Belt championship with Troy.[4]
References
- ^ "Motor City Bowl - Middle Tennessee State vs Central Michigan Box Score, December 26, 2006". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
- ^ Marchand, Chris (November 29, 2006). "Central Michigan going to Detroit's Motor City Bowl". Midland Daily News. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- ^ "Kelly Named Head Football Coach". University of Cincinnati Athletics - Official Athletics Website. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- ^ Communications, Troy Athletics. "Celebrating 25 Years of FBS Football - 2006 Sun Belt Champions". Troy University Athletics. Retrieved March 6, 2026.