Boston College Athletics
Motor City Bowl Capsule
December 22, 2002 | Football
By PAUL MONTELLA
AP Sports Writer
Thursday, Dec. 26
Motor City Bowl
At Detroit
ESPN
Toledo (9-4) vs. Boston College (8-4), 5 p.m.
Series Record
First meeting.
Last Meeting
First meeting.
Bowl Records
Toledo 6-1; Boston College 7-6.
Last Bowl Appearance
Toledo beat Cincinnati 23-16 in the 2001 Motor City Bowl; Boston College
beat Georgia 20-16 in the 2001 Music City Bowl.
Common Opponents This Season
Boston College lost to Pittsburgh 19-16 OT, Toledo lost to Pittsburgh 37-19;
Boston College beat Central Michigan 43-0, Toledo beat Central Michigan 44-17.
Coaches
Tom Amstutz, second season at Toledo (19-6); Tom O'Brien, sixth season at
Boston College (39-31).
What To Look For
Toledo QB Brian Jones, leader of the fifth-best offense (475.2 ypg.) in the
country, against a solid Boston College passing defense, ranked seventh (158.83
ypg., 10 TDs) in the nation.
Streaks, Stats and Notes
Toledo has won four of its last five. ... BC has a three-game win streak and
is looking to win three straight bowl games for the first time. ... Toledo is
looking for its third straight 10-win season. ... A win by BC, would give the
Eagles 32 wins over four years. Only one other Eagle team in the last 50 years
has reached that mark. ... Toledo, which won the Mid-American West title but
lost to Marshall in the MAC championship, is making its second-straight
appearance in the Motor City Bowl. ... Jones completed 70.7 percent (270-382)
of his passes for 3,115 yards, 21 TDs and 7 INTs. ... WRs Carl Ford (69 rec.,
950 yds, 13.8 ypc, 8 TDs) and Donta Greene (59 rec., 649 yds., 11.0 ypc., 1 TD)
are the main targets. ... The Rockets running game has many weapons. Astin
Martin (754 yards, 6 TDs), Trinity Dawson (726 yds., 11 TDs), William Bratton
(639 yds., 10 TDs in 8 games) and Jones (382 yds., 5 TDs). ... The Rockets have
allowed 150.7 yards rushing per game. ... Boston College is 19-9 all-time in
December. ... BC has a balanced offense led by QB Brian St. Pierre and RB
Derrick Knight. ... St. Pierre, second in Big East passing, has completed
212-of-372 attempts (56.9%) for 2,641 yards and 15 TDs. ... Knight leads the
team in rushing with 1,367 yards on 240 attempts (5.7 ypc) and 11 TDs. ...
McKnight has seven 100-yard rushing games this year. ... The Eagles have
allowed just 19.0 ppg., ranked 22nd in the NCAA. ... Senior WR Jamal Burke (33
catches, 498 yards) is questioable after a shoulder injury against Temple on
Nov. 23.
