[1] It was the sixth time the Motor City Bowl had been played and the final game of the 2002 NCAA Division I FBS football season for both teams.
Toledo accepted a bid for the Motor City Bowl after losing to Marshall in the MAC Championship Game.
[2] The bowl game MVP was Boston College quarterback Brian St. Pierre, who completed 25 of 35 passes for 342 yards, a personal career high.
Boston College scored on its first six possessions, and its 51 points set a Motor City Bowl record which would later be tied in the 2007 Motor City Bowl when the Purdue Boilermakers defeated the Central Michigan Chippewas 51–48.
On a sour note two Toledo players were ejected during the game; one for throwing a punch and another for a late hit out of bounds on St.