2005–06 NCAA football bowl games
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The 2005-06 NCAA college football bowl season is a series of 32 post-season games (including the Bowl Championship Series) that will be played in December 2005 and January 2006 for Division I-A football teams and their all-stars. The post-season began with the New Orleans Bowl on December 20, 2005, and conclude on January 28, 2006, with the season-ending Senior Bowl.
Minor Bowls
With 64 teams having winning records, and 56 slots in bowl games, there were more teams than slots available for teams to get a bowl bid. Again, as in 2004, two conferences — the Pac 10 and the SEC — did not have enough teams to fill the required number of slots for their non-BCS bowls. A third conference — the Big Ten — has two teams in the BCS (Penn State as the conference champion, and Ohio State meeting Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl January 2nd.) The biggest beneficiary this year was the ACC, which replaced the SEC at the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl (Virginia) and the Pac-10 (Georgia Tech) at the Emerald (Nuts) Bowl; Conference USA also gained a slot, sending Memphis to the Motor City Bowl. Unlike last year, where a fighting incident during the game between Clemson and South Carolina led each team to impose a post-season ban, no school forfeited post-season play this year.
While the number of bowls has remained constant for three years, it has been suggested that the NCAA might approve at least one additional game in 2006, that one most likely in Toronto, Ontario, which would be the first post-season college football game to be held outside the USA; the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl is the only game played outside the contiguous 48 states. In addition, in 2007, two additional at-large bowl spots will open in the Bowl Championship Series, which will add a fifth game, to be a stand-alone national championship game.
The eight teams with winning records that did not get bowl bids were Louisiana Tech (7-4) from the WAC, MAC teams Miami (OH) (7-4), Bowling Green (6-5), Western Michigan (7-4), Northern Illinois (7-5) and Central Michigan (6-5), Mountain West representative New Mexico (6-5) and the Sun Belt's Louisiana-Lafayette (6-5). Four teams made their Division I-A bowl debuts — Arkansas State (Sun Belt, New Orleans Bowl at Lafayette), South Florida (Big East, Meineke Car Care), Central Florida (C-USA, Sheraton Hawai'i) and Akron (MAC, Motor City). Notably, Akron was the only bowl-eligible team willing to accept an invitation to be left out of the 2004 bowl games. However, none of the four teams had beginner's luck as each lost its games.
Participants in the minor bowls are selected on the basis of conference tie-ins. All bowl payouts are given in US dollars.
The New Orleans Bowl is usually one of two bowls that are played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Due to Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 game was played on December 20 in Lafayette, Louisiana at Cajun Field on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. C-USA's Southern Mississippi returned and defended their title as they defeated Arkansas State, the Sun Belt Conference champions, 31-19. The Golden Eagles were led by quarterback Dustin Almond, who threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Cody Hull, who added 161 yards rushing and one touchdown on 37 carries. Special teams play helped the Indians to stay close, with kicker Eric Neihouse kicking a 44-yard field goal and two extra points, and with the team forcing a safety on an attempted Southern Miss punt.
The GMAC Bowl at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama took place on December 21, 2005. Toledo, representing the Mid-American Conference, defeated C-USA's UTEP by a score of 45-13. In his last game for "Team Rocket", quarterback Bruce Gradkowski threw for five touchdowns and 298 yards. Seven of the Miners' 13 points came off the leg of kicker Reagan Schneider, with Johnnie Lee Higgins' catching the only touchdown of the day for UTEP to account for the rest of the scoring.
The Pioneer Pure Vision Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada was the first game of two to be played on December 22, 2005. In the first matchup of the bowl season to pit a BCS conference team against a non-BCS conference team, California from the Pac-10 beat Mountain West representative BYU, 35-28. Golden Bears running back Marshawn Lynch, voted the game's most valuable player, ran for 194 yards and three touchdowns on just 24 carries, as California took a 35-14 lead into the fourth quarter before the Cougars recorded two late touchdowns off the arm of quarterback John Beck to make the final victory less decisive.
The first annual San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California was also played on December 22, 2005. Navy (Independent) beat the Mountain West representatives, the Colorado State Rams, 51-30. Bringing the nation's number one-ranked rushing offense against the nation's 105th ranked rushing defense, the Midshipmen broke the game open in the second quarter, when running back Reggie Campbell scored two of his NCAA bowl record-tying five touchdowns; he finished with 116 yards rushing, 89 yards receiving, and 85 yards returning. Quarterback Justin Holland led the Rams in a losing effort, throwing for 381 yards and three touchdowns in completing 79% of his passes.
The Fort Worth Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas was contested December 23, 2005. Kansas from the Big 12, who qualified on the last Saturday in November for a bowl game, defeated Houston from C-USA, 42-13, thanks to Jason Swanson's four touchdown passes. Next year, a MWC team will challenge the C-USA team.
The Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawai'i was played on December 24, 2005. For the first time since the game was first contested in 2002, the Hawai'i Warriors did not play in this game, as they had a losing record in 2005, disqualifying them from bowl eligibility. Nevada, the WAC co-champion and league representative, beat C-USA team Central Florida, 49-48, on a missed extra point by UCF kicker Matt Prater in overtime. The Golden Knights, who went winless in the 2004 season, were playing in the school's first ever bowl game.
The Motor City Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan was played on December 26, 2005. C-USA member Memphis, behind the running of DeAngelo Williams, who set an NCAA record with his 34th career 100-yard game, defeated MAC champion Akron, 38-31, preventing the Zips from winning in their first-ever Division I-A Bowl Game. Akron quarterback Luke Getsy starred in his team's loss to the Tigers, setting a bowl record with 455 yards passing and tying another with four touchdowns.
The Champs Sports Bowl at Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Florida was played on December 27, 2005. ACC representative Clemson scored with under two minutes remaining to ensure a 19-10 win against the Big 12 representative Colorado, which was trying to a win after having lost its previous two games by a combined score of 100-6 and after having seen coach Gary Barnett fired just weeks before the bowl game. Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, playing with a sore shoulder, completed 22 of 30 passes for 210 yards and running back James Davis added 149 yards on 28 carries as the Tigers outgained the Buffaloes by 239 yards, surrendering only one touchdown, a Brian White pass to Quinn Sypniewski.
The Insight Bowl at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona was played as well on December 27, 2005. Pac-10 representative Arizona State, in what was a de facto home game, finally broke open a back-and-forth, sloppy affair (the teams combined for nineteen penalties) in the fourth quarter and then held off a comeback attempt, defeating Big East representative Rutgers, 45-40. In the final Insight Bowl to be played at the stadium formerly known as Bank One Ballpark, Sun Devils quarterback Rudy Carpenter threw for 467 yards and four touchdowns, two to senior wide receiver Matt Miller, who finished with five catches for 135 yards. The Scarlet Knights, playing in their first bowl since 1978, when they appeared in the Garden State Bowl against Arizona State, were paced by quarterback Ryan Hart's three touchdowns and 376 passing yards, and by kicker Jeremy Ito, who recorded four field goals, two from beyond 48 yards, and four extra points. The two teams combined for 1,211 yards of offense, a record for any bowl game. Beginning next season, the Big Ten and Big 12 will send teams to the contest, which will be played on the ASU campus at Sun Devil Stadium.
The MPC Computers Bowl at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho was the first game of two that were played on December 28, 2005. Though playing at home on its blue "Smurf Turf", where it held a 31-game winning streak, WAC co-champion Boise State was unable to get its usually potent offense untracked early, falling behind ACC rep Boston College by 24 at halftime before losing, 27-21. Sophomore quarterback Matt Ryan led the way for the Eagles, throwing for 262 yards and three touchdowns, two to junior wide receiver Tony Gonzalez and one to senior Will Blackmon, who led all receivers with 144 yards on just five catches. The Broncos were held scoreless by the Boston College defense for the first 43:46 of the game and hindered their own efforts with three turnovers and eight penalties. Playing their final game under coach Dan Hawkins, who will coach Colorado next season, Boise State essayed a late comeback, with junior quarterback Jared Zabransky throwing for one touchdown (a 53-yarder to Drisan James) and running for another. Junior Quinton Jones brought Boise State to within six when he took a Johnny Ayers punt 92 yards for a touchdown with under four minutes to play in the game, but Boise State's last drive from midfield with under two minutes stalled and Zabransky threw an end-zone interception to seal the Eagles' win. Boston College thus extended its NCAA-best bowl winning streak to six games, and also ran the BCS conferences' record to 3-0 against non-BCS teams this bowl season.
The MasterCard Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas was the second game played on December 28, 2005. In a battle of perennial powerhouses, Nebraska, returning to post-season play after a one-year absence, overcame an 11-point Michigan lead in the final 8:09 of the game to win, 32-28. The Big 12's Cornhuskers were buoyed by the play of senior running back Cory Ross, who carried 28 times for 161 yards and a touchdown. Though he was intercepted twice, quarterback Zac Taylor managed an efficient game, completing only 14 passes but for 167 yards and three touchdowns. In defeat for the Big Ten's Wolverines, quarterback Chad Henne used his arm (230 yards passing, three touchdowns) and legs (fourth-quarter rushing touchdown) to give Michigan a 28-17 lead, taking advantage of excellent field position provided by kickoff returners Steve Breaston and Carl Tabb II, who averaged 35 yards per return. Nebraska rallied, though, scoring two touchdowns and adding a two-point conversion on two three-play drives each of under 40 yards. The game’s final play was a Henne pass to wide receiver Jason Avant, which the Wolverines followed by eight laterals, eventually reaching the Nebraska 17-yard-line; the play brought to mind the 1982 Stanford-California game in which, similarly, players from each team streamed onto the field during the last play, thinking the game to be over. Though the two offenses combined to score 60 points, neither was superb; Michigan averaged only 4.1 yards per play, committed three turnovers, and allowed five sacks, while Nebraska was only marginally better, gaining an average of 4.6 yards per play, committing two turnovers, and also allowing five sacks. The loss meant that the Maize and Blue, who began the season ranked fourth in Associated Press writers' and USA Today coaches’ polls, would finish the year with a record of 7-5.
The Emerald (Nuts) Bowl at SBC Park, usually the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, California was played on December 29, 2005. The MWC's Utah, which last year became the first school from a non-BCS conference to appear in a BCS bowl, jumped out to a 20-0 lead and played well throughout to defeat the ACC's Georgia Tech, 38-10. Utes junior transfer quarterback Brett Ratliff, filling in for Brian Johnson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury November 12, played superbly, completing 30 of 41 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns and a two-point conversion, compiling a pass efficiency rating of 112.9, bringing to mind the performance of Utah quarterback Alex Smith in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl. All of Ratliff's scoring throws went to senior wide receiver Travis LaTendresse, who finished with 16 catches for 214 yards after averaging fewer than five catches per game during the regular season. Running back Quinton Ganther added 120 yards, many as the Utes ran out the clock in the fourth quarter, and a back-breaking 41-yard touchdown with 8:34 to play. Yellow Jackets running back P.J. Daniels exploited the Utah defense for 108 yards on 20 carries, but quarterback Reggie Ball played an uneven game, completing only 47 percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions, one of which came at the Utah 21-yard-line and was returned 45 yards to end a Georgia Tech scoring chance, to just one touchdown. After the Utes recorded three touchdowns in the first 16:02 of the game, Ball brought the Yellow Jackets to within ten at the half, but was unable to make consistent progress the rest of the game, finding star wide receiver Calvin Johnson only twice for 19 yards. Georgia Tech took a slot normally reserved for the Pac-10, which failed to qualify enough teams for bowl eligibility. Utah became the first non-BCS school to defeat a BCS-conference team this bowl season.
The Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl Presented by Bridgestone at The Coliseum in Nashville, Tennessee was the first of four games played on December 30, 2005. Virginia, representing the ACC in a slot forfeited by the SEC, which failed to qualify enough teams for bowl eligibilty, came back from a second-quarter 14-point deficit to drive for a game-winning field goal with 1:08 to play, ultimately defeating the Big Ten's Minnesota, 34-31. The Cavaliers were paced by quarterback Marques Hagans, who threw for 359 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Wali Lundy, who ran for only 60 yards but added two touchdowns, including a game-tying score on a 72-yard drive with under 10 minutes to go in the game. Golden Gophers quarterback Bryan Cupito shined in defeat, completing 65 percent of his passes for 267 yards and four touchdowns (including two to wide receiver Jared Ellerson), as Minnesota took a 21-7 lead with under seven minutes to go in the second quarter. Virginia kicker Connor Hughes added a field goal as the half ended to bring the Cavaliers within 11, and he came through again with a 39-yarder to give Virginia the lead for good; Hughes finished with ten points. Although Minnesota finished with a nearly seven-minute edge in time of possession, thanks in part to the running of Laurence Maroney and Gary Russell, who combined for 190 yards on 49 carries, and to forcing two Virginia turnovers in the fourth quarter, the Golden Gopher defense allowed the Wahoos to drive from their own 3-yard-line to record the final field goal and break the tie. Cuptio led a last-minute drive for Minnesota, crossing midfield with 37 seconds to go before throwing an end-zone interception that allowed Virginia to run out the clock.
The Vitalis Sun Bowl at the self-named stadium in El Paso, Texas was played on December 30, 2005, the second of four contests that day. This game matched Big Ten (Northwestern) and Pac-10 (UCLA) teams for the only time this bowl season, with the Bruins upending the Wildcats, 50-38, to finish the season with a 10-2 record. While the game was the scoring showcase expected, especially in the first half, when the teams combined for a Sun Bowl-record 51 points, each team departed in several areas from its typical play, making for a game of surprises. UCLA quarterback Drew Olson, who had finished eighth in the voting for the 2005 Heisman Trophy, threw three interceptions in the first half, matching his total for the entire regular season, when he threw 31 touchdowns. Northwestern kicker Joel Howells, who had made 44 of 45 extra points in the regular season, missed two, as well a field goal, before giving way to backup Amado Villarreal. The Bruins had two rushers top 100 yards, and neither was Maurice Jones-Drew, who had had more than double the rushing yards of any teammate during the regular season; freshman Khalil Bell and sophomore Chris Markey, neither of whom had topped 100 yards in any regular season game, though, shined, running for 293 yards on 42 carries. Finally, Wildcats freshman running back Tyrell Sutton, the 2005 The Sporting News NCAA freshman of the year, was held to 82 yards rushing by a UCLA defense that ranked 110th in the country. The first half was one of streaks, as Northwestern saw a 22-0 lead, two touchdowns of which were returns of Olson interceptions, equaled and then eclipsed as Bell rushed for two scores and Olson threw a touchdown with just 29 seconds in the half to give UCLA a seven-point lead midway through the game. UCLA continued its offensive progress in the third quarter, as Olson threw a third touchdown just six minutes in, putting UCLA up by fourteen; the Bruins had again taken advantage of good field position off a Wildcats punt, with Northwestern’s Ryan Pederson's averaging but 30.8 yards per punt on the day. Northwestern slowly cut into the Bruins lead as quarterback Brett Basanez lead his team on two scoring drives, finishing the game with 437 yards passing and one touchdown on 71 passing attempts; Basanez, though, did throw two interceptions. After a Mark Philmore touchdown reception cut the UCLA lead to four with 2:29 remaining in the game, UCLA kick returner Brandon Breazell returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards for a touchdown. Basanez led a final drive deep into UCLA territory, connecting twice with Ross Lane, who finished the game as the Wildcats’ top receiver, with 135 yards on seven catches, and finally throwing a touchdown to Shaun Herbert with 23 seconds remaining; Breazell delivered a knockout blow, however, again returning an onside kick for a touchdown, and the Bruins held on for the 12-point win. The 2006 Sun Bowl will include a Big 12 team.
The third of the four games on December 30, 2005 was the Independence Bowl at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. South Carolina, representing the SEC, took an early 21-point lead but was unable to hold off a late charge from Missouri, representing the Big 12, which notched a 38-31 win, denying South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier a bowl win in his first season back in college football. The Gamecocks scored on their first possession and recovered a Missouri fumble on the Tigers’ first play from scrimmage, setting up a five-yard touchdown scamper by running back Mike Davis. A second touchdown pass by quarterback Blake Mitchell gave South Carolina a 21-0 lead just six minutes into the game, and after a series of punts, the Gamecocks took the ball on a short field and reached the Missouri 16-yard-line when a Mitchell pass was intercepted by senior Marcus King, who returned his pick 98 yards for Missouri’s first score of the game. Davis, who finished the day with 124 yards on 19 carries, added his second touchdown on the ensuing drive, but Missouri option quarterback Brad Smith, who was his team’s leading passer (21 completions for 283 yards) and rusher (16 carries for 138 yards), drove the Tigers 74 yards in 1:33 before hitting freshman tight end Chase Coffman, his leading receiver, who finished with eight catches for 99 yards, on a five-yard touchdown pass, cutting the Tigers’ halftime deficit to 14. Smith took the Tigers down the field once more to open the third quarter, and, even after Missouri wasted a 76-yard drive when kicker Adam Crossett missed a 22-yard field goal, the Missouri defense forced a punt and Smith engineered an 85-yard drive capped by his 31-yard rushing touchdown. A Derrick Ming interception of a Mitchell pass in Gamecocks territory led to another Smith rushing score, and Crossett atoned for his earlier miss by hitting a 50-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to give the Tigers their first lead of the game. Mitchell responded with a long drive of his own, hitting freshman wide receiver Sidney Rice, his top target in the game (catching 13 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown), three times en route to a 30-yard Josh Brown field goal. Working against a fatigued Gamecocks defense, which faced a total of 76 Missouri plays on the day, Smith shined on the ground once more, recording a 59-yard run and capping his day with a third rushing touchdown, this from one yard out. Although freshman kick returner Carlos Thomas once more gave the Gamecocks good field position, returning the Missouri kick 43 yards to bring his return average on the day to 31 yards, Mitchell threw his third interception of the day, allowing Mizzou to run out the clock.
The Meineke Car Care Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina was the first of three scheduled games played on December 31, 2005. NC State, representing the ACC, defeated South Florida, which was making its first bowl appearance in its first year as a member of the Big East, 14-0. A scoreless first quarter set the tone for a game in which neither team played well offensively; each team punted twice and neither team could take advantage of a scoring chance, as the Bulls missed a 47-yard field goal on their first possession of the game and the Wolfpack failed to put points on the board after taking over the ball at midfield on a Marcus Hudson blocked punt. The NC State offense came alive in the second quarter as sophomore quarterback Marcus Stone, assuming the starting role from senior Jay Davis, hit wide receiver Brian Clark, who was his team’s leading receiver with two catches for 50 yards, for a 9-yard touchdown and ran for another, giving the Wolfpack a 14-0 halftime lead. The teams reprised their offensive ineptitude in the third quarter, however, as Bulls backup quarterback Carlton Hill fumbled the ball to NC State, only to see Hudson lose a fumble on the next play; Hill fumbled once more two plays later as possession changed hands three times in four plays. Only South Florida managed sustained drives in the fourth quarter, as running back Andre Hall keyed an attack that reached the NC State 17-yard line before quarterback Pat Julmiste threw an interception, ending the Bulls’ scoring chance—a fake punt netted South Florida a first-down in Wolfpack territory with under five minutes to play, but they turned the ball over on downs and failed to threaten again until the waning seconds of the game. Even as he completed only nine of 19 passes for 127 yards, Wolfpack quarterback Marcus Stone outshone his South Florida counterpart, and Julmiste completed just eight of 25 passes for 94 yards—with two-thirds of his total coming with under two minutes to play—as he was outplayed by the freshman Hill, who completed one of two passes for 37 yards but was nevertheless pulled from the game after the second of his fumbles. The running of Hall, the Big East’s leading rusher during the regular season, kept South Florida within striking distance, as he overcame a slow start to finish with 130 yards on 21 carries. In general, though, each defense played well, not only forcing fumbles but pressuring the passer; NC State totaled seven sacks, including three by linebacker Stephen Tulloch, and South Florida notched three, all by defensive end Terrence Royal. Running back Toney Baker helped the Wolfpack to run time off the clock in the fourth quarter and win the time-of-possession battle by nearly four minutes; he finished the day with 90 yards on 23 carries as NC State’s two second-quarter scores proved to be enough for the win. The Bulls were shut out for the first time since the program started in 1997.
The AutoZone Liberty Bowl at the the Memorial Stadium which bears its name in Memphis, Tennessee was the second game played on December 31, 2005. Fresno State, out of the WAC, failed to end a three-game losing streak that began when the Bulldogs fell by only eight to the top-ranked team in the nation, Southern California, losing to C-USA champion Tulsa, 31-24. Although better known for their passing offenses, each team recorded its first two scores on the ground, as the Bulldogs took a 7-0 first quarter lead on the strength of a seven-yard run carry by senior running back Wendell Mathis, who finished the day with 31 carries for 117 yards. The Golden Hurricane answered quickly and then took the lead in the second quarter as Uril Parrish and Tarrion Adams each recorded a touchdown; Adams finished as Tulsa’s leading rusher, accumulating 103 yards on 11 carries. Fresno State tied the game on a Bryson Sumlin touchdown scamper with 1:14 to play—Sumlin would finish the game with 66 yards on 10 carries—in the first half before a 40-yard Brad DeVault field goal gave Tulsa a three-point halftime lead, even as the Golden Hurricane had possessed the ball for fewer than ten minutes in game’s first half. Behind the play of senior quarterback Paul Pinegar, who threw efficiently if unremarkably (19 completions in 30 attempts for 215 yards), the Bulldogs tied the game early in the third quarter with a Kyle Zimmerman 27-yard field goal. Adams was tackled for a loss on a fourth-down attempt to give Fresno State the ball at the Tulsa 37-yard line, but Mathis was held for short gains by a stout Tulsa defense and Zimmerman eventually missed a field goal from 27 yards out. Golden Hurricane quarterback Paul Smith, who finished the game completing 18 of 27 passes for 236 yards, finally found senior tight end Garrett Mills, who this season broke the career receiving yards mark for a tight end in Division I-A, for productive yards in the third quarter, though Mills nevertheless finished with only four catches on the day, as Tulsa reached midfield before wide receiver Ashlan Davis fumbled the ball, committing Tulsa’s only turnover; in a drive that ran more than five minutes off the clock and took the game into the fourth quarter, Fresno State capitalized, as Pinegar drove the Bulldogs 72 yards and hit wide receiver Joe Fernandez for a 21-yard touchdown, giving Fresno State a 7-point lead. Tulsa’s inability to possess the ball for long stretches bade well for Fresno State, but Davis atoned for his fumble midway through the fourth quarter as he caught a Smith pass and scored from 55 yards to tie the game; Davis finished the day as the leading Tulsa receiver, catching eight passes for 129 yards. Pinegar led another Bulldogs drive but was intercepted near midfield by Golden Hurricane sophomore defensive back Anthony Germany, as Tulsa, despite having run only 55 plays (to Fresno State’s 77) and having possessed the ball for only 20:44, took the lead for good on a four-yard touchdown run by Smith, as a second Pinegar interception with 2:03 to play clinched the win for the Golden Hurricane. Though they ran few plays, Tulsa made them count, averaging 7.0 yards per carry on their running plays as they ran their record to 9-4, defeating the Bulldogs for the first time in five tries.
The last of three December 31, 2005 games that were contested on New Year's Eve was the EV1.Net Houston Bowl at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. Mountain West champions TCU, filling a slot reserved for the SEC, which failed to qualify enough teams for bowl eligibility, tallied a 27-24 win over Iowa State, representing the Big 12. The Horned Frogs, bidding to finish the year as the only team from a non-BCS conference to be ranked in the top 25 in the USA Today coaches’ and AP writers’ polls, took a 14-point lead over the Cyclones just 6:36 into the game, as junior tailback Robert Merrill scored on a 20-yard run on TCU’s first possession; Merrill finished the day as his team’s top rusher, gaining 109 yards on just 11 carries. Setting the tone for a game in which each defense would make several key plays, cornerback Drew Coleman recovered an Iowa State fumble on the second play of the ensuing possession, and TCU capitalized in 56 seconds as freshman running back Aaron Brown took one of his 12 carries for a touchdown. Soon after Iowa State defensive back LaMarcus Hicks evened the turnover battle, intercepting TCU quarterback Ballard at midfield to set up the first of two touchdown receptions by wide receiver Todd Blythe, who finished as the leading Cyclones receiver with 105 yards on only five receptions, Cyclones defensive end Brent Curvey sacked Ballard and then halted a running play in the end zone, giving Iowa State a safety. Two minutes and twenty seconds later, Iowa State quarterback Bret Mayer, who totaled 20 completions on 33 attempts for 254 yards, threw the second of his three touchdowns, hitting receiver Jon Davis from six yards; a successful two-point conversion, a pass from Mayer to tight end Ben Barkema, gave the Cyclones a three-point lead. After the teams exchanged punts, Mayer turned the ball over again, fumbling to David Roach, and Ballard, who completed 21 of his 33 passes for 275 yards, playing similarly to Mayer and foreshadowing the game’s close end, hit junior wide receiver Michael DePriest for an 84-yard touchdown. Though each defense tightened at the end of the first half, TCU took advantage of good field position conferred by a 39-yard punt return as kicker Chris Manfredini made a 29-yard field goal to give the Horned Frogs a seven-point halftime lead. Each defense held the opposing offense for most of the third quarter, as the teams combined in the game for 12 sacks (defensive end Chase Ortiz led TCU with two; defensive end Jason Berryman had four for Iowa State), before Meyer again hit Blythe for a touchdown, this time from 22 yards, as the Cyclones tied the game late in the third quarter. Even as each team lost a fumble in the fourth quarter, neither was able to mount a substantial drive, but the inability of Iowa State to run the ball on TCU (Mayer was his team’s leading rusher, gaining 27 of the Cyclones’ 35 yards on 12 carries) allowed the Horned Frogs to win the time-of-possession battle by seven minutes, and the Cyclones defense tired late in the game, allowing TCU to drive 49 yards in 3:42 as kicker Peter LoCoco made his first field goal since October 8, a 49-yarder that gave TCU its winning margin; the Horned Frogs defense held Iowa State scoreless the rest of the way. In winning a poorly executed game in which the teams totaled 20 penalties and seven turnovers, TCU cut the record of BCS conference teams against non-BCS conference teams to 3-2 in what was the last game to be played between a BCS and non-BCS team of the 2005 bowl season.
Non-BCS New Year's Day Bowls
Because New Year's Day 2006 fell on a Sunday, a day when the NFL plays most of its games, the league played all but two of its final regular season games that day, and all college football bowl games traditionally held that day were moved to January 2, 2006, which fell on a Monday.
The non-BCS New Year's Day bowls are determined by automatic bids. These bowls are generally considered to be the more important of the non-BCS bowls, with half — the AT&T Cotton Bowl, the Toyota Gator Bowl and the Capital One Bowl — broadcast on over-the-air television rather than cable (namely ESPN), and with these six games' having larger-than-average purses; in 2005, for example, the Toyota Gator Bowl will pay the lowest purse of the sextet, which, at $1,600,000 still more than doubles the $750,000 purse standard for most non-New Year's Day bowls, while the Capital One Bowl will pay the largest non-BCS purse, roughly $5,312,000.
The Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, which as of 2005 became the second post-season college football game played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California, is considered to be part of this group in spite of the fact that the game is not played on New Year's Day, given the bowl's payout of $2,000,000 and the frequency with which highly-ranked teams participate. The 2005 edition was the second of two games played on December 29, 2005, with the Big 12's Oklahoma defeating the Pac-10's Oregon, 17-14, in a matchup of teams each with something to prove. The Ducks were playing to show that they deserved a BCS bowl bid, having gone 10-1 during the regular season (the only loss coming to the nation's top-ranked team, Southern California), while the Sooners, who had lost in the BCS championship game each of the past two years, were trying to show that they really were the team that came into the season ranked fifth in the USA Today coaches' poll and seventh in the AP writers' poll than the team that lost to Texas by 33. Although Oregon got off to an early 7-3 lead and held that lead for nearly half the game, 22:38, the offense was unable to muster much against an Oklahoma defense that recorded four sacks (two by junior defensive end C.J. Ah You), held the Ducks to 2.6 yards per carry, and allowed only six third-down conversions in 18 attempts. Rotating between Dennis Dixon and Brady Leaf (whose brother, Ryan, was once the quarterback for the San Diego Chargers and played in said stadium) at quarterback, as they had done since losing starter Kellen Clemens earlier in the year, the Ducks gained 244 passing yards on 44 attempts, but much of that came in the fourth quarter as the Sooners defense tired during two extended drives. Oregon managed little success on the ground, with their top rusher, senior Terrence Whitehead, going for only 42 yards. Oklahoma's offense played largely efficiently, gaining 365 yards, with redshirt freshman quarterback Rhett Bomar completing 59 percent of his passes for 229 yards and one touchdown (freshman Malcolm Kelly was the team's top receiver, hauling in seven Bomar throws for 78 yards). Sophomore Adrian Peterson led the way on the ground, accumulating 79 yards on 23 carries. In spite of their general success, Bomar and Peterson each provided Oregon hope, with Bomar's throwing an interception and Peterson's fumbling within a yard of the goal line. The Ducks, trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter, were unable to convert a first-down in the shadow of their own goal posts against the aggressive Sooners defense and thus failed to capitalize on the Peterson turnover. Their defense, though, stymied every Oklahoma drive in the fourth quarter, getting two more possessions for the offense, and Oregon drove 81 yards in 14 plays, with Brady Leaf's hitting Tim Day for a three-yard touchdown. Once more the Sooners offense failed to convert a third-down on their ensuing possession as the Ducks defense tightened, and, behind a resurgent Leaf, Oregon drove to the Oklahoma 19-yard-line before Sooners senior linebacker Clint Ingram intercepted a Leaf pass to seal the victory for the Sooners.
The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, like the Holiday Bowl, is not played on New Year's Day but is considered part of this group, given shared characteristics: a large payout and the participation of highly-ranked teams. This year's game was the nightcap of four contests played on December 30, 2005 and matched the ACC's Miami (Florida) and the SEC’s LSU. The game was expected to be competitive and low-scoring, given that each team was ranked in top ten in the AP writers’ and USA Today coaches’ polls and that each ranked amongst the top six in Division I-A in total defense. The outcome, though, was anything but close as the Hurricanes struck first with a field goal six-plus minutes into the game and then watched as the Tigers, led by sophomore quarterback Matt Flynn, who replaced the injured JaMarcus Russell after having thrown only 15 passes all year, scored 40 points on eight straight possessions to claim a 40-3 win. Flynn played efficiently for LSU, which was coming of an upset by Georgia in the SEC championship game, played four weeks earlier in that same stadium, completing 13 of 22 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns, including a 51-yard strike to wide receiver Craig Davis, who was the leading Tigers receiver with five catches for 100 yards. The ground game, however, was LSU’s best weapon, as the Tigers possessed the ball for 39:08 and accumulated 282 rushing yards, averaging 5.1 yards per carry against a Hurricanes defense that came into the game having allowed more than 17 points only once during the regular season. Running back Joseph Addai led the way with 24 carries for 128 yards and one touchdown; fullback Jacob Hester spelled Addao and added 66 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries. The Tigers kicking game also added in the scoring, as Colt David made four extra points and Chris Jackson connected on four field goals, including a 50-yarder to end LSU scoring, and participated in a fake field goal the Tigers used to convert a first down already up 31. The Hurricanes turned the ball over only once, as freshman quarterback Kirby Freeman entered the game with Miami down 37 and promptly threw an interception, but they allowed LSU to sack quarterback Kyle Wright four times; pressure and tight coverage led to Wright’s making only 10 of 21 passes for just 99 yards. Neither was the running game able to get any traction for Miami, as the Hurricanes averaged just 2.0 yards per carry, with leading rusher sophomore Charlie Jones recording only 49 yards on eight carries, 42 of that on one run. The loss was the worst in post-season history for the Hurricanes. The contest, the last to be termed the "Peach Bowl" (as of 2006, the game will be known as the "Chick-fil-A Bowl") was marred by a postgame scuffle in which an ersatz fight between Tigers and Hurricanes players was ostensibly misunderstood by several Hurricanes, who initiated actual physical contact, necessitating the intervention of Georgia State Patrol officers and medical treatment for Miami offensive lineman Andrew Bain, who was reported to have been briefly unconscious, but was instead dazed after being hit in the head by an helmet.
The Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida was the first of the six traditional New Year's Day games played on January 2, 2006, as Florida, representing the SEC, avenged a 2004 Outback Bowl loss to Big Ten representative Iowa, taking an early 17-0 lead and then holding off a late Hawkeyes run to win 31-24, giving coach Urban Meyer a bowl victory and a 9-3 record in his first season with the Gators. The teams matched up fairly evenly defensively, but special teams and defensive touchdowns made the difference for the Gators, who took a 7-0 lead just 1:35 into the game when Tremaine McCollum returned a block eight yards for a touchdown. Behind junior quarterback Chris Leak, who finished the day having completed 27 of 42 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns, the Gators constructed two 70-plus-yard drives in the first and second quarters, but came away with only three points as the Iowa defense tightened and kicker Chris Hetland made only one of two field goal attempts. Florida senior cornerback Vernell Brown, forcing the game’s only turnover, intercepted Iowa quarterback Drew Tate with under two minutes to play in the first half and returned his catch 60 yards for a touchdown. Iowa responded immediately, taking advantage of a 47-yard kickoff return by Damian Sims, as Tate found wide receiver Clinton Solomon, who finished the day as Tate’s leading receiver, catching seven passes for 97 yards, for a 20-yard touchdown, bringing the Hawkeyes within ten. The Gators, though, returned their halftime lead to 17 when Leak drove his team 70 yards in 1:09, finally hitting senior wide receiver Dallas Baker, his top target on the day (10 catches for 148 yards), for a 24-yard touchdown as time expired. In a third quarter in which each team punted twice and the Hawkeyes missed a field goal, Florida extended its lead once more, as Leak threw a touchdown to Baker, this one from 38 yards; with just over 17 minutes to play, the Gators led by 24. Even as Florida had success on the ground in the game, rushing 42 times for 169 yards (led by freshman running back Kestahn Moore, who went for 87 yards on 13 carries), the Gators were unable to sustain clock-consuming drives in the fourth quarter, twice turning the ball over on downs, and Tate engineered a comeback, hitting senior wide receiver Ed Hinkel, who caught nine passes for 87 yards on the day, for two touchdowns in 6:52, benefiting from a Gators lost fumble on the Florida five-yard line, to bring the Hawkeyes to within 10 with seven minutes to play. Tate, who finished with impressive passing numbers despite his having thrown an interception (32 of 55 passes completed for 346 yards and three touchdowns), connected twice with tight end Scott Chandler, who became the third Hawkeyes receiver to top 80 yards for the game (88, on seven catches), on the final Hawkeyes drive to set up a Kyle Schlicher 45-yard field goal, but the Florida recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran the clock out, leaving Iowa just short in its comeback effort and dropping the Hawkeyes’ record to 7-5 for the season.
The AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic (the new title sponsor as a result of the merger of the former SBC Communications with AT&T), played at the eponymous stadium in Dallas, Texas as the second of the six contests on January 2, 2006, saw Alabama, representing the SEC, defeat Big 12 opponent Texas Tech, 13-10. In a matchup of the Crimson Tide’s first-ranked scoring defense and the Red Raiders’ second-ranked scoring offense, Alabama held Texas Tech to ten points, thanks to numerous pressures and four sacks of Texas Tech senior quarterback Cody Hodges, who completed only 15 of 32 passes for 191 yards and was knocked out of the game for a period in the second half. The Alabama defense was assisted by an efficient offense that controlled the ball much of the game and kept the defense off the field; Alabama ultimately possessed the ball for 38:56, largely thanks to the rushing of Kenneth Darby, who notched 83 yards on 29 carries. In fact, it was the Alabama offense that finally secured the win for the Crimson Tide, as quarterback Brodie Croyle, who completed 19 of 31 passes for 275 yards, drove his team 55 yards late in the fourth quarter to set up kicker Jamie Christensen’s 46-yard game-winning field goal. Alabama struck first, scoring less than four minutes into the game as Croyle hit sophomore wide receiver Keith Brown for a 76-yard touchdown; Brown finished as Croyle’s top target, gaining 142 yards on five catches. An Alex Trlica 34-yard field goal brought Texas Tech to within four, and the teams traded blocked field goals to end the first half; Christensen also missed a field goal from 38 yards early in the second quarter but the two kicks he made were more significant than the two he missed. Though the Crimson Tide defense kept the Red Raiders in check most of the second half, Hodges engineered late drives for Texas Tech, using both his legs (he finished as his team’s top rusher, gaining 93 yards on 13 carries) and arm and eventually hitting Jarrett Hicks for a game-tying touchdown. The Red Raiders defense, though, could not stop Croyle, and the Crimson Tide came away with a win in their first Cotton Bowl appearance since 1982. The walkoff field goal by Christensen was the first game-ending score in the game since 1979, when Joe Montana brought Notre Dame from behind to defeat Houston.
The third of the six traditional New Year's Day contests played on January 2, 2006 was the Toyota Gator Bowl at ALLTEL Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Having left the Big East two years earlier to join the ACC, Virginia Tech defeated Louisville, which was playing in its first year of Big East membership, 35-24. In spite of the difference in their styles (Louisville entered the game with the nation’s third-ranked offense and Virginia Tech brought the third-ranked defense), each team entered the game with a similar goal: successfully finishing a season marred by the disappointment of exclusion from the BCS bowl games (Louisville was widely expected to claim the Big East crown and thus an automatic bid, and Virginia Tech was heavily favored to win the ACC championship game, which was played at ALLTEL, against Florida State). Starting just his second game for the Cardinals after the injury of Big East passing leader Brian Brohm, Louisville quarterback Hunter Cantwell excelled early, driving his team 77 yards in 3:59 and hitting freshman wide receiver Mario Urrutia, his top target on the day (six catches for 95 yards), for an 11-yard touchdown. After Brandon Pace made a 36-yard field goal for the Hokies, Cantwell led another long drive, this one 80 yards, and connected with wide receiver Joshua Tinch for a 39-yard touchdown to give the Cardinals an 11-point lead. After neither offense sustained progress for much of the second quarter, the Hokies pressuring defense (Virginia Tech sacked Cantwell four times on the day) forced a turnover as cornerback Roland Minor intercepted Cantwell near midfield; Virginia Tech took advantage, as quarterback Marcus Vick hit wide receiver Justin Harper for a 33-yard touchdown, cutting the Hokies’ halftime deficit to seven. In a third quarter marked by defensive toughness, only the Hokies managed to score, taking the ball on their own one-yard line and driving 88 yards, largely behind running backs Brandon Ore and Cedric Humes, who combined to gain 166 yards on 32 carries, before a Louisville defensive stand forced them to settle for another Pace field goal. In a span of 66 seconds early in the fourth quarter, each team scored a touchdown, as Gary Barnidge caught a 29-yard Cantwell pass and Humes ran 24 yards before the Hokies added a two-point conversion to cut the Louisville lead to three points. An opportunistic Virginia Tech defense contained Louisville back Michael Bush in the fourth quarter (he gained 94 yards on 16 carries for the game) and took advantage of Cantwell’s inexperience, forcing a fumble (off of which Vick threw a two-yard touchdown to Jeff King, finishing his day with 11 completions in 21 attempts for 204 yards) and then recording an interception which James Anderson returned 40 yards for a touchdown to give Virginia Tech the 11-point margin by which they would eventually win; the defense sealed the victory with a third interception of Cantwell (who finished the game having completed only 42 percent of his passes) and, behind Humes, the Hokies ran out the clock.
The Capital One Bowl, the second post-season game played at the Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Florida was the fourth played on January 2, 2006, and the final non-BCS game. Wisconsin, playing its final game for coach Barry Alvarez and representing the Big Ten, defeated Auburn, an SEC representative which a year ago finished its season undefeated but left out of the BCS Championship, 24-10. The Badgers recovered two Auburn turnovers in the game’s first four minutes, intercepting quarterback Brandon Cox and forcing a fumble by running back Kenny Irons, but failed to score on short fields, punting once and missing a 53-yard field goal. It was when faced with poor field position, however, that the Wisconsin offense came alive, and, midway through the first quarter, quarterback John Stocco took the team 75 yards in just 57 seconds, connecting with Brandon Williams on a 30-yard pass for a touchdown to give the Badgers a seven-point lead; Williams was Stocco’s leading receiver on the day, catching six passes for 173 yards. A tough Badgers defense, which sacked Cox four times on the day, forced an Auburn punt and the offense, behind a 61-yard carry by running back Brandon Calhoun, who carried for 214 yards on 30 carries for the game, shredding the Auburn run defense, got to the two-yard line before stalling and settling for a 19-yard Taylor Mehlhaff field goal. Irons, who had been held below 100 yards in just two games during the regular season, managed little traction against Wisconsin, finishing the day with just 87 yards on 22 carries; the inability of Irons to get a first down ended two Auburn drives in the second quarter and led to a 12-play, 86-yard drive that culminated in Stocco’s hitting Owen Daniels for a 13-yard touchdown, giving the Badgers a 17-point halftime lead. Stocco, committing the only Badgers turnover of the game, fumbled in the third quarter, giving Auburn the ball at the Wisconsin 18-yard line, but the Tigers were held to a 19-yard John Vaughn field goal, after which the teams traded punts to close the third quarter. Cox, who finished the day having completed only 45 percent of his passes for just 138 yards, led the Tigers on one final long drive, going 56 yards in 14 plays and hitting Courtney Taylor with a nine-yard touchdown pass; the drive was twice kept alive with third-down completions to senior wide receiver Ben Obomanu, who led the Tigers in receiving with five catches for 62 yards. The Badgers answered just 1:27 later, as Calhoun ran 33 yards for a touchdown to put the Badgers up by 14 points. After the Wisconsin defense held the Tigers at midfield, the Badgers took the ensuing possession, largely through the running of Calhoun, 98 yards to the Auburn one-yard line before allowing time to expire, securing Alvarez, who will continue in his role as the school's athletic director, his fourth season of double-digit wins. Defensive coordinator Bret Bielema will assume the head coaching duties beginning with the 2006 season.
Bowl Championship Series games
The purse for each BCS game will be $14,998,000.
The first BCS Game, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona is the fifth of six traditional games that were played on January 2, 2006 (in the time usually reserved for the Rose Bowl, which served as the national championship game); in a battle of BCS at-large selections, Ohio State defeated Notre Dame, 34-20, in the last Fiesta Bowl to be played at Sun Devil Stadium. The Fighting Irish, an independent program, struck first, capping a six-play, 72-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Darius Walker, but the Buckeyes, representing the Big Ten, of which they were co-champions, tied the game just three minutes later as junior quarterback Troy Smith hit speedy sophomore Ted Ginn for a 56-yard reception. The Irish soon had another scoring chance, as Smith was sacked and fumbled on the Ohio State 15-yard line; Walker, though, was held in check by the Ohio State defense, and a fourth-down conversion attempt was stuffed by Buckeyes linebacker A.J. Hawk, who recorded the first of his two sacks (senior defensive end Mike Kudla recorded three). Off of the defensive stop, the Ohio State offense rolled behind Ginn once more, as he caught an 18-yard Smith pass and then carried the ball himself 68 yards for a touchdown; Ginn finished the day with two carries for 73 yards and eight catches for 168 yards. After Notre Dame punted on its first second quarter possession, Smith again led his team down the field, often using his legs (he finished the day with 11 carries for 76 yards), and Ohio State reached the Notre Dame 15-yard line before a second Smith fumble ended another Buckeyes scoring chance. Even as Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, who finished fourth in 2005 Heisman Trophy balloting, connected twice on the ensuing drive with Maurice Stovall, who finished as the top Irish receiver with nine catches and 128 yards, the Buckeyes defense forced a punt from midfield and the offense then went 98 yards for a touchdown; the scoring play was an 85-yard touchdown heave from Smith to wide receiver Santonio Holmes, who had caught five passes for 124 yards at game’s end. Quinn had little success against the Ohio State defense in the first half, and the ensuing Irish drive stalled, allowing the Buckeyes to regain possession and drive to the Notre Dame 11-yard line from which sixth-year senior kicker Josh Huston had a field goal attempt partially blocked; nevertheless, Ohio State held a 14-point lead at the half, buoyed by nearly 400 yards of total offense and three 50-plus-yard plays in the first half alone. As the Buckeyes stuck to the running game in the third quarter, sophomore running back Antonio Pittman became a featured part of the offense, helping his team to run nearly four minutes of the clock before a Huston field goal attempt from 46 yards was blocked, allowing Notre Dame to stay within 14 points of the Buckeyes. On a 71-yard drive in which senior wide receiver Matt Shelton caught three passes (of five for the game), Walker rushed for a 10-yard touchdown but kicker/punter D.J. Fitzpatrick missed the extra point, keeping Ohio State’s lead at eight. On the strength of a 44-yard Ginn reception, the Buckeyes struck back just two minutes later, as Huston finally connected on a field goal attempt, this one from 40 yards. Huston added a 26-yard field goal with 10:13 to go in the game, once more stretching the Ohio State lead to 14. The Irish struck back but took 4:38 to do so as Quinn struggled to find his top receiver, Jeff Samardzija, who finished with six catches for only 59 yards; Walker’s third touchdown, from five yards, brought Notre Dame to within seven with 5:20 to play in the game. Pittman ended any thoughts of an Irish comeback, though, when he ran 61 yards for a touchdown with 1:46 to play, taking his total for the game to 135 yards (on 20 carries); the Irish could get no closer than their 39-yard line the rest of the way as Ohio State won by 14 while compiling 541 yards of total offense and preventing first-year Irish head coach Charlie Weis from claiming a bowl victory. The win was the third in the Fiesta Bowl for Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, who saw his team defeat Miami (Florida), 31-24, in the double overtime 2003 edition, thereby claiming the 2002 national championship. As the second team in the BCS from the Big Ten, Ohio State earned an extra $4.5 million for its participation, while the six BCS conferences will each split an extra $1.5 million. Notre Dame, as an independent school that does not have conference affilaition, kept all of the $14.995 million paid out. Next year’s game, along with the new stand-alone BCS title game, will be played at the new Cardinals Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
The Nokia Sugar Bowl, the second BCS bowl, and the final game of six played on January 2, 2006, was, like the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, contested at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, having been, like the New Orleans Bowl, displaced from the Louisiana Superdome by Hurricane Katrina, as West Virginia, representing the Big East as conference champions, defeated Georgia, the winner of the SEC championship game, 38-35. Georgia was looking to win in Atlanta for the third straight time, having won its last regular season game (against rival Georgia Tech) and the SEC championship game at the stadium, but West Virginia took a 28-0 lead in the game’s first 16 minutes and withstood a furious Georgia comeback before scoring late in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Mountaineers freshman running back Steve Slaton began a career day early, running for a 52-yard score just 2:48 into the game en route to accumulating 204 yards on 26 carries against a Bulldogs defense that entered the game having allowed only 3.5 yards per carry. On the subsequent West Virginia possession, freshman quarterback Pat White accounted 56 yards of a 64-yard scoring drive, connecting with wide receiver Darius Reynaud for a three-yard touchdown pass; Reynaud caught six passes for 50 yards on the day. Just two plays into the next Bulldogs drive, running back Danny Ware lost the first of what would be three Georgia fumbles on the day, and West Virginia took just five plays to go 26 yards, scoring a touchdown on a 13-yard Reynaud run. The Mountaineers defense stymied an additional Georgia drive and forced a fumble by Georgia quarterback D.J. Shockley, setting up a 50-yard drive that culminated in Slaton’s second touchdown scamper, an 18-yarder that gave West Virginia a 28-point lead just 15:50 into the game. Shockley began to have success against the Mountaineers defense in the second quarter, completing three straight passes for a total of 46 yards before running back Kregg Lumpkin, who finished the day with 67 yards on nine carries, scored from 34 yards to put Georgia on the board. After their defense forced a West Virginia punt, the Bulldogs went 91 yards in just six plays, with Thomas Brown’s scoring on a 52-yard run; Brown has held largely in check the remainder of the game, totaling only 78 yards on nine carries. A long run by West Virginia fullback Owen Schmitt, who finished the day having run for 80 yards on nine carries, set up a 27-yard Pat McAfee field goal, but Shockley, who finished the day having completed 20 of 33 passes for 278 yards and having gained 62 yards on eight carries, drove his team 80 yards in under five minutes and hit wide receiver Leonard Pope, who caught six passes for 52 yards on the day, from four yards to cut the West Virginia halftime lead to 10 points. After combining to give up more than 600 yards in total offense in the first half, both defenses tightened in the second half and although Brown lost a fumble to the Mountaineers, neither team managed a score until 1:44 remained in the third quarter when Shockley hit A.J. Bryant for a 34-yard touchdown to bring the Bulldogs to within three points. White continued to play well through air and on the ground in the fourth quarter, though, and led his team on an 80-yard drive that ended when Slaton ran for a 52-yard touchdown and once more extended the West Virginia lead to ten. For the game, White completed 11 of 14 passes for 124 yards—completing four passes for 64 yards to senior Brandon Myles, his leading receiver—but also added 79 yards on 24 carries in contributing to his team’s 386-yard rushing performance. Shockley drove his team once more, connecting with Mohamed Massaquoi, whom he four times for 43 yards on the day, to convert a crucial third down and then finding Bryan McClendon, who caught three balls for 72 yards, on a 43-yard scoring drive. The Bulldogs defense held but West Virginia punter Phil Brady successfully carried out a fake punt and ran for a first down, allowing the Mountaineers, behind Slaton and White, to run out the clock, run their season to 11-1, and prevent the Big East from going winless in four bowls; South Florida, Rutgers, and Louisville had all lost earlier. The game was the final of three games hosted by the Georgia Dome in four days: the aforementioned Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, which was played on December 30th, where LSU swamped Miami (FL) 40-3and an NFL contest between the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons, which was played on January 1st, where the visiting team was victorious, 44-11.
The third BCS game, the FedEx Orange Bowl, was played at Dolphins Stadium in Miami, Florida on January 3, 2006, and saw Big Ten co-champion Penn State defeat ACC championship game winner Florida State, 26-23, in a triple overtime game that was marked by tight defense, inconsistent offense, and streaky special teams. The Nittany Lions capped a season they began unranked in both the USA Today coaches’ and AP writers’ polls by winning a record 21st bowl game for coach Joe Paterno, who, at the youthful age of 79, is the oldest coach in Division I-A and with 354 victories the second-winningest, while Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden, a mere 76 years old, failed to add to his current Division I-A record of 359 victories (19 in bowls), marking the first time that both coaches were older than the game, the 71st edition of the South Florida classic. Each team had four possessions during the first quarter, and only Penn State scored; running back Austin Scott, who led his team in rushing with 110 yards on 26 carries on the day, capped an eight-play, 85-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run. The Nittany Lions failed to capitalize on a second-quarter interception thrown by Florida State quarterback Drew Weatherford, and Seminoles senior wide receiver Willie Reid, who gave his team excellent field position on several drives, averaging 25.7 yards over seven punt returns, returned a Jeremy Kapinos punt 87 yards for a touchdown, tying the game at seven with 4:09 to play in the first half. After a defensive stop, the Florida State offense scored in one play, as Weatherford hit running back Lorenzo Booker, who finished with three catches for 69 yards, for a 57-yard touchdown; kicker Gary Cismesia, however, missed the extra point, and so a 25-yard scoring pass by quarterback Michael Robinson to wide receiver Ethan Kilmer, who accumulated six receptions totaling 79 yards on the day, gave Penn State a 14-13 halftime lead. Each defense controlled the opposing offense in the third quarter, and the longest drive achieved was one of 19 yards. Each defense played well throughout the game, and the teams combined to convert only 11 of 38 third down attempts. As Florida State faced a third down at its own seven-yard line early in the fourth quarter, Weatherford was penalized for intentional grounding while in the end zone, and Penn State was assessed a safety, giving the Nittany Lions a 16-13 lead. Weatherford was pressured by Penn State much of the day as the Nittany Lions defense stopped the Florida State running game early (senior running back Leon Washington gained just 30 yards on six carries to lead his team and overall the Seminoles averaged just 1.0 yards per carry), but finished the day with serviceable numbers, having completed 24 of 43 passes for 258 yards; Reid was his favorite target as he caught four passes for 55 yards. Penn State took possession off the free kick at the Florida State 47-yard line, and Robinson drove his team to the five-yard line before fumbling; the loose ball was recovered by the Seminoles. Robinson was active as a passer for the game, completing 21 of 39 throws for 253 yards, but he was held in check by the Seminoles rush defense, gaining only 21 yards on his 17 carries. Weatherford drove the Seminoles to the Penn State 30-yard line, converting a crucial third-down with a 39-yard pass to wide receiver Chris Davis, who caught three passes for 55 yards in the game, before the Nittany Lions defense tightened, and Cismesia made a 48-yard field goal to tie the game at 16. On the ensuing Penn State possession, Robinson drove his team to the Florida State 12-yard line—the key play was a 38-yard pass play to wide receiver Jordan Norwood, who caught six passes for 110 yards—but freshman kicker Kevin Kelly missed a 29-yard field goal with seconds left in the game, sending the game to overtime. The box score at the end of regulation demonstrated each team’s sound defensive play and poor discipline; Penn State had gained just 20 first downs (doubling Florida State’s 10), the teams had combined to punt 20 times, and the teams had been flagged for 21 penalties (losing 172 yards). Though Penn State held a 100-yard advantage in total offense and had an eight-minute edge in time-of-possession—without suspended linebacker A.J. Nicholson, the Seminoles struggled to stop the run—Florida State kept the game close by forcing two Nittany Lions turnovers in Seminoles territory. In the first overtime, Cismesia missed another kick for the Seminoles, this a 48-yard field goal, but Kelly failed to connect on a 38-yard attempt that would have given his team the win. Penn State took the ball to begin the second overtime and after Robinson hit Kilmer for 17 yards to take the Nittany Lions inside the two-yard line, Scott scored his second touchdown of the game and Kelly made the extra point to put Penn State up seven points; Florida State responded almost immediately, though, as Weatherford threw to Reid for 11 yards and to Greg Carr for 12 before fullback B.J. Dean made his only carry of the day count, scoring from one yard out, and Cismesia’s extra point tied the game at 23. After their defense held Florida State to four yards in the third overtime and after Cismesia missed his third kick of the game, a 38-yard field goal attempt that hit the right upright, Robinson found freshman wide receiver Justin King for one of King’s five catches on the day and then ran for a first down, setting up a 29-yard field goal try by Kelly, who, in making the kick, redeemed himself after twice missing field goal tries that would have given his team the win. The win evened Paterno’s record against Bowden; the two had tied once and Bowden’s Seminoles defeated Paterno’s Nittany Lions in the 1990 Blockbuster Bowl, and they tied a game when Bowden was head coach at West Virginia. Penn State won without the services of Dick Butkus Award winner Paul Posluszny, who was injured early in the second half and did not return. Posluzny was carted back on the field to watch the remainder of the game after being x-rayed, serving as an inspiration to his team mates. Afterward, joking about how long the game was, delayed by parachutists being late coming into the stadium, and the ending of the contest at 1 AM US EST with Kelly's walk-off field goal, the man lovingly known as JoePa in Happy Valley asked an Orange Bowl official at the trophy ceremony "How long were we here, three months?"
The Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi, also known as "The Granddaddy of Them All", will play host to the BCS National Championship, the final game in the annual series, between the last two Division I-A unbeaten teams, Big 12 champions Texas and defending national champions and Pac-10 titleholder Southern California at the self-named stadium in Pasadena, California on January 4, 2006. The Trojans will enter the showdown with a 33-game winning streak and the Longhorns will enter as defending champions of the game, having defeated Michigan 38-37 one year earlier, and holding a 19-game winning streak. The game has been hyped as "The Greatest Game of All Time."
Selection of the teams to participate in the BCS Bowl games are based on BCS rules and on Conference tie-ins.
All-Star Games
The inaugural Magnolia Gridiron All-Star Classic was played in Jackson, Mississippi on December 24, 2005. The White team, composed of Division I-A seniors from teams either having already played in a bowl game or not having been selected for or qualified for a bowl game, defeated the Red team, an all-star team of Division I-AA, Division II, and Division III schools, 17-9, led by Louisiana-Monroe quarterback Steven Jyles, who passed for 80 yards and a touchdown and recorded another 31 yards rushing.
The East-West Shrine Game at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas is scheduled for January 21, 2006. This is the first game in San Antonio after over seventy-five years in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Hula Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawai'i is scheduled for January 21, 2006.
The Senior Bowl at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama is scheduled for January 28, 2006.
NOTE: The Gridiron Classic was cancelled after failing to secure sponsorship for the 2006 game.
Conference Standings
In the list of teams that played in all bowl games (minor games, non-BCS New Year's Day games and BCS), this list is sorted by conference, then games played, winning percentage, and finally by teams that won and lost.
The conference with the highest winning percentage after the Rose Bowl Game will win the Bowl Challenge Cup, sponsored by ESPN and Cooper Tires. Conferences must have a minimum of three bowl teams to be eligible. With only the Rose Bowl Game remaining, the Pac-10 can get the outright win if Southern Cal wins the Rose Bowl, but a Texas victory would give a share to the Big 12 and the ACC, the first time that would happen in the four-year history of the compitition.
Standings are as of 0712 UTC January 4, 2006.
| Conf | # | W-L | Pct | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pac-10 | 4 | 3-1 | .750 | Winners: Arizona State, California, UCLA. Losers: Oregon. Still to Play: Southern Cal. |
| ACC | 8 | 5-3 | .625 | Winners: Boston College, Clemson, NC State, Virginia, Virginia Tech. Losers: Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami (FL). |
| Big 12 | 7 | 4-3 | .571 | Winners: Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma. Losers: Colorado, Iowa State, Texas Tech. Still to Play: Texas. |
| SEC | 6 | 3-3 | .500 | Winners: Alabama, Florida, LSU. Losers: Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina. |
| C-USA | 6 | 3-3 | .500 | Winners: Southern Mississippi, Memphis, Tulsa. Losers: Central Florida, Houston, UTEP. |
| MWC | 4 | 2-2 | .500 | Winners: TCU, Utah. Losers: BYU, Colorado State. |
| MAC § | 2 | 1-1 | .500 | Winner: Toledo. Loser: Akron. |
| Independent | 2 | 1-1 | .500 | Winner: Navy. Loser: Notre Dame. |
| Big Ten | 7 | 3-4 | .428 | Winners: Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin. Losers: Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern. |
| WAC | 3 | 1-2 | .333 | Winner: Nevada. Losers: Boise State, Fresno State. |
| Big East | 4 | 1-3 | .250 | Winners: West Virginia. Losers: Louisville, Rutgers, South Florida. |
| Sun Belt § | 1 | 0-1 | .000 | Winner: None. Loser: Arkansas State. |
§ — Did not field enough teams for inclusion in the Bowl Challenge Cup.
Related Links
List of conference tie-ins to specific bowl games and placement order