2004 Holiday Bowl
2004 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date | December 30, 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Season | Referee Frank White (WAC) | | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Attendance | 63,711[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Payout | US$2,086,815 per team[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2004 Holiday Bowl was the third bowl game (also the second of three in
Teams
In 2004 Cal posted a 10–1 record under head coach
The Bears entered their final game of the regular season ranked No. 4 in BCS standings and a 24-point favorite over Southern Miss. They won 26–16 in a closer than-expected game.[2] With 13 seconds left in the game and Cal with the ball at the Southern Miss 22-yard, Tedford elected to run out the clock instead of attempting to increase the margin of victory to possibly impress some voters.[3] Leading up to the game, Tedford said he had no interest to run up the score.[4]
In a controversial case, the
Texas Tech entered the game with a 7–4 overall record and a 5–3 record in the Big XII. The Red Raiders entered the game with the top-ranked passing offense in the NCAA, averaging just over 399 yards per game, and with the NCAA season leader in passing yardage, Sonny Cumbie.[13] Earlier in the season, Tech had shown its offensive prowess with a 70–10 victory over Nebraska, the most points ever given up by Nebraska in the team's history.[14]
Game summary
Cal played well at first, finishing the first quarter with a 14–7 lead. However, the Texas Tech passing assault exploded after that. In the second and third quarters, the Red Raiders outscored the Bears 31–3, going on to record the biggest upset of the bowl season. Red Raiders quarterback
Tech got on the board first with a touchdown pass from Sonny Cumbie to Jarrett Hicks, but the Bears responded with two touchdowns on runs by J.J. Arrington and Marshawn Lynch to go up 14–7 in the first quarter. The Red Raiders outscored the Bears 17–0 in the second quarter, with an Alex Trlica field goal, a touchdown run by Taurean Henderson, and another Cumbie-to-Hicks touchdown pass. Cumbie's second touchdown pass came three plays after Tech's Vincent Meeks intercepted an Aaron Rodgers pass and returned it 48 yards to California's 22-yard line. Meeks was named the Defensive MVP of the game.
In the second half, Tech took the opening kickoff and marched 85 yards in just four plays, scoring on a 60-yard catch and run by Joel Filani to make the score 31–14. Tech's Johnny Mack scored on an 11-yard run later in the third quarter as the Red Raiders took a 38–17 lead into the fourth quarter. California's Aaron Rodgers threw for one touchdown and ran for another in the fourth quarter, but Texas Tech added their final touchdown on a Taurean Henderson run that capped a 12-play drive covering 74 yards.[15]
References
- ^ a b Holiday Bowl History Archived November 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Cal hoping for first Rose Bowl in 50 years". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 4, 2004. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013.
- ^ Springer, Steve (December 5, 2004). "Cal Elects Not to Put Its Rose Pedal to the Metal". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 30, 2012.
- ^ Whiteside, Kelly (November 29, 2004). "California bears burden of making point that it's BCS-worthy". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012.
- ^ "Texas rallies past Golden Bears". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 6, 2004. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011.
- ^ a b Klemz, Patrick (January 17, 2005). "AP removes poll from BCS formula". The Badger Herald. Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011.
- ^ "Paper protests Texas' lobbying for BCS bowl". ESPN.com. December 10, 2004. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012.
- ^ a b Tafur, Vittorio (December 7, 2004). "Texas Talks a Better Game Than Cal Plays". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022.
- ^ Mandel, Stewart (December 7, 2004). "The real problem with the Rose decision". SI.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010.
- ^ Whiteside, Kelly (December 5, 2004). "Nothing coming up roses for Cal". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 1, 2010.
- ^ Dufrense, Chris (December 9, 2004). "Final Word on BCS: Enough". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016.
- ^ "Commissioner wants vote to be public". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 7, 2004. Archived from the original on December 8, 2011.
- ^ "2004 College Football Team Total Offense Stats".
- ^ "Nebraska vs. Texas Tech - Game Recap - October 9, 2004 - ESPN".
- ^ "Red Raiders quash Golden Bears' snub talk". Retrieved December 12, 2012.