2005 – 06 NCAA football bowl games The 2005 - 06 NCAA college football bowl season was a series of 28 post - season games ( including the Bowl Championship Series ) that was played in December 2005 and January 2006 for Division I - A football teams and all - stars from Divisions I - AA , II , and III , as well as from the NAIA . The post - season began with the New Orleans Bowl on December 20 , 2005 , and concluded with the Senior Bowl , played on January 28 , 2006 . Minor ( Non - BCS ) 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 — had two teams in the BCS ( Penn State as the conference champion , and Ohio State meeting Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl January 2 ) . The biggest beneficiary this year was the ACC , which replaced the SEC at the Music City Bowl ( Virginia ) and the Pac - 10 ( Georgia Tech ) at the Emerald 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 had remained constant for three years , the NCAA approved three additional bowl games to be played in 2006 - 07 , the most notable in Toronto , Ontario , called the International Bowl , which became the first post - season college football game to be held outside the USA since the Bacardi Bowl in Cuba ( last played in 1937 ) ; the Hawaii Bowl is the only current game played outside the contiguous 48 states . In addition , two additional games - the Papajohns . com Bowl in Birmingham , Alabama and the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque , New Mexico were added , and two additional at - large bowl spots opened in the Bowl Championship Series , which added a fifth game , a stand - alone national championship game . These moves , along with the addition of a permanent 12 - game regular season schedule , aimed at ameliorating the surplus of bowl - eligible teams experienced in recent years , allowing more teams with winning records to partake in season - ending football trips . The eight teams with winning records that did not get bowl bids were Louisiana Tech ( 7 - 4 ) from the WAC , MAC teams Miami ( Ohio ) ( 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 ( 6 - 5 ) . Four teams made their Division I - A bowl debuts — ( Sun Belt , New Orleans Bowl at Lafayette ) , South Florida ( Big East , ) , Central Florida ( C - USA , ) and Akron ( MAC , ) . Akron , notably , had been the only bowl - eligible team willing to accept an invitation to be left out of the 2004 bowl games . However , none of the teams benefitted from " beginner ' s luck " , as each lost its game . Participants in non - BCS 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 the Sun Belt Conference champion Arkansas State , 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 Miners 45 - 13 . In his last game for the Rockets , 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 Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium , located about eight miles from the campus of the University of Nevada , Las Vegas in Whitney , 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 Emerald Bowl at SBC Park ( now known as AT & T 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 Emerald Bowl is now known as the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl and is sponsored by Kraft Foods Group , Inc . The inaugural Poinsettia Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego , California was also played on December 22 when independent Navy beat the Mountain West ' s Colorado State , 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 . Running back Jon Cornish paced the Jayhawks with 101 rushing yards on just 16 carries , while the defense pressured Cougars quarterback Kevin Kolb into three interceptions , also sacking him twice . After this season , the Bowl got a new sponsor in Bell Helicopters as well as a new name in the " Armed Forces Bowl " , and started to invite a MWC teams to challenge the C - USA team as part of a rotation with the Pac 10 . The Hawaii Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu , Hawaii was played on December 24 , 2005 . For the first time since the game was first contested in 2002 , the Hawaii 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 , beat C - USA ' s Central Florida , 49 - 48 , as Golden Knights kicker Matt Prater missed an extra point in overtime , sealing a defeat for UCF , who was playing in its first ever bowl game , having gone winless as recently as 2004 . Each team gained over 550 yards , and each had three players average better than five yards per carry ; freshman running back Kevin Smith led the Golden Knights with 202 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries , while running backs B . J . Mitchell and Robert Hubbard combined to gain 304 yards on 38 carries , also adding five touchdowns . 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 Division I - A 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 , the first of two games played at Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando , Florida , was contested on December 27 , 2005 . ACC representative Clemson scored with less than two minutes remaining to ensure a 19 - 10 win against 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 . Starting in 2006 , a Big Ten team was invited to take the place of the Big 12 . The Insight Bowl at Chase Field , home to Major League Baseball ' s Arizona Diamondbacks , in Phoenix , Arizona , was played as well on December 27 . 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 at the time . Beginning next season , the Big Ten and Big 12 would 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 would 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 less than four minutes to play in the game , but Boise State ' s last drive from midfield with less than 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 Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio , Texas was the second game played on December 28 . 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 , and much of the blame for the confusion was later assessed to the officials , who were provided by the Sun Belt Conference . It also brought to mind the 2002 Kentucky - LSU game as Nebraska players gave their coach the Gatorade dunk before the final play had ended . 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 Michigan , 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 and unranked in both polls . The Cornhuskers finished 24th in the writer ' s and coach ' s polls with a record of 8 - 4 . The Music City Bowl 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 eligibility , 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 less than 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 less than 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 three - yard line to record the final field goal and break the tie . Cupito 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 Sun Bowl at the eponymous stadium in El Paso , Texas was the second game of four that were played on December 30 , and matched Big Ten ( Northwestern ) and Pac - 10 ( UCLA ) teams for the only time this bowl season ; the Bruins upended 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 ( two of which were returned by the Wildcats for touchdowns ) , 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 back up 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 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 . North Carolina 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 less than 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 less than 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 Liberty Bowl at the Memorial Stadium which bears its name in Memphis , Tennessee was the second game played on December 31 . 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 ( and former WAC rival ) 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 games that were contested on New Year ' s Eve was the Houston Bowl at Reliant Stadium in Houston , Texas . Mountain West champion Texas Christian , 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 Meyer , 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 Meyer to tight end Ben Barkema , gave the Cyclones a three - point lead . After the teams exchanged punts , Meyer turned the ball over again , fumbling to David Roach , and Ballard , who completed 21 of his 33 passes for 275 yards , playing similarly to Meyer 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 ( eayer 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 . The game was also the last under the " Houston Bowl " banner ; after the season , the marketing arm of the Houston Texans , Lone Star Sports and Entertainment , took over the game and renamed it the Texas Bowl . 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 , which fell on a Monday . These games are generally considered to be the more important of the non - BCS bowls , with half — the AT & T Cotton Bowl Classic , 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 paid the lowest purse of the sextet , which , at $ 1 . 6 million still more than doubled the $ 750 , 000 purse standard for most non - New Year ' s Day bowls , while the Capital One Bowl handed out the largest non - BCS purse at roughly $ 5 , 312 , 000 . The 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 Sooners defeating the Pac - 10 ' s Oregon Ducks , 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 . Holiday Bowl . On July 11 , 2007 , following an investigation into the use of two players being used in a fake job scandal by Sooner boosters , the NCAA announced that the game , along with eight victories from the 2005 regular season would be stricken from the record books . However , the NCAA reversed its field on February 22 , 2008 , and restored all eight forfeited wins to the record books , including the Holiday Bowl . Since bowl games are not sanctioned by the NCAA , Oklahoma was allowed to keep their payout . The 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 , the first game of three in the span of four days at the facility , and matched the ACC ' s Miami ( Florida ) , who were the defending champions of this game , 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 . Peach Bowl . 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 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 " ( the game was renamed the " Chick - fil - A Bowl " after the season ) , 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 a 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 ( his third straight bowl victory in a row ; the first two coming in the 2003 Liberty Bowl and the 2005 Fiesta Bowl with Utah ) 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 less than 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 . Iowa recovered an onside kick , but an Iowa player was ruled to have been offsides by the officials assigned by Conference USA for the game . Television replays would later show that no Iowa player was offsides , to the considerable dismay of Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz . Florida recovered the ensuing retry 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 Cotton Bowl Classic , played at the eponymous stadium in Dallas , Texas as the second of the six contests on January 2 , 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 . He eventually hit 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 Classic appearance since 1982 . The walk - off 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 . Cotton Bowl Classic . In a humorous moment following the game at a press conference , Mike Shula , Alabama ' s coach , fell off the platform where he was sitting on , then got back up and stated " I hope that ESPN didn ' t film that . " Too late for him , they showed that on " SportsCenter " that night . The third of the six traditional New Year ' s Day contests played on January 2 , 2006 was the 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 four weeks earlier 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 . After the game , video showed Vick , ostensibly intentionally , stepping on the leg of Louisville defensive end Elvis Dumervil ; though none of the Big 12 officiating crew saw the play as it happened , the head referee , upon seeing a replay of the play , indicated that he would have ejected Vick had he seen the play . On January 6 , Hokies coach Frank Beamer announced that Vick had been dismissed from the team ; Vick later announced that , in lieu of transferring to another Division I - A school , after which he would have had to sit out one year , or to a Division I - AA , II , or III school , whereupon he could play immediately , he would forgo his senior season , declaring his eligibility for the 2006 NFL Draft . 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 game , 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 Brian 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 assumed head coaching duties in 2006 , and led them back to the game . Bowl Championship Series games . The purse for each BCS game was $ 14 , 998 , 000 . The first BCS Game , the 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 University 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 - champion , tied the game just three minutes later as junior quarterback Troy Smith hit speedy sophomore Ted Ginn Jr . , 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 each of the six BCS conferences received an extra $ 1 . 7 million to be shared amongst their teams . Notre Dame , as an independent school without conference affiliation , kept its entire payout . The following season ' s game , along with the new stand - alone BCS title game , was moved to the new University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale , Arizona . The Sugar Bowl , the second BCS bowl , and the final game of six played on January 2 , 2006 , was contested at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta , Georgia , having been , like the New Orleans Bowl , displaced from the Louisiana Superdome by Hurricane Katrina . West Virginia , representing the Big East as conference champion , upset Georgia , the winner of the SEC championship game , 38 - 35 . Georgia was looking for its third straight win in Atlanta in as many appearances , having won its last regular season game ( against rival Georgia Tech on the Tech campus ) and the SEC championship game ( over LSU ) at the Georgia Dome , located near the Bulldogs ' Athens , Georgia campus , 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 Chick - fil - A Peach Bowl was held on December 30 , and an NFL contest between the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons was played on January 1 , which the Panthers won 44 - 11 . The game returned to New Orleans in 2007 . The third BCS game , the Orange Bowl , was played at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens , 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 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 , at 79 the oldest coach in Division I - A and with 354 victories the second - winningest ; Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden , at the age of 76 , failed to add to his current Division I - A record of 359 victories ( 19 in bowls ) . Each coach was older than the game itself ; this was the 72nd Orange Bowl held . 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 — 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 , ending a game that lasted until 12 : 59 AM US EST , prompting Paterno to query an Orange Bowl official at the trophy ceremony , " How long were we here , three months ? " The win evened Paterno ’ s record against Bowden ; the two had tied once and Bowden ’ s Seminoles defeated Paterno ’ s Nittany Lions in the inaugural Blockbuster Bowl in 1990 , which was played in then - Joe Robbie Stadium . 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 ; after having been taken for x - rays , however , Posluszny returned to the sidelines to motivate his team . The Nittany Lions finished third in the final writers ( AP ) and coaches ' ( USA Today ) polls . The Rose Bowl Game , serving as the final game and national championship of the BCS series , was played on January 4 , 2006 , at the eponymous stadium in Pasadena , California , matching the two remaining unbeaten Division I - A squads , Big 12 champion Texas and defending national champion and Pac - 10 titleholder Southern California , and saw a back - and - forth contest ultimately won by the Longhorns , 41 - 38 . Southern California entered the game with a 34 - game winning streak , the longest active streak in Division I - A , as they also were going for an unprecedented third consecutive AP national championship . ; Texas brought the second - longest active streak , having won 19 straight games , and also entered as Rose Bowl defending champion , having defeated Michigan in 2005 . The game also featured 2004 Heisman Trophy - winning Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart and 2005 Heisman Trophy - winning Trojans running back Reggie Bush , as well as Longhorns quarterback Vince Young , who had finished second to Bush just weeks before the game , and was the first to have matched teams ranked first and second in every iteration of the BCS standings . The game often referred to as The Granddaddy of Them All took on extra significance , then , and in the weeks preceding the contest was widely referred to by analysts as " the greatest championship game ever " , given both the talent of each team and the expected competitiveness of the game . Non - All - Star Game Bowl Summary . Conference standings . The list of conferences infra includes all conferences with at least one team having played in a bowl game ( minor , non - BCS New Year ' s Day , or BCS ) , and is sorted first by winning percentage , then by total games won , and finally alphabetically , by conference name . The conferences with the highest winning percentage received the Bowl Challenge Cup , sponsored by ESPN and Cooper Tires . Conferences must have had a minimum of three bowl teams to be eligible . With Texas ' win in the Rose Bowl Game , the Big 12 and the ACC shared the title for 2005 - 06 , in the first instance of a shared title in the promotion ' s brief history . Had Southern California defeated Texas , the Pac - 10 would have finished with a 4 - 1 record and been the sole winner of the trophy . Final Standings § — " Did not field enough teams for inclusion in the Bowl Challenge Cup . " All - Bowl Teams . Both CBSSportsline . com and ESPN . com compiled an all - bowl team after the completion of the minor , non - BCS New Year ' s Day , and BCS bowls , determining the top bowl performances by position . The chart infra gives the lists by position , with each player ' s school in parentheses ; where ESPN . com has chosen the same player as CBSSportsline . com , only the last name is given in the second entry . Top Individual Bowl Performances . The charts infra provide the top ten individual performances in each of three offensive categories from amongst all bowl game performances . Each chart is ordered by yards gained and each player ' s team is given in parentheses . Rushing ( all players played primarily at running back unless otherwise noted ) Passing Receiving ( all players played primarily at wide receiver ) Top Team Bowl Performances . The charts provide the top five ( and ties ) team performances in each of two offensive and defensive categories . Total offense and defense charts are ordered by yards gained and surrendered , respectively ; scoring offense and defense charts are ordered by points scored and surrendered , respectively . " Scoring offense " and " scoring defense " points totals include points all points scored by a team , not solely those scored by the respective units . Total Offense ( each performance was in a winning effort , unless otherwise noted ) Total Defense ( each performance was in a winning effort ) Scoring Offense ( each performance was in a winning performance , unless otherwise noted ) Scoring Defense ( each performance was in a winning performance ) All - Star Games . The demise of the Blue - Gray Football Classic two years ago and the cancellation of the Gridiron Classic due to lack of sponsorship this year gave rise to one new game this year ( the Magnolia Gridiron All - Star Classic ) , bringing to five the number of post - season all - star games , each of which is now designed primarily to showcase draft - eligible players for NFL scouts , coaches , and general managers in order that players might be drafted into the professional ranks ; each game , to that end , offers its own assortment of scouting sessions , open workouts , and individual practices to provide more opportunities during which NFL personnel might evaluate players . The games do serve ancillary purposes as well , though , as , for example , the Shrine game operates as a charitable fundraiser and the Hula Bowl sometimes provides the opportunity for Japanese players from the Kansai Football Association to test their mettle against NCAA stars . The inaugural Magnolia Gridiron All - Star Classic was played at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium 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 and coached by Kentucky offensive coordinator Joker Phillips , defeated the Red team , an all - star team of Division I - AA , Division II , and Division III schools coached by head coach Scott Stoker , 17 - 9 . Each team punted to open the game , and with 3 : 24 remaining in the first quarter , Eastern Michigan quarterback Matt Bohnet , who completed each of the three passes he attempted on the day , connected with wide receiver Bill Sampy for a 41 - yard touchdown , which , in a game of inconsistent offenses that saw the teams combine for just 18 first downs while allowing five sacks , six pass deflections , and three turnovers , stood as the only score of the game until behind Southern Miss quarterback Dustin Almond , off a two - touchdown performance in the New Orleans Bowl at Lafayette , the team drove to the Red 5 - yard line before settling for a field goal to give White a 10 - point lead with 2 : 05 to play in the first half . Behind quarterback Blayne Baggett , Red engineered a drive of its own , ultimately scoring on a one - yard touchdown scamper by Baggett as time in the first half expired . Led by quarterback Steven Jyles , who finished the game having passed for 80 yards and having rushed for 31 more , White scored just 2 : 39 into the second half , as Jyles threw seven yards to Texas A & M tight end Boone Stutz from seven yards , giving his team a 17 - 7 lead . An end - zone sack of Jyles by Appalachian State defensive end Justin Hunter scored a safety for Red , but , even as running back Keldrick Williams ran for 67 yards on just eight carries for Red , neither team could manage a score over the game ' s last 21 : 18 as White hung on to win by eight . The Las Vegas All - American Classic at the University of Nevada , Las Vegas ' s Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney , Nevada , was played on January 14 , 2006 , as a team of Division I - A and I - AA and NAIA all - stars from schools located east of the Mississippi River defeated a similarly constituted team from schools located west of the Mississippi for the first time in three years , 41 - 3 . Miami ( Florida ) fullback Quadtrine Hill scored two of the East ' s first three touchdowns ( on which two extra points were missed ) , one a rush and one a reception from Central Michigan quarterback Kent Smith , as the East took a 19 - 3 lead midway through the second quarter ; between Hill ' s scores was a touchdown reception by wide receiver Tyler Emmert , on a pass thrown by quarterback Daniel Rumley . An inconsistent offensive performance by the West and a taut defensive showing by the East held the West scoreless for the remainder of the game ; the West team ultimately gained only 102 yards for the game . Tulane safety Tra Boger extended the East lead to 23 points in the third quarter , as he returned an interception thrown by Brett Elliott , a backup quarterback at Utah , 40 yards for a touchdown . Florida State running back James Coleman scored for the East in the third quarter , and , after successfully converting a two - point attempt , the East team took a 34 - 3 lead into the fourth quarter . Drives by each team stalled repeatedly in the second half , and the East ' s final touchdown came again on defense , as Boger returned a fumble 24 yards for a touchdown . Overall , each offense was inconsistent , and the teams combined for just 391 yards , only 157 of that on the ground . In total , 14 players whose teams appeared in bowl games participated for the East ( four were supplied by Miami [ Florida ] , from which the most East players came ) ; the number was 16 for the West team , for whom the principal supplier was Iowa State ( three players ) . The East - West Shrine Game at the Alamodome in San Antonio , Texas , the titlular sponsor ' s home city , was the first of two all - star games contested on January 21 , 2006 and saw the West team , made up of players from Division I - A and I - AA colleges and universities west of the Mississippi River , stage a fourth - quarter comeback to defeat the East team , composed of players from schools east of the Mississippi , 35 - 31 . In the first Shrine Game played in San Antonio — the previous eighty editions had been held in stadia in the San Francisco Bay Area — the East scored just 2 : 12 into the game , as Arkansas running back De ' Arrius Howard , who would lead all rushers in the game in accumulating 61 yards on 15 carries , scored on seven - yard run ; the body of the drive was a 66 - yard reception by Auburn tight end Cooper Wallace , who , with just one catch , would nevertheless finish the game as the East ' s second leading - receiver . Each team punted after a stalled drive before the West , behind Texas A & M quarterback Reggie McNeal , drove 78 yards , ultimately scoring on a one - yard touchdown pass from McNeal to Oregon tight end Tim Day . McNeal , playing just four series in the game , would finish as the West ' s leading passer and runner , having accumulated the bulk of his 32 rushing yards during the West ' s first scoring drive . The West would score twice in a span of four - and - one - half minutes in the early stages of the second quarter , as Texas Tech running back Taurean Henderson , who ran for 32 yards on seven carries over the game , ran for a two - yard touchdown and Texas tight end David Thomas caught a 20 - yard scoring toss from UCLA quarterback Drew Olson , who completed five of eight passes for 67 yards for the game ; two more successful extra points by kicker Jonathan Scifres would give the West a 21 - 7 lead . The East team answered immediately , as Toledo quarterback Bruce Gradkowski , who was his team ' s leading passer , having at game ' s end completed 8 of 16 passes for 109 yards , led a four - minute drive that was capped by his 10 - yard touchdown throw to tight end Marques Colston ; neither team managed to score again before halftime and the West team took a 21 - 14 lead into the locker room . Receiving the kickoff to open the third quarter , the East team scored quickly , as Howard found the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the day , this from three yards , with just 2 : 11 having elapsed in the second half ; East was quarerbacked on the drive by Northwestern ' s Brett Basanez , who completed just six of 13 passes for 89 yards on the day . After the teams exchanged punts , the East finally retook the lead with 2 : 18 to play in the third quarter on a 47 - yard field goal by Ohio State kicker Josh Huston , who would score seven points on the day . With Fresno State quarterback Paul Pinegar under center , the West was able to muster little offensively in the early fourth quarter , and Pinegar finished the day having completed just 3 of 9 passes for 50 yards and having thrown one interception . With 8 : 13 remaining in the game , Howard scored his third touchdown of the day , this from 11 yards , on a drive keyed by the running of Florida State running back Leon Washington , who , in the game , carried nine times for 44 yards and caught six passes for 26 yards , and the Huston extra point gave the East a ten - point lead . McNeal reentered the game for the West and sparked a comeback , hitting fellow Aggie wide receiver Jason Carter for 66 of Carter ' s 85 receiving yards before handing off to New Mexico running back DonTrell Moore , who scored on a 10 - yard rush to cut the East lead to 31 - 28 with just under seven minutes to play in the game . The ensuing East drive stalled , and McNeal engineered another scoring drive , connecting first with Brigham Young receiver Todd Watkins for 46 yards for Watkins ' only catch of the day , and then hitting Oregon State wide receiver Mike Hass for a 23 - yard touchdown with 2 : 00 to play in the game , giving the West a 35 - 31 lead ; Hass was the game ' s leading receiver , catching four passes for 107 yards . quarterback Tarvaris Jackson led the East on the ensuing drive , notably hitting Western Michigan wide receiver Greg Jennings for a key first down , and , with one second left , connected with Colston , who caught five passes for 82 yards for the game , for a gain to the West one - yard line ; the final play of the game was a handoff to Howard , but this time the West defense held and Howard was stopped short of the goal line as the West preserved the win . Though the West committed two turnovers ( Pinegar ' s interception and a fumble ) and the East none , the East also committed errors , being flagged for 11 penalties totaling 110 yards by the National Football League referees who officiated the game . McNeal ' s Texas A & M head coach , Dennis Franchione , led the West team in victory , while Arkansas ' Houston Nutt coached the East team . Each team , in keeping with Shrine Game tradition , fielded one player from a Canadian college or university ; for the East , wide receiver Andy Fantuz caught one pass for 11 yards , while , for the West , defensive tackle Daniel Federkiel registered a tackle . Organizers expressed disappointment in the game ' s crowd ; the move to Texas had been made , in part , because attendance was declining in San Francisco , but the game drew but 18 , 533 fans , the fewest for any Shrine Game in 79 years . The Hula Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu , Hawai ' i , was the second all - star game played on January 21 , 2006 ; in the first Hula Bowl played in Honolulu in eight years — the game was played on Maui from 1998 to 2005 — the East squad , composed of all - stars from schools east of the Mississippi , overcame two late turnovers to defeat the West squad , featuring players from schools west of the Mississippi , 10 - 7 ; each team , though primarily consisting of Division I - A players , also included players from schools in Divisions I - AA , II , and III . Each team scored in the first 7 : 15 of the first quarter before each team tightened defensively to allow only one combined score over the rest of the game . Missouri quarterback Brad Smith started the scoring with a 15 - yard touchdown run just over three - and - one - half minutes into the game ; the East defense largely contained Smith on the West ' s first three drives , though , as he ran seven other times for minus - 19 yards and completed only 4 of 12 passes for 58 yards , twice finding the top West wide receiver , Air Force ' s Jason Brown for a total of 40 yards . Behind Miami ( Ohio ) quarterback Josh Betts , who led all quarterbacks in the game in completing 7 of 15 passes for 106 yards , the East team drove to the West 19 - yard line on the ensuing drive before the offense stalled and settled for a 36 - yard field goal by Notre Dame kicker D . J . Fitzpatrick . Working at quarterback for the West , Barrick Nealy , who would complete only one of nine pass attempts in the game , that for minus - nine yards , threw an interception caught by Iowa State free safety Steve Paris , and , working on a short field , the East took the lead for good early in the second quarter when quarterback Brett Elliott , who would finish the day having completed four of eight passes for 53 yards , connected with Central Florida receiver Brandon Marshall on a 10 - yard scoring pass ; Marshall , who would finish as the game ' s leading receiver , catching five passes for 101 yards , was voted game most valuable player by the assembled media , notching his second MVP award in Hawai ' i during the bowl season , having previously been voted co - MVP in Central Florida ' s Sheraton Hawai ' i Bowl loss . The Fitzpatrick extra point gave the East a three - point lead , and the cushion would stand as each team struggled offensively during the remainder of the game ; the West would lose a fumble for its second turnover of the day , and the East would give away possession three times , with Elliot ' s and Betts ' each throwing an interception . Each team did had some success on the ground early in the second half , as Georgia Tech ' s P . J . Daniels and Bowling Green ' s P . J . Pope carried 18 times in the game for a combined 77 yards , and as a trimuverate of ' Patrick Cobbs , Utah ' s Quinton Ganther , and Nealy rushed for 76 yards over 20 carries ; nonetheless , each defense also forced several negative rushing plays , and for the day the East averaged only 3 . 5 yards per carry , bettering West ' s 2 . 3 average . Passing production was no better , and , on the day , the five quarterbacks combined to complete just 16 of 45 passes for zero touchdowns and three interceptions ; the teams further combined for just 27 total first downs and 406 yards . The West , though , had two opportunities late in the game to tie the score or take the lead , as Iowa cornerback Jovon Johnson returned an interception to the 21 - yard line and as Missouri cornerback Marcus King intercepted a pass near midfield ; the East sacked Smith for a 15 - yard loss on third down after the Johnson interception , taking the West out of field goal range , and , after the King interception , forced a Smith fumble to seal the game . Though Marshall was selected as game MVP by the media , each coaching staff also gave an award ; for the West , head coach Tyrone Willingham , representing Washington , and assistants Dick Tomey ( San Jose State ) , Chuck Martin ( ) , and Bob Berezowitz ( ) , selected Smith , who scored the only touchdown of the game for the West , while , for the East , head coach Tommy Tuberville ( Auburn ) and assistants Skip Holtz ( East Carolina ) , Scot Dapp ( ) , and Jerry Moore ( Appalachian State ) selected defensive end Brent Hawkins , who recorded a sack and forced fumble and several quarterback pressures . The Senior Bowl , whose presenting sponsor was a local grocery chain , concluded the college football season at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile , Alabama , on January 28 , 2006 . The game , played in a North - versus - South format reminiscent of the defunct Blue - Gray Classic and governed by NFL rules and officials in order best to approximate how prospective professionals would play in NFL situations , saw the South team lose an early lead and , following three turnovers , ultimately fall , 31 - 14 . The North team drove the length of the field on its first possession , but Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler , who completed just 6 of 19 passes on the day for only 69 yards , threw an interception to Texas cornerback Cedric Griffin . The South capitalized on the turnover , and just 8 : 24 into the game , Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle , who was his team ' s leading passer , completing 6 of 11 passes for 77 yards , found Miami ( Florida ) wide receiver Sinorice Moss for a 30 - yard touchdown ; Moss would finish the day as the South ' s leading receiver , having caught three passes for 45 yards , and as the team ' s second - leading rusher , carrying just once but for 27 yards . Moss , for his efforts , which also included a fumble recovery , was named the game ' s overall most valuable player . The North answered just four - and - a - half minutes later , as Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst , who would be named his team ' s offensive MVP after finishing the day having completed 7 of 9 passes for 90 yards , connected with Colorado tight end Joe Klopfenstein from 15 yards for a touchdown ; Klopfenstein ' s three catches and 39 receiving yards on the day would place him second among all North receivers . The teams exchanged possessions and , early in the second quarter , the South defense forced a punt from the North ; the ball was bobbled , though , and Nebraska safety Daniel Bullocks fell on the ball in the end zone for a touchdown , putting his team up 14 - 7 ; Bullocks later recovered another muffed punt . Powered by the rushing of Washington State running back Jerome Harrison , who gained 51 yards on 11 carries for the game , the North team drove to the South 11 - yard line with just under four minutes remaining in the first half before the South defense tightened and forced a field goal try ; Wyoming kicker Deric Yaussi was successful from 28 yards , giving his North team a 17 - 7 halftime lead . The North team controlled the ball for much of the third quarter , contributing to their 12 : 34 advantage in time - of - possession over the game , and several running backs accumulated key yards for the squad . Oregon ' s Terrence Whitehead ( six carries for 32 yards ) , Arizona ' s Mike Bell ( five for 20 ) , Colorado ' s Lawrence Vickers ( four for 19 ) , and Virginia Tech ' s Cedric Humes ( five for 19 ) helped the North team total 200 yards rushing on the day , and with 4 : 49 remaining in the quarter , Humes scored on a one - yard rush to put the North up 17 points . Directing the North in the third quarter was Penn State dual - threat quarterback Michael Robinson , who completed only one pass in the game but ran nine times for 63 yards , outgaining each of the North ' s running backs . The North defense continued to stymie the South offense for much of the second half , holding Georgia quarterback D . J . Shockley and Alabama - Birmingham quarterback Darrell Hackney to a combined 5 - for - 13 passing for just 55 yards , sacking the two twice , and forcing a Shockley interception . Nevertheless , thanks to the play of Memphis running back DeAngelo Williams , who was named the South ' s offensive MVP , carrying thrice for 31 yards and catching two passes for 28 more , the South assembled a successful drive late in the third quarter , and , just 44 seconds into the fourth quarter , Hackney completed a 17 - yard scoring pass to Auburn wide receiver Devin Aromashodu , cutting the South ' s deficit to 10 . Another successful defensive stand by the South was negated when Bullocks recovered his second muffed punt of the day , setting up Cutler ' s seven - yard touchdown toss to Arizona State wide receiver Derek Hagan , who caught three passes for 25 yards on the day ; Yaussi ' s successful extra point attempt — the seventh point he would score on the day — returned the North advantage to 17 , where it would stay . The South ' s offensive efforts were hampered by the team ' s inability to rush the ball consistently ; Mississippi State running back Jerrious Norwood , Louisiana State running back Joseph Addai , and South Florida running back Andre Hall gained just 11 yards over their seven carries . Providing receiving help for the South were California - Los Angeles tight end Dominique Byrd , who led all receivers with four catches for 67 yards , and Michigan wide receiver Jason Avant , who added two catches for 23 yards ; for the North , Auburn wide receiver Ben Obomanu , North Carolina State tight end T . J . Williams , and New Mexico wide receiver Hank Bassett each added a reception and at least 13 yards . For his role in holding the South to 179 total yards , Penn State defensive end Tamba Hali , who recorded two sacks , was named the defensive MVP for the North ; for the South , the defensive MVP was Georgia Tech linebacker Gerris Wilkinson , who recorded a sack and four tackles . The victorious North squad was coached by the staff of the Tennessee Titans , led by Jeff Fisher , while the South team was coached by the San Francisco 49ers ' staff , headed by Mike Nolan . Related links . List of conference tie - ins to specific bowl games and placement order