2006 Insight Bowl

NCAAFootballSingleGameHeader
Name=2006 Insight Bowl Biggest Comeback in Division I-A/FBS Bowl History


Date=December 29, 2006
Year=2006
Visitor School=Texas Tech University
Visitor Name Short=Texas Tech
Visitor Nickname=Red Raiders
Visitor Record=7-5
Visitor

Visitor Coaches=
Visitor BCS=
Visitor Coach=Mike Leach
Visitor1=0
Visitor2=7
Visitor3=7
Visitor4=24
Visitor5=6
Visitor Total=44
Home School=University of Minnesota
Home Name Short=Minnesota
Home Nickname=Golden Gophers
Home Record=6-6
Home

Home Coaches=
Home BCS=
Home Coach=Glen Mason
Home1=14
Home2=21
Home3=3
Home4=0
Home5=3
Home Total=41
Type=bg
Stadium=Sun Devil Stadium
City=Tempe, Arizona
MVP=QB Graham Harrell (Texas Tech)
CB Antonio Huffman (Texas Tech)
Attendance=48,391cite web|url=http://illinois.scout.com/a.z?s=169&p=2&c=715422 |author=Decker, John | title=INSIGHT BOWL: Five Numbers to Know |publisher=InsideIllini.com |accessmonthday=January 16 |accessyear=2008]
US Network=NFL Network
US Announcers=
Ratings=0.93 [ [http://www.insightbowl.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10250&KEY=&ATCLID=684884 PAST GAMES - InsightBowl.org—Official Web Site of the Insight Bowl ] ]

The 2006 Insight Bowl, a college football bowl game held on December 29 at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, pitted the Texas Tech Red Raiders against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. This game featured the biggest comeback in NCAA Division I FBS bowl history.cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=263630135 |title=Down 31, Texas Tech rallies for biggest bowl comeback |publisher=Associated Press via ESPN | date=December 29, 2006] The Red Raiders, after falling behind 38-7 with 7:47 remaining in the third quarter, rallied to score 31 unanswered points to send the game to overtime. The Gophers scored a field goal in overtime, but the Red Raiders responded with a touchdown to win.

The previous record bowl comeback was a 30-point comeback by Marshall against East Carolina in the 2001 GMAC Bowl.

The game was televised by the NFL Network, which as of December 31, 2006 has made the game available for free online viewing.cite web|url=http://texastech.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/123106aaa.html |title=Relive The Insight Bowl With Free Online Video |publisher=TexasTech.com |date=December 31, 2006]

First quarter

A decision by Red Raiders coach Mike Leach on their opening possession set the initial tone for the game. Tech faced a fourth-and-1 on their own 45-yard line, and Leach went for it. Quarterback Graham Harrell was stopped on a sneak, giving the ball to the Golden Gophers. Six plays later, Gophers QB Bryan Cupito connected on a 2-yard touchdown pass with tight end Jack Simmons.

The Raiders' next possession was even more disastrous for them, as Harrell was intercepted by Mike Sherels on Tech's 37 yard line. Amir Pinnix, who would run for 179 yards in the game, scored on a 2-yard run six plays later.

Tech then drove the ball inside the Gophers' 10, but Harrell fumbled on a sack and the Gophers' Steve Davis recovered on their own 13. Minnesota then went on its longest scoring drive of the season, ending with a 1-yard TD run by Justin Valentine on the first play of the second quarter.

Second quarter

The Red Raiders lost another scoring chance when cornerback Antonio Huffman, who intercepted a Cupito pass on the Gophers 20, fumbled into the end zone on the return, allowing the Gophers to recover for a touchback. The Gophers took full advantage, going on a drive that culminated in a 14-yard TD pass from Cupito to Ernie Wheelwright.

Tech finally got on the board wth 4:32 left in the quarter when Shannon Woods capped off a seven-play, 77-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run. The Gophers replied with an 81-yard drive ending in a 3-yard Cupito TD pass to Logan Payne with 32 seconds left. The first half ended with the Gophers ahead 35-7.

Third quarter

Minnesota took the opening kickoff of the second half and kept the ball for 16 plays and 7:13, ending with a 32-yard field goal by Joel Monroe.

With 7:47 remaining in the quarter, Texas Tech began its comeback on its next possession, ending when Harrell hit Joel Filani for a 43-yard TD pass with 4:58 to go in the quarter. Tech's defense forced a punt on the Gophers' next possession, and the offense went on another drive. The quarter ended with Minnesota up 38-14, but the Raiders would score on the first play of the fourth quarter on an 8-yard TD pass from Harrell to Robert Johnson.

Fourth quarter

Minnesota responded with a drive of its own inside the Tech 30, but it stalled there. In what would prove to be a critical decision, Mason decided not to try a field goal, instead going for it on fourth-and-7 from the Tech 31. Cupito was sacked, giving Tech the ball on their own 37. They proceeded to cut the score to 38-28 on a 1-yard run by Harrell.

The Gophers went three-and-out on their next possession. Danny Amendola returned the ensuing punt 40 yards, giving the Raiders good field position on their own 44. Nine plays later, Woods scored his second TD of the evening on a 1-yard run; the conversion cut the Minnesota lead to 38-35. However, the Red Raiders failed on an onside kick attempt. While they forced another three-and-out by Minnesota, they had to use their last two timeouts during the series, and the ensuing punt left the Raiders on their own 12. A false start penalty on the first play sent them back to their own 7.cite web|url=http://www.redraiders.com/stories/123106/foo_123106017.shtml |title=Tech earns memorable bowl victory |author=Williams, Don |publisher="Lubbock Avalanche-Journal" |date=2006-12-31]

From there, Harrell ran Tech's hurry-up offense to perfection, completing five of seven passes, with the receivers successful in going out of bounds to stop the clock four times. Tech also caught breaks with two 9-yard gains that caused game officials to stop the clock for measurements. The eighth play of the final drive was Alex Trlica's 52-yard field goal as time expired that sent the game to overtime.

Overtime

Minnesota got the ball first in overtime. Six plays later, Monroe gave the Gophers a 41-38 lead with a 32-yard field goal. Tech responded on its possession with a five-play sequence that ended in Woods' winning TD run, his third of the night, from three yards out.

Aftermath

Harrell, who threw for 445 yards and two TDs while also running for a TD, was chosen as the offensive MVP. Tech cornerback Antonio Huffman was defensive MVP. Other top performers for Tech included Woods (109 yards and three TDs rushing) and Filani (nine catches for 144 yards and a TD).

In addition to Pinnix, other leading performers for Minnesota included Cupito (263 yards and three TDs passing) and Simmons (seven catches for 134 yards and a TD). Simmons was filling in for the injured Matt Spaeth, the winner of the John Mackey Award as the nation's leading tight end.cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/9898433 |author=Gintonio, Jim | title=Texas Tech's offense proves game's never over |publisher=NFL.com |accessmonthday=January 1 |accessyear=2007] The Gophers set a school bowl scoring record, and Cupito tied the Minnesota career record for TD passes with 55.

Two days after his team's loss in the Insight Bowl, Minnesota head coach Glen Mason was fired. Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi did not publicly detail the reasons for the firing, but strongly hinted that the Gophers' collapse was the proverbial straw, saying "If we had not lost the way we lost, we probably wouldn't be here today."cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/512/story/908025.html |author=Scoggins, Chip|title=Gophers football coach Mason fired |publisher="Star-Tribune" (Minneapolis) |date=2006-12-31] This was the latest in a series of Minnesota second-half collapses under Mason, which also included one of the previous three biggest bowl collapses in Division I-A history.cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/512/story/907225.html|author=Scoggins, Chip|title=U Insider: Bowl loss followed history's script |publisher="Star-Tribune" |date=2006-12-31]

See also

*Houston Oilers at Buffalo Bills, 1993 Wildcard Playoff
*The Monday Night Miracle
*2001 GMAC Bowl, previously the largest comeback in bowl history
*2006 Michigan State vs. Northwestern football game (a 35-point comeback earlier in the 2006 college season)

Notes and references

External links

* [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=263630135 Recap]
* [http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?confId=5&gameId=263630135 Box score]
* [http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/boxscore?gid=200612290031&page=plays Play-by-play]
* [http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/drivechart?confId=5&gameId=263630135 Drive summary]