Las Vegas Bowl Moment 18: Special teams leave mark in 20th game
November 30, 2016 - 1:16 am
To celebrate the local bowl’s 25th anniversary milestone, the Review-Journal will rank the top 25 moments in Las Vegas Bowl history. We’ll relive one moment per day until game day Dec. 17 at Sam Boyd Stadium:
No. 18: Boise State, Arizona State go long
Date: Dec. 22, 2011
Score: Boise State 56, Arizona State 24
Back story: Boise State entered the game with an 11-1 record. Its loss was to Texas Christian, and it cost the Broncos a shot at a BCS bowl and possible national championship bid. Arizona State (6-6) took the bid after losing four consecutive games, firing coach Dennis Erickson but allowing him to coach this game.
Game: The 20th Las Vegas Bowl was filled with big plays. Three scores of 98 yards or longer occurred, including Doug Martin’s opening 100-yard kickoff to give Boise State a 7-0 lead.
The Sun Devils returned the favor with a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown by Rashad Ross to start the second half. Arizona State quarterback Brock Osweiler threw an interception on a fourth-down play that was returned for a 100-yard touchdown by Jamar Taylor. Boise’s 56 points were a Las Vegas Bowl record.
Since: Boise State became the first BCS team to win 50 games in a four-year span. Osweiler is the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans. Martin, the game’s MVP, plays running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow @gmanzano24 on Twitter.