1995 Sugar Bowl (December)
The 1995 Sugar Bowl was the 62nd edition of the post-season American college football Sugar Bowl bowl game. It featured the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Texas Longhorns and was held at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on December 31, 1995. The game was the final contest of the 1995 NCAA Division I-A football season for both teams, and ended in a 28–10 victory for Virginia Tech.
In 1995, the Sugar Bowl was held under the rules of the Bowl Alliance. The Alliance, predecessor to the modern Bowl Championship Series, was intended to match the champions of the Southeastern Conference, Big East Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12, Southwest Conference, and one at-large team against each other in the Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl. Each year, the two highest-ranked teams would play in a National Championship Game held in place of one of the bowl games. The site of the national championship game rotated among the three bowl games, as did the date of each game. Following the 1995 college football season, the Sugar Bowl was designated for December 31, marking the first time two Sugar Bowls would be held in the same calendar year.
Virginia Tech was selected to play in the 1995 Sugar Bowl by virtue of winning the Big East football championship. The Hokies, who finished 9–2 during the regular season, actually were co-Big East champions. The University of Miami, which tied the Hokies, was ineligible for post-season play due to sanctions imposed as a result of recruiting rules violations. The Hokies played the University of Texas, which finished 10–1–1 during the regular season en route to becoming Southwest Conference champions. The Southwest Conference was scheduled to disband after the football season, but its champion was guaranteed one of the at-large spots in the Bowl Alliance.
The game was marred by the revelation that a Texas player had been competing under an assumed name. Other off-the-field incidents also took place prior to the game. Because the game was Virginia Tech's first trip to a major bowl game, ticket sales were brisk. Texas took an early lead in the competition and led 10–7 at halftime, but Virginia Tech's defense shut out Texas' offense in the second half and Tech scored 21 unanswered points. In recognition of his achievements in the game, Virginia Tech wide receiver Bryan Still was named the game's most valuable player.
Read more about 1995 Sugar Bowl (December): Team Selection, Pregame Buildup, Game Summary, Statistical Summary, Postgame Effects
Famous quotes containing the words sugar and/or bowl:
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—Melinda M. Marshall (20th century)
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—Bill Bryson (b. 1951)