Game Summary
Cal played well at first, finishing the first quarter with a 14–7 lead. However, the Texas Tech passing assault exploded after that. In the second and third quarters, the Red Raiders outscored the Bears 31-3, going on to record the biggest upset of the bowl season. Red Raiders quarterback Sonny Cumbie torched the Bears defense for 520 passing yards, going 40-for-60 with three touchdowns and no interceptions. The brightest spot for Cal was running back J.J. Arrington, who ran for 173 yards and a touchdown, making him only the third Pac-10 running back to reach 2,000 yards rushing in a season.
Tech got on the board first with a touchdown pass from Sonny Cumbie to Jarrett Hicks, but the Bears responded with two touchdowns on runs by J.J. Arrington and Marshawn Lynch to go up 14-7 in the first quarter. The Red Raiders outscored the Bears 17-0 in the second quarter, with an Alex Trlica field goal, a touchdown run by Taurean Henderson, and another Cumbie-to-Hicks touchdown pass. Cumbie's second touchdown pass came three plays after Tech's Vincent Meeks intercepted an Aaron Rodgers pass and returned it 48 yards to California's 22-yard line. Meeks was named the Defensive MVP of the game.
In the second half, Tech took the opening kickoff and marched 85 yards in just four plays, scoring on a 60-yard catch and run by Joel Filani to make the score 31-14. Tech's Johnny Mack scored on an 11-yard run later in the third quarter as the Red Raiders took a 38-17 lead into the fourth quarter. California's Aaron Rodgers threw for one touchdown and ran for another in the fourth quarter, but Texas Tech added their final touchdown on a Taurean Henderson run that capped a 12-play drive covering 74 yards.
Read more about this topic: 2004 Holiday Bowl
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