2006 Insight Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Insight Bowl logo | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Date | December 29, 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Season | 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Stadium | Sun Devil Stadium | |||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Tempe, Arizona | |||||||||||||||||||||
MVP | QB Graham Harrell (Texas Tech) CB Antonio Huffman (Texas Tech) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Referee | Ron Cherry (ACC) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Attendance | 48,391 [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||
United States TV coverage | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Network | NFL Network | |||||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | Derrin Horton, Dick Vermeil and Alex Flanagan | |||||||||||||||||||||
Nielsen ratings | 0.93 [2] | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 is tied for the biggest comeback in NCAA Division I FBS bowl history. [3] 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 other record bowl comeback was a 31-point comeback by TCU against Oregon in the January 2016 Alamo Bowl.
The game was televised by the NFL Network, which as of December 31, 2006 has made the game available free for online viewing. [4]
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 touchdown run by Justin Valentine on the first play of the 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 touchdown pass from Cupito to Ernie Wheelwright.
Tech finally got on the board with 4:32 left in the quarter when Shannon Woods capped off a seven-play, 77-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. The Gophers replied with an 81-yard drive ending in a 3-yard Cupito touchdown pass to Logan Payne with 32 seconds left. The first half ended with the Gophers ahead 35–7.
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 touchdown 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.
The Raiders scored on the first play of the fourth quarter on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Harrell to Robert Johnson to make it 38-21 with 14:56 left on the clock.
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 touchdown 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. [5]
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. [5] The eighth play of the final drive was Alex Trlica's 52-yard field goal as time expired that sent the game to 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 touchdown run, his third of the night, from three yards out.
Harrell, who threw for 445 yards and two touchdowns while also running for a touchdown, was chosen as the offensive MVP. Tech cornerback Antonio Huffman was defensive MVP. Other top performers for Tech included Woods (109 yards and three touchdowns rushing) and Filani (nine catches for 144 yards and a touchdown).
In addition to Pinnix, other leading performers for Minnesota included Cupito (263 yards and three touchdowns passing) and Simmons (seven catches for 134 yards and a touchdown). Simmons was filling in for the injured Matt Spaeth, the winner of the John Mackey Award as the nation's leading tight end. [6] The Gophers set a school bowl scoring record, and Cupito tied the Minnesota career record for touchdown 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 last straw, saying "If we had not lost the way we lost, we probably wouldn't be here today." [7] 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. [8]
The National Football League playoffs for the 2000 season began on December 30, 2000. The postseason tournament concluded with the Baltimore Ravens defeating the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, 34–7, on January 28, 2001, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
The National Football League playoffs for the 1977 season began on December 24, 1977. The postseason tournament concluded with the Dallas Cowboys defeating the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII, 27–10, on January 15, 1978, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The 2005–06 NCAA football bowl games were a series of 28 post-season games 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.
The 2006 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Coached by Glen Mason, the Gophers played their home games at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as they had since Memorial Stadium closed after the 1981 season.
The 2005 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota during the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team's head coach was Glen Mason. Minnesota played its home games at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The most notable win of the season came as Minnesota defeated Michigan to win the Little Brown Jug for the first time since 1986.
The 2007 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team was the first for new head coach Tim Brewster. They began play on September 1, 2007 at home against Bowling Green and finished the season with a record of 1 win and 11 losses.
Graham Stanton Harrell is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the current offensive coordinator for the Purdue Boilermakers. He played college football at Texas Tech from 2004 to 2008. He played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) National Football League (NFL) for 5 seasons from 2009 to 2013, with his longest tenure as a player with the Green Bay Packers. He served as the offensive coordinator of the North Texas Mean Green (2016–2018), USC Trojans (2019–2021) and the West Virginia Mountaineers (2022).
NFL Classics is a series of videotaped rebroadcasts of National Football League games that air on the NFL Network. The show airs weekly during the offseason and also occasionally during the NFL season. As of the 2010, the series airs on Monday night while Super Bowl Classics airs on Friday night.
The 2007 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University as a member of the Big 12 Conference during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Mike Leach, the Red Raiders compiled an overall record of 9–4 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for third in the Big 12's South Division with Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. While all three teams had a matching 4–4 conference record, Tech had a better overall record of 9–4 compared to the Aggies and Cowboys, who both had a record of 7–6. Texas Tech was invited to the Gator Bowl, where they defeated Virginia. The Red Raiders were ranked No. 22 in the final AP Poll and No. 23 in the final Coaches Poll. The team played home games at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.
The 2001 GMAC Bowl, a college football bowl game held on December 19 at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, pitted the Marshall Thundering Herd, then of the Mid-American Conference, against the East Carolina Pirates from Conference USA. This game featured what was then the biggest comeback in NCAA Division I-A bowl history, as Marshall came back from a 38-8 halftime deficit to force overtime and eventually win 64-61 in double overtime. It was also the highest-scoring bowl game in history, breaking the previous record set when Texas Tech defeated Air Force 55-41 in the 1995 Copper Bowl. Although the record for greatest bowl comeback was broken by Texas Tech when it returned to the Copper Bowl, by then renamed the Insight Bowl, in 2006, the 2001 GMAC Bowl remains the highest-scoring bowl game ever.
The 2008 Gator Bowl was played on January 1, 2008, as part of the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It featured the Red Raiders of Texas Tech University, who finished third in the Big 12 Conference's South Division, and the Cavaliers of the University of Virginia, who finished second in the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division. Texas Tech won the game on a last-second field goal, securing a 31–28 victory.
The 2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University as a member of the Big 12 Conference during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Mike Leach, the Red Raiders compiled an overall record of 11–2 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, finishing in a three-way tie with Oklahoma and Texas atop the Big 12 South Division standing. To break the tie, the Bowl Championship Series BCS rankings were used to determine who would face Missouri in Big 12 Championship Game. Oklahoma, ranked No. 2 in the BCS poll, was chosen to represent the South Division in the game. Texas Tech was invited to the Cotton Bowl Classic, where they lost to Ole Miss. The Red Raiders played home games at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.
The 2008 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, the 114th season of Sooner football. The team was led by two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award winner, Bob Stoops, in his 10th season as head coach. They played their homes games at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. They were a charter member of the Big 12 Conference.
The 2005 Music City Bowl was a college football bowl game played between the Virginia Cavaliers of the ACC and the Minnesota Golden Gophers of the Big Ten. Virginia was invited from the ACC, as the SEC did not have enough bowl-eligible teams to fill all the bowl slots designated for the conference. Sponsored by Gaylord Hotels and Bridgestone, it was officially named the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl presented by Bridgestone.
The 2008 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team was the second under head coach Tim Brewster. They began play on August 30, 2008 at home against Northern Illinois from the Mid-American Conference, and finished the regular season against Iowa, on November 22. It was the Golden Gophers' final season in the Metrodome, as they moved into TCF Bank Stadium in 2009. The Gophers accepted a bid to the Insight Bowl and played Kansas on December 31 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.
The 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl game featured the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday, January 5, 2010, at Land Shark Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Iowa won the game 24–14, securing the Hawkeyes' first major bowl win since the 1959 Rose Bowl.
The 2009 Wisconsin Badgers football team competed on behalf of the University of Wisconsin–Madison during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers were coached by Bret Bielema and played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. The Badgers finished the season 10–3, 5–3 in Big Ten play and beat Miami (FL) 20–14 in the Champs Sports Bowl.
The 2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game was a Big 12 Conference college football game played between the Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. The game was played on November 1 and was one of the most memorable games in the two teams' rivalry. Heading into the game, both teams were undefeated at 8–0. Texas entered game as the top-ranked team in the nation, led by coach Mack Brown. The Red Raiders, headed by coach Mike Leach, were ranked sixth. The Red Raiders stunned the Longhorns 39–33 on a last-second touchdown pass. The game appeared over on the previous play, but Texas dropped a potential interception. The game is one of the greatest upsets in the rivalry's history and was crucial in producing a three-way tie in the Big 12 at the end of the season.
The 2008 Big 12 Conference football season saw ties is both northern and southern divisions, with tiebreakers used to select divisional representatives for the 2008 Big 12 Championship Game, in which Oklahoma won 62–21 against Missouri to qualify for the 2009 BCS National Championship Game.
The 2010 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University as a member of the Big 12 Conference during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by first-year head coach Tommy Tuberville, the Red Raiders compiled and overall record of 8–5 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, placing fifth in the Big 12's South Division. Texas Tech was invited to the inaugural TicketCity Bowl, where they defeated Northwestern, 45–38. The team played home games at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas