2005 Fiesta Bowl

The 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2005, was the 34th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played between Utah and Pittsburgh, in front of 73,519 fans. It is notable for being the first BCS game to feature a team from a BCS non-AQ conference.^[1]

2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
BCS Bowl Game
Pittsburgh Panthers Utah Utes (8–3) (11–0) Big East Mountain West 7 35 Head coach:  Walt Harris Head coach:  Urban Meyer AP Coaches BCS 19 20 21 AP Coaches BCS 5 6 6
1 2 3 4 Total Pittsburgh 0 0 7 0 7 Utah 7 7 21 0 35
Date	January 1, 2005
Season	2004
Stadium	Sun Devil Stadium
Location	Tempe, Arizona
MVP	QB Alex Smith, WR Paris Warren, DT Steve Fifita
Favorite	Utah by 16
Referee	Gordon Riese (Pac-10)
Attendance	73,519
United States TV coverage
Network	ABC
Announcers	Brent Musburger, Gary Danielson
Nielsen ratings	7.4
Fiesta Bowl  < 2004  2006 >

Going into the game, Utah had been ranked in the Top 10 for 8 consecutive weeks. Pittsburgh was 8–3 and the Big East Conference champion. Utah raced to a 28–0 lead and held on for a convincing 35–7 win.^[1] Alex Smith completed 29 of 37 passes for 328 yards and 4 touchdowns, earning the Fiesta Bowl MVP. Paris Warren was Smith's go-to man during the game, as he caught a Fiesta Bowl record 15 passes for 198 yards and 2 touchdowns.

2005 Fiesta Bowl

See also

• List of historically significant college football games

References

1. Owczarek, Wojtek (June 26, 2011). "2005 Fiesta Bowl: Was It the Most Significant BCS Game Ever?". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 2, 2024.