2006 Las Vegas Bowl
| MVP | TE Jonny Harline, BYU |
|---|---|
The 2006 Las Vegas Bowl was an NCAA-sanctioned Division I post-season college football bowl game between the Oregon Ducks and the Brigham Young University Cougars. The Las Vegas Bowl gets its first choice of bowl-eligible teams from the Mountain West Conference (MWC) and the fourth/fifth choice (alternating every year) of bowl-eligible teams from the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10). This bowl game was played on December 22, 2006 at 5 p.m. PST at 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada, USA where this bowl game has been played since 1992. It was broadcast on ESPN and ESPNHD. Since 2001, the game has featured a matchup of teams from the MWC and Pac-10.
Game Summary
Riding a 9-game winning streak entering the game, a veteran BYU squad led by seniors John Beck, Curtis Brown, Jonny Harline, and Justin Robinson dominated Oregon from the start. Beck had 375 yards passing and accounted for 3 touchdowns, while Brown ran for an additional 120 yards and 2 touchdowns. Harline, an All-American tight end, earned MVP honors with 9 catches for 181 yards and a score. Robinson had 2 interceptions and led a strong effort by the Cougar defense that held the Ducks to just 120 yards throughout the first three quarters of play. Oregon had attempted to confuse BYU by alternating Dennis Dixon and Brady Leaf at quarterback, but it seemed to backfire, as the Ducks' offense never established any rhythm. The victory was particularly satisfying for BYU, as Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti had made controversial statements prior to the game indicating that BYU (from the Mountain West conference) was not good enough to compete in the Pac-10.
Additional notes
- This was the Cougars' first bowl victory since defeating Kansas State in the 1997 Cotton Bowl Classic.
- Oregon wore their black-black home uniform with a unique logo-less helmet.
- The official attendance of 44,615 set a new stadium record and was the largest crowd ever attend a team sports event in the state of Nevada.