1992 Copper Bowl
| 1992 Copper Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 29, 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Arizona Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Tucson, Arizona | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Drew Bledsoe (QB, WSU) Kareem Leary (DB, Utah) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Washington State by 8 points [1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Steve Usechek (Big Eight) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 40,826 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Ron Franklin and Mike Gottfried | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1992 Copper Bowl featured the unranked Utah Utes and the #18 Washington State Cougars, as part of the 1992–93 NCAA football bowl season. It was played on the night of Tuesday, December 29, at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.[3][4][5][6]
Washington State scored first on a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Shaumbe Wright-Fair, then junior quarterback Drew Bledsoe fired an 87-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Phillip Bobo, increasing the lead to 14–0. Bledsoe would finish the game 30-for-46 passing for 476 yards. Wright-Fair scored on a 3-yard touchdown run for a 21–0 Cougar advantage at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Utah's Frank Dolce threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Shaun Williams, and Keith Williams scored on a 25-yard touchdown run to make the score 21–14. Bledsoe found Bobo for a 48-yard touchdown pass as Washington State led 28–14 at halftime. In a planned move by WSU head coach Mike Price, Bledsoe was briefly replaced by backup Mike Pattinson in the second quarter.[3]
In the third quarter, Dolce threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Henry Lusk, and Pierre Jones' 8-yard touchdown run tied the game at 28. The only fourth quarter score was a field goal: Aaron Price, the son of the head coach, converted from 22 yards out with less than six minutes left and the favored Cougars escaped with a 31–28 victory,[7][8][9] and climbed to fifteenth in the final rankings.
This was the final collegiate game for the 20-year-old Bledsoe; he was the first overall pick of the 1993 NFL Draft.[10][11][12]
Statistics[edit]
| Statistics | Utah | WSU |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 20 | 28 |
| Rushes-yards | 39-179 | 41-144 |
| Passing yards | 316 | 492 |
| Passes, Comp-Att-Int | 21-40-0 | 32-48-1 |
| Return yards | 27 | (-2) |
| Punts-average | 6-43 | 6-37 |
| Fumbles-lost | 3-1 | 4-2 |
| Penalties-yards | 7-55 | 18-136 |
| Time of Possession | 30:08 | 29:52 |
| Attendance | 40,876†
| |
Source:[13]
† The official website lists game attendance as 40,826.[14]
References[edit]
- ^ Roxborough, Michael (December 29, 1992). "Today's Odds: America's Line". p. C5.
- ^ "The Latest Line". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). December 29, 1992. p. 6D.
- ^ a b Cart, Julie (December 30, 1992). "Cougars outlast Utes for 31-28 win". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). (Los Angeles Times). p. 2C.
- ^ Robinson, Doug (December 30, 1992). "Utes come close, 31-28, after furious rally". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. D1.
- ^ Blanchette, John (December 30, 1992). "Bledsoe goes out like a pro". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C1.
- ^ Sullivan, Tim (December 30, 1992). "WSU wins wild Copper Bowl". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). p. 1B.
- ^ "Washington State Cougars - Football". Wsucougars.cstv.com. December 29, 1992. Archived from the original on March 15, 2009. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
- ^ "Cougars moment: 1992 Copper Bowl | the Seattle Times".
- ^ "1992 Copper Bowl". Archived from the original on November 18, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2008.
- ^ "Bledsoe dealt a Pats' hand". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. April 26, 1993. p. C1.
- ^ "Bledsoe to play 'Patriot Games'". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. April 26, 1993. p. 1B.
- ^ Withers, Bud (April 26, 1993). "Drew knew he'd be No. 1". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). p. 1B.
- ^ "Washington St. 31, Utah 28". Northwest Herald. Crystal Lake, Illinois. December 30, 1992. Retrieved January 17, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "4TH ANNUAL CACTUS BOWL". fiestabowl.org. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
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