2005 Fiesta Bowl

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The 2005 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 1st BCS game ever to feature a team from a non BCS conference in the game. That occurance was duplicated in 2006, when an undefeated Boise State team got a bid to the Peach Bowl to play against Oklahoma.

Utah was led by head coach Urban Meyer, and quarterback Alex Smith directed his spread offense. The Utes were nothing short of unstoppable during the regular season, having won all their games by at least 14 points. They played key out-of-conference games against Texas A&M, Arizona, and North Carolina. Utah was a very successful team, that broke many school records. Those records include most wins in a single season with 13, and longest winning streak at 18 games.

Going into the game, they had been ranked in the Top 10 for 8 consecutive weeks. Pittsburgh, was 8-3, and the Big East Conference champion. A lot of people thought that this was going to be a good game. It turned out, that this was a blowout, as Utah raced to a 28-0 lead, and held on for a convincing 35-7 final score.

In the game, Alex Smith had a magnificient day, completing 29 of 37 passes for 328 yards and 4 touchdowns, solidifying his claim as the number 1 overall draft pick. These numbers also gave him 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.