2011 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas

The 2011 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas, the 20th edition of the game, was a postseason American college football bowl game, held on December 22, 2011, at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada, as part of the 2011–12 NCAA Bowl season.

2011 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas
20th Las Vegas Bowl
20th Anniversary logo
Arizona State Sun Devils Boise State Broncos (6–6) (11–1) Pac-12 Mountain West 24 56 Head coach:  Dennis Erickson Head coach:  Chris Petersen AP Coaches BCS 8 6 7
1 2 3 4 Total Arizona State 0 3 7 14 24 Boise State 14 14 7 21 56
Date	December 22, 2011
Season	2011
Stadium	Sam Boyd Stadium
Location	Whitney, Nevada
MVP	RB Doug Martin, Boise State
Favorite	Boise State by 13[1]
Referee	David Epperley (ACC)
Attendance	35,720
Payout	US$1 million per team
United States TV coverage
Network	ESPN
Announcers	Chris Fowler (play-by-play) Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) Tom Rinaldi (Sidelines)
Nielsen ratings	2.05

The game, televised on ESPN, was between the Boise State Broncos from the Mountain West Conference and the Arizona State Sun Devils from the Pac-12 Conference.[2]

Teams

The 2011 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas was played at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Meeting for the second time in history, the Broncos and the Sun Devils had previously met with the then No. 5 Arizona State defeating Boise State 56–7 in Tempe, Arizona, on 5 October 1996. However, Boise State claims a three-game winning streak over Pac-12 teams, winning over Oregon twice and Oregon State in 2010 when all three teams were ranked.

Boise State

On 4 December 2011, the Boise State Broncos accepted an invitation to represent the MWC.[3] The Broncos entered the bowl ranked #7 in the BCS standings with an 11–1 record, finishing second in the Mountain West Conference. The Broncos only loss in the season was against TCU, costing the team a chance at the BCS National Championship Game.[4] The Broncos had appeared in the Las Vegas Bowl the previous year, winning 26–3 against Utah. The 2011 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas was the final college game for Kellen Moore, the most successful quarterback in FBS history.[5]

Arizona State

On 4 December 2011, the Arizona State Sun Devils accepted an invitation to represent the Pac-12.[3] The Sun Devils entered the bowl with a 6–6 record. On 28 November, their coach Dennis Erickson was fired after the Sun Devils had four consecutive losses following a 6–2 start. However, Erickson was allowed to coach the team at the Las Vegas Bowl. The 2011 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas was ASU's first post-season appearance since the 2007 Holiday Bowl.[4]

Game summary

Despite committing three turnovers, the Boise State Broncos easily routed the Arizona State Sun Devils 56–24.

The Broncos scored quickly when Doug Martin returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to make it 7–0 Broncos. Boise State went up 14–0 on a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Shoemaker. The Broncos made it 21–0 in the 2nd quarter on a touchdown pass to wide receiver Matt Miller. The Sun Devils finally scored with a 32-yard Alex Garoutte field goal to cut the deficit to 21–3. Boise State responded with a pass from Matt Miller to Kyle Efaw on a trick play to make the score 28–3 going into the half.[6][7][8]

Arizona State scored quickly to begin the 2nd half when Rashad Ross returned the kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, making it 28–10. ASU attempted an onside kick but was recovered by BSU. On their next possession, the Broncos turned the ball over on a Kellen Moore interception, but Arizona State turned it back to the Broncos on downs. Broncos then again turned it over on a fumbled snap. The Sun Devils, taking advantage of the turnover, drove to the Broncos' 1-yard line. On a 4th down play, Brock Osweiler's pass was intercepted by Jamar Taylor, who returned it 100-yards for a touchdown to put the Broncos up 35–10.[6][7][8]

In the 4th quarter, the Broncos scored 2 more touchdowns, including 1 fumble return touchdown, to make it 49–10. ASU finally got its first offensive touchdown of the game on a 21-yard pass from Osweiller to Gerell Robinson to make it 49–17. The two teams then traded touchdowns to end the game with a final score of 56–24.[6][7][8]

A few records were set at the 2011 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas. The Boise State Broncos became the first FBS team to win 50 games in a 4-year period.[9] The Broncos also set a bowl record in points scored at 56. ASU's Gerell Robinson had a bowl-record 241-yard receiving, while BSU's Doug Martin finished with 301 all-purpose yards, another Las Vegas Bowl record.[6]

Scoring summary

Source[7][8]

Statistics

Statistics	BSU	ASU
First downs	27	22
Rushes-yards (net)	35–162	21-−11
Passing yards (net)	298	395
Passes, att-comp-int	36–27–2	47–30–1
Total offense, plays – yards	71–460	68–384
Time of possession	31:59	28:01

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP ASU BSU 1 14:46 1 100 0:14 BSU Arizona St. kicked off, Doug Martin returned kickoff for 100 yards (Michael Frisina made PAT) 0 7 1 4:36 8 54 3:00 BSU Kellen Moore passed to Tyler Shoemaker to the right for 14-yard gain (Michael Frisina made PAT) 0 14 2 12:03 8 80 3:29 BSU Kellen Moore passed to Matt Miller to the left for 2-yard gain (Michael Frisina made PAT) 0 21 2 5:44 11 66 3:50 ASU Alex Garoutte kicked a 32-yard field goal 3 21 2 0:43 12 72 5:01 BSU Matt Miller passed to Kyle Efaw to the right for 5-yard gain (Michael Frisina made PAT) 3 28 3 14:45 1 98 0:15 ASU Rashad Ross 98 Yd Kickoff Return (Alex Garoutte Kick) 10 28 3 6:52 7 49 3:37 BSU Interception returned 100 yards for touchdown by Jamar Taylor, Michael Frisina kick good 10 35 4 14:55 10 80 4:32 BSU D.J. Harper 4 Yd Run (Michael Frisina Kick) 10 42 4 14:17 2 6 0:38 BSU Fumble recovery returned 26 yards for touchdown by Travis Stanaway, Michael Frisina kick good 10 49 4 13:05 3 54 1:12 ASU Gerell Robinson 21 Yd Pass From Brock Osweiler (Alex Garoutte Kick) 17 49 4 2:24 11 74 6:21 BSU Doug Martin 2 Yd Run (Michael Frisina Kick) 17 56 4 0:28 7 75 1:56 ASU George Bell 30 Yd Pass From Brock Osweiler (Alex Garoutte Kick) 24 56 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 24 56

References

1. "Bowl Schedule", Los Angeles Times, 7 December 2011
2. "Boise State To Face Arizona State In 20th Edition Of Bowl" Archived 2011-12-09 at the Wayback Machine. lvbowl.com. 14 December 2011. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
3. "Boise State and Arizona State to play in 2011 MAACO Bowl Las Vegas". Las Vegas Sun. 4 December 2011. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
4. Huston, Brett. "Arizona St. Boise St. Preview". Yahoo Sports. 14 December 2011. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
5. Forde, Pat. "It’s the end of a magical era for Boise State". Yahoo Sports. 22 December 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
6. "Boise St. cruises to easy bowl win in Las Vegas against Arizona St.". ESPN. 22 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
7. "Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Boise State Broncos box score". ESPN. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
8. "Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Boise State Broncos play-by-play". ESPN. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
9. Miler, Ted. "Instant analysis: Boise State 56, ASU 24". ESPN. 22 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.