| 1997 Norwest Sun Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 31, 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Sun Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | El Paso, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Ken Flaherty (WAC) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Payout | US$1,000,000 per team[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Tim Ryan (play-by-play) Dave Logan (analyst) Scott Lasky (sidelines) | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1997 Norwest Sun Bowl featured the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Arizona State Sun Devils.
After a scoreless first quarter, Arizona State scored first, with a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Steve Campbell to wide receiver Lenzie Jackson to give ASU an early 7–0 lead. Kicker Robert Nycz kicked a 20-yard field goal to increase the lead to 10–0.
In the third quarter, running back Michael Martin scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to give ASU a 17–0 lead. In the fourth quarter, quarterback Randy Reiners threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Richard Carter.
The game was played between the Iowa Hawkeyes from the Big Ten Conference and the Arizona State Sun Devils from the Pac-10 Conference. This was the first overall meeting and first postseason meeting between the programs.[2]
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Main article: 1997 Iowa Hawkeyes football team |
Iowa entered the game with a 7–4 record (4–4 in conference). After lofty preseason expectations, they finished tied for sixth place in the Big Ten standings. The Hawkeyes went 1–2 versus the ranked teams they faced; losing at Ohio State and at Michigan in consecutive weeks before defeating Purdue at Kinnick Stadium.
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Main article: 1997 Arizona State Sun Devils football team |
Arizona entered the game with a 8–3 record (6–2 in conference). They finished in third place in the Pac-10 Conference standings. The Sun Devils were 3–1 against ranked opponents, defeating Miami (FL), Stanford, and Washington State while losing to Washington. They started their season 3–2, then won five in a row before finishing the regular season with a loss to rival Arizona.