| 1999 Wells Fargo Sun Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 31, 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Sun Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | El Paso, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Billy Cockerham (QB, Minnesota)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Frank White (WAC) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Payout | US$1,000,000 per team[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Sean McDonough and Todd Blackledge | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1999 Wells Fargo Sun Bowl featured the Oregon Ducks and the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Minnesota opened the scoring with an 18-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Billy Cockerham to wide receiver Ron Johnson for a 7–0 1st quarter lead. Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington notched the equalizer when he rushed five yards for a touchdown, tying the game at 7.
In the third quarter, Cockerham fired a 38-yard touchdown pass to Arland Bruce for a 13–7 Minnesota lead. Harrington scored on a 1- yard quarterback sneak, to give Oregon a 14–13 lead. Nathan Villegas kicked a 37-yard field goal to make it 17–13. In the fourth quarter, Cockerham again found Ron Johnson for a 7-yard touchdown, and a 20–17 lead. Harrington found wide receiver Keenan Howry for a 10-yard touchdown pass and a 24–20 lead. Oregon held on and won the game.[3]
The game's three MVP awards (overall, lineman, and special teams) were each awarded to Minnesota players, despite Oregon winning the game, due (at least in part) to media members having to cast their ballots with five minutes left in the game.[1]
| Statistics | Minnesota | Oregon |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 19 | 22 |
| Rush Att.-Yds. | 35–96 | 39–156 |
| Passing yards | 257 | 232 |
| Passes (A-C-I) | 37–19–2 | 43–20–0 |
| Total Net Yards | 353 | 388 |
| Kickoff ret. (No.-Yds.) | 3–67 | 4–80 |
| Punt ret. (No.-Yds.) | 3–20 | 4–40 |
| Penalties–yards | 5–58 | 4–25 |
| Fumbles–lost | 1–1 | 2–1 |