2005 Sun Bowl
The 2005 Sun Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 30, 2005, in El Paso, Texas. Sponsored by the Vitalis brand of hair tonic made by Bristol-Myers, the game was officially known as the Vitalis Sun Bowl. It was the 72nd Sun Bowl. It featured the UCLA Bruins, and the Northwestern Wildcats. UCLA overcame a 22–0 deficit to Northwestern in the first quarter to win 50–38. UCLA running backs Chris Markey and Kahlil Bell shared the most valuable player award, the first such shared award in Sun Bowl history. Defensive tackle Kevin Mims of Northwestern won the Jimmy Rogers, Jr. Most Valuable Lineman award. This was the biggest comeback in UCLA football history, until the 2017 UCLA vs. Texas A & M game, in which the Bruins scored 34 points. It still stands as of 2021 as the largest comeback in Sun Bowl History. It also is the highest scoring Sun Bowl game.
The game would unexpectedly be Randy Walker's last as Northwestern head coach. Walker died of an apparent heart attack the following June.
Game summary
The weather was clear and 56 degrees Fahrenheit.Northwestern's Joel Howells started the scoring with a 33-yard field goal to give Northwestern an early 3–0 lead. Kevin Mims later scored on a 33-yard interception return to increase Northwestern's lead to 9–0. Mark Philmore rushed 19 yards for a touchdown to put Northwestern up 15–0. However, the kicker missed his second consecutive extra point attempt.
Nick Roach intercepted another UCLA pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown to give Northwestern a 22-0 first quarter lead. At the end of the quarter, running back Kahlil Bell put UCLA on the board, by rushing for a 5-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 22–7. Less than 2 minutes later, quarterback Drew Olson connected with wide receiver Ryan Moya for a 58-yard touchdown pass, to cut the lead to 22–14.
Kahlil Bell scored his second rushing touchdown of the game by rushing 6 yards for a touchdown. Drew Olson then found tight end Marcedes Lewis for the two-point conversion to tie the game at 22. With 29 seconds left in the first half, Olson found wide receiver Marcus Everett for an 8-yard touchdown pass to give UCLA a 29-22 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, Olson connected with Michael Pitre for a 5-yard touchdown pass, to extend the lead to 36–22. Amado Villarreal connected on a 31-yard field goal for Northwestern, to cut the lead to 36–25.
The last 2:30 of the game featured a lot of scoring. Quarterback Brett Basanez found Mark Philmore for an 8-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 36–31 with 2:29 remaining. The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Brandon Breazell and returned 42 yards for a touchdown, extending UCLA's lead to 43–31. With 24 seconds in the game, Basanez found wide receiver Shaun Herbert for a 5-yard touchdown pass, pulling NU to 43–38. The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Breazell, and once again returned 45 yards for a touchdown. That made the final margin 50–38.
Scoring
Statistics
| Statistic | NU | UCLA |
| First downs | 33 | 24 |
| First downs rushing | 11 | 18 |
| First downs passing | 17 | 4 |
| First downs penalty | 5 | 2 |
| Third down efficiency | 5–20 | 6–13 |
| Fourth down efficiency | 4–5 | 1–2 |
| Total plays–net yards | 102–584 | 74–453 |
| Rushing attempts–net yards | 32–168 | 50–310 |
| Yards per rush | 5.3 | 6.2 |
| Yards passing | 416 | 143 |
| Pass completions–attempts | 38–70 | 10–24 |
| Interceptions thrown | 2 | 3 |
| Punt returns–total yards | 5–12 | 1–20 |
| Kickoff returns–total yards | 6–74 | 6–156 |
| Punts–average yardage | 5–31.0 | 5–40.4 |
| Fumbles–lost | 4–1 | 2–1 |
| Penalties–yards | 6–49 | 8–69 |
| Time of possession | 30:50 | 29:10 |
Aftermath
The 2005 Sun Bowl game, sponsored by Vitalis, had a $1.5 million payout.UCLA Bruin team comeback records
This was the third record setting comeback for the 2005 UCLA Bruin football team. Until the 2017 season, they ranked first, second, and third in all-time scoring comebacks to win for the UCLA Bruins.- Down 22 points in the first quarter vs. Northwestern 0-22 / Final Score: 50-38
- Down 21 points in the fourth quarter at Stanford 3-24 / Final Score: 30-27ot
- Down 21 points in the second quarter at Washington State 7-28 / Final Score: 44-41ot
Sun Bowl records
- Most Passing Completions: 38
- Most First Downs, Team: 33
- Most Penalties, Team: 5
- First Quarter Points, Team: 22
- Total offensive yardage: 584 total yards.
- Kickoff Returns for Touchdowns: 2
- Most Points Game, Team: 50
- Biggest Comeback: down 22 Northwestern vs. UCLA
- Most Penalties, Combined 7 Northwestern and UCLA
- Most First Downs, Combined 57 Northwestern and UCLA
- Most First Quarter Points, Combined: 29 Northwestern and UCLA
- First Half Points, Combined: 51 UCLA and Northwestern
- Most Points Game, Combined: 88 UCLA and Northwestern
- Total offensive yardage: 1,037 yards.