emerald bowl history
emerald bowl history
Get your Emerald Bowl tickets and mark your calendar for December 27th, 2006. Make sure you’re in At & T Park in San Francisco for what’s sure to be one of the better college football games to end the year. The Emerald Bowl has been a sparkling gem in the college bowl lineup since 2002 when Virginia Tech and Air Force met in the Emerald Bowls original incarnation as the Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl. Since then the name has changed but the format is still the same: Great teams squaring off in great college bowl games, making the Emerald Bowl a rising star in the frenzy of college bowl games that annually populate the West Coast. Join the fun with Emerald Bowl tickets and see what it’s all about.
That first Emerald Bowl began with Air Force looking like they were going to run away with the game. With barely two minutes passed on the clock, Matt Ward of Air Force crossed the goal line for the game’s first touchdown. After Virginia Tech struggled on their first drive, giving up a fumble, Air Force took the turnover and widened their lead to 10-0 on a filed goal. Tech’s woes continued on their next possession as the Hokies drove downfield, only to miss a field goal. But the momentum began to swing later in the quarter. With Air Force riving down the field, Virginia Tech intercepted a pass by Air Force quarterback Chance Harridge and converted the turnover into a 16-yard touchdown run by Lee Suggs. Later in the half, the Hokies would knot the score at 10 with their own field goal.
The second half proved to be action packed as well. Virginia Tech opened the scoring with another touchdown run by Suggs. Air Force and Tech exchanged field goals and entered the final quarter with the Hokies ahead 20-13. But Air Force began a drive that covered over 75 yards. Unfortunately for Air Force fans, the Hokies recovered a fumble and ran out the clock for a 20-13 win.
That game began a tradition of great Emerald Bowl games. In its latest version, the University of Utah pulled off a huge upset of Virginia Tech, dominating the Bulldogs 38-10. Utah receiver Travis LaTendresse set an Emerald Bowl record with four touchdown receptions. Brett Ratliff, Utah’s quarterback, also wrote his name in the record books with 4 TD’s and 381 yards on the day. Utah’s victory was also the first for a Mountain West Conference team in the history of the Emerald Bowl.
Get your Emerald Bowl tickets and find out if the Mountain West Conference team can pull off another victory in one of the hottest bowl games of the year. The Emerald Bowl, in its short history, has proven to be a winner with college football fans on the West Coast. AT & T Park is a great facility and the Emerald Bowl annually puts together solid college football teams that wouldn’t ordinarily meet up during the regular season. Catch the wave of college football excitement by going bowling with Emerald Bowl tickets.
