The 2005 GMAC Bowl was an American college football bowl game. It was part of the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season, and was the 8th edition. It was played in December 2005, and featured the UTEP Miners, and the Toledo Rockets.

2005 GMAC Bowl
1234 Total
Toledo 721314 45
UTEP 31000 13
DateDecember 21, 2005
Season2005
StadiumLadd–Peebles Stadium
LocationMobile, Alabama
MVPBruce Gradkowski (QB, Toledo)
RefereePenn Wagers (SEC)
Attendance35,422[1]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN
GMAC Bowl
 < 2004  2007

Scoring summary edit

Toledo scored first on a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bruce Gradkowski to wide receiver John Allen. Reagan Schneider of UTEP kicked a 34-yard field goal at the end of the first quarter to make the lead 7-3. In the second quarter, Gradkowski threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to David Washington Jr. to make the lead 14-3 Toledo. With 5:46 in the half, quarterback Jordan Palmer found wide receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins for an 18-yard touchdown pass. The extra point made the score 14-10 Toledo.

With 2:56 left in the half, Schneider drilled a 23-yard field goal to cut the lead to 14-13. With 1:13 left, Gradkoski found Steve Odom for a 31-yard touchdown pass that extended the lead to 21-13. With only 10 seconds left in the half, Palmer threw an interception to David Thomas that was returned 37 yards for a Toledo touchdown. Toledo led 28-13 at the half. In the third quarter, Jason Robbins kicked a 29-yard field goal to give Toledo a 31-13 lead. Touchdown passes to Josh Powell and Chris Hopkins gave Toledo a 45-13 win.[2]

Statistics edit

Statistics Toledo UTEP
First Downs 25 16
Rushing Attempts-Yards 39-164 28-63
Passing Yards 304 192
Passes 19-32-2 17-41-2
Total Offense 71-468 69-255
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0
Interceptions-Yards 2-37 2-16
Penalties-Yards 9-80 4-45
Punts-Average 1-35 5-35.4
Punt Returns-Yards 1-4 1-1
Kickoff Returns-Yards 8-410 4-234
Sacks By: Number-Yards 3-28 0-0
Time of Possession 32:05 27:55

Point shaving edit

In 2007, members of the Toledo football team were charged with participating in a point shaving scandal. Members of the football team were connected with Detroit-area gamblers and were paid to intentionally affect the final score so that certain point spreads were covered. The 2005 GMAC Bowl was mentioned as a game that was affected.[3]

In 2011, Toledo running back Quinton Broussard pleaded guilty in connection with the point scandal. In the plea, Broussard admitted to receiving $500 for intentionally losing a fumble in the first half, when Toledo held a small lead.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ Turnstile Tracker: NCAA bowl game attendance trend - MSNBC[dead link]
  2. ^ "History: Bowl Summaries". 2007 UTEP Miners Football Media Guide. El Paso, Texas: University of Texas El Paso Department of Athletics. 2007. p. 155. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 5, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  3. ^ "University of Toledo football player charged in point-shaving scheme".
  4. ^ "Ex-Rocket admits to point shaving".

External links edit