2008 Sun - Profiles, History & More

Player profiles, team history, the breakout players, the Sun Bowl.

Sun Bowl History
2007	Oregon 56, South Florida 21
2006	Oregon State 39, Missouri 38
2005	UCLA 50, Northwestern 38
2004	Arizona State 27, Purdue 23
2003	Minnesota 31, Oregon 30
2002	Purdue 34, Washington 24
2001	Washington St 33, Purdue 27
2000	Wisconsin 21, UCLA 20
1999	Oregon 24, Minnesota 20
1998	TCU 28, USC 19
1997	Arizona State 17, Iowa 7
1996	Stanford 38, Michigan St 0
1995	Iowa 38, Washington 18
1994	Texas 35, North Carolina 31
1993	Oklahoma 41, Texas Tech 10
1992	Baylor 20, Arizona 15
1991	UCLA 6, Illinois 3
1990	Michigan State 17, USC 16
1989	Pitt 31 Texas A&M 28
1988	Alabama 29, Army 28
1987	Oklahoma State 35, West Virginia 33
1986	Alabama 28, Washington 6
1985	Arizona 13, Georgia 13
1984	Maryland 28, Tennessee 27
1983	Alabama 28, SMU 7
1982	North Carolina 26, Texas 10
1981	Oklahoma 40, Houston 14
1980	Nebraska 31, Mississippi State 17
1979	Washington 14, Texas 7
1978	Texas 42, Maryland 0
1977 (Dec.)	Stanford 24, LSU 14
1977 (Jan.)	Texas A&M 37, Florida 14
1975	Pitt 33, Kansas 19
1974	Mississippi State 26, North Carolina 24
1973	Missouri 34, Auburn 17
1972	North Carolina 32, Texas Tech 28
1971	LSU 33, Iowa State 15
1970	Georgia Tech 17, Texas Tech 9
1969	Nebraska 45, Georgia 6
1968	Auburn 34, Arizona 10
1967	UTEP 14, Mississippi 7
1966	Wyoming 28, Florida State 20
1965	UTEP 13, TCU 12
1964	Georgia 7, Texas Tech 0
1963	Oregon 21, SMU 14
1962	West Texas A&M 15, Ohio 14
1961	Villanova 17, Wichita State 9
1960	New Mexico State 20, Utah State 13
1959	New Mexico State 28, North Texas 8
1958 (Dec.)	Wyoming 14, Hardin-Simmons 6
1958 (Jan.)	Louisville 34, Drake 20
1957	George Wash 13, UTEP 0
1956	Wyoming 21, Texas Tech 14
1955	UTEP 47, Florida State 20
1954	UTEP 37, Southern Miss 14
1953	Pacific 26, Southern Miss 7
1952	Texas Tech 25, Pacific 14
1951	West Texas A&M 14, Cincinnati 13
1950	UTEP 33, Georgetown 20
1949	West Virginia 21, UTEP 12
1948	Miami-Ohio 13, Texas Tech 12
1947	Cincinnati 18, Virginia Tech 16
1946	New Mexico 34, Denver 24
1945	Southwestern (TX) 35, New Mexico 0
1944	Southwestern (TX) 7, New Mexico 0
1943	Second Air Force 13, Hardin-Simmons 7
1942	Tulsa 6, Texas Tech 0
1941	Case Reserve 26, Arizona St 13
1940	Arizona State 0, Catholic 0
1939	Utah 26, New Mexico 0
1938	West Virginia 7, Texas Tech 6
1937	Hardin-Simmons 34, UTEP 6
1936	Hardin-Simmons 14, New Mexico State 14

Oregon State (8-4) vs. Pitt (9-3)

Dec. 31, 5:300 p.m. ET, CBS

Get Tickets for the Sun Bowl

- 2008 CFN Brut Sun Bowl Preview

By Richard Cirminiello

Scroll Down For Each Team's Bowl History

Best Panther Bowl Moment: Ranked No. 9 before the 1976 season began, Pittsburgh wrapped up the national championship with a dominant 27-3 win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Heisman winner Tony Dorsett rushed for a Sugar Bowl-record 202 yards, and the Panther defense one-upped the vaunted Junkyard Dawgs, keeping the Bulldogs out of the end zone for the first time all season.  
 
Best Beaver Bowl Moment: Oregon State has been to three Rose Bowls over the last 60 years, but even those trips to Pasadena paled in comparison to the 2001 Fiesta Bowl. Pac-10 laughingstocks no more, the Beavers rode a 29-point third quarter outburst to embarrass No. 10 Notre Dame, 41-9.  Few victories in school history carried more clout for the OSU football program.

The Last Time You'll See ...

Pittsburgh: LB Scott McKillop. When H.B. Blades graduated following the 2006 season, he left a gaping void at middle linebacker. McKillop has filled it brilliantly, racking up more than 100 tackles in back-to-back All-Big East first team seasons. While not the most fluid athlete on the field, he’s got the instincts, tackling skills, and drive to always be near the action.
 
Oregon State: WR Sammie Stroughter. A picture of class and resiliency, Stroughter will leave Corvallis as one of the most popular Beavers in recent years. A perennial playmaker on offense and special teams, he pulled off the rare feat of being named All-Pac-10 as both a wide receiver and a punt returner. He enters the Sun Bowl with 158 career receptions and 17 touchdowns, three coming on special teams.
 
Breakout Player ...

Pittsburgh: WR Jonathan Baldwin. It’s only a matter of time before Baldwin develops into a bona fide star. At 6-5 and 220 pounds, he possesses an almost freakish combination of size, speed, and physicality. Now, all he needs is more reps and more looks from QB Bill Stull. Baldwin has 18 catches for 404 yards and three touchdowns, largely being underutilized in his first year out of high school.

Oregon State: DT Stephen Paea. Paea has come a long way in a short period in his athletic career. A rugby player growing up in his native Tonga, he’d only played two seasons of football before arriving at Oregon State via Snow College. You couldn’t tell by watching him play this season. In the first significant action of his career, the disruptive Paea parlayed 37 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and five sacks into honorable mention on the All-Pac-10 squad.
 
Best Non-Game Event
The Sun Bowl has a new event this year, a Day with the Troops. It is an opportunity for players to get an up-close look at what the U.S. Army does. They will have the chance to get a rare look at many pieces of military equipment, such as tanks, missile launchers, and helicopters, while being able to repel in a safe environment. They will also have the opportunity to use U.S. Army training simulators.

Player Gift Package
Players from both schools will receive a Sony DVD Handycam, a Timely Watch Co. Silvertone watch, an Armor Gear Dolly Llama Travel Bag, a Majestic Therma Fleece Pullover, a Brut hair dryer, a VP Sports Stone cap, and an official Brut Sun Bowl souvenir coin.

Charitable Component
Teams donate game tickets to members of the U.S. military, who are training at Fort Bliss, some of whom are set for deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan. Teams also visit the two children’s hospitals in town.

How Success is Measured
Success is a three-fold premise: 1. Was it a good matchup and competitive game? 2. How were the TV Ratings? 3. Did the teams travel well and enjoy their stay in El Paso? Unlike a lot of bowl games, the Brut Sun Bowl is an opportunity to showcase the local community with the traveling schools and on national television. We often choose teams that would supply the best matchup rather than the schools that travels best. If you are able to have a good matchup, then most likely, the television audience will stay tuned, so No. 1 and No. 2 go hand-in-hand, while No. 3 is a bonus. In the end, the goal is to promote a city that El Pasoans cherish.

MVP of the Bowl
For the Brut Sun Bowl, it is two men who have devoted themselves to the Sun Bowl Association for decades, Jimmy Rogers, Jr. and John Folmer. Rogers joined the board of directors of the association in the late 1950s and has been instrumental in the development and progression of the game ever since. He helped secure the TV contract with CBS in 1968 and has nurtured that relationship for the last 41 years, giving the game the longest single relationship between a bowl and a television network.

Folmer joined the Sun Bowl Association in 1971 and has served as the game’s football chairman since 1981. Both men have been invaluable to the success of the Brut Sun Bowl, from their ties to conferences and media partners to their ability to help secure sponsorships both locally and nationally. Because of their service to the Sun Bowl Association, each has had a game trophy named after them. Rogers is the namesake of the Most Valuable Lineman Trophy, while Folmer is the namesake of the Most Valuable Special Teams Player Trophy. Each presents their respective trophy at the conclusion of every Brut Sun Bowl.

Impact to the Community
This game provides the largest economic impact of a single event in the greater El Paso area. It is estimated that between $12-$15 million dollars is generated in direct economic impact and $30-$35 million in indirect impact.

Role of Volunteers
The game is highly dependent on local volunteers to make this operation work. The Sun Bowl has over 600 volunteers that help put on over 20 Sun Bowl Association events throughout the year. With only six full-time employees, there would be no Brut Sun Bowl without the help of the community. As the nation’s second oldest bowl game, it has some volunteers that have worked with the association for decades. The game is often referred to as the “Hospitality Bowl” because it goes the extra mile to make every out-of-town visitor feel special. The fans even invite visitors to taste El Paso at their tailgates; instead of brisket and brats, it is fajitas and tamales.

- 2008 CFN Brut Sun Bowl Preview
 

---

Pittsburgh Bowl History (10-14)

2005	Fiesta	Utah 35, Pitt 7
2003	Continental Tire	Virginia 23, Pittsburgh 16
2002	Insight	Pittsburgh 38, Oregon State 13
2001	Tangerine	Pittsburgh 34, NC State 19
2000	Insight.com	Iowa State 37, Pittsburgh 29
1997	Liberty	Southern Miss 41, Pittsburgh 7
1989	John Hancock	Pittsburgh 31, Texas A&M 28
1987	Bluebonnet	Texas 32, Pittsburgh 27
1983	Fiesta	Ohio State 28, Pittsburgh 23
1982	Cotton	SMU 7, Pittsburgh 3
1981	Sugar	Pittsburgh 24, Georgia 20
1980	Gator	Pittsburgh 37, South Carolina 9
1979	Fiesta	Pittsburgh 16, Arizona 10
1978	Tangerine	North Carolina St. 30, Pittsburgh 17
1977	Gator	Pittsburgh 34, Clemson 3
1976	Sugar	Pittsburgh 27, Georgia 3
1975	Sun	Pittsburgh 33, Kansas 19
1973	Fiesta	Arizona State 28, Pittsburgh 7
1956	Gator	Georgia Tech 21, Pittsburgh 14
1955	Sugar	Georgia Tech 7, Pittsburgh 0
1936	Rose	Pittsburgh 21, Washington 0
1932	Rose	USC 35, Pittsburgh 0
1929	Rose	USC 47, Pittsburgh 14
1927	Rose	Stanford 7, Pittsburgh 6

Oregon State Bowl History (7-4)

2007	Emerald	Oregon St 21, Maryland 14
2006	Sun	Oregon St 39, Missouri 38
2004	Insight	Oregon St 38, Notre Dame 21
2003	Las Vegas	Oregon State 55, New Mexico 14
2002	Insight	Pittsburgh 38, Oregon State 13
2000	Fiesta	Oregon State 41, Notre Dame 9
1999	Oahu	Hawaii 23, Oregon State 17
1965	Rose	Michigan 34, Oregon State 7
1962	Liberty	Oregon State 6, Villanova 0
1956	Rose	Iowa 35, Oregon State 19
1941	Rose	Oregon State 20, Duke 16