The 1995 Sugar Bowl was the 62nd edition of the post-season American college football Sugar Bowl bowl game. It featured the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Texas Longhorns and was held at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on December 31, 1995. The game was the final contest of the 1995 NCAA Division I-A football season for both teams, and ended in a 28–10 victory for Virginia Tech.
In 1995, the Sugar Bowl was held under the rules of the Bowl Alliance. The Alliance, predecessor to the modern Bowl Championship Series, was intended to match the champions of the Southeastern Conference, Big East Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12, Southwest Conference, and one at-large team against each other in the Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl. Each year, the two highest-ranked teams would play in a National Championship Game held in place of one of the bowl games. The site of the national championship game rotated among the three bowl games, as did the date of each game. Following the 1995 college football season, the Sugar Bowl was designated for December 31, marking the first time since 1972 (and the only time until 2022) two Sugar Bowls would be held in the same calendar year.
Virginia Tech was selected to play in the 1995 Sugar Bowl by virtue of winning the Big East football championship. The Hokies, who finished 9–2 during the regular season, actually were co-Big East champions. The University of Miami, which tied the Hokies, was ineligible for post-season play due to sanctions imposed as a result of recruiting rules violations. The Hokies played the University of Texas, which finished 10–1–1 during the regular season en route to becoming Southwest Conference champions. The Southwest Conference was scheduled to disband after the football season, but its champion was guaranteed one of the at-large spots in the Bowl Alliance.
The game was marred by the revelation that a Texas player had been competing under an assumed name. Other off-the-field incidents also took place prior to the game. Because the game was Virginia Tech's first trip to a major bowl game, ticket sales were brisk. Texas took an early lead in the competition and led 10–7 at halftime, but Virginia Tech's defense shut out Texas' offense in the second half and Tech scored 21 unanswered points. In recognition of his achievements in the game, Virginia Tech wide receiver Bryan Still was named the game's most valuable player.
Team selection
In the 1995 college football season, teams were selected for the Sugar Bowl under the new Bowl Alliance system. The Bowl Alliance matched up the conference champions of the Big East, Southeastern Conference, Big 12 Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, and two at-large teams in games to determine an official national champion. Prior to the introduction of the Bowl Alliance and its predecessor, the Bowl Coalition, national champions were determined by various college football polls that sometimes named different teams as champion.
Under the Alliance system, the two highest-ranked members of Alliance conferences were matched up in a national championship game. The lower-ranked conference champions and two-at large teams would play each other in other bowl games. In 1995, one of these at-large spots was reserved for the champion of the Southwest Conference, which had been a member of the Bowl Coalition but was scheduled to dissolve after the 1995 season. Its members joined different conferences in an attempt to increase their revenue.Asher, Mark. "A new bowl alliance makes title game closer", The Washington Post. August 5, 1994. Page F2.
The Fiesta Bowl hosted the national championship game for the 1995 season, and thus had the first and second pick of eligible Bowl Alliance teams. The Orange Bowl had the third and fifth selections, while the Sugar Bowl had the fourth and sixth picks.Carlson, Steve. "Va. Tech fans must pull for Syracuse over Miami", The Virginian-Pilot. November 25, 1995. Page C3. The three Bowl Alliance games each were assigned a different date: December 31, January 1, or January 2. The dates rotated among the three games, along with which game would host the national championship.Staff Report. "The new Bowl Alliance", The Tampa Tribune. January 4, 1995. Page Sports 5. The Sugar Bowl was assigned the December 31 date, marking the first time it had been held on that date instead of its traditional January 1 date since December 31, 1975. From December 31, 1972, to December 31, 1975, the game was held on New Year's Eve. Thus, there were two games held during the calendar year 1972 and none in calendar year 1976. There were also two games in calendar year 1995, but since then the game has been held on or after January 1 following the regular season, except in 2022, when the game was held on December 31 due to January 1 falling on a Sunday..Finney, Peter. "For Sugar Bowl, help is just a phone call away", The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune. May 28, 1995. Page C1.
Texas
The University of Texas Longhorns began the 1995 college football season after winning eight games and losing four in 1994, a year that culminated with the Longhorns in a five-way tie for the Southwest Conference championship and with a 35–31 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels in the 1994 Sun Bowl.University of Texas Sports Information Department. "1994 University of Texas Football", Mackbrown-texasfootball.com. Accessed May 29, 2009. Archived 2009-06-01. Heading into the 1995 season, Texas was ranked 18th in both the coaches' and Associated Press preseason polls.Warner, Rick. "Longhorns, Aggies take spots in preseason top 25", Austin-American Statesman. August 13, 1995. Page C6. In the Southwest Conference, which was scheduled to dissolve after the season,Burch, Jimmy. "The SWC – 81 Years of Memories – 1915–1996", Fort Worth Star-Telegram. August 24, 1995. Page 38. Texas was picked to finish second in the annual preseason poll of media covering the Southwest Conference. Texas A&M was predicted to win the conference.Staff Report. "A&M gets favorite's role from the media", Austin-American Statesman. August 25, 1995. Page C7. Overall, most commentators predicted Texas to improve on its 8–4 performance in 1994 and have an outside chance to compete in the top ranks, nationally.Feigan, Jonathan. "Without controversy, UT feeling optimistic", Houston Chronicle. August 27, 1995. Page 27, Two-Star special section.
The Longhorns got the 1995 season off to a successful start with a 38–17 win against the in Honolulu.Rosner, Mark. "Longhorns crash down on Hawaii in waves", Austin-American Statesman. September 3, 1995. Page 2. After a bye week, No. 15 Texas repeated that success in its home opener with a 38–27 win over the Pittsburgh Panthers.Jones, Mike. "Texas' late comeback thwarts Pitt", Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 17, 1995. Page Sports 1. The consecutive wins raised Texas to No. 13 in the country, but the Longhorns fumbled away their third game of the season, a 55–27 defeat at the hands of Notre Dame that involved five turnovers by the Longhorns.Wangrin, Mark. "Smothered in South Bend – Dismal special teams, fourth-quarter collapse help dig Longhorns' 55-27 grave", Austin-American Statesman. September 24, 1995. Page C1.
After the loss, the Longhorns fell to No. 21 in the country. They quickly recovered however, reeling off two wins in subsequent weeks: a 35–10 victory over Southern Methodist UniversityWangrin, Mark. "Texas pens up ponies", Austin-American Statesman. September 30, 1995. Page C1. and a 37–13 win against Rice.Wangrin, Mark. "Longhorns stuff Rice, feel empty", Austin-American Statesman. October 8, 1995. Page C1. After the two wins, the Longhorns were 4–1 and No. 18 in the country heading into their traditional rivalry game against Oklahoma, the Red River Shootout. The 1995 edition of that competition ended in frustration, however, as the two teams battled to a 24–24 tie after Texas failed to convert a fourth down deep in Oklahoma territory late in the game. It was just the fifth tie in the 89-game history of the rivalry that started in 1900.Wangrin, Mark. "Twisted plot, big knot", Austin-American Statesman. October 15, 1995. Page C1.
Following the tie against Oklahoma, No. 16 Texas struggled against No. 14 Virginia in Austin. Not until the game's final play did the Longhorns secure their 17–16 win over the favored Cavaliers. The game was the 700th victory in Texas football history and marked the only time in Texas' first 103 years of football that a game ended with Texas kicking a winning field goal.Wangrin, Mark. "It's Texas By A Rabbit's Foot", Austin-American Statesman. October 22, 1995. Page C1. Following the victory over Virginia, Texas began a winning streak that continued through the remainder of the regular season.University of Texas Sports Information Department. "1995 University of Texas Football", Mackbrown-texasfootball.com. Accessed May 29, 2009. Archived 2009-06-01. Heading into the final game of the regular season, it appeared that the winner of the Texas/Texas A&M game would clinch the Southwest Conference championship and a bid to a Bowl Alliance game.Halliburton, Suzanne. "Horns set sights on Orange or Sugar", Austin American-Statesman. November 19, 1995. Page C8. In Texas' final Southwestern Conference game, it secured the conference championship with a 16–6 win that guaranteed it a spot in a Bowl Alliance game.Wangrin, Mark. "Texas bowls over A&M", Austin-American Statesman. December 3, 1995. Page C1. On the next day, the Sugar Bowl's pick of Texas was made official.Halliburton, Suzanne. "Sugar snaps up Texas", Austin American-Statesman. December 4, 1995. Page D1.
Virginia Tech
The Virginia Tech Hokies entered the 1995 season after having finished with an 8–4 overall record in 1994. That season culminated with a 45–23 loss to Tennessee in the 1994 Gator Bowl.Virginia Tech Athletics Communications Department. "Virginia Tech past football schedules: 1994–1995", Hokiesports.com. Accessed May 30, 2009. Heading into the 1995 season, fans and coaches expected Tech to improve on its previous performance. Most commentators, however, expected a season comparable to 1994's: a second-place finish in the Big East and a trip to the Gator Bowl.Carlson, Steve. "Miami's on top, but No. 2 is in dispute", The Virginian-Pilot. August 6, 1995. Page C4.Bogaczyk, Jack. "Tech's key to success on the line", The Roanoke Times. September 6, 1995. Page B1. This was borne out by the preseason college football polls. The AP Poll put Tech 24th, while the coaches' poll had Tech 26th.The Associated Press. "UVA loses game, not ranking", Richmond Times-Dispatch. August 28, 1995. Page C6.
Those who tempered their expectations of the Hokies appeared to be vindicated in Tech's first game of the season, which took place on September 7, a week later than most teams started regular-season play. Tech rose to No. 20 in the country on the basis of other teams losing their season openers. A similar fate befell the Hokies, who lost to Boston College, 20–14.King, Randy. "Hokies stopped short", The Roanoke Times. September 8, 1995. Page B1. The opening-game loss was a "discouraging note" to begin the season in the eyes of at least one commentator.Lipper, Bob. "Hokies' autumn of promise begins on discouraging note", Richmond Times-Dispatch. September 8, 1995. Page D1. Because Tech's opening game was on a Thursday night, the Hokies had an extra two days to prepare for their next opponent, Cincinnati. The extra time did not help, however, and the Hokies were shut out, 16–0 by underdog Cincinnati. The shutout was the first scoreless effort by the Hokies since 1981 and caused sportswriters to call the Hokies "the most overrated team in the country."King, Randy. "Tech looking for answers", The Roanoke Times. September 17, 1995. Page B1.