The 1997 Norwest Sun Bowl featured the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Arizona State Sun Devils.

1997 Norwest Sun Bowl
1234 Total
Iowa 0007 7
Arizona State 01070 17
DateDecember 31, 1997
Season1997
StadiumSun Bowl
LocationEl Paso, Texas
RefereeKen Flaherty (WAC)
PayoutUS$1,000,000 per team[1]
United States TV coverage
NetworkCBS
AnnouncersTim Ryan (play-by-play)
Dave Logan (analyst)
Scott Lasky (sidelines)
Sun Bowl
 < 1996  1998

After a scoreless first quarter, Arizona State scored first, with a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Steve Campbell to wide receiver Lenzie Jackson to give ASU an early 7–0 lead. Kicker Robert Nycz kicked a 20-yard field goal to increase the lead to 10–0.

In the third quarter, running back Michael Martin scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to give ASU a 17–0 lead. In the fourth quarter, quarterback Randy Reiners threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Richard Carter.

Teams

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The game was played between the Iowa Hawkeyes from the Big Ten Conference and the Arizona State Sun Devils from the Pac-10 Conference. This was the first overall meeting and first postseason meeting between the programs.[2]

Iowa Hawkeyes

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Iowa entered the game with a 7–4 record (4–4 in conference). After lofty preseason expectations, they finished tied for sixth place in the Big Ten standings. The Hawkeyes went 1–2 versus the ranked teams they faced; losing at Ohio State and at Michigan in consecutive weeks before defeating Purdue at Kinnick Stadium.

Arizona State Sun Devils

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Arizona entered the game with a 8–3 record (6–2 in conference). They finished in third place in the Pac-10 Conference standings. The Sun Devils were 3–1 against ranked opponents, defeating Miami (FL), Stanford, and Washington State while losing to Washington. They started their season 3–2, then won five in a row before finishing the regular season with a loss to rival Arizona.

References

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  1. ^ "CNN/SI - College Bowl - College Bowl Payouts - December 12, 1997". Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2008.
  2. ^ "Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Arizona State Sun Devils football series history". winsipedia.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
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