2006 MPC Computers Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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Postseason bowl game | |||||||||||||||||||
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Date | December 31, 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||
Season | 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||
Stadium | Bronco Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
Location | Boise, Idaho | ||||||||||||||||||
MVP | Miami: Kirby Freeman, QB Nevada: Jeff Rowe, QB |
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Favorite | Miami −3 | ||||||||||||||||||
United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2006 MPC Computers Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game held on December 31, 2006 at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. The game featured tie-ins between the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which was represented by the Miami Hurricanes, and the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), represented by the Nevada Wolf Pack. The game was sponsored by the MPC Corporation, which was formerly known as Micron.
Pre-season the ACC media favored Miami to win the conference but Miami posted a 6–6 record in the regular season. A brawl during the FIU game and the murder of defensive lineman Bryan Pata also marred the season. Miami fired head coach Larry Coker at the end of the season and named defensive coordinator Randy Shannon as his successor, to take effect after the bowl game. The Hurricanes were ranked the third-best rushing defense in the nation, having allowed 792 yards on the ground. The Miami secondary, however, had proven somewhat porous by allowing 2,233 passing yards. The Hurricanes offense had struggled and quarterback Kyle Wright had thrown eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. He suffered a broken thumb and was replaced late in the season by Kirby Freeman for the last three games. Freeman threw for five touchdowns and seven interceptions. On the ground, Miami gained 2,295 rushing yards.
Nevada, led by long-time head coach Chris Ault, had performed according to expectations during the season, finishing the regular season 8–4. Quarterback Jeff Rowe passed for over 2,000 yards and a completion rate of 64.7%, but had also suffered 25 sacks. The Wolf Pack recorded 2,128 rushing yards, led by Robert Hubbard and Luke Lippincott. The Nevada defense recorded 19 interceptions to tie for eighth in the nation, and allowed an average of 19 points per game.