2012 Sun Bowl
| 2012 Hyundai Sun Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 31, 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Sun Bowl Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | El Paso, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Rod Sweeting | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | USC by 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Bill Lemonnier, Big Ten | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 47,922 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Payout | US$1.9 million per team | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network |
CBS Sports USA Radio |
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| Announcers |
Verne Lundquist (play-by-play) Gary Danielson (analyst) Tracy Wolfson (sidelines) |
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 GT vs. USC 12/31/12
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The 2012 Hyundai Sun Bowl, the 79th edition of the game, was a post-season American college football bowl game, held on December 31, 2012, at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas, as part of the 2012–13 NCAA Bowl season. The game, the 79th edition of the Sun Bowl, was televised in the United States on CBS.
The game featured the USC Trojans from the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12) against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Trojans accepted their invitation to the game after attaining a 7–5 regular-season record, while the Yellow Jackets entered the game with a 6–7 record (5-3 ACC), after losing to Florida State in the 2012 ACC Championship Game. Georgia Tech had to request for a postseason waiver that was granted in order to participate as a result of the conference championship game the Yellow Jackets played under extenuating circumstances caused by sanctions on the two teams ahead of them in division standings.
Georgia Tech won the game in a 21–7 upset, thanks to a strong performance by the Yellow Jackets' defense. USC, which came into the game averaging more than 30 points per game, was limited to 7 points and 205 total yards. Georgia Tech cornerback Rod Sweeting was named the game's most valuable player.
The 2012 Sun Bowl marked the 4th meeting between USC and Georgia Tech, with USC holding a 2-1 advantage coming into the bowl game. The previous meeting was on September 22, 1973, in a 29-18 win for the Trojans.
Coming off a two-year postseason ban, the Trojans had high hopes to return to their former glory in 2012, which were undoubtedly heightened by their preseason #1 ranking. USC started the season 6–1 and they appeared likely to at least make it back to the Rose Bowl. However, these plans were quickly dampened by the Trojans losing four of their last five games to finish at 7–5 and a second-place tie in the Pac-12 South Division. In addition, the Trojans lost their star quarterback Matt Barkley to injuries suffered in a game against rivals UCLA, leading to redshirt freshman Max Wittek to start the remaining USC games, including the 2012 Sun Bowl.
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