Las Vegas Bowl Moment 5: Marshawn Lynch, DeSean Jackson leave mark
To celebrate the local bowl’s 25th anniversary milestone, the Review-Journal will rank the top 25 moments in Las Vegas Bowl history. We’ll relive one moment per day until game day on Dec. 17 at Sam Boyd Stadium:
No. 5: Marshawn Lynch runs wild on BYU
Date: Dec. 22, 2005
Score: California 35, Brigham Young 28
Back story: California, which played in its first and only Las Vegas Bowl, was led by its dynamic offense that featured sophomore running back Marshawn Lynch and freshman wide receiver DeSean Jackson. BYU started its string of five consecutive Las Vegas Bowl appearances. The compelling matchup drew 40,053 fans, a then-Las Vegas Bowl record.
Game: Lynch went off for 199 rushing yards with three touchdowns and his teammate Jackson recorded six catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns. The Golden Bears held the lead throughout, but the Cougars made multiple rallies and only trailed by one possession with five minutes to go. Lynch, who was named the MVP, iced the game for Cal on the ground.
Since: Lynch and Jackson became stars in the NFL. Jackson broke out with the Philadelphia Eagles and is currently a member of the Washington Redskins. Lynch recently retired from the NFL with a Hall-of-Fame worthy career and won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks. Lynch was inducted into the Las Vegas Bowl Hall of Fame this year.
Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow @gmanzano24 on Twitter.
