Pittsburgh Accepts Invitation to Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

12/5/2004

The Panthers will meet the Utah Utes on January 1.

        PITTSBURGH?The University of Pittsburgh football team accepted its first-ever Bowl Championship Series invitation today and will play the Utah Utes in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2005, in Phoenix, Ariz.

        The game will be a national ABC telecast and kick off at 8:30 p.m. EST.

        The Panthers finished the season in a flurry, winning six of their final seven games en route to the Big East Co-Championship and an 8-3 overall record. Pittsburgh is ranked 19th by The Associated Press and 20th in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll.

        Utah, champions of the Mountain West Conference, finished the season 11-0. The Utes are ranked fifth by AP and sixth in the coaches? poll.

        The 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl will mark the first meeting ever between Pittsburgh and Utah.

        ?We are truly honored to represent the Big East Conference in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl,? Pittsburgh athletic director Jeff Long said. ?We are extremely proud of our football team. They have worked hard to achieve this goal and have earned the opportunity to play in one of college football's most prestigious bowl games. We are very appreciative of the invitation to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl we received from President John Junker. John and his staff have a tremendous reputation for providing a tremendous experience for our student-athletes. We are excited to bring a great contingent of Pittsburgh Panther fans to Phoenix later this month.?

        ?This is a tremendous reward for our players who displayed such dedication, persistence and desire during the course of this season,? Head Coach Walt Harris said. ?The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl is run by first-class people and their hospitality is second to none. I can?t think of a finer destination to end our season. We?re really looking forward to visiting Phoenix for one of the greatest bowls in the college game.?

        The Panthers have played in the Fiesta Bowl three prior times, including the 1973, 1979 and 1984 games.

        This will be Pittsburgh?s fifth consecutive postseason berth and six in the last eight years. It is the program?s best postseason run since going to nine straight bowls from 1975-83. With its 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl appearance, the Panthers will have made 24 all-time postseason appearances.

        For Tostitos Fiesta Bowl ticket information, call (800) 643-PITT or log on to www.pittsburghpanthers.com.                                            

 

Pittsburgh?s All-Time Fiesta Bowl Appearances

Dec. 21, 1973

Arizona State 28, Pittsburgh 7

Dec. 25, 1979

Pittsburgh 16, Arizona 10

Jan. 2, 1984

Ohio State 28, Pittsburgh 23

Pittsburgh Accepts Invitation to Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

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