That allowed Texas to earn a BCS berth, finishing .0129 points ahead of Cal in the BCS standings after being .0013 points behind. The Longhorns went on to beat Michigan 38–37 in the Rose Bowl. In part because of the controversy with Cal's BCS ranking, the AP poll withdrew from the BCS after the season. Texas Tech entered the game with a 7–4 overall record and a 5–3 record in the Big XII. The Red Raiders entered the game with the top-ranked passing offense in the NCAA, averaging just over 399 yards per game, and with the NCAA season leader in passing yardage, Sonny Cumbie. Earlier in the season, Tech had shown its offensive prowess with a 70–10 victory over Nebraska, the most points ever given up by Nebraska in the team's history. Cal played well at first, finishing the first quarter with a 14–7 lead. However, the Texas Tech passing assault exploded after that. In the second and third quarters, the Red Raiders outscored the Bears 31–3, going on to record the biggest upset of the bowl season. Red Raiders quarterback Sonny Cumbie torched the Bears defense for 520 passing yards, going 40-for-60 with three touchdowns and no interceptions. The brightest spot for Cal was running back J.J. Arrington, who ran for 173 yards and a touchdown, making him only the third Pac-10 running back to reach 2,000 yards rushing in a season. Tech got on the board first with a touchdown pass from Sonny Cumbie to Jarrett Hicks, but the Bears responded with two touchdowns on runs by J.J. Arrington and Marshawn Lynch to go up 14–7 in the first quarter. The Red Raiders outscored the Bears 17–0 in the second quarter, with an Alex Trlica field goal, a touchdown run by Taurean Henderson, and another Cumbie-to-Hicks touchdown pass. Cumbie's second touchdown pass came three plays after Tech's Vincent Meeks intercepted an Aaron Rodgers pass and returned it 48 yards to California's 22-yard line. Meeks was named the Defensive MVP of the game. In the second half, Tech took the opening kickoff and marched 85 yards in just four plays, scoring on a 60-yard catch and run by Joel Filani to make the score 31–14. Tech's Johnny Mack scored on an 11-yard run later in the third quarter as the Red Raiders took a 38–17 lead into the fourth quarter.