1975 Fiesta Bowl

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The 1975 Fiesta Bowl was the fifth edition of the college football bowl game, played on December 26, 1975, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. It matched No. 6 Nebraska and the undefeated No. 7 Arizona State. The game, broadcast on CBS, drew 51,396 fans.

Arizona State won 17–14, in a game that put the Fiesta Bowl on the map. ASU’s offense was led by wide receiver John Jefferson, who had eight catches for 115 yards and was named the offensive MVP. Linebacker Larry Gordon was the defensive MVP, though he was ejected for fighting late in the game.

Key moments:
- Nebraska took the early lead after Monte Anthony’s one-yard run in the second quarter.
- Arizona State answered with a Danny Kush field goal, cutting the deficit to 7–3, then to 7–6 by halftime.
- In the third quarter, Anthony scored again for Nebraska to push the lead to 14–6.
- Arizona State tied the game in the fourth quarter when Jefferson caught a 10-yard pass from backup quarterback Fred Mortensen, and with a two-point conversion by Larry Mucker, the score was 14–14.
- Nebraska punted twice, and Mortensen threw an interception before Kush kicked a 29-yard field goal to give ASU a 17–14 lead with just under five minutes remaining.
- Nebraska drove inside the ASU 30 late, but Tony Davis fumbled, and ASU recovered to run out the clock.

Arizona State outgained Nebraska in passing and total yards and had fewer turnovers. The Sun Devils finished the season 12–0, while Nebraska dropped to 10–2. After the game, ASU moved to No. 2 in the final AP poll, and Nebraska fell to No. 9.

This game marked ASU’s fourth Fiesta Bowl appearance in five years and was the first Fiesta Bowl meeting of two top-ten teams. The Sun Devils would win another Fiesta Bowl later, as would Nebraska in coming years.