| Game Name: | Cotton Bowl Classic |
| Title Sponsor: | Mobil |
| Date Game Played: | January 2 |
| Year Game Played: | 1995 |
| Football Season: | 1994 |
| Subheader: | 59th Cotton Bowl Classic |
| Visitor School: | University of Southern California |
| Visitor Name Short: | USC |
| Visitor Nickname: | Trojans |
| Visitor Record: | 7–3–1 |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | 21 |
| Visitor Rank Coaches: | 22 |
| Visitor Rank Bowlcoalition: | 22 |
| Visitor Coach: | John Robinson |
| Visitor Conference: | Pac-10 |
| Visitor 1Q: | 28 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 6 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 14 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 7 |
| Visitor Total: | 55 |
| Home School: | Texas Tech University |
| Home Name Short: | Texas Tech |
| Home Nickname: | Red Raiders |
| Home Record: | 6–5 |
| Home Coach: | Spike Dykes |
| Home Conference: | SWC |
| Home 1Q: | 0 |
| Home 2Q: | 0 |
| Home 3Q: | 7 |
| Home 4Q: | 7 |
| Home Total: | 14 |
| Mvp: | WR Keyshawn Johnson (USC) CB John Herpin (USC) |
| Stadium: | Cotton Bowl |
| City: | Dallas, Texas |
| Referee: | Al Ford (SEC) |
| Attendance: | 70,218 |
| Us Network: | NBC |
| Us Announcers: | Jim Lampley and Todd Christensen |
The 1995 Mobil Cotton Bowl was the 59th Cotton Bowl Classic. The USC Trojans defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders, 55–14. The Trojans took a 21–0 lead less than ten minutes into the game and led 34–0 at halftime. USC wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who finished with eight catches for a Cotton Bowl-record 222 yards and three touchdowns, was named offensive MVP. Trojan cornerback John Herpin had two interceptions, one for a touchdown, and was named defensive MVP.[1]
The game was televised nationally by NBC for the third consecutive year. The Cotton Bowl Classic would return to its longtime television home, CBS, the next year. It was also the last year that Mobil served as the game's title sponsor; the following year, the Cotton Bowl organizers began a seventeen-year relationship with what is now AT&T.
USC's appearance was only the third in Cotton Bowl history by a team from the Pacific-10 Conference, following that of Oregon in 1949 and UCLA in 1989. Texas Tech's appearance was the last by a team from the Southwest Conference, which disbanded a year later. The Red Raiders finished 1–3 against ranked opponents, beating #19 Texas, but losing to #1 Nebraska, #21 Oklahoma, and #10 Texas A&M. They earned a share of the Southwest Conference championship, splitting it with Texas, Baylor, TCU, and Rice. Undefeated Texas A&M had the best record in the conference, but was ineligible for the conference title and could not play in a bowl game due to NCAA sanctions.
A complex tiebreaker was required to determine the SWC's representative to the Cotton Bowl. Since Rice was 5-6 and thus ineligible for a bowl game, results against the Owls were disregarded. Texas and Texas Tech each went 2-1 in the round robin between the Longhorns, Red Raiders, Baylor and TCU, while the Bears and Horned Frogs each went 1-2, leaving Texas and Tech in the running. The Red Raiders' 33-9 victory vs. the Longhorns in Lubbock Oct. 29 gave Tech the ultimate tiebreaker and the trip to Dallas. Texas went to the Sun Bowl, Baylor to the Alamo Bowl and TCU to the Independence Bowl.
Wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson caught 8 passes for 222 yards and 3 touchdowns as USC trounced Texas Tech, who did not score until it was 48–0.[2]
| Statistics | Texas Tech | USC |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 14 | 21 |
| Rushing Yards | 55 | 143 |
| Passing Yards | 205 | 435 |
| Total Offense | 260 | 578 |
| Passing | 15-37-2 | 24–35–0 |
| Punts-Average | 10–38.0 | 4-43.0 |
| Return Yards | 4 | 63 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 4-2 | 1-1 |
| Penalties-Yards | 2-20 | 12–133 |