Wyoming trailed by 11 points in the fourth quarter. Its offense was led by a freshman quarterback, its defense was facing the nation's leading rusher. Time to worry? Not these comeback Cowboys. Freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels threw three touchdown passes, the last a 13-yarder to David Leonard in the second overtime Saturday, and Wyoming rallied past Fresno State 35-28 in the New Mexico Bowl.
The first thing keynote speaker John Robinson said when he stepped to the microphone was, “I cringe every time someone says legend because that means you are very, very old.” But that is exactly how New Mexico Bowl Executive Director Jeff Siembieda introduced the College Football Hall of Fame inductee at Friday’s Sandia Resort Kickoff Lunch.
Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen, senior defensive tackle John Fletcher, senior wide receiver David Leonard, Fresno State head coach Pat Hill, wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu and safety Moses Harris fielded questions from the media at the Sandia Resort and Casino Friday morning.
The 2009 New Mexico Bowl participants enjoyed a fun filled evening at the Santa Ana Casino Thursday night. Fresno State and Wyoming split a pair of events as part of the bowl week activities continued leading up to Saturday's kickoff at 2:30 p.m. MT in University Stadium.
The Western Athletic Conference has dominated the annual El Pinto Chile Cookoff as Fresno State claimed the Chile Bowl and marked the third straight year the WAC has won the event. The Chile Bowl kicks off a week-long schedule leading up to the New Mexico Bowl Saturday, Dec. 19 at 2:30 p.m. MT.
Fresno State head coach Pat Hill and Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen fielded questions for the local media at the annual Four Hills Team Announcement luncheon.
The New Mexico Bowl is pleased to announce today that Fresno State, representing the Western Athletic Conference, and Wyoming, representing the Mountain West Conference, have accepted bids to play in the fourth annual New Mexico Bowl. The game, which kicks off the FBS postseason, will be played on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 2:30 p.m. MT at University Stadium on the University of New Mexico campus and air nationally on ESPN.
The New Mexico Bowl will host its annual team announcement lunch and press conference at Four Hills Country Club on Thursday, Dec. 10. Lunch is served to the media at 12:30 p.m. with interviews commencing at 1 p.m. The head coaches from both selected schools as well as New Mexico Bowl Executive Director Jeff Siembieda will be on hand.
The lunch, held at Four Hills Country Club, is held annually to officially announce the two teams selected for the New Mexico Bowl and to give the local media an opportunity to talk to the coaches and New Mexico Bowl Executive Director Jeff Siembieda.
This event is open to everyone for free beginning at 9 a.m. With entertainment, food, displays and giveaways, the New Mexico Bowl Fan Fest runs the gamut in pre-game entertainment. Two stages will feature live entertainment throughout the event, one dedicated solely to dancing performances and the other for live music. The kids’ corner, located in the Northeast section of the lot, is complete with a giant slide, jumpers and a batman obstacle course. All are welcome to get their face painted and Fun Time Airbrushed Tattoos will be on hand with spray-on tattoos. Santa Claus will also be on hand in the kid’s corner. For the “bigger kids”, there will be a full sized obstacle course courtesy of the Army National Guard.
This event, which is open to everyone at 4 p.m., provides the head coaches, team captains and their school’s respective cheerleaders, band and mascot a chance to interact with the fans. The event is capped with a fireworks display at 5:15 p.m. The rally is located in the Fanfest lot, which is at the northwest end of the stadium. Parking is available on all sides of the stadium, except the RV lot, for free.
The local and visiting media will have the opportunity to ask questions of the two head coaches, two student-athletes from each team, as well as the luncheon keynote speaker. Interviews begin at 10:30 a.m.
Five players from each team will visit the University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital to sign autographs and hand out New Mexico Bowl promotional items.
Action this week kicks off Friday in both conferences as Wyoming plays at Colorado State at noon and on The Mtn. while sixth-ranked Boise State hosts Nevada at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. On Saturday two MWC games are airing on The Mtn. while the Utah-BYU game shows on CBS College Sports. The WAC has two conference games that day and one non-conference game as Hawai`i plays Navy at 8:30 p.m. on ESPNU. Air Force (MWC) has completed its regular season while Frenso State and Louisiana Tech sit out with a bye. Don’t forget links to all the games audio and stats are available at www.NewMexicoBowl.com. Some games are even available to view online. Brief breakdowns of each game slated for this week are available in the attached PDF.
With just a few weeks to go, some college football experts are making their postseason predictions. From the WAC, Fresno State was almost the unanimous choice, selected 9-out-of-10 times, and is bowl-eligible with a 6-4 record. For the MWC selection, the prediction is Utah or Wyoming but there are also those, four to be exact, who think an at large bid will be necessary to fill the MWC spot in the bowl. Currently, Boise State, Fresno State, Idaho and Nevada are bowl eligible out of the WAC while Air Force, BYU, TCU and Utah are eligible from the MWC.
ESPN College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will make its first-ever visit to TCU and Fort Worth Saturday when the fourth-ranked Horned Frogs host No. 14 Utah. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT at Amon G. Carter Stadium and will be televised in high-definition nationally on CBS College. ESPN’s GameDay show features hosts Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard and will set up in the Campus Commons. Air time is 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. CT. Boise State’s home game against Idaho on Nov. 14 has been picked up by ESPNU and will kick off at 1:30 p.m. (MT). The game originally was scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. This is the third of four conference games (as stipulated in the WAC’s new ESPN contract) that will be selected by ESPNU during the season. Louisiana Tech’s game at LSU has also been selected to be shown on ESPNU that day and will kick off an hour earlier at 6:00 p.m. CT/5 p.m. MT.
NFF ANNOUNCES SCHOLAR-ATHLETE CLASS: The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) today late last week the 2009 National Scholar-Athlete class, who will vie as the finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth. Selected as the best and the brightest from the college gridiron, from a nationwide pool of 154 semifinalists among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA, the 16 members of the 2009 class include Matt Bauman (LB, BYU, 3.91) and Moses Harris (S, Fresno State, 3.56). Each finalist will receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship, and one of the 16 will be announced as the recipient of the 20th Anniversary William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth (and formerly known as the Draddy Trophy).
The New Mexico Bowl and the University of New Mexico are teaming up to provide quality entertainment at a discount price with a combo ticket for the games on Saturday, Dec. 19. The $40 ticket gives you admission to the fourth annual New Mexico Bowl at 2:30 p.m. and the UNM men’s basketball game against Creighton at 7 p.m
With the season half over, some college football experts are making their postseason predictions. Utah is the only Mountain West Conference team to be selected more than oncewhile Fresno State was chosen half the time from the WAC. Two predictors, College Football News and CBS Sportsline, picked at large bids, Northern Illinois and Iowa State, respectively, to fill the MWC spot in the bowl. As of Oct. 25, Northern Illinois has four wins out of the MAC, which leaves them fifth in a conference that only have three bowl ties. As for Iowa State from the Big 12, it has five wins, placing them sixth in a conference with eight bowl tie-ins. Currently, Boise State and Idaho are the only WAC teams that are bowl eligible while TCU, BYU and Utah are eligible from the MWC.
The New Mexico Bowl announced today its agreement with the Mountain West Conference for the next bowl term, 2010-2013. The nine-member conference will continue to provide one of its bowl-eligible teams, as it has since the New Mexico Bowl’s inception in 2006. During this term, the New Mexico Bowl will share a regional selection with the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, a fellow ESPN Regional Television owned and operated event. The agreement assures the New Mexico Bowl access to one of the top five selections in the Mountain West. The New Mexico Bowl and the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will make a selection with an emphasis on location, to ensure the best possible match-up is created for each local market.
The first Bowl Championship Series Standings were released on Sunday, Oct. 18 and the Mountain West has three teams in the Top 25 while the Western Athletic Conference has one. Boise State, of the WAC, is fourth, the highest a team from a non-automatic qualifying conference has ever been ranked. TCU leads all MWC teams at No. 8, while BYU is 16th and Utah is 18th. The MWC has had three teams ranked in the BCS Standings for nine consecutive weeks dating back to last season.
IDAHO TIED FOR NATION’S BEST IMPROVEMENT: With five victories this season, Idaho is tied with Washington for the best turnaround in the nation. The Vandals (2-10 last year) have recorded three more victories so far this year. Washington, which went 0-12 last year, is 3-3 this season. Idaho was picked last in the WAC preseason coaches’ poll and currently leads the conference at 2-0 with both wins coming on the road.
The season series between the Mountain West and Western Athletic Conferences has concluded at 6-3 in favor of the MWC, with its members outscoring the WAC 263-203. Six of the nine MWC teams (BYU, CSU, UNM, SDSU, UNLV and Utah) played against the WAC while six of the nine WAC teams (Hawai`i, Idaho, Nevada, NMSU, SJSU and USU) played the MWC. In the end, Utah and Idaho had the best records for each conference, both going 2-0.
Boise State (WAC) and TCU (MWC) are two of 17 teams in the nation without a loss. The Broncos are 4-0 on the season while the Frogs are 3-0. It’s the fourth time since the 2004 season that Boise State has started a season 4-0. The previous three times, the Broncos went on to finish the regular season undefeated (2004, 2006 and 2008). The only other time this decade that TCU has started 3-0 was last year and the Frogs finished 11-2. In the MWC since 2001, seven teams have started 4-0 or better but only two have finished undefeated, both being Utah in 2008 (13-0) and 2004 (12-0).
The American Football Coaches Association and Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy have partnered for the second consecutive year of Coach to Cure MD. On September 26, 2009, thousands of head coaches, including the nine Mountain West coaches, from all divisions and conferences, along with their coaching staffs, will come together by wearing a Coach to Cure MD patch in support of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, the most prolific genetic killer diagnosed in childhood. Fans can support their favorite coaches in the fight against DMD by either contributing via text messaging (text the word CURE to 90999 and donate $5 ) or online at www.CoachtoCureMD.org.
NCAA PRESIDENT PASSES: NCAA President Myles Brand passed away today after a nearly year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. Brand had served as NCAA president since January 2003 and had led the Association through key initiatives including academic reform, increased emphasis on presidential leadership and broad discussions on fiscal issues in college athletics. He was 67.
After week 1 some college football experts are already making their postseason predictions. UNLV is the only team to be selected more than once from the Mountain West Conference while Louisiana Tech was picked three times. Don't forget, tickets for the fourth annual New Mexico Bowl are on sale NOW!
The New Mexico Bowl is now using Twitter to keep fans up-to-date with the latest information. By becoming a follower of our Twitter page, you will have the opportunity to receive breaking news, score updates, and special announcements. Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. Updates are displayed on the user’s profile page and can also be received on cell phones who have signed up to receive them. Sign up for a Twitter account, registration is free, at Twitter.com.
Tickets for the fourth annual New Mexico Bowl are on sale to the general public today. Prices remain the same as the first three bowl games, with Premium sideline seats available for $30 and North end zone seats for $23. Groups of 20 or more can purchase tickets for $25 each. Fans have three convenient ways to purchase tickets. They are available online at www.newmexicobowl.com, at the UNM ticket office located on the Northwest corner of Avenida Cesar Chavez and University Boulevard, or by calling the Lobo Ticket Office at (505) 925-LOBO or the Bowl office at (505) 925-5999.
On July 23, youth football players from Albuquerque and surrounding cities are invited to attend a free half-day clinic at the University of New Mexico Indoor Practice Facility. This clinic, one of nine free clinics NCAA Football is hosting across the nation, will be led by coaches and student-athletes from the University of New Mexico, Eastern New Mexico University and Western New Mexico University. Participants will enjoy an introduction from University of New Mexico coaches before engaging in on-field agility drills, offensive and defensive training, and off-field character development.
Colorado State's Gartrell Johnson ran for a career-high 285 yards and tallied 90 yards receiving, leading the Rams to a 40-35 victory over Fresno State Saturday in the third annual New Mexico Bowl.
After a dinner buffet catered by Rudy's BBQ at the Santa Ana Resort & Casino, Rusty Z entertained the audience by hypnotizing some players. Then the teams went upstairs and Fresno State won the battle of the lanes, besting Colorado State 130-121 in a Baker System Bowl-off.
The field is set for the third annual New Mexico Bowl now that Colorado State has officially accepted its invitation today. It is the Rams’ first appearance in the New Mexico Bowl and their first bowl game since 2005. They will play Fresno State, which accepted its invitation on Thursday.
The New Mexico Bowl is pleased to announce today that Fresno State, representing the Western Athletic Conference, have accepted a bid to play in the third annual New Mexico Bowl. It will be the Bulldogs’ first appearance in the New Mexico Bowl, their second consecutive bowl game and their seventh postseason game in eight years this decade. Fresno State finished the regular season 7-5 overall and 4-4 in the WAC. The Bulldogs overall record is tied for the second best in the WAC with Hawai`i, Louisiana Tech and Nevada.
The Mountain West Conference regular season is over and five of its members earned bowl eligibility (Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, TCU, Utah). The Mountain West Conference currently has agreements to send four teams to bowl games in 2008. Six teams from the WAC (Boise State, Hawai`i, Louisiana Tech, Nevada, San Jose State and Fresno State) are bowl eligible. The WAC is affiliated with three bowl games this season.
The regular season is almost complete and several college football experts are making their bowl game predictions. After looking at five websites, College Football News (Scout.com), CBS Sportsline, ESPN, NBC Sports and Rivals.com, Colorado State from the Mountain West Conference was almost a unanimous choice. The WAC team is hotly debated, with San Jose State, Nevada, Louisiana Tech and Fresno State all getting nods.
Entering Week 13, four MWC teams have already earned bowl eligibility (Air Force, BYU, TCU, Utah). Colorado State and UNLV are both currently 5-6 on the year and must win their final game to become bowl eligible. Five teams from the WAC (Boise State, Louisiana Tech, Nevada, San Jose State and Fresno State) are already bowl eligible. Hawai`i is the only team still in contention, posting a 5-5 overall record and needing two wins in their final three games.
There are several college football web sites already making their predictions for the third annual New Mexico Bowl match-up. Of the five we looked at following week 11 of the 2008 season, College Football News (Scout.com), CBS Sportsline, ESPN, NBC Sports and Rivals.com, Colorado State from the Mountain West Conference and San Jose State from the WAC were chose the most.
Four teams will battle for the Mountain West title over the final three weeks of the season. TCU currently leads the race with a 6-0 Conference record, followed by Utah in second at 5-0. Air Force and BYU are tied for third with identical 4-1 marks. Meanwhile, the race for the Western Athletic Conference title is far from over with most teams having four conference games remaining. Heading into week 11, Boise State is the front-runner at 4-0 followed by San Jose State at 4-1. Fresno State, Louisiana Tech and Nevada are still in the hurt, currently tied for third with 2-2 marks.
There are several college football web sites already making their predictions for the third annual New Mexico Bowl match-up. Of the five we looked at following week 8 of the 2008 season, College Football News (Scout.com), CBS Sportsline, ESPN, NBC Sports and Rivals.com, Air Force and New Mexico from the Mountain West Conference were chosen multiple times while Fresno State was named the most (three times) followed by San Jose State (twice) from the WAC.
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl officials announced this week that they have signed a contingency agreement with the WAC that impacts the 2008 and 2009 bowl games. Mountain West Conference Commissioner Craig Thompson and Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl executive director Kevin McDonald announced late last week they have signed an agreement for 2009 that will pit another MWC team against a top opponent from the Western Athletic Conference in the Boise-based Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl.
The official BCS standings do not come out unti this Sunday but ESPN has posted a mock version developed by sticking as close to the current formula as possible. It shouldn’t be a shock after seeing this week’s rankings that Texas, Alabama and Penn State are No. 1, 2 and 3, respectively. But what might be a shock is that out of the Mountain West Conference, Utah (currently ranked No. 13/14) comes in at No. 9 in the standings, besting BYU (currently ranked No. 8/9), which sits No. 12. Representing the Western Athletic Conference, Boise State (currently ranked No. 15/16) places No. 14. But keep in mind, these numbers are produced by a calculation of point values from the coaches’ poll, the Harris Interactive poll, and five computer ratings (Anderson & Hester, Billingsley, Colley, Massey and Sagarin). The best and worst computer ratings for each team are eliminated. A sixth computer rating (Wolfe) is part of the BCS formula but is not yet being published.
The Mountain West Conference and the Western Athletic Conference are non-BCS automatic qualifying conferences. Yet some of their members are more than holding their own when playing against BCS teams. Since the BCS inception in 1998, Utah (MWC) is tied with Navy (IND) for the most wins against BCS teams with 16. TCU (MWC) sits in third with 15 while BYU (MWC) is tied with Fresno State (WAC) at 14. In this decade, Utah is No. 1 all by itself with 15, followed by Fresno State (14), Navy (13), TCU (12) and BYU (10).
The Mountain West and Western Athletic Conferences have gone head-to-head the last two years in the New Mexico Bowl with each league garnering a victory. As the conferences work their way through the 2008 season in preparation for another bowl battle, they are about to face off one last time in the regular season. There were seven match-ups slated for the 2008 season and with a 4-2 MWC lead, the last meeting is scheduled to take place Friday night in Logan, Utah as Utah State hosts No. 7/8-ranked BYU.
Thanks to their 37-32 win at then 17th-ranked Oregon Saturday, the Boise State Broncos (3-0) were selected the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week for games of the weekend of Sept. 20. Boise State ended Oregon’s 18-game winning streak vs. Western Athletic Conference schools as the Broncos upended a BCS conference team on the road for the first time in school history. The FWAA (Football Writers Assoc. of America) has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the fifth season that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
The National Football League kicked off the 2008-09 season last week and there were plenty of former Mountain West and Western Athletic Conference players on the 32 NFL team rosters. Fresno State (WAC) and San Diego State (MWC) both top their conferences with 19 former athletes on NFL rosters, including the Bulldogs’ David Carr, the 2002 top draft pick by the New York Giants. All nine WAC institutions have at least three former members on an NFL roster while eight of the nine MWC institutions have at leat four representatives. Air Force is the lone school without representation. For a complete list of athletes, visit www.themwc.com or www.wacsports.com.
The latest hurricane to pass through the Gulf of Mexico and make its presence felt in Texas is category two system, Hurricane Ike. Ike has forced the Air Force Academy’s football game this Saturday against the University of Houston to move to Gerald J. Ford Stadium at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and start at 2:30 p.m. CT, according to officials at Houston. The game was originally scheduled Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at John O’Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium in Houston. It will still air on CBS College Sports TV.
The Mountain West Conference and the Western Athletic Conference are both represented again this week in the AP Top 25 and USA Today Poll. BYU, which was ranked 16 and 17, respectively, in the preseason polls, climbed a spot or two, coming in at 15 in both polls. Fresno State, which was ranked 25 in the USA Today Poll last week and receiving votes in the AP poll, jumped to No. 21 in both polls this week. Finally, Utah, which wasn’t ranked but did receive votes in both preseason polls, skyrocketed into the spotlight, placing 22nd and 23rd, respectively. Both conferences have teams receiving votes too. TCU is getting votes in both polls while Boise State is garnering attention in the AP standings.
All nine teams from the Mountain West Conference are in action this week while eight of the nine from the Western Athletic Conference take to the field. The only WAC member not to start the season this week is New Mexico State, which opens Thursday, Sept. 4. Also, MWC play begins this first week, with the TCU Horned Frogs visiting the New Mexico Lobos on Saturday, Aug. 30.
Tickets for the third annual New Mexico Bowl go on sale to the general public Thursday, Aug. 28. Prices remain the same from the 2006 and 2007 games, with Premium sideline seats available for $30 and North end zone seats for $23. Fans have three convenient ways to purchase tickets. They are available online at www.newmexicobowl.com, at the UNM ticket office located at The Pit, or by calling the Lobo Ticket Office at (505) 925-LOBO or the Bowl office at (505) 925-5999.
Over 275 kids took part in the first annual NCAA Football Youth Day, hosted by the New Mexico Bowl at the University of New Mexico indoor practice facility. The clinic, which was free for ages 14 and under, was taught by several Lobo and Aggie coaches and players. "What a fantastic event," said Jeff Siembieda, director of the New Mexico Bowl. "It was great to see so many young football players come out and get to enjoy this free clinic and get taught by college coaches. My thanks to our staff and to NCAA football for putting this together. I can't wait to see this grow in the years to come."
On July 27, 2008, the New Mexico Bowl was proud to partner with the Sandia Resort & Casino and sponsor the 10th annual Run To Break the Silence! The event was to benefit the Presbyterian Ear Institute, which is one of the premier facilities/schools of its kind in the country. At the event, the Bowl passed out goodie bags that included a letter from executive director Jeff Siembieda to all participants, thanking them for their support and offering them up to four tickets for the New Mexico Bowl at a discounted price.
NCAA Football and the New Mexico Bowl have teamed up for the first annual "NCAA Football Youth Day", slated for Monday, July 28 at the University of New Mexico indoor practice facility. As part of NCAA Football’s Youth Initiative Program, the free clinic will focus on teaching Albuquerque youth, ages 14 and under, basic fundamentals and teamwork. The two-hour clinic, scheduled for 9 a.m.-11 a.m. with registration beginning at 8 a.m., will include drills involving passing, receiving, tackling and agility.
ESPN Regional Television, a subsidiary of ESPN, Inc., announced today that the 2008 New Mexico Bowl will be played Saturday, Dec. 20 in University Stadium on the campus of the University of New Mexico. The third annual game will feature teams from the Mountain West Conference and the Western Athletic Conference and will again be televised nationally on ESPN and ESPN-HD. Kickoff for the 2008 New Mexico Bowl will be at 12:30 p.m. MT. This marks a change from the first two New Mexico Bowl games, which kicked off at 2:30 p.m. MT.
Paul Baker ran for 167 yards in his first start, and Donovan Porterie threw for a career-high 354 yards and two touchdowns to help New Mexico beat Nevada 23-0 in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday. The Lobos (9-4) ended a 46-year span without a postseason victory and gave Long, the team's 10th-year coach, his first bowl win in five tries. John Sullivan made field goals from 53, 39 and 37 yards, but give credit to New Mexico's defense, which delivered just the second shutout loss for Nevada under Hall of Fame coach Chris Ault. The Wolf Pack (6-7) hadn't gone scoreless since losing 10-0 to Weber State on Sept. 27, 1980, a span of 329 games -- the longest current streak in college football and the second longest in history. It's the first time Nevada was shut out since moving to Division I-A in 1992.
Kickoff for New Mexico Bowl II between Nevada and New Mexico is 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 22, but the bowl day festivities start much earlier. The Acoma Sky City Fan Fest will run from 10 a.m. until 2:15 p.m. in the parking lots to the North and Northeast of University Stadium. This event is a “must attend” for everyone. With entertainment, food, displays and give-aways, the Acoma Sky City Fan Fest runs the gamut in pre-game entertainment. In fact, this event stands alone as a destination for tailgaters and fans.
Pontiac, the official vehicle of New Mexico Bowl II, invites fans to stop by any of its nine Albuquerque area dealerships through December 21, take a test drive of any Pontiac vehicle, and walk away with a pair of tickets (while supplies last) to New Mexico Bowl II. Tickets are available while supplies last at any of the 11 Albuquerque area dealerships, including: Friday Motors Buick-Pontiac-GMC (Taos), Henry Valencia Buick-Pontiac-GMC (Espanola), Performance Buick-Pontiac-GMC (Santa Fe), Performance Buick-Pontiac-GMC (Farmington), Pitre Buick-Pontiac-GMC (Albuquerque), Quality Motor Company (Las Vegas), Quality Pontiac-GMC-Buick (Albuquerque), Rico Motor Company (Gallup), Sunshine Buick-Pontiac-GMC (Albuquerque), Viva Motors BP (Socorro) and Whitehead Motors Buick-Pontiac-GMC (Truth or Consequences). Test drive participants must be 18 years of age and hold a valid driver’s license. For fans attending the Bowl game on Saturday, Dec. 22, Pontiac will rev up the pre-gane Acoma Sky City Fan Fest from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with an interactive vehicle display. Fans are invited to experience a host of Pontiac vehicles in the football-themed display, as well as pick up an official commemorative Pontiac-New Mexico Bowl II seat cushion.
A part of College GameDay is coming to the New Mexico Bowl! ESPN College GameDay host Lee Corso will be the featured speaker at the Sandia Resort and Golf Club Kickoff Luncheon on Friday, Dec. 21. "Lee Corso IS College Football and we couldn't be happier about having him speak at the Sandia Resort and Golf Club Kickoff Luncheon," said Jeff Siembieda, New Mexico Bowl Executive Director. "Everyone loves Lee and I know everyone in that room will be thrilled to hear what he has to say. His passion, excitement and knowledge are a huge plus and we're ecstatic that he's going to be here."
The New Mexico Bowl is pleased to announce that the University of New Mexico Lobos have accepted an invitation to play in the 2nd annual New Mexico Bowl. The Lobos played in the inaugural game one year ago and once again, with an 8-4 overall record, have earned their way into the December 22nd. The New Mexico Bowl will be aired at 2:30pm (MST) on ESPN and ESPN-HD, live from University Stadium in Albuquerque, NM. Last year’s inaugural contest was played on December 23, 2006, with WAC representative San Jose State defeating New Mexico 20-12.
The University of Nevada Wolf Pack has accepted an invitation to play in the second edition of the New Mexico Bowl. The Wolf Pack will represent the Western Athletic Conference in the contest. Nevada will enter the contest with a 6-6 record after defeating Louisiana Tech 49-10 in their season finale on December 1st. The Wolf Pack finished in fourth place in the Western Athletic Conference standings with a 4-4 record.
For the second consecutive year, the Brigham Young Cougars (7-0, 9-2) are Mountain West Conference champions. The Cougars defeated intrastate rival Utah (5-3, 8-4) 17-10. BYU has now won 15 contests in a row against MWC opponents and extended their overall win streak to 8 games. Hawai`i (8-0, 11-0) defeated the Boise State Broncos (7-1, 10-2) 39-27 in Honolulu on Friday evening. Colt Brennan threw five touchdown passes to set the NCAA career touchdown pass record at 126. The victory clinched the Western Athletic Conference title and moved the Rainbow Warriors up to number 12 in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) rankings.
Hawai’i (7-0, 10-0) playing without Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback, Colt Brennan, needed a last second field goal to defeat the Nevada Wolf Pack (3-3, 5-5) 28-26. Hawai’i will face Boise State (7-0, 10-1) for the WAC title on Friday evening in a game that will be aired on ESPN2. Utah (5-2, 8-3) won for the seventh consecutive time defeating New Mexico (4-3, 7-4) 28-10 in Salt Lake City on Saturday afternoon. The win keeps Utah's hopes for a conference title alive.
The New Mexico Bowl and ExpressJet have teamed up to bring even more excitement to college football fans for the New Mexico Bowl, set for 2 p.m. MT Saturday, Dec. 22, at University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M. During the game, fans will have the chance to register to win a pair of round-trip tickets from ExpressJet Airlines. The winner will be announced live on the field during the third quarter.
Hawai’i (6-0, 9-0) held on to defeat Fresno State (5-2, 6-4), 37-30. The victory is the ninth in a row for the Warriors and also saw Hawai’i quarterback, Colt Brennan, tie former BYU quarterback Ty Detmer for the most career touchdown passes at 121. Utah (4-2, 7-3) won for the sixth consecutive week soundly defeating Wyoming (2-4, 5-5) 50-0. Utah has stormed back after starting the season 1-3.
The Nevada Wolfpack (3-2, 5-4) held on to defeat New Mexico State (1-4, 4-6), 40-38. The Aggies field goal attempt in the last seconds hooked left of the goal post allowing Nevada to come away with their third straight victory keeping their hopes for a bowl game alive. League leading BYU (4-0, 6-2), became bowl eligible for the third straight year under head coach Bronco Mendenhall. The Cougars dominated the game against visiting Colorado State (1-5, 1-8) 35-16.
Hawai’i (5-0, 8-0) continued to make a case for a BCS game with a 50-13 trouncing of visiting New Mexico State (1-3, 4-5). Colt Brennan threw six touchdown passes against the Aggies to become the school’s all-time leader at 119. After starting the season at 1-3, the Utah Utes (3-2, 6-3) have quietly won five games in a row and are creeping up the conference standings. Utah defeated Colorado State (1-4, 1-7) 27-3 to move into fourth place in the league behind third place Air Force (5-2, 6-3).
Wins by both Fresno State (4-0, 5-2) and Boise State (3-0, 6-1) sets up a huge game between the two schools this Friday. Fresno State shut out San Jose State (2-2, 3-5) 30-0 and Boise State defeated a pesky Louisiana Tech (1-3, 2-5) team 45-31. Boise State has now won 19 of its last 20 games. Both teams remain in a three way tie for first with Hawai’i (4-0, 7-0) who was idle in week 8. Friday evening’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN2. The Air Force Falcons (5-1, 6-2) won over visiting Wyoming (1-2, 4-3) 20-12. The victory is the Falcons sixth of the year making them officially bowl eligible.
Seven weeks into the 2007 campaign, BYU sits alone at the top of the Mountain West Conference standings. The Cougars, (3-0, 4-2) set a record for consecutive league wins in a row at 11 when they defeated the UNLV Rebels (1-2, 2-5) in Las Vegas 24-14. Hawai’i’s dramatic 42-35 overtime victory over San Jose State (2-1, 3-4) preserved their spot in a three way tie for first place in the WAC with Boise State (2-0, 5-1) who defeated Nevada (0-2, 2-4) in a wild 69-67 four overtime shootout on Sunday evening. The third strand is Fresno State (3-0, 4-2) who thumped Idaho (0-3, 1-6) 37-24 in the Kibbie Dome. The Rainbow Warriors (4-0, 7-0) may hold the inside track to the WAC title considering three out of their four remaining league games are on the islands including contests against both Fresno State (Nov. 11) and Boise State (Nov. 23).
After six weeks of the 2007 campaign, teams in both leagues are beginning to establish themselves at the top of each league. Hawaii remains undefeated after dismantling the Utah State Aggies 52-37. The Rainbow Warriors (3-0, 6-0) are in an early four way tie for first place in the WAC. Fresno State (2-0, 3-2), San Jose State (2-0,3-3) and Boise State (1-0, 4-1) hold the other three top spots. In the MWC, the Wyoming Cowboys (1-0, 4-1) sent a message to the rest of the league with a 24-21 victory over preseason media favorite TCU (1-2, 3-3). The Cowboys now sit in a tie with BYU (2-0, 3-2) atop the conference standings. BYU was idle in week 6. Week 7 holds a heavy slate of league games as all nine teams in the MWC are in action with only TCU playing out of conference against Stanford. The WAC also has a heavy slate of league play with the exception of Utah State (0-2, 0-6) who has this week off.
The Rainbow Warriors traveled to Idaho and defeated the Vandals 48-20. Their victory marks the first 5-0 start since 1981 and is their ninth straight WAC win dating back to last year. The Fremont Cannon will remain in Reno, Nevada as the Wolfpack held on to win the annual battle of the state defeating UNLV 27-20. This is the third straight victory for the Wolfpack in the series. Salt Lake City was the site of the second interleague game. The host Utah Utes defeated the Utah State Aggies for the tenth consecutive time, winning 34-18. The two games mark the end of head to head action between the two leagues until the December 22nd New Mexico Bowl II. The MWC holds a 4-3 advantage over the WAC heading into this year’s game.
The Rainbow Warriors rolled over Charleston Southern 66-10 in Aloha Stadium. Hawaii scored 28 points in the 3rd quarter on the way to their 4th victory improving them to 4-0 for the first time since 1988. The Rainbow Warriors rolled over Charleston Southern 66-10 in Aloha Stadium. Hawaii scored 28 points in the 3rd quarter on the way to their 4th victory improving them to 4-0 for the first time since 1988.
Tickets for the second annual New Mexico Bowl are now on sale. Tickets can be purchased at the University of New Mexico box office on online at www.newmexicobowl.com. After a successful inaugural Bowl Game, ticket prices will not be increased for 2007. Premium seats can be purchased for $30, tickets in the North end zone are $23 and the McDonald’s family zone, located in the South end zone will feature four tickets for $60 with a voucher from New Mexico McDonald’s.
It was a banner night for the New Mexico Bowl as they received the Promotion of the Year award from the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame. Executive director Jeff Siembieda and his entire staff were on hand to accept the award. Mr. Siembieda thanked all the parties involved for having the vision for the game and getting it off the ground.
