New Mexico Bowl
| New Mexico Bowl | |
|---|---|
 5th Anniversary special logo | |
| Stadium | University Stadium |
| Location | Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Operated | 2006—present |
| Conference tie-ins | MWC, WAC Pac-12 (2012—13) |
| Payout | US$750,000 As of 2006[update] |
| Sponsors | |
None | |
| 2009 matchup | |
| Wyoming vs. Fresno State (WYO 35-28) | |
| 2010 matchup | |
| BYU vs. UTEP (December 18, 2010 at 2:00 p.m.) | |
The New Mexico Bowl is a NCAA sanctioned post-season bowl game that has been played at University Stadium on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico since 2006. It is typically the first game of the bowl season played on the Saturday before Christmas. The game is currently between teams representing the Mountain West Conference and the Western Athletic Conference and is televised on ESPN, whose ESPN Regional Television division (also known as ESPN Plus) supervises the bowl activities as one of the six bowl games they run. The game is the only annually nationally televised sporting event in the state of New Mexico. The 2006 contest was the first bowl game played in New Mexico, pitting the MWC's New Mexico Lobos and the WAC's San Jose State Spartans, a game which the Spartans won 20-12. The current champions of the New Mexico Bowl are the Wyoming Cowboys who edged Fresno State in double overtime 35-28 in the 2009 game.
The game trophy is a 20-inch piece of Zia Pueblo pottery, painted with Pueblo symbols, the New Mexico Bowl logo, football players, and the logos of the competing teams. The Zia symbol, a Zia Pueblo symbol that is used in the state flag, is incorporated into the bowl game logo. The most valuable player trophies are crafted from traditional leather shields.[1]
The New Mexico Bowl stays active in the offseason among the nation and the local community. The bowl co-sponsors the Presbyterian Ear Institutes' Run To Break The Silence, a 5K, 10K and 20K fun run at Sandia Resort and Casino. They also team with NCAA Football to put on a free clinic for area youth coached by both New Mexico and New Mexico State coaches. [2]
The 2010 New Mexico Bowl included UTEP from Conference USA, the first time a team from outside the WAC or MWC had played in the game. On November 10, 2010, it was announced that the Pac-12 Conference would provide a team for the 2012 and 2013 New Mexico Bowls, who will face an opponent from the Mountain West Conference.[3]
Game results
| Date Played | Winning Team | Losing Team | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 23, 2006 | San Jose State | 20 | New Mexico | 12 | notes |
| December 22, 2007 | New Mexico | 23 | Nevada | 0 | notes |
| December 20, 2008 | Colorado State | 40 | Fresno State | 35 | notes |
| December 19, 2009 | Wyoming | 35 | Fresno State | 28 (2OT) | notes |
| December 18, 2010 | BYU | 52 | UTEP | 24 | notes |
MVPs
| Year | Offensive MVP | Defensive MVP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Pos. | Player | Team | Pos. | |
| 2006 | James Jones | San José State | WR | Matt Castelo | San José State | LB |
| 2007 | Donovan Porterie | New Mexico | QB | Brett Madsen | New Mexico | LB |
| 2008 | Gartrell Johnson | Colorado State | RB | Tommie Hill | Colorado State | DE |
| 2009 | Austyn Carta-Samuels | Wyoming | QB | Mitch Unrein | Wyoming | DE |
| 2010 | Jake Heaps | BYU | QB | |||
Most appearances
| Rank | Team | Appearances | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | New Mexico | 2 | 1-1 |
| T1 | Fresno State | 2 | 0-2 |
| T2 | Colorado State | 1 | 1-0 |
| T2 | San Jose State | 1 | 1-0 |
| T2 | Wyoming | 1 | 1-0 |
| T2 | Nevada | 1 | 0-1 |
| T2 | UTEP | 1 | 0-0 |
| T2 | BYU | 1 | 0-0 |
Wins by conference
| Conference | Wins | Losses | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain West | 3 | 1 | .750 |
| Western Athletic | 1 | 3 | .250 |
Game records
| Record | Performance vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored | 40, Colorado State vs. Fresno State | 2008 |
| Fewest points allowed | 0, New Mexico vs. Nevada | 2007 |
| First downs | 28, BYU vs. UTEP | 2010 |
| Rushing yards | 362, Colorado State vs. Fresno State | 2008 |
| Passing yards | 354, New Mexico vs. Fresno State | 2007 |
| Total yards | 619, Colorado State vs. Fresno State | 2008 |
| Record | Player, Team | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored | 18, Cody Hoffman, BYU | 2010 |
| Rushing yards | 285, Gartrell Johnson, Colorado State | 2008 |
| Passing yards | 354, Donovan Porterie, New Mexico | 2007 |
| Receiving Yards | 137, Cody Hoffman, BYU | 2010 |
Television coverage
External links
- Official New Mexico Bowl website
- New Mexico Bowl at all-about-bowl-games.com
- 2006 New Mexico Bowl - ESPN
- 2007 New Mexico Bowl - ESPN
- 2008 New Mexico Bowl - ESPN
- 2009 New Mexico Bowl - ESPN
Notes
- ^ Korte, Tim (2006-12-20). "Native American Artists Create Unique N.M. Bowl Trophy". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
- ^ http://www.newmexicobowl.com
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5789407
 | This college football bowl article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |