The New Mexico Bowl is an NCAA-sanctioned post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually since 2006 at University Stadium, on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Owned and operated by ESPN Events, it has typically been scheduled as one of the first games of the bowl season. The bowl has tie-ins with Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference.
| New Mexico Bowl | |
|---|---|
| Isleta New Mexico Bowl | |
 | |
| Stadium | University Stadium (2006–present) |
| Location | Albuquerque, New Mexico (2006–present) |
| Temporary venue | Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas (2020) |
| Operated | 2006–present |
| Conference tie-ins | MWC, C-USA |
| Previous conference tie-ins | WAC (2006–2010) Pac-12 (2012–2013) |
| Payout | US$1.05 million (2019)[1] |
| Sponsors | |
| |
| Former names | |
| |
| 2023 matchup | |
| New Mexico State vs. Fresno State (Fresno State 37–10) | |
| 2024 matchup | |
| (December 28, 2024) | |
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 New Mexico Bowl was moved to Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.[2]
History
editThe New Mexico Bowl trophy is a 20-inch (51 cm) 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 sun 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.[3]
From 2011 to 2017, the bowl was sponsored by clothing manufacturer Gildan and was officially known as the Gildan New Mexico Bowl. In 2019, the bowl announced a sponsorship with DreamHouse Productions, a local film studio. However, in October 2019, the company was quietly dropped as sponsor, coinciding with investigations by a local sports website, EnchantmentSports.com,[4] that alleged DreamHouse Productions was tied to a scam artist and questioned the company's legitimacy.[5][6]
The 2021 edition of the game was sponsored by PUBG Mobile.[7] In September 2023, the Isleta Pueblo, an operator of resorts and casinos, was named the new title sponsor of the bowl.[8]
Game results
edit| Date | Winning team | Losing team | Attend. | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 23, 2006 | San Jose State | 20 | New Mexico | 12 | 34,111 | notes |
| December 22, 2007 | New Mexico | 23 | Nevada | 0 | 30,223 | notes |
| December 20, 2008 | Colorado State | 40 | Fresno State | 35 | 24,735 | notes |
| December 19, 2009 | Wyoming | 35 | Fresno State | 28 (2OT) | 24,898 | notes |
| December 18, 2010 | BYU | 52 | UTEP | 24 | 32,424 | notes |
| December 17, 2011 | Temple | 37 | Wyoming | 15 | 25,762 | notes |
| December 15, 2012 | Arizona | 49 | Nevada | 48 | 24,610 | notes |
| December 21, 2013 | Colorado State | 48 | Washington State | 45 | 27,104 | notes |
| December 20, 2014 | Utah State | 21 | UTEP | 6 | 28,725 | notes |
| December 19, 2015 | Arizona | 45 | New Mexico | 37 | 30,289 | notes |
| December 17, 2016 | New Mexico | 23 | UTSA | 20 | 29,688 | notes |
| December 16, 2017 | Marshall | 31 | Colorado State | 28 | 26,087 | notes |
| December 15, 2018 | Utah State | 52 | North Texas | 13 | 25,387 | notes |
| December 21, 2019 | San Diego State | 48 | Central Michigan | 11 | 18,823 | notes |
| December 24, 2020 | Hawaii | 28 | Houston | 14 | 2,060 | notes |
| December 18, 2021 | Fresno State | 31 | UTEP | 24 | 16,422 | notes |
| December 17, 2022 | BYU | 24 | SMU | 23 | 22,209 | notes |
| December 16, 2023 | Fresno State | 37 | New Mexico State | 10 | 30,822 | notes |
Source:[9]
MVPs
edit
| 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 | Andrew Rich | BYU | FS |
| 2011 | Chris Coyer | Temple | QB | Tahir Whitehead | Temple | LB |
| 2012 | Matt Scott | Arizona | QB | Marquis Flowers | Arizona | LB |
| 2013 | Connor Halliday | Washington State | QB | Shaquil Barrett | Colorado State | DE |
| 2014 | Kent Myers | Utah State | QB | Zach Vigil | Utah State | LB |
| 2015 | Anu Solomon | Arizona | QB | Scooby Wright III | Arizona | LB |
| 2016 | Lamar Jordan | New Mexico | QB | Dakota Cox | New Mexico | LB |
| 2017 | Tyre Brady | Marshall | WR | Channing Hames | Marshall | DL |
| 2018 | Jordan Love | Utah State | QB | DJ Williams | Utah State | DB |
| 2019 | Jordan Byrd[10] Jesse Matthews[11] |
San Diego State | RB WR |
Kyahva Tezino[12] | San Diego State | LB |
| 2020 | Calvin Turner[13] | Hawaii | WR | Darius Muasau[14] | Hawaii | LB |
| 2021 | Jordan Mims[15] | Fresno State | RB | Elijah Gates[15] | Fresno State | DB |
| 2022 | Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters[16] | BYU | QB | Ben Bywater[17] | BYU | LB |
| 2023 | Mikey Keene[18] | Fresno State | QB | Levelle Bailey[18] | Fresno State | LB |
Source:[19]: 13
Most appearances
editUpdated through the December 2023 edition (18 games, 36 total appearances).
- Teams with multiple appearances
| Rank | Team | Appearances | Record | Win pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | 4 | 2–2 | 0.500 |
| Fresno State | 4 | 2–2 | 0.500 | |
| 2 | Colorado State | 3 | 2–1 | 0.667 |
| UTEP | 3 | 0–3 | 0.000 | |
| 3 | Arizona | 2 | 2–0 | 1.000 |
| Utah State | 2 | 2–0 | 1.000 | |
| BYU | 2 | 2–0 | 1.000 | |
| Wyoming | 2 | 1–1 | 0.500 | |
| Nevada | 2 | 0–2 | 0.000 |
- Teams with a single appearance
Won (5): Hawaii, Marshall, San Diego State, San Jose State, Temple
Lost (7): Central Michigan, Houston, New Mexico State, North Texas, SMU, UTSA, Washington State
Air Force, Boise State and UNLV are the only current Mountain West Conference members that have not appeared in the bowl.
Appearances by conference
editUpdated through the December 2023 edition (18 games, 36 total appearances).
| Conference | Record | Appearances by season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | W | L | Win pct. | Won | Lost | |
| Mountain West | 17 | 12 | 5 | .706 | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023 |
2006, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 |
| C-USA | 7 | 1 | 6 | .143 | 2017 | 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2023 |
| WAC | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | 2006 | 2007, 2008, 2009 |
| Pac-12 | 3 | 2 | 1 | .667 | 2012, 2015 | 2013 |
| MAC | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2011 | 2019 |
| The American | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2020, 2022 | |
| Independents | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2022 | |
- The WAC no longer sponsors FBS football.
- Independent appearances: BYU (2022)
Game records
edit| Team | Performance vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored (one team) | 52, shared by: BYU vs. UTEP Utah State vs. North Texas |
2010 2018 |
| Most points scored (losing team) | 48, Nevada vs. Arizona | 2012 |
| Most points scored (both teams) | 97, Nevada vs. Arizona | 2012 |
| Fewest points allowed | 0, New Mexico vs. Nevada | 2007 |
| Largest margin of victory | 39, Utah State vs. North Texas | 2018 |
| Total yards | 659, Nevada vs. Arizona | 2012 |
| Rushing yards | 404, Nevada vs. Arizona | 2012 |
| Passing yards | 410, Washington State vs. Colorado State | 2013 |
| First downs | 39, Nevada vs. Arizona | 2012 |
| Fewest yards allowed | 200, New Mexico State vs. Fresno State | 2023 |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | –12, BYU vs. UTEP | 2010 |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | 47, BYU vs. SMU | 2022 |
| Individual | Player, Team | Year |
| All-purpose yards | 375, Gartrell Johnson (Colorado State) | 2008 |
| Points scored | 30, Connor Halliday (Washington State) | 2013 |
| Rushing yards | 285, Gartrell Johnson (Colorado State) | 2008 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 3, shared by 4 players: Ka'Deem Carey (Arizona) Kapri Bibbs (Colorado State) Jared Baker (Arizona) Lamar Jordan (New Mexico) |
2012 2013 2015 2015 |
| Passing yards | 410, Connor Halliday (Washington State) | 2013 |
| Passing touchdowns | 6, Connor Halliday (Washington State) | 2013 |
| Receiving yards | 182, Cayleb Jones (Arizona) | 2015 |
| Receiving touchdowns | 3, shared by: Kris Adams (UTEP) Cody Hoffman (BYU) |
2010 2010 |
| Tackles | 18, Matt Castelo (San Jose State) | 2006 |
| Sacks | 2, shared by: Brett Madsen (New Mexico) Mitch Unrein (Wyoming) Cory James (Colorado State) Scooby Wright III (Arizona) Tipa Galeai (Utah State) Khoury Bethley (Hawai'i) Jeremiah Pritchard (Hawai'i) |
2007 2009 2013 2015 2018 2020 2020 |
| Interceptions | 2, shared by: Andrew Rich (BYU) D.J. Williams (Utah State) |
2010 2018 |
| Long Plays | Player, Team | Year |
| Touchdown run | 90 yds., Tyler King (Marshall) | 2017 |
| Touchdown pass | 92 yds., Lamar Jordan to Delane Hart–Johnson (New Mexico) | 2015 |
| Kickoff return | 92 yds., Calvin Turner (Hawaii)[20] | 2020 |
| Punt return | 43 yds., JD Falslev (BYU) | 2010 |
| Interception return | 76 yds., Ben Bywater (BYU) | 2022 |
| Fumble return | 56 yds., Damaja Jones (San Jose State) | 2006 |
| Punt | 67 yds., Ryan Rehkow (BYU) | 2022 |
| Field goal | 53 yds., John Sullivan (New Mexico) | 2007 |
Source:[19]: 10–13
Media coverage
editESPN College Football holds the rights to televise the New Mexico Bowl. In 2006, the inaugural edition of the bowl, the game was carried on ESPN2, from 2007 to 2021 the game was carried on ESPN, In 2022, the game was carried on ABC.[21]
References
edit- ^ "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- ^ Kelley, Kevin (November 24, 2020). "2020 New Mexico Bowl to be played in Frisco, Texas". fbschedules.com. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ Korte, Tim (December 20, 2006). "Native American Artists Create Unique N.M. Bowl Trophy". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved December 24, 2006.
- ^ Smith, Mark (October 11, 2019). "Dream or Nightmare? New Mexico Bowl's New Title Sponsor Called a 'Scam Artist!'". Enchantment Sports. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ Heild, Colleen. "Questions raised about status of new NM Bowl sponsor". www.abqjournal.com. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ May, Jake. "ESPN Drops New Mexico Bowl Title Sponsor After Three Weeks". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ Rondina, Steven (December 6, 2021). "Yes, PUBG Mobile is actually sponsoring an NCAA football game". win.gg. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Hofheimer, Bill (September 22, 2023). "Isleta Named New Title Sponsor of the New Mexico Bowl". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "New Mexico Bowl Presented By Progressive" (PDF). Bowl/All Star Game Records. NCAA. 2020. p. 15. Retrieved January 3, 2021 – via NCAA.org.
- ^ New Mexico Bowl [@NMBowl] (December 21, 2019). "Outstanding Offensive co-MVP Jordan Byrd, @SDSUFootball sophomore running back and Albuquerque native 🎖 https://t.co/3N1jp7PpNk" (Tweet). Retrieved January 3, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ New Mexico Bowl [@NMBowl] (December 21, 2019). "Outstanding Offensive co-MVP Jesse Matthews, @SDSUFootball freshman wide receiver 🎖 https://t.co/rVnHk10inH" (Tweet). Retrieved January 3, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ @NMBowl (December 21, 2019). "Tweet" (Tweet) – via Twitter. [dead link]
- ^ @NMBowl (December 24, 2020). "@HawaiiFootball's Calvin Turner was selected as the 2020 New Mexico Bowl Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the game" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ @NMBowl (December 24, 2020). "@HawaiiFootball's Darius Muasau was selected as the 2020 New Mexico Bowl Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the game" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b @gabecamarillo_ (December 18, 2021). "Jordan Mims is the offensive MVP of the New Mexico Bowl, and Elijah Gates is the defensive MVP of the game" (Tweet). Retrieved December 18, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Termination of independence: BYU holds off SMU for 24-23 New Mexico Bowl victory". BYU.edu. December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ @NMBowl (December 17, 2022). "Ben Bywater being presented his Defense MVP award" (Tweet). Retrieved December 22, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b @AngMartinezTV (December 16, 2023). "Fresno State beats New Mexico State 37-10 to win the New Mexico Bowl" (Tweet). Retrieved December 16, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b "New Mexico Bowl Record Book" (PDF). newmexicobowl.com. 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
- ^ "Hawaii vs. Houston - Box Score". ESPN.com. December 24, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Kelly, Doug (ed.). "2019–20 Football Bowl Association Media Guide" (PDF). footballbowlassociation.com. p. 38. Retrieved January 4, 2020.