New Mexico Bowl

New Mexico Bowl
Gildan New Mexico Bowl
The new logo for the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.
Stadium	University Stadium
Location	Albuquerque, New Mexico
Operated	2006–present
Conference tie-ins	MWC, WAC (ended in 2010) Pac-12 (2011–2012)
Payout	US$750,000 As of 2006[update]
Sponsors
Gildan (2011-)
2010 matchup
BYU vs. UTEP (BYU 52-24)
2011 matchup
Mountain West Conference vs. Pacific-12 Conference (December 17, 2011)

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 now officially known as the Gildan New Mexico Bowl; Gildan, the manufacturer of activewear, became the bowl's first sponsor in 2011. 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 Pacific-12 Conference^[1] 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 BYU Cougars who beat UTEP 52-24 in the 2010 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.^[2]

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.^[3]

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.^[4]

Game results

Date	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	Andrew Rich	BYU	FS

Most appearances

Rank	Team	Appearances	Record
T1	New Mexico	2	1–1
T1	Fresno State	2	0–2
T2	BYU	1	1–0
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	0–1

Wins by conference

Conference	Wins	Losses	Pct.
Mountain West	4	1	.800
Western Athletic	1	3	.250
Conference USA	0	1	.000

Game records

Team	Performance vs. Opponent	Year
Most points scored	52, BYU vs. UTEP	2010
Fewest points allowed	0, New Mexico vs. Nevada	2007
Margin of victory	28, BYU vs. UTEP	2010
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
Individual	Player, Team	Year
Points scored	18, Cody Hoffman, BYU	2010
Passing touchdowns	4, Jake Heaps, 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

• New Mexico Bowl broadcasters

Former logos

• 

  Used from 2006–2009

• 

  5th Anniversary logo used in 2010

References

1. ^ "The Mountain West and Pac-12 are slated to face each other in the sixth annual Gildan New Mexico Bowl."
2. ^ Korte, Tim (2006-12-20). "Native American Artists Create Unique N.M. Bowl Trophy". Albuquerque Journal. http://www.abqjournal.com/sports/aptrophy12-20-06.htm. Retrieved 2006-12-24. 
3. ^ http://www.newmexicobowl.com
4. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5789407

External links

• Official website