2009 New Mexico Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 2009 New Mexico Bowl was a post-season American college football
bowl game
, held on December 19, 2009
at University Stadium on the campus of the University of New Mexico
in Albuquerque, New Mexico
as part of the 2009-10 NCAA Bowl season. The game, telecast on ESPN
, featured the Wyoming Cowboys
from the Mountain West Conference
and the Fresno State Bulldogs
from the WAC
.This was the first trip to the New Mexico Bowl for Wyoming. It was also their first trip to a post season bowl game since the 2004 season when the Cowboys defeated the 24–21 in the Pioneer PureVison Las Vegas Bowl
. This marked Fresno State's second straight trip to the New Mexico Bowl; they were defeated 40–35 by Colorado State
in the 2008 contest. Before the 2009 New Mexico Bowl, Wyoming and Fresno State had played each other a total of six times, playing in consecutive years from 1992–1997 as rivals in the Western Athletic Conference
; the teams have split their match-ups with each squad winning three games. The last meeting in 1997 was won by Fresno State, 24–7.
Behind freshman quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels, Wyoming upset Fresno State 35–28 in the game, which went into double overtime
after a late field goal by Cowboy kicker Ian Watts. Carta-Samuels threw three touchdowns in the win including the game-winner in overtime, a 13 yard strike to David Leonard.
, on three rushing attempts from the 1 in the first overtime. The Bulldogs tried a quarterback sneak on third down, and Mathews came up short again on fourth down.
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
2nd Overtime
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
, held on December 19, 2009
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the...
at University Stadium on the campus of the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
as part of the 2009-10 NCAA Bowl season. The game, telecast on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, featured the Wyoming Cowboys
2009 Wyoming Cowboys football team
The 2009 Wyoming Cowboys football team represented the University of Wyoming in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Cowboys were led by 1st year head coach Dave Christensen and played their home games at War Memorial Stadium...
from the Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
and the Fresno State Bulldogs
2009 Fresno State Bulldogs football team
The 2009 Fresno State football team represented California State University, Fresno and the Central Valley in the 2009 college football season. The team was coached by 13th-year head coach Pat Hill. 2009 was the Bulldogs' 29th in their current home of Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California...
from the WAC
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
.This was the first trip to the New Mexico Bowl for Wyoming. It was also their first trip to a post season bowl game since the 2004 season when the Cowboys defeated the 24–21 in the Pioneer PureVison Las Vegas Bowl
Las Vegas Bowl
The Maaco Bowl Las Vegas is an NCAA-sanctioned Division I-A post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually at 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. since 1992. From 1992 to 1996, matchups featured the champion teams from the Big West and Mid-American...
. This marked Fresno State's second straight trip to the New Mexico Bowl; they were defeated 40–35 by Colorado State
2008 Colorado State Rams football team
The 2008 CSU Rams football team represents Colorado State University in the college football 2008-2009 season. They play their home games at Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins, CO and were led by first year coach Steve Fairchild...
in the 2008 contest. Before the 2009 New Mexico Bowl, Wyoming and Fresno State had played each other a total of six times, playing in consecutive years from 1992–1997 as rivals in the Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
; the teams have split their match-ups with each squad winning three games. The last meeting in 1997 was won by Fresno State, 24–7.
Behind freshman quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels, Wyoming upset Fresno State 35–28 in the game, which went into double overtime
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
after a late field goal by Cowboy kicker Ian Watts. Carta-Samuels threw three touchdowns in the win including the game-winner in overtime, a 13 yard strike to David Leonard.
Game summary
Wyoming wore their home Brown uniforms, and Fresno wore white visitor uniforms. Wyoming freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels, the offensive MVP, threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns including the game-winning 13-yard touchdown pass to David Leonard. Defensive MVP Mitch Unrein tallied six tackles and two sacks for the Wyoming defense including a forced fumble midway through the 4th quarter which led to the game-tying field goal. Wyoming stopped the nation's leading rusher, Fresno State's Ryan MathewsRyan Mathews (American football)
-San Diego Chargers:On August 1, 2010, Mathews signed a five-year, $26.65 million contract with the Chargers. The deal includes $15 million guaranteed....
, on three rushing attempts from the 1 in the first overtime. The Bulldogs tried a quarterback sneak on third down, and Mathews came up short again on fourth down.
Scoring summary
- 1st Quarter
- WYO – Alvester Alexander 68 yard run (Ian Watts kick), 07:37. Wyoming 7-0. Drive: 1 play, 68 yards, 0:10.
- 2nd Quarter
- FRES – Ryan Matthews 4 yard run (Kevin Goessling kick), 12:22. Fresno State 7-7.
- WYO – Greg Bolling 21 yard pass from Austyn Carta-Samuels (Jason Smith kick), 05:01. Wyoming 14-7. Drive: 15 plays, 95 yards, 7:21.
- FRES – Jamel Hamler 10 yard pass from Ryan Colburn (Kevin Goessling kick), 00:33. Fresno State 14-14. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 4:28.
- FRES – Jamel Hamler 43 yard pass from Chastin West (Kevin Goessling kick), 13:06. Fresno State 21-14. Drive: 6 plays, 71 yards, 1:54.
- WYO – Ian Watts 40 yard field goal, 08:19. Fresno State 21-17. Drive: 9 plays, 39 yards, 4:47.
- FRES – Ryan Matthews 5 yard run (Kevin Goessling kick), 13:59. Fresno State 28-17. Drive: 2 plays, 6 yards, 0:46.
- WYO – David Leonard 11 yard pass from Austyn Carta-Samuels (Carta-Samuels pass to Greg Bolling good), 10:15. Fresno State 28-25. Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards, 5:51.
- WYO – Ian Watts 37 yard field goal, 00:20. Wyoming 28-28. Drive: 19 plays, 54 yards, 7:48.
- WYO – David Leonard 13 yard pass from Austyn Carta-Samuels (Ian Watts kick). Wyoming 35-28.
Statistics
| Statistics | Fresno | Wyoming |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 19 | 26 |
| Total offense, plays - yards | 64-366 | 83-438 |
| Rushes-yards (net) | 44-197 | 50-234 |
| Passing yards (net) | 169 | 204 |
| Passes, Comp-Att-Int | 20-14-0 | 33-18-1 |
| Time of Possession | 26:47 | 33:13 |
Game Notes
- Matthews led the nation in rushing for the 2009 season.
- Wyoming was playing in its first bowl since 2004.
- Carta-Samuels was the Mountain West Freshman of the Year.
- Fresno State made its second straight appearance - and loss - in the New Mexico Bowl.