The Bowl (Utah vs. New Mexico)
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| Utah (30) | New Mexico (17) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 1945 1946 1963 1964 1966 1967 1968 1969 1972 1973 1974 1976 1979 1980 1984 1985 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2001 2004 2007 |
1961 1965 1970 1971 1975 1977 1978 1983 1986 1992 1993 1994 2000 2002 2003 2005 2006 |
|
| Ties (2) | ||
| 1962 1981 | ||
The Bowl is a casual nickname given to the annual college football game between the University of Utah and the University of New Mexico. The name arose at a time when Utah had lost four of the last five meetings against New Mexico. Some Utah fans began to sarcastically refer to the annual matchup as The Bowl in the hopes that Utah (who typically wins their bowl games) would begin to beat New Mexico (who typically loses their bowl games) on a more frequent basis.
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[edit] Series History
The Utah Utes and New Mexico Lobos compete in the Mountain West Conference, but have played each other in football nearly every year since the early 1960s, when both schools were members of the Western Athletic Conference.
Although Utah leads the series by a large margin, New Mexico has often been victorious when the odds were most against them, and when the game was especially important to Utah. For example, in November of 1994, Utah was ranked #8, and had an 8-0 record that included victories over Oregon (eventual Pac-10 champion, #11 finish) and #12 Colorado State. They were heavy favorites to beat New Mexico, who had an unimperssive 3-8 record at the time.
During the game, Utah jumped out to a 21-3 halftime lead, however a slew of Utah turnovers resulted in a New Mexico rally. The Lobos cut the Ute lead to one point with just four minutes left in the game. Then, with just 32 seconds left on the clock, New Mexico hit a 22-yard field goal to seal the 23-21 victory, and destroy Utah's hopes for an undefeated season. New Mexico went on finish the season at 5-7. Utah, on the other hand, would go on to a 10-2 record, which included victories over #20 BYU and #14 Arizona in the Freedom Bowl. But they would be condemned to forever wonder what might have been had the New Mexico game turned out in their favor.
[edit] 1939 Sun Bowl
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[edit] Recap
Incidentally, the first meeting between the two teams was in the 1939 Sun Bowl, in El Paso, Texas. The game was touted as the most evenly-matched of the five major bowl games of the 1938 season. Nevertheless, The Redskins (as the Utes were then known) dominated from the start, scoring three first-half touchdowns, including a 1-yard run on fourth-down by Ray Peterson.
In the second-half, New Mexico had numerous opportunities to close the gap following Utah turnovers. However, the famous Lobo aerial attack couldn't capitalize. Overall, New Mexico was held to 59 yards passing, and was intercepted four times. Furthermore, they were unable to cross Utah's 40-yard line during the entire game. Utah, on the other hand, racked up 366 yards rushing, and outgained the Lobos 384-212.[1][2]
[edit] Scoring Summary
First Quarter
- Utah- Tom Pace 15-yard run (Bernard McGarry kick)
- Utah- Ray Peterson 60-yard interception return (Bernard McGarry kick)
Second Quarter
- Utah- Ray Peterson 1-yard run (kick failed)
Fourth Quarter
- Utah- Clarence Gehrke 10-yard run (kick failed)
[edit] 2002-2006
| BOWL RECORDS | |||||
| School | Wins | Losses | Ties | Last 5 | Streak |
| Utah | 10 | 3 | 0 | 5-0 | W7 |
| New Mexico | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0-5 | L5 |
From 2002 to 2006, New Mexico defeated Utah four out of five times. Prior to each of those meetings, the Lobos were seen as the underdog. In 2002, New Mexico tied the game by scoring a touchdown wth only 46 seconds remaining in regulation. They would complete the upset in double-overtime. The next year, with Utah nationally ranked for the first time since 1996, the Lobos scored 28 third-quarter points and held on to win, 47-35 in Salt Lake City. Utah's lone victory against New Mexico during this span came in 2004 when the Utes crushed the Lobos en route to an undefeated season and Fiesta Bowl championship. But in 2005, the Utes gave up an eight-point halftime lead, were held scoreless in the second-half, and allowed the Lobos to score the game-winning touchdown by recovering a Utah fumble in the endzone. To add injury to insult, Utah's starting quarterback, Brian Johnson, suffered a knee injury in that game, which ended his season. Johnson would also have to redshirt the following season in order to allow his knee to fully heal. Finally, in 2006, the Utes gave up a 24-3 lead in the second-half, including the game winning touchdown with just two minutes left.
| Date | Favorite | Line | Score | Location | ||||
| 19 October 2006 | Utah | -7 | New Mexico | 34 | Utah | 31 | Albuquerque | [3] |
| 12 November 2005 | Utah | -6 | New Mexico | 31 | Utah | 27 | Salt Lake CIty | [4] |
| 1 October 2004 | Utah | -10 | #14Utah | 28 | New Mexico | 7 | Albuquerque | [5] |
| 25 October 2003 | Utah | -8 | New Mexico | 47 | #23Utah | 35 | Salt Lake City | [6] |
| 26 October 2002 | Utah | -6 | New Mexico | 42 | Utah | 35 | Albuquerque | (2OT) |
During that same period, each team appeared in four post-season bowl games. But whereas Utah won all four of their bowls, New Mexico lost all four of theirs. In 2006, Utah defeated Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl to extend their bowl winning-streak to six games (the second longest such streak in the nation). Earlier that same day, New Mexico lost to San Jose State in the inaugural New Mexico Bowl, which was played at the Lobo's home stadium in Albuquerque.
[edit] 2007
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lobos | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Utes | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
November 17, 2007 • Salt Lake City, Utah
Although both teams enter the game with an identical record (7-3, 4-2), Utah is currently a 14.5 point favorite. This game is also expected to have major bowl implications, and should definitively eliminate the loser from any potential MWC Championship contention.
[edit] References
- ^ 2006 Utah Football Media Guide. University of Utah Athletic Department. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- ^ 2006 Lobo Football Media Guide. University of New Mexico Athletic Department. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- ^ Huge Comeback Lifts New Mexico Over Utah, 34-31. GoLobos.com (19 October 2006).
- ^ New Mexico Outlasts Utah, 31-27. GoLobos.com (12 November 2005).
- ^ "Sweet Revenge", Deseret Morning News, 2 October 2004.
- ^ New Mexico Upsets No. 23 Utah. GoLobos.com (25 October 2003).
