2009 New Mexico Bowl
| MVP | QB Austyn Carta-Samuels, Wyoming DE Mitch Unrein, Wyoming |
|---|---|
The 2009 New Mexico Bowl was the fourth edition of the college football bowl game, played at University Stadium on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Saturday, December 19, 2009. The Wyoming Cowboys defeated the Fresno State Bulldogs 35–28, in the game, which went into double overtime and was telecast on ESPN.
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 UCLA Bruins 24–21 in the Pioneer PureVison Las Vegas Bowl. This marked Fresno State's second trip to the game; 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 Bulldogs 24–7.
Game summary
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 Mathews, 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
| Scoring Play | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | |||
| Wyoming - Alvester Alexander 68 Yd Run. (Ian Watts Kick), 7:37 | Wyoming 7-0 | ||
| 2nd Quarter | |||
| FSU - Ryan Mathews 4 Yd Run. (Kevin Goessling Kick), 12:22 | Tie 7-7 | ||
| Wyoming - Greg Bolling 21 Yd Pass From Austyn Carta-Samuels. (Ian Watts Kick), 5:01 | Wyoming 14-7 | ||
| FSU - Jamel Hamler 10 Yd Pass From Ryan Colburn. (Kevin Goessling Kick), 00:33 | Tie 14-14 | ||
| 3rd Quarter | |||
| FSU - Jamel Hamler 43 Yd Pass From Chastin West. (Kevin Goessling Kick), 13:06 | FSU 21-14 | ||
| Wyoming - Ian Watts 40 Yd, 8:19 | FSU 21-17 | ||
| 4th Quarter | |||
| FSU - Ryan Mathews 5 Yd Run. (Kevin Goessling Kick), 13:59 | FSU 28-17 | ||
| Wyoming - David Leonard 11 Yd Pass From Austyn Carta-Samuels. (Austyn Carta-Samuels Pass To Greg Bolling For Two-Point Conversion), 10:15 | FSU 28-25 | ||
| Wyoming - Ian Watts 37 Yd, 00:20 | Tie 28-28 | ||
| 2nd Overtime | |||
| Wyoming - David Leonard 13 Yd Pass From Austyn Carta-Samuels. (Ian Watts Kick) | Wyoming 35-28 | ||
References
External links
Template:Mountain West Conference football season Template:2009 WAC football season