New Mexico Bowl Fresno State Bulldogs vs. Wyoming Cowboys

Bowl games can be either a reward or a reminder for lackluster season. Such is the case in the first game of the bowl season, the New Mexico Bowl Saturday afternoon in Albuquerque as the Fresno State Bulldogs take their place in the bowl game for the second straight season and they will face the Wyoming Cowboys, in their first bowl game in five years.

For Wyoming (6-6), this is a big step. This is just their second bowl appearance in 15 years, but for Fresno State (8-4) it is not a big step, rather a sideways move. To go to the same bowl game and having the distinction of playing in the first bowl game two years in a row is not a confidence builder for the program.

This time, perhaps, they will try to win the game after dropping it 40-35 to the Colorado State Rams last year. Still the Bulldogs can be proud of how they finished the season. They dug themselves a huge hole in the first half of the season, starting 1-3 and a bowl, any bowl, seemed nothing but a dream, but they finished strong, going 7-1 down the stretch, including a thrilling overtime victory on the road over the Illinois Fighting Illini in the regular season finale.

Ryan Matthews has been the pace setter for the team, securing first-team All-WAC title and led the nation in rushing with 151.3 yards per game. The junior rushed for 1664 yards with 17 touchdowns. He became the second running back from Fresno State to rush for more than 3000 yards in his career.

Matthews led the offense, but the team lacked an anchor on offense, which was quite apparent in the regular season finale shootout. The Bulldogs ranked at the bottom of the country in many defensive categories and allowed 27.8 points per game.

The Cowboys last made it to a bowl game in an upset victory over UCLA in the 2004 Las Vegas Bowl. Prior to that, their last postseason appearance was in 1993. They made it by becoming bowl eligible in their final game of the season, beating Colorado State 17-16 with an Ian Watts 33-yard field goal with a minute and a half left to clinch the win.

Wyoming is making an unlikely appearance considering they were shut out in three of their losses and in the other three games managed just 30 points and allowed 108.

The offense had its ups and downs because its best player, quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels is a freshman and threw for 1752 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions on the season.

The teams have met six times with each school winning three times, most recently the Bulldogs winning in 1997.

Fresno State boasts a 9-8 bowl record and Wyoming looks to improve on their 5-6 record.

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