Posted by Chip Patterson

TEMPLE WON. The Owls jumped out a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter and never looked back, relying on their constricting defense and bruising rushing attack to wear down Wyoming for a 37-15 victory in the New Mexico Bowl.

HOW TEMPLE WON: Temple established the tone on the very first drive of the game. Running back Bernard Pierce carried the ball eight times on a 13 play touchdown drive that totaled 90 yards and lasted nearly half of the opening quarter. Pierce continued to be the focal point of the Owls offense, rushing 25 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Temple's defense also lived up to their national ranking, holding Wyoming to 267 yards of total offense (most of that late in the game) and picking off MWC Freshman of the Year Brett Smith three times.

WHEN TEMPLE WON: With time winding down in the second quarter, Smith led Wyoming on an impressive touchdown drive to cut Temple's lead to 21-7 with just 37 seconds left before halftime. The Cowboys were set to receive the opening kickoff in the third quarter, and momentum appeared to be swinging back in their direction. But the Owls delivered a swift and punishing answer as wide receiver Rod Streater slipped behind the secondary for a 61 yard catch-and-run touchdown. Wyoming entered halftime deflated, and the Cowboys never regained control of the game.

WHAT TEMPLE WON: After three crushing four-point losses, Temple delivered one last time on the big stage to cap a strong first season for head coach Steve Addazio. The Owls 9-win season matches their best finish since joining the MAC, a credit to Addazio's staff for keeping this talented bunch on track after Al Golden's departure. It was also the second bowl win in program history, the first since 1979.

WHAT WYOMING LOST: Dave Christensen did agree in principle to a contract extension before the game, so Saturday's loss wasn't ALL bad for the Cowboys. It was a rough performance for Brett Smith, who will likely try to use this game as motivation as he returns to lead Wyoming next season.

BOWL GRADE: C-minus. It was football, and we were happy to be watching.  But the sleepy second half and Brett Smith's inability to create the big play eliminated much of the intrigue in this matchup.  Props to the Owls for the W, but this one won't make anyone's Top 10 list at the end of the postseason. 

THAT WAS CRAZY: The ESPN cameras caught a Wyoming fan wearing very little but a barrel. Thanks to help from Adam Kramer, of Kegs 'N Eggs, we discovered the backstory behind this passionate Cowboys fan.




How many experts picked the Owls to take care of business on Saturday? Check out the entire slate of selections at the Expert's Bowl Picks.

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Posted by Chip Patterson

A look at the key matchup that could decide the New Mexico Bowl

Brett Smith, QB, Wyoming vs. Temple's defense

Temple's two strongest advantages heading into the New Mexico Bowl are their productive rushing attack and one of the nation's stingiest defensive units. The Owls rank third in the country in scoring defense, with their 13.8 points allowed per game trails only Alabama and LSU. But Wyoming has one weapon to counter Temple's touted D, and he is still just getting warmed up to the college game.

True freshman quarterback Brett Smith graduated early from high school in order to join the Cowboys football program in January, and the offense has not been the same since the 6-foot-3 dual-threat from Salem, Ore. won the starting job. Smith threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns while adding 44 yards and a score on the ground in the Cowboys season-opening win and has been shredding school and conference records ever since. He finished the regular season with 28 total touchdowns (18 passing, 10 rushing) and only eight interceptions, throwing for 2,495 yards and finishing second on the team in rushing with 645 yards. His 3,140 yards of total offense broke Andy Dalton's single-season MWC freshman record, and earned him Mountain West Freshman of the Year honors.

Smith is dynamic and explosive enough to keep the Owls guessing, and Wyoming will need him to deliver big plays and first downs to keep Temple's rushing attack off the field. The Owls' defensive numbers are impressive, especially considering some of the high-scoring teams in the MAC this season. But Temple did benefit from missing Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan in the regular-season schedule. NIU's Chandler Harnish and EMU's Alex Gillett were arguably the best rushing quarterbacks in the conference, with Harnish collecting conference MVP honors at the end of the season.

So before we can crown Temple's defense as the best in the conference, they need to contain a dangerous dual-threat quarterback. Before Brett Smith can be considered the future of Cowboys football, he'd like to deliver a bowl win. It's the matchup that will likely determine the winner of the first bowl game in the 2011-2012 schedule.

For more New Mexico Bowl coverage, check out the Keys to the Game and the latest news at New Mexico Bowl Pregame

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Posted by Chip Patterson

TEMPLE WILL WIN IF: The Owls can control the game with their defense and a steady ground game. Even in the high-scoring MAC, Temple's defense ranked in the Top 15 nationally in total defense and trail only LSU and Alabama giving up just 13.8 points per game. Complimenting that stout defense is a Top 10 rushing attack led by First Team All-MAC running back Bernard Pierce. First-year head coach Steve Addazio has had the benefit of relying on a steady ground game to keep scores low and take the pressure off a revolving door quarterback scenario. Redshirt sophomore Chris Coyer is expected to get the start under center after injuring his throwing in the regular season finale against Kent State. Coyer served mostly as a rushing threat/change-of-pace quarterback until taking over the starting duties in the last month of the season. If Pierce and backup Matt Brown can get going early, they should be able to rack up the yards against a Cowboys defense giving up roughly 230 yards per game on the ground.

WYOMING WILL WIN IF: The Cowboys can force turnovers and create the big play on offense. Knowing Temple's strengths on defense and in the rushing game, Wyoming will need to take some shots to create explosive plays and rattle the Owls. Thankfully, their best weapon for that task seems up to the challenge. Dual-threat freshman quarterback Brett Smith shattered Andy Dalton's MWC freshman records for total offense with 3,140 yards passing and rushing on the season, earning him conference Freshman of the Year honors. Steve Addazio has gone as far as to compare Smith to a certain former Florida quarterback you might have seen in the NFL headlines recently. Defensively, the Cowboys have to find a way to disrupt Temple's rhythm by creating turnovers. Wyoming led the Mountain West in fumbles recovered and turnover margin, and will need to win that battle in claim another New Mexico Bowl win.

X-FACTOR: Adjustment to the altitude. University Stadium in Albuquerque is roughly 5,000 feet above sea level, creating an atmosphere that many athletes over time have had difficulty adjusting to in regards to getting enough oxygen during competition. With only two bowl appearances since 1979 - and the last one played in nearby Washington, D.C.- it is safe to assume Temple is not used to dealing with extraneous climate factors on a regular basis. On the other hand, Wyoming stormed back from a 28-17 fourth quarter deficit to eventually beat the Ryan Matthews-led Fresno State Bulldogs in double overtime in this same bowl game two seasons ago. As Temple's touted defense works to contain Brett Smith late into the fourth quarter, they'll need every gasp of air they can get to pull out a victory in Addazio's first season at the helm.

For much more on Wyoming and Temple, cruise over to our New Mexico Bowl Pregame and get ready for Saturday's kickoff.

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Posted by Adam Jacobi

NEBRASKA WON. Nebraska halfback Rex Burkhead and the rest of the Husker offense ran wild against a porous Wyoming D, and Big Red came away with a relatively stress-free 38-14 win in Laramie.

WHY NEBRASKA WON: There's no question that Nebraska is far and away more talented than Wyoming, and that was made evident early and often in this game. Wyoming's true freshman QB Brett Smith will probably be a productive player down the road, but his inexperience showed in this contest as Wyoming was forced to punt on its first five possessions. Considering Nebraska was missing All-American DT Jared Crick to injury, the effort and production were commendable up front for the Husker defense. Meanwhile, on offense, Nebraska rushed for 333 yards and four of its five touchdowns on 49 carries.

WHEN NEBRASKA WON: Midway through the third quarter with Nebraska up 24-7 when Ameer Abdullah fumbled on a 3rd down reception near midfield. Wyoming took advantage and drove into Nebraska's red zone, but a 32-yard field goal that could have made it a 2-possession game was missed, and Nebraska uncorked an 80-yard touchdown drive in response. 31-7, ballgame. 

WHAT NEBRASKA WON: The message to the rest of the Big Ten is clear: Nebraska's here to rush the ball with authority, and the Huskers did exactly that on Saturday with 6.8 yards per carry and a 7-13 3rd down conversion rate. And yet, this was still a 14-7 game at halftime, making Nebraska 4-for-4 on slow starts this year. That's concerning as the team heads into Big Ten play against competition that isn't going to allow the Huskers to get away with taking a couple quarters off very often.

WHAT WYOMING LOST: Thinking about playing a heavy favorite in terms of "losing" things is a little counterintuitive, as really, Wyoming had nothing to lose except for health. Being that the Cowboys stayed pretty much injury-free on Saturday, this is a rather productive loss to take. Wyoming players shouldn't be happy or anything, but this isn't going to wreck the Cowboys' season by any stretch. They hosted a big-time program and gave it 60 minutes of solid effort. Not bad.

THAT WAS CRAZY: In the fourth quarter, on a 3rd and 6 at Nebraska's 10-yard line, Brett Smith threw a fade route to wideout Josh Doctson, who stretched to make the catch on the sideline in the end zone. The play was ruled incomplete, and the call stood on the field.

That's what officially happened.

What actually happened is Doctson made an absolutely spectacular catch that should have been ruled a touchdown -- and headlined every highlight reel of the weekend. Doctson barely dragged his feet while making the diving, over-the-shoulder catch, but the officials didn't see enough to overturn the incomplete ruling, and that's a shame. It's also a moot point, because Smith threw an easy touchdown to Robert Herron on the very next snap, but Doctson was robbed here.

Posted by Jerry Hinnen

The Mountain West wants an automatic BCS bid. To accomplish this, it needs a forgiving mood from the BCS powers-that-be and strong performances on the field. It can count on those from the likes of Boise State, TCU (this season, anyway) and Fresno State. But it also needs better performances from the woeful bottom half of the conference, where the four teams at the bottom of the standings -- Wyoming, UNLV, Colorado State and hapless New Mexico -- went a staggering 2-34 in 2010 against all other FBS competition.

It looked like Wyoming wasn't going to be keeping that kind of company after their breakthrough 2009 season, in which first-year coach Dave Christensen led them to a 7-6 record and a thrilling New Mexico Bowl upset of Fresno. But it's all been downhill since then, as the Cowboys stumbled to a 3-9 record, handed New Mexico its only win of Mike Locksley's two-year tenure, and saw starting quarterback Austyn Canta-Samuels elect to transfer after the season.

Now things have gone from bad to worse as fellow signal-caller Emory Miller Jr. has also decided to leave Laramie following spring practice. "Personal reasons" were the only factor cited by the Laramie Boomerang, and Christensen declined to comment other than to wish Miller luck at his next destination.

Miller's and Canta-Samuel's decisions leave Christensen in a gigantic bind at the quarterback position. The Cowboys are down to just two scholarship quarterbacks on their projected 2011 roster: Brett Smith and Adam Pittser. But there's an even bigger problem than the numbers, as both Smith and Pittser are true freshmen straight from the Cowboys' 2011 recruiting class.

For the optimists in the Cowboy fanbase, Smith enrolled in time for spring practice and battled Miller to at least a draw in their battle for the starting spot, and Pittser (a "dual-threat" QB from Richmond, Ill.) is one of the most highly-regarded recruits of Christensen's tenure. To boot, Christensen has already enjoyed some success with a true freshman under center in Laramie; Canta-Samuels started the majority of the 2009 campaign and was named the MWC Freshman of the Year.

But surely no one, Christensen included, believes that entering the 2011 season starting a quarterback a year removed from high school and backing him up with a second quarterback a year removed from high school is the optimal situation. And should the Cowboys suffer through another lackluster season and help deprive the MWC of the automatic bid it so desperately wants, that'll go double in the MWC offices.