1946 Sun Bowl

American college football game December 2025 August 2023 Sun Bowl January 1 1946 1945 New Mexico Lobos 5–1–1 Willis Barnes Border Conference 0 13 0 21 Denver Pioneers 4–4–1 Cac Hubbard Mountain States 10 0 7 7 bg Kidd Field El Paso, Texas 15,000 The 1946 Sun Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the New Mexico Lobos and the Denver Pioneers. Background New Mexico was in their first Sun Bowl since 1939, while Mountain States Conference champion Denver was in their first bowl game. Before the game, a minister intoned a prayer dedicating this game to the nine members from the previous Lobo team to make it in the Sun Bowl, who had died fighting in World War II. Game summary Denver took a 10-0 lead after one quarter on Karamigios' 21 yard touchdown run and Miller's 28 yard field goal. New Mexico responded with a 65 yard interception return for a touchdown by Rudy Krall. A 70 yard drive culminated in a Don Rumley 9 yard touchdown run to make it 13-10 at halftime. John Adams ran in for a two yard score to give Denver the lead. New Mexico scored three straight touchdowns in the fourth quarter, with two of those touchdowns coming to Dick Moser (Bill Moseley) from Rumley, with the final touchdown pass going to Julian McDonald to make it 34-17. With less than two minutes remaining, Karamigios caught a touchdown pass Vernon Cochran, but the scoring stopped after that, as New Mexico won their first ever bowl game, and the first win for a Border Conference team. Rumley threw for 8-of-12 for 207 yards and three touchdowns.http://www.sunbowl.org/the_sun_bowl_game/recap/12 New Mexico 34, Denver 24 | Recaps - Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl | December 31, 2021 | el Paso, Texashttp://www.golobos.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=26000&ATCLID=210156219 - New Mexico Official Athletic Site 2015-08-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20150325124507/http://www.golobos.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=26000 2015-03-25 dead Aftermath The Lobos made another bowl game the following year, but have never returned to the Sun Bowl since this game. Denver would also make a bowl game appearance the following year, which was their last. In a strange revelation, Mosley admitted in 2007 to playing under an assumed name (Dick Moser) in order to preserve his eligibility at Kentucky. Statistics Statistics New Mexico Denver First downs 15 13 Yards rushing171 238 Yards passing 207 39 Total yards 378 277Punt Average 44.0 33.0Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0Interceptions 1 1Penalty yards 90 25 References Sun Bowl Category:Sun Bowl Category:Denver Pioneers football bowl games Category:New Mexico Lobos football bowl games Sun Bowl Category:January 1946 sports events in the United States