2012 New Mexico Bowl

American college football game August 2023 December 2025 New Mexico Bowl Gildan December 15 2012 2012 University Stadium Albuquerque, New Mexico University of Nevada, Reno Nevada Wolf Pack 7–5 Chris Ault Mountain West 21 10 14 3 University of Arizona Arizona Wildcats 7–5 Rich Rodriguez Pac-12 7 21 0 21 Arizona by 9Bowl Schedule Los Angeles Times December 8, 2012 Offense: Matt Scott, QB- Arizona Defense: Marquis Flowers, LB- Arizona Brad Allen (ACC) 24,610 ESPN Bob Wischusen (Play-by-play) Danny Kanell (Analyst) Kaylee Hartung (Sidelines) 2011 2013 The 2012 Gildan New Mexico Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game that was held on December 15, 2012, at University Stadium on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the United States. The seventh edition of the New Mexico Bowl began at 11:00 a.m. MST and aired on ESPN. It featured the Nevada Wolf Pack, who represented the Mountain West Conference in their first year as a member, against the Arizona Wildcats, who represented the Pac-12 Conference. The Wolf Pack accepted their invitation with a 7–4 record in their first eleven games of the season, while the Wildcats accepted their invitation after finishing the regular season at 7–5. The bowl was the first of 35 played in the 2012–13 bowl game season. Coming into the game, both teams had sound offenses and were led by their respective running backs, sophomore Ka'Deem Carey for Arizona and senior Stefphon Jefferson for Nevada, who ranked number one and number two respectively in total rushing yards during the regular season. Arizona and Nevada ranked third and fourth respectively in total offense. Both teams' defenses were ranked towards the bottom of college football. Consequently, the game was widely expected to be high-scoring. Arizona won the game 49–48 after scoring two touchdowns in the final two minutes to come back for the victory. As expected, the game was dominated by offense; Arizona and Nevada combined for 1234 total yards and 70 first downs. Despite losing the game, Nevada possessed the ball nearly twice as long and gained twice as many rushing yards as Arizona. Arizona quarterback Matt Scott was named the game's offensive most valuable player (MVP), and teammate Marquis Flowers, a linebacker, was named the game's defensive MVP. Teams The New Mexico Bowl is played annually at the campus stadium of the University of New Mexico, a founding member of the Mountain West Conference which has had a tie-in since the game's establishment in 2006. 2012 was the first year of the Pac-12's tie in. The game featured the nation's top rushers, Arizona's All-American Ka'Deem Carey (146.4 ypg) and Nevada's Stefphon Jefferson (141.9 ypg). It also featured Arizona quarterback Matt Scott (3,723 total offense yards) and Nevada quarterback Cody Fajardo (3,511 total offense yards). This was the fourth meeting between these two teams. Arizona leads the all-time record 2–1–1. The last time they played was in 1941. Arizona thumb|right|120px|The 2012 New Mexico Bowl was Rich Rodriguez's first bowl game with Arizona. 2012 Arizona Wildcats football team Arizona came off of a 7-5 (4–5 in conference) season in coach Rich Rodriguez's debut with the team. Arizona started their season by beating Toledo, Oklahoma State, and South Carolina State prior to getting blown out 49–0 by Oregon. Later in the season, Arizona beat USC who was ranked #9. Star running back Ka'Deem Carey had his best game of the year against Colorado totaling 366 yards to give the Wildcats their sixth win of the season. Their regular season concluded with a loss to rival Arizona State 41–34.Fischer Bryan Game Preview: New Mexico Bowl http://championships.pac-12.com/new-mexico-bowl/game-preview-new-mexico-bowl/ https://web.archive.org/web/20121220040726/http://championships.pac-12.com/new-mexico-bowl/game-preview-new-mexico-bowl/ dead December 20, 2012 Pac-12 Bowl Central Pac-12 Conference 22 December 2012 The 2012 edition was the first appearance in the bowl for both Arizona and for the Pac-12. Arizona, seventh best in the nation in total offense (521.83 ypg), was led by quarterback Matt Scott (338.45 ypg, 3,238 yards passing), All-American running back Ka'Deem Carey who led the nation in rushing (146.42 ypg) and set a school record with his 1,757 rushing yards, good for 21 touchdowns, and wide receiver Austin Hill who totaled 1,189 yards. 2012 was the first season in Arizona's history during which they had a 3000-yard passer, a 1000-yard rusher, and a 1000-yard receiver. Senior place kicker John Bonano was named the 2012 Pac-12 Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Physiology major with a 3.927 GPA). Nevada thumb|right|120px|The 2012 New Mexico Bowl was Chris Ault's last game with Nevada. 2012 Nevada Wolf Pack football team The Wolf Pack came off their inaugural season as a member of the Mountain West, during which they compiled a conference record of 4–3, good for fifth place in the conference. They began their season by defeating rival California 31–24. After losing to South Florida by a single point, Nevada won five consecutive games to achieve bowl eligibility. The Wolf Pack then dropped three of their final four to bring their record to 7–5. After defeating the New Mexico Lobos to improve their record to 7–4, the Wolf Pack accepted an invitation to the New Mexico Bowl.http://www.gildannewmexicobowl.com/index.php/news/202/38/NEVADA-TO-COMPETE-IN-THE-SEVENTH-ANNUAL-GILDAN-NEW-MEXICO-BOWL Nevada To Compete in the Seventh Annual New Mexico Bowl New Mexico Bowl November 25, 2012 November 25, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121203050441/http://www.gildannewmexicobowl.com/index.php/news/202/38/NEVADA-TO-COMPETE-IN-THE-SEVENTH-ANNUAL-GILDAN-NEW-MEXICO-BOWL 2012-12-03 dead Nevada coach Chris Ault was one of three members of the College Football Hall of Fame to lead a team into a bowl game, along with Barry Alvarez (Wisconsin interim coach) and Steve Spurrier (South Carolina). Nevada's senior receiver Brandon Wimberly had caught a pass in all 39 games of his college career. This was the Wolf Pack's second New Mexico Bowl; they had previously played in the 2007 edition (then as a member of the Western Athletic Conference), losing to the hometown New Mexico Lobos by a score of 23–0. Pregame buildup This was the first bowl of the 2012-13 College Football Bowl season.Bowl kick off: Wild 'Zona win http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/football/bowl_kick_off_wild_zona_win_2k6nI1xLWaNmJAP2NT5eJI 16 December 2012 The New York Post 16 December 2012 Associated Press Prior to 2012, the teams had not met since 1941 despite their close proximity. In 1941, Arizona beat Nevada 26–7. Overall, the series record prior to the game was 1–1–1.New Mexico Bowl Preview Capsule http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/dec/14/new-mexico-bowl-preview-capsule/ 22 December 2012 Washington Times 14 December 2012 Associated Press Arizona, who had appeared in a bowl game in four of the previous five seasons, made the Pac-12's first appearance in the New Mexico Bowl. Nevada made its eighth consecutive bowl appearance and second all-time in the New Mexico Bowl. Offense Coming into the game, Arizona and Nevada were two of the top offenses in the country, ranking 7th and 10th in yards per game respectively.2012 NCAA Division I-A College Football Team Statistics Leaders for Total https://www.espn.com/college-football/stats/team https://web.archive.org/web/20090909180901/http://espn.go.com/college-football/statistics/team/_/stat/total/sort/netYardsPerGame live September 9, 2009 ESPN ESPN Internet Ventures 21 December 2012 There was also significant hype surrounding the game because it featured two of the best running backs in the country, Ka'Deem Carey for Arizona, and Stefphon Jefferson for Nevada.Miller Dave New Mexico Bowl preview: Arizona vs. Nevada http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/New-Mexico-Bowl-preview-Arizona-vs-Nevada.html National Football Post Reign Net Media 22 December 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121217000338/http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/New-Mexico-Bowl-preview-Arizona-vs-Nevada.html 2012-12-17 dead Carey was ranked number one in the country in total rushing yards, while Jefferson was ranked number two.2012 NCAA Division I-A College Football Individual Statistics Leaders for Rushing https://www.espn.com/college-football/stats/player https://archive.today/20120708043206/http://espn.go.com/college-football/statistics/player/_/stat/rushing live July 8, 2012 ESPN ESPN Internet Ventures 21 December 2012 The duo were also prolific scorers; Jefferson was second in the country in rushing touchdowns with 25 and Carey was third with 24.2012 NCAA Division I-A College Football Individual Statistics Leaders for Scoring https://www.espn.com/college-football/stats/player https://web.archive.org/web/20090911093142/http://espn.go.com/college-football/statistics/player/_/stat/scoring/sort/totalTouchdowns live September 11, 2009 ESPN ESPN Internet Ventures 21 December 2012 The game was widely expected to be a shoot-out,Ellis Zac Arizona-Nevada New Mexico Bowl preview http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20121213/new-mexico-bowl-preview/ https://web.archive.org/web/20121216162940/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20121213/new-mexico-bowl-preview/ dead December 16, 2012 College Football - Zac Ellis - SI.com Time Inc. 21 December 2012Gemmell Kevin New Mexico Bowl keys https://www.espn.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/51224/three-keys-new-mexico-bowl Pac-12 Blog - ESPN ESPN Internet Ventures 21 December 2012 as both teams were in the top-20 scoring offenses in the regular season.College Football - Statistics by Team (Offense) https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/stats/byteam?cat1=offense&cat2=Total&conference=I-A_all&year=2012&sort=537 Rivals.com Yahoo! Inc. 21 December 2012 Defense There were very low expectations for the defenses; the over/under was set at 75.5 total points. During the regular season, both defenses were ranked in the bottom 30 (out of 120) in points allowed.College Football - Statistics by Team (Defense) https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/stats/byteam?cat1=defense&conference=I-A_all&year=2012 Rivals.com Yahoo! Inc. 21 December 2012 Despite having three players on the All-Mountain West team,http://www.themwc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120412aaf.html Mountain West Announces 2012 Football All-Conference Teams and Individual Honors CBS Interactive Mountain West Conference Official Athletic Site 4 December 2012 21 December 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20130531112913/http://www.themwc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120412aaf.html 2013-05-31 dead Nevada allowed opponents to convert third downs 47.2% of the time (107th in the country). Arizona was led defensively during the regular season by Jake Fischer, who accumulated 119 total tackles, while Nevada was led by Albert Rosette who totaled 135 regular season tackles.Total Tackles https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/individual/1013 NCAA.com NCAA 21 December 2012 Game summary thumb|right|200px|The 2012 New Mexico Bowl was played at University Stadium. First quarter Nevada methodically moved down the field on their first drive and scored first on a 16-yard run by Stefphon Jefferson to cap off an 8-play, 75-yard drive. Later in the quarter, the Wolf Pack took a 14–0 lead following a 17-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cody Fajardo to Zach Sudfeld. Arizona fumbled on the ensuing kickoff. On the first play of their drive, Nevada took a 21–0 lead on a 28-yard touchdown pass to Sudfeld.Arizona overcomes Nevada 49-48 in New Mexico Bowl https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arizona-overcomes-nevada-49-48-in-new-mexico-bowl/ CBS News CBS Interactive Inc. 19 December 2012 All-American running back Ka'Deem Carey finally got Arizona on the board with a 21-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter.Arizona scores twice in final 46 seconds, stuns Nevada. ESPN. 15 December 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2012.Nevada Wolf Pack vs. Arizona Wildcats play by play. ESPN. 15 December 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2012.Nevada Wolf Pack vs. Arizona Wildcat box score. ESPN. 15 December 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2012. Second quarter In the second quarter, Arizona outscored Nevada 21–10. Taking advantage of two Nevada turnovers, an interception thrown by Cody Fajardo and a fumble by Stefphon Jefferson, Arizona was able to tie the game at 21 with one-yard touchdown runs by Matt Scott and Carey, respectively. Nevada regained the lead on a 14-yard rushing touchdown by Jefferson, but Arizona tied the game once again on a 9-yard Carey touchdown run, his third of the game. Nevada enjoyed a three-point lead at the half after a 27 field goal by Allen Hardison capped off a 16-play, 65-yard drive and made the score 31–28. Third quarter After kicking off to start the game, Arizona got the ball first in the second half. Their first drive went three-and-out. After a 51-yard punt, Nevada took over at their own 11-yard line. They put together an 11-play, 89-yard drive that culminated with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Cody Fajardo to Richy Turner. During the course of throwing the touchdown pass, Fajardo hurt his hand and was seen shaking it on his way to the end zone to celebrate the score. He returned for Nevada's next offensive drive.Kirk Jason Cody Fajardo hit: Nevada quarterback takes headshot in New Mexico Bowl https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2012/12/15/3770800/cody-fajardo-hit-injury-nevada-arizona/in/3534085 SBNation.com Vox Media, Inc. 21 December 2012 Arizona's next drive got them into Nevada territory, but an interception thrown by Matt Scott ended any hopes of scoring. Nevada took the field and drove 84 yards down the field on 15 plays. Near the end of the drive once Nevada was inside the 10-yard line, Fajardo ran the ball for a gain of three yards. During the course of the play, he took a hit to the head from an Arizona defender. He exited the game for one play, but subsequently returned on that drive and scored a one-yard rushing touchdown. Arizona was held scoreless in the quarter, and heading into the final quarter of regulation, Nevada possessed a 45–28 lead.Arizona beats Nevada in New Mexico Bowl http://www.sfgate.com/collegesports/article/Arizona-beats-Nevada-in-New-Mexico-Bowl-4121989.php 21 December 2012 The San Francisco Chronicle 15 December 2012 Associated Press Fourth quarter Arizona came into the fourth quarter trailing Nevada by 17 points. Arizona was able to cut the lead to 45–35 on a 63-yard touchdown pass from Scott to Austin Hill soon after the 4th quarter began. Nevada then took a 48–35 lead on a 25-yard field goal from Hardison, for a 13-point lead with only 1:44 left in regulation time.Recap: Arizona vs. Nevada http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/12/15/3728247/recap-arizona-vs-nevada.html 19 December 2012 The Charlotte Observer 15 December 2012October 2026 medicmedic Arizona, with no timeouts and needing two scores to win the game, was able to cut the lead down to 48–42 with only 42 seconds left in regulation on a short touchdown pass from Scott to Hill. After Marquis Flowers successfully recovered the onside kick,Gemmell Kevin Instant Analysis: Arizona 49, Nevada 48 https://www.espn.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/74066/instant-analysis-arizona-49-nevada-48 College Football Nation Blog - ESPN ESPN Internet Ventures 25 December 2012 Arizona quickly scored with another short Scott touchdown pass, this time to Tyler Slavin, to take tie the game at 48 with only 19 seconds left in regulation.New Mexico Bowl: Matt Scott throws 2 TD pass in final 42 seconds as Arizona Wildcats beat Nevada Wolf Pack http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/new-mexico-bowl-arizona-wildcats-defeat-nevada-wolf-pack-121512 College Football News - FOX Sports on MSN Fox Sports Interactive Media 22 December 2012 Prior to the extra point attempt, Nevada coach Chris Ault called his final timeout to try to ice kicker John Bonano.Hinxman Dan Collapse epitomizes frustrating season for Wolf Pack football team http://www.rgj.com/article/20121216/COL0301/312160039/Dan-Hinxman-Collapse-epitomizes-frustrating-season-Wolf-Pack-football-team 16 December 2012 Reno Gazette-Journal 15 December 2012 The tactic was unsuccessful, as Bonano made the extra point to give Arizona a one-point lead. The final 19 seconds of the game were the only time that Arizona led.Rodriguez Kenn Game recap: New Mexico Bowl - Arizona 49, Nevada 48 http://www.mwcconnection.com/2012/12/15/3771170/game-recap-new-mexico-bowl-arizona-49-nevada-48 Mountain West Connection - SB Nation Vox Media, Inc. 19 December 2012 Arizona held on to the lead after Arizona's Flowers intercepted a Fajardo pass with a few seconds remaining in the game. Scoring summary Nevada Arizona expand 1 12:12 Nevada 8 75 2:48 RushTD Stefphon Jefferson 16 good Allen Hardison 7 0 1 4:43 Nevada 8 48 3:13 RecTD Zach Sudfield Cody Fajardo 17 good Hardison 14 0 1 4:29 Nevada 1 28 0:06 RecTD Sudfeld Fajardo 28 good Hardison 21 0 1 1:52 Arizona 11 72 2:31 RushTD Ka'Deem Carey 21 good John Bonano 21 7 2 12:46 Arizona 9 71 2:20 RushTD Matt Scott 1 good Bonano 21 14 2 10:23 Arizona 8 59 1:21 RushTD Carey 1 good Bonano 21 21 2 5:57 Nevada 11 76 4:20 RushTD Jefferson 14 good Hardison 28 21 2 4:22 Arizona 6 75 1:35 RushTD Carey 9 good Bonano 28 28 2 0:02 Nevada 16 66 4:22 FG 27 Hardison 31 28 3 9:19 Nevada 11 89 4:13 RecTD Richy Turner Fajardo 33 good Hardison 38 28 3 1:33 Nevada 15 83 6:26 RushTD Fajardo 1 good Hardison 45 28 4 14:44 Arizona 7 89 1:41 RecTD Austin Hill Scott 63 good Bonano 45 35 4 1:48 Nevada 10 30 4:27 FG 25 Hardison 48 35 4 0:46 Arizona 7 75 1:02 RecTD Hill Scott 2 good Bonano 48 42 4 0:19 Arizona 3 51 0:21 RecTD Tyler Slavin Scott 2 good Bonano 48 49 48 49 Statistics Statistics Nevada Arizona First downs 39 31 Total offense, plays – yards 105–659 83–578 Rushes–yards (net) 73–403 36–196 Passing yards (net) 256 382 Passes, Comp–Att–Int 22–32–2 28–47–2 Time of Possession 39:10 20:50 Individual statistics Passing Team Name Comp./Att. Yards Touchdowns Interceptions ARI Matt Scott 28/47 382 3 2 NEV Cody Fajardo 22/31 256 3 2 Rushing Team Name Attempts Yards Touchdowns ARI Ka'Deem Carey 28 172 3 ARI Matt Scott 6 22 1 ARI Daniel Jenkins 1 6 0 NEV Stefphon Jefferson 34 180 2 NEV Cody Fajardo 22 140 1 NEV Nick Hale 14 73 0 Receiving Team Name Receptions Yards Touchdowns ARI Austin Hill 8 175 2 ARI Garic Wharton 6 70 0 ARI David Richards 5 53 0 ARI Tyler Slavin 4 37 1 ARI Dan Buckner 2 32 0 NEV Brandon Wimberly 7 57 0 NEV Richy Turner 6 96 1 NEV Aaron Bradley 3 34 0 NEV Zach Sudfeld 2 45 2 NEV Joseph Huber 1 13 0 Aftermath On December 28, 2012, nearly two weeks after the bowl game, Nevada head coach Chris Ault announced that he would resign from his position as head football coach at Nevada.Nevada coach Chris Ault retires http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20121228/chris-ault-nevada.ap/ https://web.archive.org/web/20130101093612/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20121228/chris-ault-nevada.ap/ dead January 1, 2013 College Football - SI.com Time, Inc. 29 December 2012Nevada Football Coach Chris Ault Retires https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/12/28/sports/ncaafootball/ap-fbc-nevada-ault-retires.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0 29 December 2012 The New York Times 28 December 2012 Associated Press Son of former National Football League executive Bill PolianBrian Polian Biography http://www.aggieathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27300&ATCLID=205366782 Texas A&M Official Athletic Site - AggieAthletics.com Texas A&M University 23 May 2013 September 19, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130919155124/http://www.aggieathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27300&ATCLID=205366782 dead Brian Polian was subsequently signed a five-year contract to be the new head coach of the Wolf Pack on January 7, 2013.Brian Polian Bio http://www.nevadawolfpack.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/brian_polian_833682.html University of Nevada Official Athletic Site CBS Interactive 23 May 2013 7 January 2013 6 September 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140906085522/http://www.nevadawolfpack.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/brian_polian_833682.html dead References 30em External links Official site of the New Mexico Bowl New Mexico Bowl Category:New Mexico Bowl Category:Arizona Wildcats football bowl games Category:Nevada Wolf Pack football bowl games New Mexico Bowl Category:December 2012 sports events in the United States Category:2010s in Albuquerque, New Mexico