Fresno State, a team in transition, found enough pieces and made enough big plays to hold off UTEP, 31-24, at the 16th annual PUBG Mobile New Mexico Bowl at University Stadium on Saturday.
The ESPN-televised game made its return to Albuquerque in front of an announced crowd of 16,422 after the game took place in Frisco, Texas due to COVID-19 restrictions in New Mexico last year.
Not long after the Bulldogs won, their interim head coach, Lee Marks, was one of four assistants who were announced as new hires on coach Kalen DeBoer’s staff at Washington. DeBoer left for the Huskies after he had guided the Bulldogs to a 9-3 regular season. Marks will coach running backs at Washington.
In his final game with the Bulldogs, Lee fed the ball to running back Jordan Mims, who rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries and caught five passes for 71 yards and another touchdown to be named the New Mexico Bowl Offensive Player of the Game. Mims’ 236 all-purpose yards are No. 2 in NM Bowl history.
Mims knew he would be getting more work because the Bulldogs’ leading rusher Ronnie Rivers sat out the bowl game with an ankle injury — and because he will most likely pursue an opportunity in the NFL Draft, according to the Fresno Bee.
Fresno State defensive back Elijah Gates, who intercepted a pass and was second on the team in tackles with seven, was named Defensive Player of the Game.
Former Cleveland High standout Tre Watson, a freshman tight end for the Bulldogs, had a hand in Fresno State’s win with two catches for 41 yards, and he was instrumental with his blocking that contributed to Mims’ big game.
Watson’s reception for a 2-point attempt after the Bulldogs’ first touchdown was negated due to an illegal formation penalty.
“Just being able to get him the ball early and get him involved was something that we really wanted to do,” Marks said.
“It’s pretty much a part of our game plan, every single game, is how can we get 84 the ball. Of course, being here locally with his family, that’s a big deal to get him the ball early. Tre is a really good player, and he’s going to be a great player moving forward.”
UTEP quarterback Gavin Hardison’s return to his home state did not fare as well. Hardison, a Hobbs High alumnus who played one year at New Mexico Military Institute, had a strong game with 252 yards and one touchdown on 12-of-27 passing, but he threw one interception and fumbled twice.
One of his fumbles was recovered by a UTEP teammate in the end zone for a safety, and the other fumble basically ended the game when the Miners were vying to tie the score with just over four minutes left in the game.
Hardison ran 10 yards for a first down, but at the end of his run, Fresno State defensive back Levelle Bailey popped the ball loose and also recovered the fumble.
“It’s tough,” Hardison said of the loss. “I really wanted it for the seniors, the coaches and just this program as a whole. We haven’t won a bowl game in a while (since 1967), and that’s something we wanted to accomplish. The motivation to come back and finish the job is something that’s on everyone’s mind.”
Fresno State (10-3), an 11½-point favorite, held a 26-17 lead through three quarters, but UTEP (7-6) produced a quirky, big play early in the fourth quarter, when quarterback Calvin Brownholtz passed out of a jumbo package to a wide-open Trent Thompson for a 51-yard touchdown.
The Miners also scored two other touchdowns on fourth-and goal from the 1-yard line.
Of little surprise, quarterback Jake Haener started for the Bulldogs. He had entered the transfer portal with the intention of following DeBoer to Washington, but later withdrew and returned to Fresno State, which hired former Bulldogs coach Jeff Tedford.
Haener wasn’t one of the two players (Mims and Gates instead) Fresno State made available for interviews postgame.
Tedford, who stepped down for health reasons two seasons ago, was in attendance at the bowl game.
“He pretty much told me, ‘I’m staying out of your way. I want you guys to go out and finish this the right way,'” Marks said of what Tedford told him. “I know this program is in good hands moving forward, and that’s the most important thing. It’s about these young men.”
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December 19, 2021 at 09:15AM
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Fresno State holds off UTEP in action-filled NM Bowl - Albuquerque Journal
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