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MWC Bowl Release
Colorado State, New Mexico, and Utah are going bowling for the holidays!
Dec. 11, 2003
Complete Release in PDF Format
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Of the 28 conference games played in 2003, 14 were decided by seven or less points, with Air Force scoring on the game's last play for a 14-point victory at BYU. To date, 65 of the 140 conference games played in the history of the Mountain West have been decided by eight points or less. In the five-year history of the MWC, the home team has gone 70-70 in conference games. BALANCE The MWC finished the regular season with six of the league's eight teams with .500 records or better. This marks the first time in league history more than five teams posted non-losing records. In 1999 and 2001, the MWC had five squads finish .500 or better. OUT OF CONFERENCE Teams from the MWC have combined to post a 17-16 mark vs. non-conference Division I-A foes in 2003, which includes a 6-12 record against teams from BCS leagues. Twelve of the 18 games vs. BCS opponents have been played on the road, where the MWC has gone 3-9, while going 3-2 in its five home games and 0-1 at neutral sites. The MWC has gone 2-3 vs. non-conference opponents ranked in the Top 25. ATTENDANCE For the second consecutive year, the Mountain West set a single-season attendance record. Last year, 1,544,786 attended MWC home games. The MWC finished the 2003 schedule with 1,667,574 fans having attended league stadiums this season. WHEN RANKED All-time, teams from the Mountain West Conference are 8-13 when ranked in non-conference games. This marks the first time Utah has taken a Top 25 ranking into a non-conference game since the formation of the Mountain West. SINGLE-SEASON RECORD BOOK With a completion percentage of 66.8, Utah's Alex Smith has surpassed Brandon Doman (64.0, 2001, BYU) atop the MWC single-season completion percentage chart. UNLV's Gary Cook set a new single-season punting yards mark with 3,604. New Mexico's DonTrell Moore heads into the final game of the 2003 campaign 145 yards shy of setting a conference single-season rushing record. 2003 MWC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM NOTES
MWC IN THE RANKINGS Utah appears in the Top 25 for the second time this season. In 2003, the MWC has had three teams (Air Force, Colorado State, Utah) ranked in the AP and Coaches polls. HOME SWEET HOME Its been the tale of two cities for Mountain West teams in non-conference games. MWC teams went 17-4 (.810 win percentage) at home, while going 6-11 (.353 win percentage) on the road and 0-1 in neutral site games. OVERTIME There have been two overtime games this season in the Mountain West, including the first triple-overtime conference game. The following is a listing of 2003 overtime games in the MWC:
Oct. 25, BYU 27, UNLV 20 MWC IN BOWL GAMES In each of its five years, the Mountain West Conference has sent three teams into the post-season. The eight-team league has gone 6-6 in bowl games through its first four years. Its .500 win percentage is tied for fifth among the 11 Division I-A conferences since 1999. NATIONAL RECOGNITION
A pair of MWC coaches received national recognition for their accomplishments this season. Utah head coach Urban Meyer was named National Coach of the Year by The Sporting News. Air Force offensive coordinator Chuck Petersen was named Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association. Petersen, in his 14th season at the Academy, also works with the Falcons quarterbacks and fullbacks.
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