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MWC Bowl Release
Air Force, Colorado State and New Mexico are going bowling for the holidays!
Dec. 17, 2002
Complete Release in PDF Format
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Of the 28 conference games played in 2002, 16 were decided by eight points or less, with three determined in overtime. To date, 50 of the 112 conference games played in the history of the Mountain West have been decided by eight points or less. In the league's first three years, the home team was 42-42 in conference games, and went 16-12 in '02. SINGLE-SEASON RECORD BOOK San Diego State wide out J.R. Tolver will be leaving his name on the MWC single-season record book. Tolver has set a single-season receiving record with 1,785 yards. With 128 receptions he also established a new single-season mark. His 13 touchdown receptions is also a record. SDSU quarterback Adam Hall ranks second in pass completions with 272 (277 - Kevin Feterik, BYU, 1999) and is tied for the most attempts (452) with Kevin Feterik (BYU, 1999). Aztec receiver Kassim Osgood ranks second in receiving yards with 1,552. NCAA RECORDS Air Force quarterback Chance Harridge added his name to the NCAA record book with his 22nd rushing touchdown of the season, breaking the mark of 20 set by Navy's Chris McCoy in 1997. The San Diego State receiving tandem of J.R. Tolver and Kassim Osgood combined for two NCAA records. The duo has 236 catches this season, surpassing the NCAA record for teammates (212). Nevada's Damond Wilkins and Geoff Noisy (1996) and Tulsa's Howard Twilley and Neal Sweeney (1965) shared the previous record. Tolver and Osgood also totalled 3,337 yards, eclipsing the record of 2,774 set by Nevada's Trevor Insley and Cleavon Brooks in 1999. WHEN RANKED All-time, teams from the Mountain West Conference are 8-10 when ranked in non-conference games. CSU has posted a 4-4 mark, BYU has gone 3-5 and Air Force is 1-1 in non-conference tilts when ranked. MWC IN THE RANKINGS Colorado State again is ranked in the Top 25. The Rams are ranked for the 11th time this season, checking into both polls at No. 21 in the coaches poll and 23rd in the AP. The Mountain West has had three of its teams ranked this season (Air Force, Colorado State and BYU), with a team appearing in 15 of the 17 poll weeks. HOME SWEET HOME Its been the tale of two cities for Mountain West teams in non-conference games. MWC teams went 11-6 (.647 win percentage) at home, while going 6-17 (.260 win percentage) on the road and 1-1 in neutral site games. NON-CONFERENCE TILTS Through four seasons, the Mountain West Conference has posted a 79-74 all-time non-conference record. In 2002, the MWC went 18-24 against teams from other leagues. OVERTIME There have been four overtime games this season in the Mountain West, with three of them involving New Mexico, including the first conference game to be decided in OT. The following is a listing of 2002 overtime games in the MWC:
Sept. 7: Air Force 38, New Mexico 31 MWC IN BOWL GAMES In each of its four years, the Mountain West Conference has sent three teams into the post-season. The eight-team league has gone 9-3 in bowl games through its first three years. Its .667 win percentage ranks as the third highest among conferences since 1999. In 2000 the MWC was the only conference with teams playing in multiple bowls to go undefeated. ATTENDANCE RECORD Mountain West member institutions combined to set a conference home attendance record in 2002, surpassing the 1.5 million mark for the first time in the league's four-year history (1,544,788). The figure does not include the 72,898 that attended the Wyoming/Tennessee game in Nashville, although the game technically counted as a Wyoming home game. NEW FACES Both, Utah and Wyoming filled its head coaching vacancies. The Utes hired Bowling Green coach Urban Meyer, and the Cowboys named Montana head-man Joe Glenn.
Colorado State vs. TCU
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The 44th Annual AXA Liberty Bowl is one of six bowl games pitting conference champions against one another ... Colorado State makes its ninth bowl appearance ... The Rams are playing in a bowl game for a school-record fourth straight season ... This marks CSU's third Liberty Bowl berth in the last four seasons ... The Rams are playing in the post-season for the seventh time under head coach Sonny Lubick ... Quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt was named the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year in a combined vote of the head coaches and league-wide media panel ... The Rams placed a league-high six players on the All-Conference first-team, including unanimous selection Cecil Sapp ... CSU had a conference-best 12 players named to the All-Conference first- or second-teams ... Colorado State closed out its regular season by winning six of its last seven games ... The Rams loss to UNLV in their regular-season finale kept them from becoming the second team in MWC history to go undefeated in conference play ... After beginning the season unranked, CSU has appeared in the Top 25 in 11 of 17 polls, including each of the last seven weeks ... The Rams checked into the November 24th Coaches Poll at No. 13, their highest ranking of the season ... Since MWC play began in 1999, CSU is 4-4 against non-conference opponents when ranked in the Top 25 ... Cecil Sapp posted a conference-high eight 100 yard rushing games this season ... Sapp set a CSU single-season rushing record with 1,495 yards, breaking Steve Bartalo's record of 1,419 set in 1986 ... Sapp was named MVP of the 2000 Liberty Bowl, rushing for 160 yards on a bowl- and school-record 36 carries in the win over Louisville ... Sapp was second in the MWC with 17 rushing touchdowns ... Bradlee Van Pelt ranks third in the MWC and 43rd nationally in total offense at 221.1 yards per game ... Van Pelt eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark three times in 2002, he also had two multiple rushing touchdown games and twice threw three TD passes in a game ... Van Pelt accounted for five touchdowns (two rushing/three passing) in the win over San Diego State ... Colorado State led the Mountain West in foruth down conversions at 76.5 percent, converting on 13 of 17 attempts ... The CSU schedule featured eight teams playing in bowls, with five of six non-conference games against teams playing in the 2002 post-season ... The Rams played in the first game of the '02 college football season at Virginia on August 22nd.
The Series
Colorado State leads 1-0. Last Meeting: October 24, 1998, in Fort Collins, Colo., a 42-21 Ram victory.
The Coaches
Two-time MWC Coach of the Year Sonny Lubick is 105-56 overall in 13 years as a head coach and 84-37 during his ten-year tenure at Colorado State. Lubick has guieded the Rams to a 3-3 bowl record. In his second year at the helm of the TCU program, former Horned Frog defensive coordinator Gary Patterson has guided Texas Christian to a 15-8 record and its second consecutive bowl appearance.
Players to Watch - Colorado State (10-3, 6-1 MWC)
Passer: Bradlee Van Pelt (13 GP, 268-146-6, 54.5 Pct, 2,049 Yds, 10 TD, Longest Pass - 80 Yds)
Rusher: Cecil Sapp (13 GP, 328 Att., 1,495 Yds, 4.6 Avg Per Rush., 17 TD, Longest Rush - 72 Yds)
Receiver: Chris Pittman (13 GP, 56 Rec., 774 Yds, 13.8 Avg Per Rec., 1 TD, Longest Rec. - 35 Yds)
Tackler: Eric Pauly (13 GP, 47-62-109, TFL 4-12, Sacks 1-7, PBU 9, INT 1-0, FR 3-0, FF 1)
Players to Watch - TCU (9-2, 6-2 C-USA)
Passer: Sean Stilley (8 GP, 176-98-10, 55.7 Pct, 1,230 Yds, 5 TD, Longest Pass - 66 Yds)
Rusher: Lonta Hobbs (7 GP, 137 Att., 952 Yds, 6.9 Avg Per Rush, 12 TD, Longest Rush - 65 Yds)
Receiver: Adrian Madise (10 GP, 30 Rec., 506 Yds, 16.9 Avg Per Rec., 2 TD, Longest Rec. - 65 Yds)
Tackler: LeMarcus McDonald (11 GP, 75-38-113, TFL 28-114, Sacks 10-70, PBU 4, FR 3-21, FF 2)
New Mexico vs. UCLA
Wednesday, December 25
Sam Boyd Stadium (40,000)
Las Vegas, Nev.
1:30 p.m. (PT), ESPN
Game Notes
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New Mexico makes its second bowl appearance since the 1961 Aviation Bowl ... The Lobos last post-season action was in the 1997 Insight Bowl ... The Lobos are one of three teams to begin the 2002 season at 2-4 and go on to qualify for a bowl berth (Oklahoma State, Cincinnati) ... Since taking over the UNM program prior to the 1998 season, the Lobo win total has increased by one each year under Rocky Long ... Long was named Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year in a vote of the league's head coaches and media panel ... MWC Freshman of the Year, DonTrell Moore set a school freshman rushing record with 1,117 yards ... Moore's rushing total ranks third on UNM's single-season list ... Moore is the ninth player in New Mexico history to top the 1,000 yard rushing mark, and first to do so in the last six years ... Moore is the first freshman in league history to be named to the all-conference first-team .. New Mexico is second in the MWC in rushing defense and total defense ... UNM leads the Mountain West in sacks with 34 for minus 241 yards ... The Lobos tied a school-record with nine sacks in the their regular-season finale victory over Wyoming ... Only six players have rushed for over 100 yards against New Mexico since the 2000 season, a span of 36 games ... Eight of UNM's games this season were decided by eight or fewer points, with a conference-high three determined in overtime ... After breaking a bone in his left forearm in the Texas Tech game, quarterback Casey Kelly returned to the lineup to guide the Lobos to victories in four of their final six games ... Punter Tyler Gaus was named a third-team freshman all-american by The Sporting News, he ranks 47th nationally with an average of 40.7 yards per punt ... Dwight Counter is second in the MWC in punt return average at 13.4 yards ... Second-team All-MWC defensive lineman Daniel Kegler is second in the conference with seven sacks for minus 42 yards ... Starting in place of the injured Casey Kelly and making his first career start, backup quarterback Justin Millea was named Offensive Player of the Week following the win at UNLV ... Linebacker Billy Strother was one of two players (Adam Wade-CSU) to twice be named MWC Defensive Player of the Week this season ... The 2002 Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl features two of the countries top freshman running backs in New Mexico's DonTrell Moore and UCLA's Tyler Ebell.
The Series
First Meeting.
The Coaches
New Mexico's Rocky Long is in his fifth season at the helm of the Lobos and is 25-34 in Albuquerque. Prior to his days at New Mexico, Long was the defensive coordinator for UCLA. Interim coach Ed Kezirian replaces Bob Toledo who was relieved of his duties following the regular-season finale after posting a 49-32 mark in seven seasons.
Players to Watch - New Mexico (7-6, 5-2 MWC)
Passer: Casey Kelly (12 GP, 282-163-6, 57.8 Pct., 1,667 Yds, 13 TD, Longest Pass - 80 Yds)
Rusher: Dontrell Moore (12 GP, 231 Att., 1,170 Yds, 4.8 Avg Per Rush, 13 TD, Longest Rush - 48 Yds)
Receiver: Joe Manning (12 GP, 33 Rec., 321 Yds, 11.2 Avg Per Rec., 2 TD, Longest Rec. - 45 Yds)
Tackler: Charles Moss (13 GP, 44-55-99, TFL 8-23, Sacks 1.5-12, INT 3-20 PBU 1)
Players to Watch - UCLA (7-5, 4-4 Pac-10)
Passer: Drew Olson (8 GP, 98-50-3, 51.0 Pct, 688 Yds, 3 TD, Longest Pass - 42 Yds)
Rusher: Tyler Ebell (12 GP, 209 Att., 924 Yds, 4.4 Avg Per Rush, 9 TD, Longest Rush - 73 Yds)
Receiver: Craig Bragg (12 GP, 51 Rec., 851 Yds, 16.7 Avg Per Rec., 8 TD, Longest Rec. - 71 Yds)
Tackler: Marcus Reese (12 GP, 60-35-95, TFL 6.5-24, Sacks 3-19, INT 2-29, PBU 4)
Air Force vs. Virginia Tech
Tuesday, December 31
Pac Bell Park (37,000)
San Francisco, Calif.
7:30 p.m. (PT), ESPN2
Game Notes
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The United States Air Force Academy makes its 17th bowl appearance ... The game features the third- and fourth-longest active Division I-A head coaches at their respective universities in Air Force's Fisher DeBerry (19 seasons) and Viginia Tech's Frank Beamer (16 seasons) ... The pair rank behind Joe Paterno (Penn State) and Bobby Bowden (Florida State) ... Air Force leads the country in rushing, averaging 314.5 yards per game ... The Falcons also lead the nation in third down conversions at 49.1 percent, converting on 84 of 171 attempts ... AFA ranks third nationally in red zone efficiency, scoring 93.0 percent of the time it reaches the opponents 20-yard line (53-57) ... Since 1990, Air Force ranks second in the country in blocked kicks behind Virginia Tech (85) with 79 blocks ... Chance Harridge set an NCAA single-season quarterback rushing touchdown record with 22 scores ... Harridge has rushed for 1,159 yards, and needs 29 passing yards to become the 16th player in NCAA history to rush and throw for a 1,000 yards in the same season ... This marks the second time in its last two bowl appearances that Air Force will be playing in a first-year bowl ... The Falcons lead the MWC in scoring offense, averaging 35.6 points a game ... Air Force allowed a conference-low three sacks for minus 19 yards ... AFA has won its last four games played in the state of California ... First-team All-Mountain West sophomore linebacker Anthony Schlegel ranks fifth in the conference with an average of 8.8 tackles per game and sixth with 105 total tackles ... Air Force ranks second in the MWC with 29 sacks for minus 206 yards ... The Falcons were assessed the fewest penalty yards against in the MWC at 368, an average of 30.7 yards per game ... Air Force is second in the Mountain West in scoring defense, allowing 23.6 points per game, ranking 44th in the country ... Since the MWC began competition in 1999, the Falcons are 1-3 vs. ranked non-conference opponents with their lone victory coming this season at No. 23 Cal ... Air Force began the season 6-0 and climbed to No. 15 in the Polls ... The Falcons were ranked for four consecutive weeks before falling out of the rankings following their loss at Wyoming ... In the only previous meeting, Air Force and Virginia Tech met in the 1984 Independence Bowl, Fisher DeBerry's first-year at the helm of the Falcon program.
The Series
Air Force leads 1-0. Last Meeting: December 15, 1984, Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., a 23-7 Falcon victory.
The Coaches
Fisher DeBerry ranks as the all-time winningest coach in service academy history, posting a 149-82-1 record through 19 seasons. He ranks third among active Division I-A coaches in tenure at current school. Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer ranks behind DeBerry in tenure, having guided the Hokies for 16 seasons, posting a 116-69-2 record. Tech is making its 10th consecutive bowl appearance under Beamer.
Players to Watch - Air Force (8-4, 4-3 MWC)
Passer: Chance Harridge (12 GP, 125-60-5, 48.0 Pct., 971 Yds, 10 TD, Longest Pass - 80 Yds)
Rusher: Chance Harridge (12 GP, 234 Att., 1,159 Yards, 5.0 Avg Per Rush, 22 TD, longest Rush - 61 Yds)
Rusher: Leotis Palmer (12 GP, 95 Att., 537 Yds, 5.7 Avg Per Rush, 4 TD, Longest Rush - 54 Yds)
Receiver: Adam Strecker (12 GP, 13 Rec., 243 Yds, 18.7 Avg Per Rec., 4 TD, Longest Rec. - 49 Yds)
Tackler: Anthony Schlegel (12 GP, 47-58-105, TFL 10-43, Sacks 2-15, INT 1-0, PBU 4)
Players to Watch - Virginia Tech (9-4, 3-4 Big East)
Passer: Bryan Randall (13 GP, 225-140-11, 62.2 Pct, 1,957 Yds, 12 TD, Longest Pass - 87 Yds)
Rusher: Lee Suggs (13 GP, 238 Att., 1,255 Yds, 5.3 Avg Per Rush., 20 TD, Longest Rush - 59 Yds)
Receiver: Ernest Wilfordl (13 GP, 46 Rec., 875 Yds, 19.0 Avg Per Rec., 7 TD, Longest Rec. - 87 Yds)
Tackler: Mikal Baaqee (12 GP, 65-41-106, TFL 10.5-47, Sacks 3.5-28, PBU 4, FF 1)
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