· Complete pdf of MWC Bowl Release
· Conference Notes
· Bowl Notes
· National Honors

Utah Captures Second Straight Mountain West Title
Utah clinched its second-straight outright MWC crown this season with a perfect 7-0 record. The Utes are the second team in league history to claim two outright titles (Colorado State in 2000 and 2002), and first team to win back-to-back outright MWC regular-season crowns. The Utes also became just the second team in Conference history to go through a league season undefeated. BYU went 7-0 in 2001.

The 2004 league title marks the fourth time in Utah history that the program has won back-to-back league crowns, and the first since the Utes were Skyline Conference champions from 1951-53. Utah won three straight Big Seven Conference titles from 1940-42, and captured six straight Rocky Mountain championships from 1928-33. During their stint as a Western Athletic Conference member (1962-98), the Utes never repeated as league champs, winning a total of two titles.

A Look Back at The Preseason Predictions
Since the MWC began play in 1999, only three teams chosen by the league media to win the conference crown have actually done so. Below is a look at how the preseason poll favorite has fared in regular-season play.

Three-Ring Circus
Since the inception of the Mountain West Conference in 1999, only three teams (BYU, Colorado State and Utah) have won the regular-season football title. BYU, Colorado State and Utah shared the 1999 crown. BYU won the 2001 title, while Colorado State won outright championships in 2000 and 2002. Utah claimed its own championships in 2003 and 2004.

Ahead of the Class
Through the first five-plus years of the MWC, Colorado State sits atop the league standings in overall wins and MWC victories. Below is a look at how all eight MWC teams have fared:

Utah Earns Bowl Championship Series At-Large Bid
Utah earned an at-large BCS bid to the 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl after finishing the season ranked in the top six of the final the BCS standings. The Utes became the first team from a non-automatic-qualifying BCS conference to earn a berth in a BCS bowl.

What You May Not Know About the Utah Utes

MWC on New Year's Day
Utah will be the just the third team from a non-automatic-qualifying BCS conference to play in a bowl game on New Year's Day since 1990 when it faces Pittsburgh in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. In 1991, Louisville defeated Alabama (34-7) in the Sunkist Fiesta Bowl and in 1997, fellow MWC member BYU beat Kansas State (19-15) in the Cotton Bowl.

Let's Talk About Rankings
Utah is currently ranked fifth in the AP Poll and sixth in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Utes' No. 5 ranking is the highest for a Mountain West team, bettering BYU's No. 7 position in the Nov. 25, 2001, Coaches Poll. Utah also finished sixth in the final BCS Rankings. You can find more information on the BCS Rankings on page 6 of this release.

Wins Against Automatic-Qualifying BCS Conferences
With six wins vs. automatic-qualifying BCS conference teams, the MWC is tied for fifth among the 11 Division I-A leagues in non-conference wins against BCS opponents.

Coaching Carousel
In the six-year history of the Mountain West Conference there have been 13 different head coaches at the eight institutions. Only three remain from the original group (Air Force's Fisher DeBerry, Colorado State's Sonny Lubick, and New Mexico's Rocky Long). The number jumps to 17 in 2005 with the additions of Bronco Mendenhall at BYU, Mike Sanford at UNLV, Kyle Whittingham at Utah, and TCU's Gary Patterson as the Horned Frogs become the MWC's newest member beginning July 1, 2005.

Inside the Numbers
91% - Utah head coach Urban Meyer's winning percentage against automatic qualifying BCS opponents. In 11 career games, Meyer is 10-1 against BCS teams. The win over Texas A&M in the season opener avenged his only loss to a BCS school. Meyer is 5-1 against the BCS as Utah's head coach.

20 - The number of scoring drives Utah has compiled in excess of 80 yards this season.

19 - The number of 100 yard rushing games for New Mexico running back DonTrell Moore, surpassing Winslow Oliver's (1992-95) school record of 16. Moore, the MWC's all-time leading rusher, is second on the Lobo career rushing list with 3,667 yards, behind only Mike Williams, who ran for 3,862 yards from 1975-78.

17 - The total number of pass breakups by New Mexico CB Brandon Payne. He leads both the Mountain West and NCAA in pass breakups this season. He broke Eric Jack's single-season school record of 14 set in 1993.

15 - Utah's current win streak ranks third nationally (Boise State-22, Southern California-21). The Utes won their final four games in 2003 and are 11-0 this season. The 15-game streak is the second-longest in school history behind the 16 straight wins from 1928-30. The Utes' last loss was Oct. 25, 2003 against New Mexico, 47-35.

11 - The number of consecutive games New Mexico has won when it scores first. Since the start of the 2001 season, the Lobos are 18-1 when getting on the scoreboard first. The only loss came at Utah State in 2002.

10 - The Utes' consecutive road or neutral site win streak started on Sept. 27, 2003 at Colorado State.

6 - The Wyoming touchdown play featuring Jovon Bouknight and Josh Barge is one of the six finalists for "Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Year" on ESPN.com. The 69-yard reverse pass for a touchdown from Bouknight to Barge against Ole Miss was chosen on Sept. 30 as the winner in fan voting. The overall winner will be announced on Jan. 4, 2005, and the winning school will receive a $100,000 contribution to its general scholarship fund.

5 - The current number of undefeated teams remaining in the NCAA in 2004, including Utah at 11-0 (Auburn, Boise State, Oklahoma and Southern California).

New Mexico's Moore Collects Third Straight 1,000-Yard Rushing Season
Through the first six years of the Mountain West, 11 players have reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark in a single season. Last year, New Mexico's DonTrell Moore became the first running back in MWC history to post back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing campaigns. He collected 1,134 yards his freshman season in 2002 and finished 2003 with 1,450 yards. Returning in 2004 as a junior, Moore aimed to capture his third straight 1,000-yard rushing season. In the final regular-season game against Wyoming, he ran for 150 yards on 28 carries, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for a rushing total of 1,083 yards. Moore became the MWC's career rushing leader earlier this season and currently sits atop the list with 3,667 yards. That number also ranks eighth on the career rushing list among active NCAA players. Memphis junior DeAngelo Williams is the only underclassman ahead of Moore on the NCAA active rushing leaders list, ranking fourth with 3,942 yards.

Utah's Smith Among National Leaders in Rushing Touchdowns by a Quarterback
Utah junior quarterback Alex Smith has rushed for 10 touchdowns this season and is currently tied for fourth nationally in rushing touchdowns by a QB.

Heisman Talk
Utah quarterback Alex Smith was one of five finalists for the 70th Annual Heisman Memorial Trophy Award presented to the best college football player in the United States. Smith is Utah's first-ever Heisman Trophy finalist, and was honored at the announcement ceremony in New York City on Dec. 11. Smith was also named The Sporting News National Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award. Smith is currently ranked second in the nation in passing effciency (174.9) and points responsible for (20.7). He has thrown 28 TDs and four interceptions (a 7:1 touchdown to interception ratio), and has 2,624 passing yards, 66.1% completion rate, 563 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns and 3,187 total offense yards.

Home and Road Record Comparisons
Five of eight MWC teams have posted perfect home records. Utah became just the second team (Colorado State) in MWC history to post a 4-0 record at home in conference games and the Utes are the first team to go undefeated in MWC contests at home since New Mexico accomplished the feat in 2002. Four of eight MWC teams have posted perfect road records since 2001, with Utah holding the longest road win streak in MWC history with its current eight straight victories (BYU won five in a row from 2000-2001 and Colorado State won five straight from 2001-03).

Home Conference Records

Road Conference Records

MWC Student-Athletes Excel in Football and Academics
The MWC had four student-athletes represented on the 2004 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Junior quarterback Alex Smith and senior free safety Morgan Scalley of Utah, and Trenton Franz of Wyoming were first-team honorees, while Air Force senior defensive end Ryan Carter was a second-team selection. Smith was named the Football Academic All-American of the Year, while Scalley became Utah's first-ever two-time first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American. Franz is the first Cowboy to garner first-team accolades since Brian Brown in 1998, while Carter was a second-team selection for the second straight year. The Big Ten Conference led all honorees with five student-athletes on both the first and second-teams, followed by the Mountain West and Big East placing four student-athletes on the 2004 Academic All-America teams. The University of Utah was one of three institutions (Pittsburgh and Northwestern) with multiple players honored.

2004 American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team
The American Football Coaches Association announced its 2004 Good Works Team Sept. 15 and the MWC boasted three of the 11 honorees. New Mexico senior linebacker Nick Speegle, UNLV senior strong safety Jamaal Brimmer and Utah senior defensive back Morgan Scalley were nominated by their schools' sports information directors and voted on by an AFCA committee. From 1992-1996, the Good Works Team was selected by the College Football Association. When the CFA disbanded in 1997, the AFCA began selecting the teams. New Mexico's Speegle and Utah's Scalley were their respective schools' first-ever selections, while Brimmer is the second Rebel ever elected to the prestigious group. Former lineman Tony Terrell was the first Rebel honored in 2002. Successful candidates have to be actively involved and committed to working with a charitable organization, service group or involved in other community service activities. Candidates have to display sincere concern and reliability, while also having made a favorable impression on the organization with which they are involved.

BOWL NOTES

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl - Jan. 1, 2005
#19/20 Pittsburgh vs. #5/6 Utah
Saturday, January 1
Sun Devil Stadium (73,752) - Tempe, Ariz.
6:30 p.m. (MT) - ABC

Television: ABC
Brent Musburger (Play-by-Play)
Gary Danielson (Analysis)
Jack Arute (Sideline)

Radio: ESPN Radio
Dave Barnett (Play-by-Play)
Bill Curry (Analysis)
David Norrie (Analysis)
Alex Flanagan (Sideline)

TEAM HEADQUARTERS
Scottsdale Plaza Resort (480-948-5000)

TEAM PRACTICE SITE
Scottsdale Community College - Open

Game Notes
Pittsburgh enters the game as the Big East champion with a 4-2 conference mark and an 8-3 overall record. The Panthers have won six of their last seven contests, leading them to their first appearance in a BCS bowl game. The Utes (11-0) finished the regular season undefeated and untied for the first time since 1930, and are the first team from a non-automatic-qualifying BCS conference to earn a berth in a BCS bowl. Pittsburgh will wear its road jerseys and use the west bench on game day. Utah will wear its home jerseys and use the east bench on game day.

THE GAME
PITTSBURGH will be making its fourth appearance in the Fiesta Bowl and its first since 1984. The Panthers have a 1-2 record in previous Fiesta Bowl appearances, defeating Arizona in 1979 (16-10), while falling to Arizona State (7-28) in 1973 and to Ohio State (23-28) in the 1984 game. UTAH will be making its first appearance in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Based on current conference affiliations, there have been two teams from the Mountain West Conference that have played in the Fiesta Bowl. BYU lost to Oklahoma State (6-16) in the 1974 game, while Wyoming fell to Oklahoma (7-41) in the 1976 contest.

The Series
Pittsburgh and Utah meet for the first time.

PITTSBURGH VS. THE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
The Panthers are 1-3 all-time against current Mountain West Conference teams. Pittsburgh is 0-2 vs. the Air Force Academy and 1-1 against BYU. The Panthers dropped a 14-27 decision at home against Air Force in 1968, and fell (13-41) in Colorado Springs in 1972. Pittsburgh lost a 1984 home game to BYU (14-20) in 1984 before defeating the Cougars in Provo in 1987 (27-17).

UTAH VS. THE BIG EAST CONFERENCE
The Utes are 1-0 all-time against current opponents from the Big East Conference. Utah defeated West Virginia (32-6) in the 1964 Liberty Bowl in Atlantic City, N.J. The contest was played in the Atlantic City Convention Center and was the first major bowl game ever held indoors.

BOWL GAME RECORDS
Pittsburgh holds a 9-14 all-time record in bowl games. The Panthers lost to Virginia in the 2003 Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. (16-23). Utah is 6-4 all-time in bowl games. The Utes have won their last three bowl games, including a 17-0 victory over Southern Miss last year in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn.

RECORDS VS. OTHER 2004 BOWL TEAMS
PITTSBURGH was 3-2 in 2004 versus bowl teams, defeating Boston College (20-17/OT), Notre Dame (41-38) and West Virginia (16-13), while losing to Connecticut (17-19) and Syracuse (31-38/2OT). UTAH went 4-0 against teams playing in bowl games this season. The Utes defeated Texas A&M (41-21), N. Carolina (46-16), New Mexico (28-7) and Wyoming (45-28).

The Coaches
URBAN MEYER is completing his second season at Utah and boasts an overall record of 21-2. In his first year, Meyer led the Utes to the MWC title with a 10-2 overall record and a 6-1 league mark. Meyer will take over the reigns at Florida in 2005. KYLE WHITTINGHAM, Utah's defensive coordinator since 1995, was named the new head Utah football coach on Dec. 8, 2004. Whittingham will serve as a co-head coach in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl before taking over for the departing Meyer.

WALT HARRIS has posted a 52-43 overall record in eight seasons as the head coach at Pittsburgh. He has led the Panthers to five straight bowl games and their first-ever BCS game. Harris will depart Pittsburgh to become the new head coach at Stanford after the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Utah Bowl Notes
The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has featured a team from a conference other than the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12 or Pac-10 just three previous times. In 1974, BYU lost to Oklahoma State (16-6). Wyoming fell to Oklahoma in 1976 (7-41), and Louisville beat Alabama in 1991 (34-7).

Utah is 0-1 in January 1 games, losing to Hawai`i (16-19) in the 1946 Pineapple Bowl. Eight of Utah's 11 all-time bowl appearances have come since 1992. In 1951, Utah was invited to both the Sun Bowl and the Pineapple Bowl, but declined. In 1941, Utah was slated to play Hawai`i in the Pineapple Bowl, but the game was canceled after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Utah was ranked in the Top 25 from start to finish of the 2004 regular season - spending 15 straight weeks in the AP and 16 straight weeks in the coaches' poll. Both marks are school records for consecutive weeks in the rankings. The 2004 Utes were also ranked in the top 10 in both polls for the last eight weeks of the regular season, a school first.

Utah's 11-0 mark is a school record for best start and finish to a regular season. The Utes started 8-0 in both 1930 and 1994 and finished 10-2 in 1994 and 2003. Only three other Ute teams have ever finished a season unbeaten and untied. Those seasons were: 1926 (7-0), 1929 (7-0), and 1930 (8-0). The 1928 Utes finished 5-0-2, while the 1941 team went 6-0-2.

Utah is on pace to break a 70-year-old school scoring record. The Utes are averaging 46.3 points per game compared to the school record of 42.5 ppg set back in 1930. That was the only other Utah team to average more than 40 points per game. Official national statistical rankings began in 1937, and in 1939, Utah led the nation in scoring at 28.4 ppg.

Seven of Utah's 19 seniors have played all four years at Utah and have contributed to a 34-12 record since 2001. Makai Aalona, Corey Dodds, Tommy Hackenbruck, Chris Kemoeatu, Bo Nagahi, Sione Pouha and Morgan Scalley will be playing in their third bowl game. They are currently 2-0 in bowl games-taking part in Utah's 10-6 victory over USC in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl and the 17-0 win over Southern Miss in the 2003 Liberty Bowl.

Utah's 509 total points this season is a new school record (the old mark was 426 points in 1994).

Utah has dominated the scoreboard in the first half this season, outscoring opponents 327-110.

Utah has scored on 58-of-60 red zone attempts this season (97%) if you don't count three 4th-quarter kneeldowns against North Carolina, UNLV and San Diego State. Of those penetrations, 51 have been converted into touchdowns (85%). Opponents have scored on 19-of-29 (66%) trips inside Utah's 20 yard line - 16 of those touchdowns.

Emerald Bowl - Dec. 30, 2004
New Mexico vs. Navy
Thursday, December 30
SBC Park (37,000) - San Francisco, Calif.
1:30 p.m. (PT) - ESPN2

Television: ESPN2
Eric Collins (Play-by-Play)
Andre Ware (Analysis)

Radio: NSN Sports radio
Dave Tester (Play-by-Play)
Scott Gordon (Analysis)

TEAM HEADQUARTERS
Hyatt Regency San Francisco (415-788-1234)

TEAM PRACTICE SITE
Laney College in Oakland - Open

Game Notes
NEW MEXICO is 7-4 on the year and finished second in the Mountain West Conference with a 5-2 mark. NAVY holds a 9-2 overall record, marking its first nine-win regular-season since 1963. New Mexico will wear its road jerseys, while Navy will wear its home uniform. Both teams benches will share the same sideline.

THE GAME
New Mexico and Navy will both be making their first appearance in the Emerald Bowl.

The Series
New Mexico and Navy meet for the first time.

NEW MEXICO VS. INDEPENDENTS
The Lobos are 1-1 all-time against NCAA Division I-A independents. New Mexico faced Central Florida twice, prior to the Golden Knights move to the Mid-American Conference in 2002. The Lobos defeated UCF in Albuquerque (17-7) in 1996, before falling in Orlando (6-38) in 1998.

NAVY VS. THE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
The Midshipmen are 13-28 all-time against current Mountain West Conference teams. The majority of the contests have been played against the Air Force Academy as part of the service academies' (including Army) annual battle for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. The Falcons have the series advantage over Navy (25-12), but the Midshipmen have won the last two contests. Navy has also faced BYU (1-1) and San Diego State (0-2). The Midshipmen defeated BYU (23-16) in the 1978 Holiday Bowl in San Diego, and fell to the Cougars (10-31) in the 1989 season opener in Annapolis, Md. Navy began both the 1994 (14-56) and 1997 (31-45) seasons with losses at San Diego State.

BOWL GAME RECORDS
NEW MEXICO has posted a 2-5-1 all-time record in eight bowl appearances. The Lobos are making a school record third-straight bowl trip in 2004. New Mexico has dropped its last three bowl appearances, including a 14-55 loss to Oregon State in last year's Las Vegas Bowl.

NAVY holds a 4-5-1 all-time record in bowl games. The Midshipmen lost to Texas Tech in the 2003 EV1.net Houston Bowl (14-38). In its 10 bowl appearances, Navy has played one current MWC team, defeating BYU (23-16) in the 1978 Holiday Bowl in San Diego, Calif.

RECORDS VS. OTHER 2004 BOWL TEAMS
NEW MEXICO went 2-2 against teams playing in bowl games this season. The Lobos defeated Texas Tech (27-24) and Wyoming (16-9) at home. The losses came at Oregon State (17-7) and at home to Utah (28-7). NAVY went 0-1 versus 2004 bowl teams, falling to Notre Dame (9-27).

The Coaches
ROCKY LONG is in his seventh season at his alma mater and is tied for second on the school's all-time win list with a record of 40-44. He is one win shy of tying Roy Johnson, who went 41-32-6 from 1920-30, as the school's winningest head coach. Long signed a contract extension in November to remain on the New Mexico sidelines through 2009.

PAUL JOHNSON has led Navy to a 19-17 overall record in his three years at the helm. He has also helped the Midshipmen to two straight bowl appearances for the first time since 1980-81. Johnson came to Navy from Georgia Southern, where he posted a 62-10 (.861) record, won two-straight I-AA National Championships (1999 and 2000), five straight Southern Conference Championships and was named the Division I-AA National Coach of the Year four-consecutive times (1997-2000).

New Mexico Bowl Notes
New Mexico is playing in its third consecutive bowl game for the first time in school history. It's UNM's fourth bowl appearance in the past eight seasons after going only five times from 1939-96.

The Lobos are the only team in the MWC to play in a bowl game each of the past three seasons. UNM has been bowl eligible four straight years, but was not invited in 2001 after finishing 6-5.

New Mexico has won five games in a row for the first time under head coach Rocky Long. The current streak is the longest by the Lobos since opening the 1997 season 6-0 under former head coach Dennis Franchione.

New Mexico was picked to finish fourth in the MWC preseason media poll. The Lobos concluded the season with five straight MWC wins to finish all alone in second place (5-2) for the third straight season. It has been 52 years since a Lobo team won five straight conference games in one season.

New Mexico has recorded 24 sacks in the past four games. The Lobos also held opponents to just 107 rushing yards on 138 carries over that span. That's an average of about nine inches per carry.

Since the start of the 2001 season, the Lobos are 23-2 when leading after three quarters.

New Mexico has won four road games this year (4-2), including three straight, for the first time since 1997 (4-1). The Lobos' two setbacks were at Oregon State and at Air Force. UNM is 7-3 in its last 10 contests outside of Albuquerque.

New Mexico leads the MWC, and ranks among the national leaders, in rushing defense (93.7 ypg), total defense (316.9 ypg) and scoring defense (17.3 ppg). UNM is yielding just 2.6 yards per carry and has not given up a rushing TD in its last five games. Only five times in the past 58 games has New Mexico allowed an opponent to gain 200 yards on the ground.

New Mexico has led the MWC in sacks for five straight seasons, totaling 195 since 2000. UNM has also finished first in the league in rushing defense four of the past five years. The Lobos finished 5th in the nation in rushing defense in 2001 (87.4 ypg) and 2003 (86.1 ypg).

The Lobos are attempting to finish in the top 30 nationally in total defense for the fifth consecutive season, a feat only four other teams can potentially match: Kansas State, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. New Mexico enters the Emerald Bowl ranked 23rd in the country in total defense, allowing 316.9 yards a game. Oklahoma is ninth at 280.2, Texas 24th at 317.2 and Tennessee 47th at 359.6. It's unlikely that K-State will keep its streak intact. The Wildcats' season is over and they rank 44th at 349.6 yards a game.

Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl
Dec. 23, 2004
Wyoming vs. UCLA
Thursday, December 23
Sam Boyd Stadium (38,000) - Las Vegas, Nev.
6:45 p.m. (PT) - ESPN

Television: ESPN
Ron Franklin (Play-by-Play)
Mike Gottfried (Analysis)
Erin Andrews (Sideline)

Radio: Sports USA Radio
Larry Kahn (Play-by-Play)
John Robinson (Analysis)
Troy West (Sideline)

TEAM HEADQUARTERS
Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino (702-385-7111)

TEAM PRACTICE SITES
Desert Pines High School - Closed
Valley High School - Closed

Game Notes
WYOMING posted a 6-5 record on the year and tied for fourth place in the Mountain West Conference with a 3-4 mark. UCLA enters the contest with a 6-5 overall record. The Bruins finished tied for fifth place in the Pac-10 Conference with a 4-4 mark. Wyoming will wear its road jerseys and use the east bench on game day, while UCLA will wear its home jerseys and use the west bench.

THE GAME
WYOMING will be making its first appearance in the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl. UCLA will be making its second appearance in the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl. The Bruins defeated New Mexico (27-13) in the 2002 game.

The Series
Wyoming and UCLA will meet for the first time.

WYOMING VS. THE PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE
The Cowboys have played seven of the 10 current members of the Pac-10 Conference and hold a 20-31 record in those contests. The majority of the games have been played against Arizona and Arizona State, when the three institutions were all members of the Western Athletic Conference from 1962-1977. Wyoming's last outing against a Pac-10 Conference team was at Washington in 2002 (lost 7-38). The Cowboys have lost four in a row to Pac-10 teams dating back to a 34-13 win at Washington State in 1990.

UCLA VS. THE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
The Bruins boast a 40-5-2 all-time record against current Mountain West Conference teams, including a 5-0 mark since 1999. UCLA has played six of the eight MWC institutions, with the the majority of the contests against San Diego State. The Bruins hold a 19-0-1 series advantage over the Aztecs. The two teams UCLA hasn't faced are UNLV and Wyoming.

BOWL GAME RECORDS
WYOMING has posted a 4-6 all-time record in bowl games. The Cowboys won their first four bowl appearances, but have lost six straight dating back to 1976. Wyoming's last bowl appearance was in the 1993 Copper Bowl in Tucson, Ariz. The Cowboys fell to Kansas State, 17-52. Wyoming has never faced a Pac-10 team in a bowl game.

UCLA is 12-12-1 all-time in bowl games. The Bruins dropped a 9-17 decision to Fresno State in the 2003 Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, Calif. UCLA has faced a current MWC team twice in its bowl history. The Bruins defeated BYU (31-10) in the 1986 Holiday Bowl and New Mexico (27-13) in the 2002 Las Vegas Bowl.

RECORDS VS. OTHER 2004 BOWL TEAMS
WYOMING went 0-3 against teams playing in bowl games this season. The Cowboys lost to Texas A&M (0-31), Utah (28-45) and New Mexico (9-16). UCLA went 0-4 versus 2004 bowl teams, falling to Oklahoma State (20-31), Cal (28-45), Arizona State (42-48) and USC (24-29).

The Coaches
JOE GLENN is in his second season at Wyoming. In 2003, he led the Cowboys to a 4-8 record after the program had won a total of five games from 2000-02. Prior to Wyoming, Glenn spent 14 seasons as a head coach at the Division I-AA and II levels. During that time, Glenn claimed two Division II national titles at Northern Colorado, and a I-AA crown while at Montana. In 19 seasons of coaching, Glenn has compiled a 168-72-1 career record.

KARL DORRELL, one of the top wide receivers in UCLA history, is in his second season at the helm of the Bruins and holds a 12-12 overall record. Dorrell has led UCLA to bowl appearances in each of his first two years. Before coming to UCLA, he was the wide receivers coach for the Denver Broncos.

Wyoming Bowl Notes
Wyoming was picked last in the preseason poll of Mountain West Conference media members. Wyoming has improved from a 4-8 record last season to a record of 6-5 this season.

Wyoming is assured of its first season of .500 or better football since 1999 when the Cowboys posted a 7-4 overall record in the first season of the MWC.

Wyoming finished the 2004 season with a 5-1 home record, the Pokes' best mark since 1998 (5-1).

Wyoming's 53-45 triple overtime win over UNLV on Nov. 6, 2004, was the longest in terms of periods played in over 100 years of Wyoming football. Wyoming played seven periods of football vs. UNLV -- four quarters and three overtime periods. Since 1995, when the NCAA established overtime for college football, the Cowboys have played five overtime games. Oddly enough, four of the five overtime games for the Cowboys have been played in Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. Three of the four OT contests in Las Vegas were against UNLV, while the other was versus BYU in the 1996 Western Athletic Conference Championship game.

WR Jovon Bouknight has recorded two or more receptions in 35 consecutive games. His best day in terms of catches in a single game is nine, accomplished three times (at San Diego State and at BYU in 2003, and at New Mexico in 2004).

Wyoming has forced 26 turnovers this season and has scored on 12 of those, including six touchdowns and six field goals.

Seven different Cowboys have contributed to the team's 14 interceptions this season.

In five of Wyoming's six wins this season - versus Appalachian State, Ole Miss, San Diego State, Air Force and UNLV -- the Cowboys forced at least two turnovers in each game. In each of those wins, the Pokes also protected the ball, giving up only one turnover (a fumble) to Appalachian State, two turnovers (one fumble and one interception) to Ole Miss and UNLV, and no turnovers to San Diego State and Air Force.

Wyoming junior wide receiver Jovon Bouknight ranks nationally in five different statistical categories this season, including 14th in total receiving yards (968), 19th in average receiving yards (88.0), 27th in all-purpose yards (135.45), 36th in average receptions (5.27) and 39th in kickoff returns (22.85).

2004 National Honors

MWC All-Americans
Associated Press

Walter Camp

SI.com

Honorable Mention
Joel Dreessen, TE, Colorado State; Brandon Payne, DB, New Mexico; Kirk Morrison, LB, San Diego State; Jamaal Brimmer, DB, UNLV; Steve Savoy, WR, Utah.

American Football Coaches Association (AFCA)

The Sporting News

CBS Sportsline

Cingular/ABC Sports/Football Writers Association of America (FWAA)

Pro Football Weekly

Honorable Mention
Todd Watkins, WR, BYU; Joel Dreessen, TE, Colorado State; Steve Savoy, WR, Utah.

The Sporting News Freshman All-Americans

ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Football Team

National Football Foundation Scholar-Athletes
The National Football Foundation's award committee selects approximately 15 scholar-athletes from across america for these prestigious $18,000 fellowships that can be used for postgraduate studies. In 2004, eight were selected from Division I-A institutions, including TRENTON FRANZ from the University of Wyoming.

Individual National Awards

The Sporting News National Player of the Year
Alex Smith, Utah

ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year
Alex Smith, Utah

The Home Depot Coach of the Year
Urban Meyer, Utah

Pro Football Weekly Coach of the Year
Urban Meyer, Utah

AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year
Urban Meyer, Utah