The New Mexico Lobos defend their home turf against the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners in the 11th Annual Gildan New Mexico Bowl on Saturday, December 17th. The contest is scheduled to get underway at 2 p.m. ET and will be telecast on the ESPN Network. As of this article, the Lobos are a -7 point favorite and the game’s total is notched in at 63.
New Mexico will be playing in their second straight bowl game under the leadership of head coach Bob Davie. The former Notre Dame coach has done a great job at returning the school’s program back to respectability. The Lobos’ eight regular-season wins are their most since 2007. Last year, New Mexico earned a birth into this game and lost 45-37 against a feisty Arizona Wildcat team.
New Mexico (8-4):
Getting to play in the New Mexico Bowl will give the New Mexico fans another chance to see their team play at home. It will also give the Lobos home-field advantage and the chance to get the win they failed to earn last year in this contest.
Quarterback Austin Apodaca is asked to manage the games and not win them with his throwing arm. In 2016, the kid-under-center has only completed 53 passes for just over 650 yards with five touchdowns and two picks.
The Lobos enter the Gildan New Mexico Bowl leading the country in rushing at 360.1 yards per game. Running backs Teriyon Gipson and Tyrone Owens each have went over 1,000 yards this year. Combined, the two have amassed almost 2,300 yards and 19 trips to the promised land. Red zone specialist Richard McQuarley is their short yardage back and has also added a team-high 16 touchdowns to their resume’.
The Lobos don’t throw the ball very often, but when they do they have four receivers that have caught over 10 passes. Dameon Gamblin is their most productive wide out, reeling in 22 balls for 220 yards and three scores.
New Mexico’s defense has struggled stopping their opponents in 2016. The Lobos rank 95th in points allowed, giving way to over 32 points a game. They do a decent job at limiting teams yardage, sitting in at 56th in the nation in total yards against (397.3).
Texas-San Antonio (6-6):
Two weeks ago, the Roadrunners suffered a 23-10 loss to Texas A&M Aggies in College Station. The young squad put forth a valiant effort against an SEC team, and returned home to notch their sixth win of the year over Charlotte 33-14. The win earned the Roadrunners this postseason opportunity.
The Roadrunners are also a run heavy out-fit, but they do look to throw the ball around a little more than the Lobos. Quarterback Dalton Sturm has been efficient, completing over 150 passes for over 2,000 yards with 18 touchdowns and only five picks. Sturm is mobile, running for 263 yards and another four scores.
Most of the time, Texas-San Antonio is handing the ball off to running backs Jarveon Williams and Jalen Rhodes. The duo has tallied 333 carries for 1,531 yards and 17 trips to the back of the end zone. Both will also look to expose New Mexico’s 61st rated run defense (166.1 ypg).
When Dillon Sturm is throwing the ball, he distributes the rock to four different pass catchers. Wide outs Josh Stewart and Kerry Thomas Jr. lead the charge, snatching 67 balls for 1,200 yards and 13 scores.
The Roadrunner’s defensive stats are very similar to that of the Lobos. Texas-San Antonio ranks 58th in the nation in total yards against (400 ypg). Their red zone defense has also fared a little better, allowing only 28.3 points per game, which is good for 69th in the country.
Trends and Notes:
The Lobos are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
The Roadrunners are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
The Over is 12-2 in the Lobos last 14 games overall.
The Under is 11-5 in the Roadrunners last 16 games following a ATS win.
The BYU Cougars hold the New Mexico Bowl record with 52 points scored in 2010.
Colorado State running back Gartrell Johnson holds the New Mexico Bowl single-game rushing record with 285 yards.
Game Prediction:
The Lobos won’t have quite the rushing day that they had against Wyoming, ripping-off 568 yards over the ground. That being said, they should find plenty of opportunities to move the chains against the country’s 52nd ranked rushing defense.
The Roadrunners will stick around for at least a half, also finding success with their run game. Dillon Sturm will look to do some damage through the air if the rushing yards start to force New Mexico’s secondary closer to the line of scrimmage.
Either way, both teams should capitalize on plenty of red zone opportunities, creating another high-scoring Gildan New Mexico Bowl. Place your wager on the over 63 and watch an up and down ground affair.
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