UTEP To Face Old Rival BYU Dec. 18 In New Mexico Bowl
UTEP coach Mike Price’s standout memory of BYU is, well, a crappy one.
Price was taping a live TV show on the 50 yard line of BYU’s football stadium when it happened.
“Just as the cameras went on I got bombed by a seagull – and it was a load,” Price said on Friday. “And I said ‘those darn BYU guys are after me wherever I go. So I have some payback for that – getting crapped on in their stadium.”
Price and the Miners will get their chance at revenge when UTEP plays BYU at noon Dec. 18 in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque. Buy game tickets, book hotel and plan trip here.
ABC-7 was the first to report the matchup on Wednesday. UTEP formally accepted the bowl invitation on Friday.
“To quote Herm Edwards … ‘you play to win the game,'” Price said at a press conference Friday. “And we’re certainly going to do that.”
Price said he would have been the most disappointed coach in America if he had not been able to take his team to a bowl game. It is UTEP’s first bowl appearance since 2005.
UTEP and BYU will be facing one another on the gridiron for the first time since 1998. The Cougars hold a 28-7-1 lead in the all-time series ledger and have won 25 of the last 27 matchups between the schools.
?We are all very happy that things worked out the way they did and UTEP is coming to the New Mexico Bowl,? said Jeff Siembieda, New Mexico Bowl Executive Director. ?We are thrilled to have the Miners and their incredible fans as a part of this event. It just seems to be a natural. With the regional proximity, the great history UTEP athletics has in this area and being able to renew an old rivalry between the Miners and BYU, I?m really excited about this game.?
UTEP, which posted a 6-6 overall record, was in Albuquerque earlier this year when it took on and defeated the University of New Mexico, 38-20. The Miners will play as the home team against BYU (6-6, 5-3 MWC). The Cougars lead the all-time series 28-7-1 and two programs haven?t met since 1998 when they played as Western Athletic Conference foes.
?We?re excited about renewing our long-standing rivalry with BYU in the New Mexico Bowl,? UTEP coach Mike Price said. ?It?s a great opportunity for our fans to drive down for the game, enjoy postseason play and take in the great city of Albuquerque.?
?We are anxious to participate in the New Mexico Bowl and to be playing in the opening bowl game of the year,? said BYU head football coach Bronco Mendenhall. ?We look forward to the opportunity to continue to improve our team and build for the future.?
BYU (6-6, 5-3 MWC) made a huge push in the second half of the regular season to get bowl-eligible, winning five of its final seven games. The Cougars finished in a three-way tie with Air Force and San Diego State for third place in the Mountain West Conference. BYU has a storied bowl history, having made 28 bowl appearances, including five straight in Las Vegas, NV. The Cougars have won three of their last four bowl games, including the 2009 triumph over Oregon State, 44-20 in the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas.
?I?m impressed how our football team turned the season around after a slow start,? said BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe. ?We are very excited to be playing in the New Mexico Bowl. I am happy for our seniors who fought hard to keep our bowl streak alive.?
The BYU Cougars become the fourth institution to represent the MWC in the New Mexico Bowl, following New Mexico (2006-07), Colorado State (2008) and Wyoming (2009). The MWC representative has been victorious in the New Mexico Bowl the past three years
