The Mountain West welcomes two new members

With news that BYU was headed indy in football and taking the rest of their sports to the WAC the Mountain West Conference has signed, sealed and delivered two new insitutions. The University of Californa, Fresno State the University of Nevada, Reno will both join the Mountain West in as soon as 2011.

This will ensure that the MWC stays at least a 10 team conference and could signal a death blow to the WAC the former home of both schools. Will these schools help the Mountain West automatic qualifying as a BCS conference? Not right away but the potential is there. Fresno State has 22 wins over the past three years and Nevada has 21. The great thing is that the Mountain West will have at least 10 teams and a solid foundation.

Are these new additions perfect? No but they are a great fit geographically and will be great travel partners for UNLV and San Diego State.

What are they missing? Fresno needs to starting winning some bowl games once they join :P And their bulldog logo bugs me. Nevada needs to starts packing their stadium, their attendance is terrible at home and hardly any fans support the team on the road. Hopefully this will all change with the stiffer competition.

So what does this mean for BYU? Do continue their way out and join the scraps of the WAC or perhaps the WCC? Or do they come back and play nice in the Mountain West.

Thompson was just in Philadelphia meeting with Comcast and CBS College discussing the tv deal. Will these new markets mean a boost to the viewership of the Mtn? I would stoked by any improvement in the current deal.

Right now I'm view MWC Commisioner as a bad ass.


Craig Thompson does his best impersonation of Jules from Pulp Fiction

And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers.

Revisiting the 7 reasons

Prior to the New Mexico Bowl you might remember this article that appeared on Cowboy Altitude entitled "7 reasons why Wyoming will win the New Mexico Bowl". Well low and behold the Cowboys pulled off a 35-28 2OT victory over the Fresno State Bulldogs.

Let's take a look at the article and see how each factor played a role in the victory.

1. Crowd - As predicted the crowd was heavily PRO Wyoming and outnumbered the Bulldog supporters by a large margin. Poke fans were pumped for the game and gave the team everything they could. And the reward was an opportunity to rush the field after the victory.

2. Turnovers - The big difference maker in this game. Fresno State was driving in the first quarter but fumbled on the Cowboy 6. That saved at least 3 points but more likely a touchdown. Then we can not forget the play of the game; Mitch Unrein strips Ryan Mathews and the Pokes eat up the clock with a 7:48 drive to score the tying field goal. Fresno State did intercept one pass that was tipped and scored a TD on that possession. But the overall +1 turnover margin for the Cowboys was the difference between winning and losing.

3. Desire - The Cowboys came ready to play and it showed. The ESPN commentators mentioned how they could see the extra energy from the Pokes. Desmond Howard was also impressed with Austyn Carta-Samuels.

4. Familiarity - Didn't hurt to be in a town and stadium that they've been to before. Wasn't a major factor.

5. Pokes don't give up - Four fourth quarter comebacks this year? Wrong, make that FIVE! Down 11 in the final quarter Wyoming came to tie game and force overtime. The final drive included three fourth down conversions. After missing a game winning field goal in the first OT the Pokes came back and scored the eventual game winning touchdown.

"Same old deal for all of us," Carta-Samuels said. "We knew we could do it."

This team is confident and they don't give up. Huge factor!

6. Coach Christensen - DC has a history of winning and he showed that at the New Mexico Bowl. Got the team ready and laid out a solid game plan. His leadership is vital to this team.

7. History - There is a reason that Fresno State is 0-4 versus Mountain West teams in bowl games. Maybe it's the players or Coach Pat Hill. That is something they need to figure out. The Bulldogs are 100-66 overall under Hill but just 4-6 in bowl games. Back to back losses in the New Mexico Bowl against 6-6 teams from the Mountain West shows that their is a problem. There is a reason people study history - it helps us figure out the future. Big factor.

In order of importance I'd rank the factors:

2 - Turnovers
5 - Pokes don't give up
6 - Coach Christensen
7 - History
3 - Desire
1 - Crowd
4 - Familiarity

Fresno State RB Mathews declares for 2010 NFL Draft

After finishing the season with 144 yards and two touchdowns in the New Mexico Bowl RB Ryan Mathews has decided to forego his senior season at Fresno State and enter the 2010 NFL Draft. According to the Fresno State Bee Mathews has hired an agent named Frank Bauer out of Stockton, CA.

The talented RB was leaning towards staying Fresno but in a meeting with Coach Pat Hill and Mathews, Hill encouraged Mathews to take the next step in his career. Hill and Mathews now share the same agent.

This is really smart move for Hill for several reasons. Already ranked as the fourth best RB in the draft Hill should go in the mid to late second round. Throughout his career Hill has been labeled as injury prone after being hurt both his fresman and sophomore years. This year Mathews was beastly with the only blip being a concussion that caused him to miss one game.

For the year Mathews totaled 1,808 yards rushing and has 35 career touchdowns. Watching him in the New Mexico Bowl I came away impressed. A powerful runner Mathews never went down with just one tackler, a group would have to bring him down. He also gained a bunch of yards are contact. I'm excited to see what Mathews can do in the NFL and think he'll suprise alot of folks like Chris Johnson did when he came out of East Carolina.

Cowboys pull off a stunner in Albuquerque

Did you really expect anything less from the Wyoming Cowboys after this season? After coming back from 11 down in the fourth quarter to force the game into over time. David Leonard caught a touchdown pass to give the Cowboys the lead, then the defense stepped up and stopped Fresno State on downs to give the Cowboys (7-6) the New Mexico Bowl title in a 35-28 2OT victory over the Fresno State Bulldogs (8-5).

This is an underrated bowl that always has close games and the fourth edition was certainly the best. The Cardiac Cowboys certainly lived up to their nickname with this game.

The finish was amazing but the journey to get there was just as good.

Quarter 1

On their second drive Alvester Alexander busted through the right side untouched and took it 68 yards to give Wyoming a 7-0 lead.

Quarter 2

Ryan Mathews busted out a 29 yard run on a fourth and four from the Wyoming 33. One the next play he picks a 6 yard TD run. Tied at 7's.

Austyn Carta-Samuels finds Senior Greg Bolling for a jump ball 21 yard TD catch. Wyoming up 14-7.

Ryan Colbrun shoots a laser and Jamel Hamler makes a great catch to tie things up at 14.

Wyoming drives down the field with time winding down in the half. Ian Watts has his 50 yard field attempt blocked to end the half.

Quarter 3

Fresno does a reverse that turns into a pass by WR Chastin West to find a wide open Jamel Hamler for a 43 yard touchdown. Fresno up 21-14.

Watts kicks a 40 yard field goal on the follow drive. Fresno up 21-17.


Here is where we'll pick up the action in the fourth quarter. Chris Lewis picks off a tipped pass by Austyn Carta-Samuels and returns it to the Wyoming 6. Two plays later Ryan Mathews grabs his second touchdown of the game and the Bulldogs now lead 28-17.

Wyoming drives downs the field and Austyn Carta-Samuels hits Dave Leonard a short pass then Leonard takes it 12 yards up the middle for the score. Down 28-23 Coach Christensen decides to go for two and make it a three point game. ACS hits Greg Bolling for the conversion and now
Fresno is up just 28-25.

On the ensuing kickoff Marlon Moore has a big return and gets the ball inside the Wyoming 50. Fresno looks to be rolling until Mitch Unrein strips the ball from Ryan Mathews. The ball never hit the ground and no one seemed to notice including the referees. Unrein came up with the ball and pleaded his case but the refs said that Fresno had the ball and the first down. Right before the ball was snapped the played was finally reviewed. Without that review the game would have been over for the Cowboys. The review comes back and it's Wyoming ball at their own 26. What makes the strip by Unrein even more impressive is the fact this is first time EVER that Ryan Mathews has fumbled in his collegiate career. With over 500 rushes over three seasons Mathews had never fumbled until now. Humongous play by Senior Mitch Unrein in his final game as a Cowboy.

"The Drive"

With 8:08 left on the clock Wyoming is down by three and struggling to move the ball. On 4th and 2 from their own 34 Wyoming lines up to punt. P Austin McCoy rolls out to the right for rugby style punt but instead finds David Leonard on a short pass, Leonard then fights for a yard and grabs the first down. On the next set of downs Wyoming faces itself in another 4th and 2 situation, this time at their own 45. ACS finds a gap and scrambles to the left and picks up 8 yards and first down. Three plays later Wyoming finds itself with 4th and 4 and time starting to tick off the clock. David Leonard is on the ground but is able to maintain control and grab a 6 yard pass for another first down. On 3rd and 15th from the Fresno State 40 ACS is under pressure and rolls out to the right and hits Zach Bolger at the 27 and Bolger winds his way through traffic to get the ball to the 20. The Pokes have no luck in moving the ball and in comes Ian Watts. Watts the true freshman walk on lines up and hooks a 37 yard field goal just inside the right upright to tie the game at 28. Fresno just kneels the ball after the kickoff and we are headed to over time. Wyoming used 19 plays and took 7:48 off the clock to raise the blood pressure of everyone watching the dramatic drive.

"The Stop"

Wyoming wins the coin toss and wants the ball second. Fresno slowly works their way down towards the end zone and are looking good. Ryan Colburns busts out a 9 yard run and is stopped at the Wyoming 1. Ryan Matthews is stopped twice and then Colburn is stuffed on a QB sneak and Fresno comes up empty. Pat Hill decides to go for it instead of hitting a chip shot field goal and the move backfired. Ryan Mathews is stoned on 4th and Goal from the 1. Kudos to Wyoming's goal line D for keeping the dangerous Bulldog offense out of the end zone.

The Pokes get the ball and try a couple of runs with ACS but basically just try and lineup Watts for the game winning field goal. Watts aka "Mr. Clutch" has come big for the Cowboys all season long and helped win the Bronze Boot which let the Cowboys become bowl eligible. Making 10/11 for the season Watts seemed like a sure thing. Watts ends up pulling a 40 yards field goal waaaay to the left and it looks like disaster for the Pokes. It would be the easiest thing in the world for the Cowboys to crumble and become defeated. Fans, players and coaches had started to rush the field in anticipation of the victory. Everyone had to go back to their spots and the fans to get back in the stands.

2OT

Wyoming gets the ball to start the second half. On second and 10 from the 25 ACS runs to the right then scrambles all the way back to the left with two Bulldog defenders about to drop him for a loss but attempts a forward pitch to David Leonard that is too far. On 3rd and 10 ACS is hit while looking for Greg Bolling near the endzone. Phillip Thomas is called for interference and Wyoming gets a fresh set of downs and the ball at the Fresno 10 yard line.

Brandon Stewart gains three yards on first down but Wyoming is called for holding on the next play to move the ball back to the 18. Samuels find Bolling for a 5 yard pickup. On 3rd and 12 ACS is nearly sacked but sneaks out to his left and puts up a floating pass that finds David Leonard in the endzone. Watts makes the extra point and Wyoming leads 35-28.

Fresno gets the ball and on 3rd and 5 Ryan Colburn can't hang onto a bad snap that goes back 15 yards. He picks up the ball at the 35 and escapes the Wyoming pressure but makes bad throw misses a wide open receiver. On 4th and 5 Colburn scrambles and is tackled but the ball comes out and a linemen recovers for the Bulldogs. Two Cowboys tackle him before and get any yards and the game is finally over.

Wyoming wins an amazing game in which they were 10 point underdogs and nearly everyone in the nation predicted a Fresno State blowout. On the year the Cowboys know have five fourth quarter come backs and finish the season at 7-6. This is the first winning season for the Cowboys since 2004 when they also finished 7-6 and won the Las Vegas Bowl over UCLA.

Austyn Carta-Samuels was named New Mexico Bowl MVP. For the game he finished with 201 yards passing and 3 touchdowns plus 71 more yards on the ground. Cowboy RB Alvester Alexander had 137 yards rushing on just 12 attempts. David Leonard hauled seven catches for 60 yards and two touchdowns. Leonard led the team in receptions and recieving yards this season but only had one touchdown coming into tonight's game. The Pokes put up 438 total yards with 204 passing and 234 on the ground.

Fresno State came into the game averaging 435 yards a game this season but were held to just 366 yards by a Wyoming defense that many thought would be over matched. Ryan Mathews finished with 144 yards (7 below his average) and two touchdowns. Ryab Colburn was 13 of 19 for just 126 yards. Jamel Hamler grabbed 7 catches for 85 yards and two scores.

The big problem for Fresno was their inability to convert on key third and fourth down situations. On 3rd downs the Bulldogs were just 2 for 10 compared to the Cowboys who were 9 of 20. Fresno converted 2 of 4 fourth downs while Wyoming was a perfect 4 for 4. The Cowboys had over a six minute advantage in time of possession.

Team Stat Comparison
1st Downs	19	26
Total Yards	366	438
Passing	169	204
Rushing	197	234
Penalties	5-61	3-19
3rd Down Conversions	2-10	9-20
4th Down Conversions	2-4	4-4
Turnovers	2	1
Possession	26:47	33:13

VICTORY!!!!!

Cowboys pull out overtime thriller - win 35-28 over Fresno State!

Less than 20 hours till kickoff

T-Minus 21 hours and counting. All the work has been done. The tickets have been sold.


Reall this is a win-win situation for the Cowboys. They weren't supposed to even be here. Projected to finish last in the Mountain West they finished fifth.

Everyone is picking Fresno to roll in this bowl. Fans you have actually paid attention to the Cowboys know that this team is capable of pulling of some amazing things.

If we lose? Well we got some extra practices, helped our recruiting and got some extra national exposure by playing on ESPN. No harm done.

If we win? Wyoming gets even more national press and the momentum for 2010 gets even bigger.

So the Cowboys can really do no wrong. Unless the game is a complete blowout - which it won't be with Fresno's awful defense.

Go Pokes!

PREDICTION:

Wyoming -34
Fresno - 30

Preview: New Mexico Bowl

New Mexico Bowl
Saturday, December 19th, 2009
2:30 PM MST
TV: ESPN

College Bowl season kicks off on Saturday and it all begins in Albuquerque with the New Mexico Bowl. This is the fifth edition of this bowl that features a WAC-MWC match up. This year the Fresno State Bulldogs take on the Wyoming Cowboys. This will be the second consecutive appearance for the Bulldogs (8-4) in the Land of Enchantment. Meanwhile the Cowboys (6-6) have exceeded expectations all year long under new head coach Dave Christensen and a youthful roster.

The media has written this bowl off but there are several reasons to tune in on Saturday.

- Ryan Mathews of the Bulldogs leads the nation with 151 yards rushing per game. This could be your final chance to see him as he may bolt for the NFL after Saturday.

- Wyoming is led by true freshman and dual threat qB Austyn Carta-Samuels. ACS has led the Pokes to four fourth quarter comebacks this year including a 24 point comeback over San Diego State.

- Fresno features the nations 14th rated offense averaging 34 points a game. Their defense has struggled this year and this could turn into a high scoring affair. Wyoming averages just 17 points a game but has averaged nearly 29 points in their victories. The Cowboys have not lost when scoring more than 11 points this year.

These two teams have met six times before with the home team winning each time. The Bulldogs are favored by 10-13 points but are 0-4 versus Mountain West teams in bowl games including a loss to 6-6 Colorado State in last years New Mexico Bowl.

Fresno Coach Pat Hill was rumored to be on his way out but just had contract extended this week. Coach Christensen is making his appearance in a bowl game as a head coach but has a 5-2 record as an assistant and has this will be his fifth straight year with a bowl game.

Players to watch:

Fresno State

QB Ryan Colburn - 2333 yards passing and 18 touchdowns.

RB Ryan Mathews -1664 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns.

WR Seyi Ajirotutu - 671 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Wyoming

QB Austyn Carta-Samuels -1752 yards passing and 295 rushing yards plus 10 total touchdowns.

WR David Leonard - 70 receptions for 645 yards.

RB Alvester Alexander - 503 yards rushing and six touchdowns.

7 reasons why Wyoming will win the New Mexico Bowl

Cowboys look to add some hardware to their mantle

Why 7 reasons? What about 5 or 10? Well 7 is a lucky number and the Cowboys are going for win #7 this season. So there you have it.

1. Crowd - Wyoming fans were buying tickets for this game before there was an official announcement. Once the official bid was accepted fans started calling their friends and neighbors and gobbling up tickets. Expect a huge carvan heading down I-25 from Cheyenne down to Albuqurque. The University has only sold about 4,000 but many fans probably got their tickets directly from the Bowl.

It's only 582 miles from Cheyenne to ABQ which is an easy one day drive. Obviously it is longer from Casper but that shouldn't stop the Wyoming faithful from making the trip.

Compare the 918 mile 15 hour trip from Fresno to Albuqurque which is a two day drive and could deter plenty of fans from spending all that extra money on gas and hotels.

Since the University of New Mexico is essentially hosting the game the Mountain West connection should only help the Pokes. Local fans should be pulling for their MWC counterpart to once again knock off their WAC foe.

2. Turnovers - One huge advantage Wyoming has over Fresno is turnover margin. Wyoming improved considerably over last years dreadful turnover numbers and was a big reason they had six victories this season. On the season Wyoming was a +7 in turnover magin compared to -9 for Fresno State. Fresno will give the ball up at some point - the important thing is that the Cowboys score points from those mistakes.

3. Desire - The players, coaches and fans are excited for Wyoming to be in the New Mexico Bowl. For the younger players this is a great way to reward an exciting season. For the Seniors on the team this is the perfect way to end their collegiate career.

Fresno feels they should be playing a better opponent or be in a different bowl. Their motivation is deflated after their season didn't turn out like they'd hoped.

4. Familarity - The Cowboys are no strangers to Albuqurque. They play in University Stadium every other year to face the Lobos. The upperclassmen have all been here before and won't awestruck about traveling to some new and exotic locale.

5. Pokes don't give up - We saw it not once or twice but four times this season - four fourth quarter come backs for the Pokes this year. Without those come from behind victories this team could be 2-10 but instead they finished the season 6-6. The Utah game is the only game where the Cowboys held a lead late in the game and lost. Austyn Carta-Samuels is young but has shown that he doesn't crumble under pressure. 24 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of the San Diego State victory shows that this team can do some damage under pressure.

6. Coach Christensen - He is a winner. Regular season or post season - he wins. As an assistant Christensen had a 5-2 record in bowl games and this will be his fifth bowl appearence in a row. He has changed the atmosphere in Laramie from Day 1 and has the team believing in the system.

7. History - Fresno is 0-3 in Bowl games versus current Mountain West teams. Last year's 40-35 loss to Colorado State in the New Mexico Bowl. A 37-34 loss to Air Force in 2000 Silicon Valley Bowl. In 1999 Utah won 17-16 in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Fresnso State thought that they were "too good" to play a 6-6 Colorado State team last year and they were sent home losers. This situation is almost identical and the Bulldogs are still feeling slighted by their bowl situation.

Fresno - Wyoming Stat Comparison

Here is a quick look at the statistical comparison between the Cowboys and Bulldogs. Fresno obviously has an impressive offense. The key for the Cowboys will be limiting their mistakes on penalties and making the most of the Bulldog turnovers.

If Wyoming can keep use their run game to control the clock and keep Fresno off the field then they have a shot at pulling out a victory. The Bulldogs hope to make this game a shootout and they will win if that happens.

Austyn Carta-Samuels shouldn't be under much pressure since Fresno ranked dead last in sacks this year. That extra time should help him find an open reciever or bust out a long run.

Category	Wyoming	Fresno State
Scoring Offense (PPG)	16.9	34.3
Rushing Offense (Yards)	128.0	231.58
Passing Offense (Yards)	107.7	204.8
Total Offense (Yards)	298.7	435.9
Turnover Margin (season)	+7	-9
Penalties (Yards per G)	61.7	37.8
3rd Down Conversions	33.87	45.73
Red Zone Conversions	74.19%	81.63%
Time of Possession	28:22	32:19
Total Defense (Yards)	394.3	411.7
Opponent 3rd Down Conv.	40.24	39.04
Sacks (Per Game)	20	9

Ryan Mathews will eat your children

He is so tough that he spells his last name with only one "T". The RB from Fresno State is a beast and stopping him will vital if the Cowboys hope to pull off an upset over the Bulldogs.

Listed at 5'11 220 Mathews is a strong powerful runner with a low center of gravity that is tough to bring down. After leading the nation in rushing for the entire year Mathews suffered a concussion against Nevada that caused him to miss their game against Lousiana Tech. Cleared to play in the season finale against Illinois he posted 173 yards and three TD's.

The concussion is the one wrinkle on a fantastic season by Mathews who had battled the "fragile" label his first two seasons. Due to the missed game Toby Gerhart grabbed the NCAA rushing title this year for FBS. Still an incredible year for the Junior who may be playing his final game for the Bulldogs. If Mathews decides to forgo his Senior year some project him going as early as the second round.

For the year Mathew's has totaled 1,664 yards on 245 attempts for 6.8 YPC. Add 17 touchdowns and the fact that he has NEVER fumbled in his collegiate career makes Mathews by far the toughest running back the Pokes have faced this year.

The key for the Cowboys will be containment. Once Mathews gets into the open field he is incredibly tough to bring down. Fletcher, Unrein and Givens need to attack him in the backfield and slow him down at the line of scrimmage. The linebacker corps needs to make sure they finish off their tackles and not Mathews slip out.


Here are the game by game stats for Ryan Mathews this year:

2009 Regular Season Game Log			Rushing					Receiving
DATE	OPP	RESULT	ATT	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
9/5	UC Davis	W 51-0	11	106	9.6	60	1	0	0	0.0	0	0
9/12	@Wisconsin	L 34-31	19	107	5.6	55	0	2	9	4.5	9	0
9/18	Boise State	L 51-34	19	234	12.3	69	3	0	0	0.0	0	0
9/26	@Cincinnati	L 28-20	38	145	3.8	11	1	2	32	16.0	20	0
10/10	@Hawaii	W 42-17	24	149	6.2	19	1	0	0	0.0	0	0
10/17	San Jose State	W 41-21	20	233	11.7	59	1	0	0	0.0	0	0
10/24	@New Mexico State	W 34-3	25	157	6.3	68	2	1	27	27.0	27	0
10/31	Utah State	W 31-27	23	185	8.0	46	2	2	26	13.0	15	0
11/7	@Idaho	W 31-21	26	143	5.5	77	3	3	18	6.0	9	0
11/14	@Nevada	L 52-14	8	32	4.0	20	0	1	10	10.0	10	0
11/21	Louisiana Tech	W 30-28	Did Not Play or did not accumulate any stats.
12/5	@Illinois	W 53-52	32	173	5.4	42	3	0	0	0.0	0	0

Highlights from Mathews and his three TD game against Boise this year.

Not much love for the New Mexico Bowl

I'm pumped for the New Mexico Bowl but the National Media doesn't seem to follow my excitement for the December 19th mathcup. The fact that they hardly ever cover Wyoming could play into that.

I watched the 3 hour ESPN Bowl Selection Special and they only covered about half the bowls being played. They had 180 minutes and most of it was spent recaping the BCS matchups eight times. They did have a ticker on the right side of the screen that showed all the bowls and matchups which included the New Mexico Bowl. But for a bowl that is on ESPN and kicks off the Bowl season they could have used 30 seconds.

Mark Sclabach of ESPN ranks the NM Bowl 30 out of 34 and just focuses on Fresno RB Ryan Matthews.

Mike Huguenin from Rivals/Yahoo slots the New Mexico Bowl at 31 0f 34. Though it could move up to 30 if Army upsets Navy this weekend and takes UCLA's spot in the EagleBank Bowl.

Stewart Mandel of SI.com also ranks Fresno State vs. Wyoming as #30.

All three have the Little Ceasars Pizza Bowl ranked #34 which features Marhsall vs Ohio as. I guess cold weather and bad pizza makes is a losing combination.

It's official. Cowboys to play in New Mexico Bowl.

After a week of waiting the Cowboys finally got the announcement they were waiting for: they are headed to Albuquerque to play in the New Mexico Bowl. There the Cowboys face off against the 8-4 Fresno State Bulldogs from the WAC.

This game will be the seventh meeting between the Cowboys and Bulldogs. The last meeting was in 1997 and the series is tied at 3-3. Tickets are $30 and be purchased through the UW Athletic Department.