2016 New Mexico Bowl final score: Lobos keep glorious pottery trophy home in Albuquerque

For the fourth time since 2006, New Mexico played a bowl game. All four bowls were in New Mexico’s home stadium. The Lobos have thus reached 2-2 all time in the New Mexico Bowl, beating UTSA, 23-20, after recovering an onside kick to snuff out a comeback.

Bob Davie’s team reaches 9-4, tied for the third-best record in school history.

The story for most of the game was the 30-mile-per-hour wind. It died down at times, but not after impacting the first half. Commentator and former coach Mack Brown talked about it the whole game.

Neither team could throw in the conditions, with only 13 complete passes in 32 combined tries. UNM QB Lamar Jordan’s legs carried the day, cranking for 81 yards on 13 carries. Richard McQuarley and Teriyon Gipson pitched in another 60-plus each.

UNM thus keeps within the state the trophy that’s described by the bowl as “a Native American clay pot meticulously handcrafted by artists Marcellus and Elizabeth Media from the Zia Pueblo. The 20-inch bowl-shaped pottery features the iconic Zia sun symbol and images of football players, a deer, mountain lion, buffalo and eagle.”

Also, for the first time in program history, UTSA reached a bowl. Sure, the result of a bowl game is relatively meaningless on the grand scale of college football things. But never forget the people who these games absolutely do matter to: players, coaches, and fans.

Because of the wind, the shaky sideline camera view looked like what happens in Madden or NCAA when the game wants you to feel the pressure in a tough road environment. (You can see the ESPN chyron in the upper left corner, which shows we didn’t modify this.)

ESPN also showed how hard of a time the kickers were having during pregame.

UTSA nailed its first field goal try of the day, but the ensuing kickoff howled out of bounds.

The wind was so game-changing that New Mexico called a timeout at the end of the first quarter which appeared to be for no reason other than to be sure its extra point kick and kickoff would be backed by friendly wind.