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Christensen: Some Mourning at the MW


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By Todd Christensen, The Mtn. Insider
December 30, 2011
 
For the last five years, the MW has been able to crow about their bowl record, having garnered the bowl championship trophy for conferences on three different occasions.  But this year was a different story as quality opponents, poor decision-making and in some cases dumb luck thwarted the teams of the Mountain West.

Beginning with the New Mexico Bowl, this was the one game in which the representative from the Conference - in this case, Wyoming - was outmanned.  There has been a renaissance of sterling football being played in Philadelphia now and that was evident at University Stadium, where the Owls overwhelmed the Cowboys by the count of 37-15.  By rushing for 255 yards and garnering five more minutes in time of possession it was clear that the East Coast representative was the more physical of the two squads.  That said, eight wins and a freshman QB in Brett Smith who appears to be a star along with a five-year extension to the newly-minted MW coach of the year Dave Christensen, is a portent of good things to come in Laramie.

In the New Orleans Bowl, Louisiana-Lafayette, the opponent of the San Diego State Aztecs, had never won a bowl game.  After jumping up on the Aztecs 19-3 and with Ronnie Hillman being stymied by only gaining 55 yards on 24 carries, it appeared that this was going to be their celebration.  But three second-half touchdown passes from Ryan Lindley to Colin Lockett - the last with only 35 seconds remaining - put the black and red up 30-29.  Blaine Gautier, who threw for 470 yards, gave the Ragin’ Cajuns a chance by putting them in position to kick a 55-yard field goal.  Bret Baer's career long was not close to this but a San Diego State defensive lineman inexplicably barked out the signals trying to draw the team into a motion penalty.  Instead, San Diego State was penalized five yards and - you guessed it - Baer hits a game-winner from 50 yards.  That is a disconcerting way to lose a football game.

Both TCU and Boise State deserved BCS games but they went about their business anyway, garnering victories in their respective games.  TCU trailed a very game Louisiana Tech team 24-17 heading into the fourth quarter.  But their superior athleticism finally showed up after having sleepwalked most of the game, triumphing by a 31-24 count in the Poinsettia Bowl.  Boise State, meanwhile, blasted a downward spiraling Arizona State team 56-24, affording Kellen Moore his 50th win of his career, a mark that may never be broken.  Doug Martin was the star, taking the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and running for 151 yards to lead the Broncos to their second straight Las Vegas Bowl triumph.

Toledo - Air Force in the inaugural Military Bowl is the sort of game networks are hoping for when so many people are at home and know very little about the respective teams.  The 42-41 shootout hinged upon a two-point conversion try by the Cadets that went awry when the option from Baska to Herrington was botched. The back-and-forth contest was certainly entertaining but this is probably not how the nearly-thirty seniors at the academy wanted to go out.

Maybe we have been spoiled by our postseason success.  But the fact that five of the eight teams in the conference found themselves in bowl games is still something to crow about. 


See all of Todd Christensen's blog entries HERE.

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