1997 WAC Championship Game

Last updated

1997 WAC Championship Game
2nd WAC Championship Game
1234Total
New Mexico373013
Colorado State01072441
DateDecember 6, 1997
Season 1997
Stadium Sam Boyd Stadium
Location Whitney, Nevada
Attendance12,706
United States TV coverage
Network ABC
WAC Championship Game
 < 1996   1998 > 
1997 Western Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
Mountain Division
New Mexico x  6 2   9 4  
Rice  5 3   7 4  
SMU  5 3   6 5  
Utah  5 3   6 5  
BYU  4 4   6 5  
UTEP  3 5   4 7  
Tulsa  2 6   2 9  
TCU  1 7   1 10  
Pacific Division
No. 17 Colorado State x$  7 1   11 2  
Air Force  6 2   10 3  
Fresno State  5 3   6 6  
Wyoming  4 4   7 6  
San Diego State  4 4   5 7  
San Jose State  4 4   4 7  
UNLV  2 6   3 8  
Hawaii  1 7   3 9  
Championship: Colorado State 41, New Mexico 13
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 WAC Championship Game was a college football game played on Saturday, December 6, 1997, at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada. This was the 2nd and penultimate WAC Championship Game and determined the 1997 champion of the Western Athletic Conference. The game featured the New Mexico Lobos, champions of the Mountain division, and the Colorado State Rams, champions of the Pacific division. Colorado State would win the game 41–13. [1] [2]

Contents

Teams

Colorado State

New Mexico

Game summary

1997 WAC Championship Game
Quarter1234Total
New Mexico373013
No. 20 Colorado State01072441

at Sam Boyd StadiumWhitney, Nevada

Game information
First quarter
  • (4:40) UNM – Colby Cason 37 yard field goal (UNM 3-0)
Second quarter
  • (12:43) CSU – Derek Franz 47 yard field goal (Tied 3–3)
  • (8:01) UNM – Reginal Johnson 7 yard run, Colby Cason kick (UNM 10–3)
  • (3:44) CSU – Damon Washington 51 yard run, Derek Franz kick (Tied 10–10)
Third quarter
  • (11:02) CSU – Kevin McDougal 44 yard run, Derek Franz kick (CSU 17–10)
  • (8:22) UNM – Colby Cason 36 yard field goal (CSU 17–13)
Fourth quarter
  • (9:11) CSU – Derek Franz 26 yard field goal (CSU 20–13)
  • (8:01) CSU – Kevin McDougal 42 yard run, Derek Franz kick (CSU 27–13)
  • (3:32) CSU – Derrek Uhl 19 yard pass from Jaime Blake, Derek Franz kick (CSU 34–13)
  • (1:48) CSU – Kevin McDougal 66 yard run, Derek Franz kick (CSU 41–13)

Statistics

StatisticsUNMCSU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: compattint
Time of possession
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
New MexicoPassing Graham Leigh 17–27, 172 yds, 1 INT
RushingEric Jaworsky9 car, 104 yds
ReceivingPascal Volz4 rec, 53 yds
Colorado StatePassing Moses Moreno 9–20, 92 yds, 3 INT
Rushing Kevin McDougal 20 car, 255 yds, 3 TD
ReceivingEli Workman3 rec, 29 yds

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain West Conference</span> Athletic conference

The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the United States, participating in NCAA Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The MW officially began operations on January 4, 1999. Geographically, the MW covers a broad expanse of the Western United States, with member schools located in California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Hawaii. Gloria Nevarez took over as commissioner of the MW on January 1, 2023, following the retirement of founding commissioner Craig Thompson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Athletic Conference</span> American college athletics conference

The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Famous Idaho Potato Bowl</span> NCAA-sanctioned post-season college football bowl game

The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, previously the Humanitarian Bowl and the MPC Computers Bowl (2004–2006), is an NCAA-sanctioned post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually since 1997 at Albertsons Stadium on the campus of Boise State University in Boise, Idaho. The game is televised nationally on the ESPN family of networks. Cincinnati defeated Utah State in the inaugural game in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Las Vegas Bowl</span> Annual American college football postseason game

The Las Vegas Bowl is an NCAA Division I FBS annual post-season college football bowl game held in the Las Vegas area. First played in 1992, the bowl was originally held at the 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada, before moving to the 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, in 2021. The bowl is owned and operated by ESPN Events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Boyd Stadium</span> Football stadium

Sam Boyd Stadium is a closed football stadium in the Western United States, located in Whitney, Nevada, an unincorporated community in the Las Vegas Valley. It honors Sam Boyd (1910–1993), a major figure in the hotel and casino industry in Las Vegas. The stadium consisted of an uncovered horseshoe-shaped single-decked bowl, with temporary seating occasionally erected in the open north end zone. The artificial turf field had a conventional north–south orientation, at an elevation of 1,600 feet (490 m) above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Athletic Conference football</span>

The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) sponsored football and crowned a champion every year from 1962 to 2012. Once considered one of the best conferences in college football, steady attrition from 1999 to 2012 forced the WAC to drop football after fifty-one years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football</span> University of Hawaii football team

The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football team represents the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in NCAA Division I FBS college football. It was part of the Western Athletic Conference until July 2012, when the team joined the Mountain West Conference. From 2000 until 2013, the team was known simply as the Warriors. The Rainbow Warriors were the third team from a nonautomatic qualifier conference to play in a BCS bowl game, playing the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2008 Sugar Bowl and lost 41–10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UNLV Rebels football</span> Athletic program of the University of Nevada

The UNLV Rebels football program is a college football team that represents the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The team is a member of the Mountain West Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision conference of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). The program, which began on September 14, 1968, plays its home games at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision</span> Top level of college football in the U.S.

The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As of the 2024 season, there are 10 conferences and 134 schools in FBS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nevada Wolf Pack</span> American athletic program of the University of Nevada, Reno

The Nevada Wolf Pack are the athletic teams that represent the University of Nevada, Reno. They are part of NCAA's Division I's Mountain West Conference. It was founded on October 24, 1896 with football as the Sagebrushers in Reno, Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WAC Championship Game</span> Annual college football game

The Western Athletic Conference football championship game was a short-lived annual postseason college football game played to determine the champion of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros</span> Athletic teams representing University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros is a collegiate athletic program that represents the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). The Vaqueros inherited the NCAA Division I status of the Texas–Pan American Broncs and were full members of the Western Athletic Conference through the 2023–24 school year In March 2024, it was reported that the Vaqueros would leave the WAC for the Southland Conference, beginning in the 2024-25 academic year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 Colorado State Rams football team</span> American college football season

The 1997 Colorado State Rams football team represented Colorado State University in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Rams were led by fifth-year head coach Sonny Lubick and played their home games at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado. Colorado State competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference in the Pacific Division. They won that division with a 7–1 conference record, earning them a spot in the 1997 WAC Championship Game, where they defeated New Mexico to earn their third WAC title in four years. They were invited to the 1997 Holiday Bowl, where they defeated Missouri, and were ranked 17th in the final AP Poll of the season, the second ranked finish in school history and first since 1994.

The 1997 New Mexico Lobos football team represented the University of New Mexico in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Lobos were led by sixth-year head coach Dennis Franchione, in his final year with the team, and played their home games at University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They finished the regular season atop the Mountain Division of the Western Athletic Conference with a 6–2 conference record, and lost to Colorado State in the 1997 WAC Championship Game. New Mexico was invited to the 1997 Insight.com Bowl, their first bowl game since 1961, where they lost to Arizona, 14–20.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 New Mexico Lobos football team</span> American college football season

The 2020 New Mexico Lobos football team represented the University of New Mexico in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Lobos played their home games at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada as members of the Mountain West Conference due to COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the state of New Mexico. They were led by first-year head coach Danny Gonzales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 San Jose State Spartans football team</span> American college football season

The 2020 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San José State University during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Spartans were led by fourth-year head coach Brent Brennan and played their home games at CEFCU Stadium and Sam Boyd Stadium as members of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the regular season 6–0 in Mountain West play and defeated Boise State in the Mountain West championship game. This was the Spartans' first Mountain West championship win and 17th overall conference title. The championship victory also marked San Jose State's first win over Boise State in program history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season</span> American college football season

The 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level.

The 1996 WAC Championship Game was a college football game played on Saturday, December 7, 1996, at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada. This was the 1st WAC Championship Game and determined the 1996 champion of the Western Athletic Conference. The game featured the BYU Cougars, champions of the Mountain division, and the Wyoming Cowboys, champions of the Pacific division. BYU would win the game 28–25 in overtime and secure the program's 19th and last-ever WAC championship.

The 1998 WAC Championship Game was a college football game played on Saturday, December 5, 1998, at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada. This was the 3rd and last WAC Championship Game and determined the 1998 champion of the Western Athletic Conference. The game featured the Air Force Falcons, champions of the Mountain division, and the BYU Cougars, champions of the Pacific division. Air Force would win the game 20–13.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season</span> American college football season

The 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, is organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The regular season began on August 27 and ended on November 19. The postseason began on November 26, and ended on January 8, 2023, with the 2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. South Dakota State defeated defending champion North Dakota State, 45-21, to win the title.

References

  1. "Colorado State 41, New Mexico 13". UPI. December 6, 1997. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  2. "Western Athletic Conf. Championship". Akron Beacon Journal . Akron, Ohio. December 7, 1997. p. C9. Retrieved March 8, 2019 via newspapers.com.