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New Mexico Bowl: Old buddies preparing for historic gridiron matchup

By Phil Parker
Wednesday, December 6, 2006

New Mexico Bowl

Matchup: New Mexico (6-6, 4-4) vs. San Jose State (8-4, 5-3)

Game time: 2:30 p.m. Dec. 23

Site: University Stadium

On the air: ESPN; KKOB-AM (770) with Mike Roberts and Greg Remington

Tickets: Range from $15 for students to $30 for general admission with family packages available. Tickets can be purchased at the UNM Ticket Office at the southeast corner of The Pit or online at newmexicobowl.com.

Line: Lobos by 4

Looking for bad blood? Try a different bowl.

Two old friends will face off when the Lobos (6-6, 4-4 Mountain West Conference) meet the San Jose State Spartans (8-4, 5-3 Western Athletic Conference) on Dec. 23 for the New Mexico Bowl. It's a coaching matchup with all the animosity of 18 holes between buddies.

"I can't match wits with anybody," Spartans coach Dick Tomey said at a news conference Tuesday in Downtown Albuquerque. "And we play in a golf tournament in the spring together, our wives are good friends. . . ."

As to who's the better golfer, Tomey's shaky with his reply.

"He is," he said. "No, I am.

"But not much.

"Well, let's just say we're even and leave it at that."

The coaches trade wins when they meet annually for golf (at least, that's what Tomey said), but their two squads only get one shot to put away history when the teams meet at University Stadium. The Lobos have been bowl eligible the past six seasons, a source or pride for the program, but haven't won in a bowl since 1961.

"I know we haven't won a bowl game," Long told the throng of reporters who gathered Tuesday. "I know that. If Dick would tell his team not to play so well . . . Nah, he's too good a guy to buy off."

Maybe if San Jose State weren't looking to erase its own recent struggles. The Spartans beat Central Michigan in the 1990 California Raisin Bowl, and haven't made a single postseason appearance since.

"Making a bowl at the beginning of the season was one of our goals," Tomey said. "But at the time it was more of a dream."

Tomey's team has been tackling ghosts all year. In 1990 was also the last time the Spartans won eight or more games. In fact, the eight 2006 wins match the Spartans' total over the last three seasons combined.

It also was 1990 the last time the Spartans had beaten their rivals, Fresno State - until last week. The year also marked the last time the Spartans won four games in a row - until this year.

"I remember when we made our first bowl game," Long said. "They'll be excited, but they come with a purpose and that's to beat our butts."

By virtue of the game's location, the Lobos will play hosts in the game. Sort of.

His players will have the same lockers, Long said, "but we're the visiting team. We'll be in white uniforms. Over the last three years, we've been better on the road. . . . We're going to play it like it's a road game."

So, there's pressure on the "home" team. There's pressure on the "visiting" team.

Anyone else?

How about the state of New Mexico? SportsIllustrated.com on Tuesday ranked the New Mexico Bowl as No. 32 on its list of the 32 best bowl matchups.

But don't tell these coaches.

"This is a chance for the host state, community and University to show how special they are," Long said. "Win or lose, this is very important. We know how wonderful it is here. Guess what: We can put on a world class event, too."

For two schools and an entire state, Dec. 23 is important. With a hectic schedule leading up to the game, two old friends won't get much time to catch up.

"We're going to be so slammed, I don't think we'll get much time to see each other," Tomey said of Long. "We'll only be here 3 days."

Enough time for one of these two football teams to win a bowl game and start a successful new chapter in its program's history.