The University of New Mexico has accepted an invitation to participate in the second annual New Mexico Bowl against Western Athletic Conference representative Nevada. The game will be played Dec. 22 at 2:30 p.m. at University Stadium in Albuquerque and be broadcast live by ESPN as the only game in its time slot.

New Mexico (8-4) is making its fifth bowl appearance in the past six seasons under head coach Rocky Long It’s the 11th bowl game overall for UNM since 1939. The Lobos have been bowl eligible for seven straight seasons, the only school in the Mountain West Conference that can make that claim.

UNM is 2-7-1 in 10 previous bowls and it has lost five straight, including a 20-12 setback against San Jose State in the 2006 New Mexico Bowl. The last win was in 1961, a 28-12 decision over Western Michigan in the one-time-only Aviation Bowl in Dayton, Ohio. New Mexico and Nevada will meet for the first time since 1942 and just the third time in the schools’ history. The Lobos defeated the Wolf Pack 23-7 in their first meeting in 1941 at old Zimmerman Field on the UNM campus. The two teams played to a scoreless draw the following season in Reno.

Tickets for the New Mexico Bowl are $30. They are $15 for UNM students. Tickets are available online at newmexicombowl.com and unmtickets.com, by calling 925-5858 and at the UNM ticket office at The Pit.

Eight Lobos named to All-MWC first team

A school record eight University of New Mexico football players were voted to the 2007 all-Mountain West Conference first team by the league’s nine head coaches and 18-member media panel.

On offense, senior WR Travis Brown and junior RB Rodney Ferguson earned first-team all-MWC honors for the second straight year.

Senior WR Marcus Smith was also a first-team pick after earning honorable mention recognition in 2006. Senior C Vince Natali, senior OT Devin Clark and senior kicker John Sullivan earned postseason honors for the first time in their careers.  

New Mexico placed two on the first-team defense as senior DE Tyler Donaldson and junior CB DeAndre Wright were recognized after earning second team honors last year.