Dec. 17 New Mexico Bowl: Temple vs. Wyoming, noon TV: ESPN Radio: KQTM-FM (101.7) Tickets: $40 premium seats, $30 sideline seats, and $25 end zone seats. Available at the UNM Ticket Office, online at www.unmtickets.com, or call 925-5999.

The University of Wyoming is located in Laramie, a city of some 30,000 souls.

“I don’t know,” said Wyoming deputy athletic director Matt Whisenant, “if we’re even considered a market.”

Philadelphia is a few feet above sea level. Laramie is at some 7,200 feet.

Temple assistant coach Matt Rhule, who attended Thursday’s team announcement luncheon at Four Hills Country Club in place of ailing head coach Steve Addazio – Addazio was running a fever and stayed home on doctor’s orders – said the possible effects of Albuquerque’s mile-high altitude are something the Owls will have to solve when they arrive.

“Altitude for us,” Rhule said, “is living in a 12-story apartment building.”

Wyoming head football coach Dave Christensen, left, and Temple assistant coach Matt Rhule pose Thursday with the Gildan New Mexico Bowl trophy. (dean hanson/journal)

Wyoming coach Dave Christensen said he wasn’t counting on Albuquerque’s elevation being an advantage for the Cowboys – unless the Owls read the sign that warns New Mexico opponents about the danger of “acute altitude sickness.”

The Cowboys’ roster features players from 23 states, American Samoa and two foreign countries. Temple has 68 players from Pennsylvania or New Jersey.

“Every once in awhile,” Rhule said, “we’ll go crazy and drive down to Virginia or up to Connecticut.”

Christensen runs a spread offense built around the talents of true freshman quarterback Brett Smith, almost perfectly balanced between the run and the pass.

“Brett’s one of the best competitors I’ve ever coached,” Christensen said. “… Our guys rally around him; they follow him. He’s just a great competitor and never satisfied with his performance.”

The Owls run and run some more. They rank seventh nationally in yards rushing, third among teams that don’t run primarily option attacks.

Owls tailbacks Bernard Pierce and Matt Brown combined for 2,248 rushing yards this season. They rarely were on the field at the same time.

“We’re gonna try to run the ball and stop the run (on defense),” Rhule said, “and that’s what we’ll do until we can’t do it. That’s our style.”

The two teams do have a few things in common.

The Cowboys and the Owls both enter the New Mexico Bowl with 8-4 records – Wyoming from the Mountain West Conference, Temple from the Mid-American.

They have one common opponent. The Cowboys defeated Bowling Green 28-27 on Sept. 17; the Owls lost to the Falcons 13-10 on Oct. 22.

Each team started strong, faltered a bit, then finished strong.

Temple was 5-4 after a 35-21 loss to Ohio on Nov. 2, but won its final three games.

Wyoming started 3-0, then lost 38-14 to Nebraska and 63-19 at Utah State.

“We made some changes personnel-wise in a few spots (after the Utah State game),” Christensen said. “We came back the next week against UNLV, dominated that game fairly well, and from that point on, I thought we were a much different football team.”

And both teams, their coaches said, are happy to be coming to Albuquerque.

Wyoming is returning to the scene of its 35-28, double-overtime victory over Fresno State, attended by a large and vocal Cowboys fan contingent, in the 2009 New Mexico Bowl.

“The one piece of advice I have,” Christensen said, “is that the breweries had better start making more beer, because we’re coming in full force.”

Athletic director Bill Bradshaw said he’s hoping for a strong Temple fan turnout, which he hopes will include Owls grad Bill Cosby.

Bradshaw on Thursday did a stand-up routine that might have impressed even Cosby.

Regarding attendance for Owls games before the program’s recent turnaround, he said, “We used to sell hot dogs to go at halftime.”
— This article appeared on page D1 of the Albuquerque Journal