ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — UTSA officially earned its first invitation to a bowl game on Sunday when the Gildan New Mexico Bowl announced that Roadrunners will play New Mexico at noon (MT) on Saturday, Dec. 17, at University Stadium.
UTSA, only in its sixth season of play, matched the NCAA record for the fastest program to reach a bowl game with Sunday's announcement, equaling South Alabama (2014) and Georgia State (2015), who both earned bowl berths in their sixth campaign.
Now in its 11th year, the Gildan New Mexico Bowl traditionally has been the first bowl game of the season.
It will mark the third all-time meeting between the teams, as they split a home-and-home series back in 2013-14 with each squad winning on the other's home field. The Roadrunners opened the 2013 campaign on Aug. 31 with a 21-13 victory against the Lobos in Albuquerque and New Mexico followed that up with a 21-9 triumph on Oct. 4, 2014, at the Alamodome.
Led by first-year head coach Frank Wilson, the Roadrunners finished the regular season with a 6-6 record and became bowl eligible for the first time in program history with their 33-14 victory against Charlotte on Nov. 26.
Meanwhile, New Mexico finished the regular season at 8-4 on the strength of wins in six of its final seven outings.
Ticket information for the game can be found here.
Gildan New Mexico Bowl Quick Facts
Title Sponsor: Gildan (2011-present)
Founded: 2006
Location: Albuquerque, N.M.
Stadium (Capacity): University Stadium (39,224)
Game Time: Noon (MT) — First bowl game of the season
Television: ESPN
Conference Affiliations: Conference USA vs. Mountain West Conference
Former Names: New Mexico Bowl (2006-10)
Previous Conference Affiliations: Western Athletic Conference (2006-10); Pac-12 (2012-13)
All-Time Results
Dec. 19, 2015 — Arizona def. New Mexico, 45-37
Dec. 20, 2014 — Utah State def. UTEP, 21-6
Dec. 21, 2013 — Colorado State def. Washington State, 48-45
Dec. 15, 2012 — Arizona def. Nevada, 49-48
Dec. 17, 2011 — Temple def. Wyoming, 37-15
Dec. 18, 2010 — BYU def. UTEP, 52-24
Dec. 19, 2009 — Wyoming def. Fresno State, 35-28 (OT)
Dec. 20, 2008 — Colorado State def. Fresno State, 40-35
Dec. 22, 2007 — New Mexico def. Nevada, 23-0
Dec. 23, 2006 — San Jose State def. New Mexico, 20-12