ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Richard McQuarley ran for two short touchdowns and New Mexico posted its second bowl victory in a half-century, topping UTSA, 23-20, on Saturday in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.
The Lobos' only bowl win since taking the 1961 Aviation Bowl had been a 2007 victory against Nevada in the New Mexico Bowl.
New Mexico (9-4) gave head coach Bob Davie his first bowl win, as he lost three times at Notre Dame and also last year with New Mexico in this bowl against Arizona.
"You don't get these experiences a whole lot of times," Davie said. "This afternoon is a great moment."
Jarveon Williams ran for 125 yards for the Roadrunners (6-7), who lost in their first bowl appearance in the program's six-year history.
Despite the hype around New Mexico's triple-option threat and the Lobos leading the nation in rushing, the Roadrunners ran for more yards than the Lobos.
"We didn't make enough plays today," Williams said after his eighth game of running for at least 100 yards.
Lamar Jordan rushed for 81 yards and threw a 34-yard pass to Dameon Gamblin that set up McQuarley's 1-yard burst for a 23-13 lead with 2:22 left.
Dalton Sturm threw two TD passes for UTSA to match the program's single-season record of 20, including a 4-yard toss to JaBryce Taylor with 25 seconds remaining, but the Roadrunners failed to recover an onside kick.
Six Lobos combined for 219 yards rushing, which was nearly 142 yards below their FBS-leading 360.9-yards-per-game average, and UTSA held them to a season-low 296 yards.
However, New Mexico was able to keep the Roadrunners big-play receivers mostly in check amid windy conditions that saw gusts of nearly 30 miles per hour throughout the contest.
UTSA head coach Frank Wilson said although the wind may have played a factor in some passes, there were other passes Roadrunners receivers dropped that they normally catch.
"We finished second, period," Wilson said. "The weather didn't determine the outcome of the game."