Fresno State Football: Bulldogs To Face New Mexico State In Isleta New Mexico Bowl
The Bulldogs will end the 2023 season with a tough test against the Aggies in the Land of Enchantment.
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The ‘Dogs look to end the year with a win.
The Fresno State Bulldogs didn’t end their regular season as hoped, but the team was rewarded with a bid in the Isleta New Mexico Bowl, where they will face the New Mexico State Aggies, in a matchup first reported by Action Network’s Brett McMurphy.
𝘽𝙊𝙒𝙇 𝘽𝙊𝙐𝙉𝘿
@FresnoStateFB is going to the Land of Enchantment for the @NMBowl 🐶🏈
#AtThePEAK | #MWFB | #GoDogs pic.twitter.com/eLzvWIIybo— Mountain West (@MountainWest) December 3, 2023
Jeff Tedford’s Bulldogs had a 8-1 record after the first week of November, a stretch through which the team defeated both UNLV and Boise State, but they stumbled in the last few weeks of the season and lost three straight games to fall out of the championship race. To compound matters, the program announced last week that Tedford would temporarily step back from his duties because of health concerns. Despite the unexpected development, Fresno State’s last New Mexico Bowl trip was a fruitful one, defeating UTEP back in 2021.
As for New Mexico State, the Aggies proved that last year’s surge under second-year head coach Jerry Kill was no fluke, joining Conference USA and posting a 10-4 record, the program’s first season with double-digit wins since 1960, while earning a spot in the conference championship game. Though they lost the title to Liberty, NMSU proved its mettle in November with consecutive wins over Western Kentucky, Auburn, and Jacksonville State.
This year’s New Mexico Bowl is set for Saturday, December 16. It will be broadcast on ESPN, kicking off at 2:45 PM Pacific/3:45 PM Mountain.