Las Vegas, Nevada — The Lobo football team did more giving than receiving on Christmas Day, giving the UCLA Bruins three turnovers, which they turned into 17 points, as UCLA beat New Mexico 27-13 in the Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl.
Following a DonTrell Moore fumble, UCLA got on the board first with a Nate Fikse 49-yard field goal. UNM then took a 6-3 lead when senior cornerback Desmar Black picked off UCLAQB Drew Olson’s pass in the flat and returned it 55 yardsfor a touchdown at the 8:20 mark of the first quarter. Junior kicker Katie Hnida then made her first career appearance, but had her extra point blocked. Already the first and only woman to dress for an NCAA Division I bowl game, Hnida became the first woman to make an appearance in an NCAA Div. I-A football game.
“I made the decision to let Katie (Hnida) kick the first extra point,” head coach Rocky Long said. “She has been a vital part of this team all year, and I felt that she deserved the opportuntity to make a play.”
The Lobos’ had a chance to increase their lead in the second quarter after driving to the UCLA 17, but Kenny Byrd’s 34-yard FG attempt sailed wide right, ending a UNM streak of 19 straight scores in the red zone. Fikse connected on hissecond field goal from 39 yards out to knot the game at 6-6 with 6:21 remaining in the second quarter. The kick wasset up by a questionable passinterference penalty on the Lobos in the endzone.
The UCLA special teams rose to the occasion when Craig Bragg took a punt back 74 yards early in the third to give the Bruins a 13-6 lead. More bad luck followed in the fourth quarter as QB Casey Kelly’s throw bounced off the back of TE Zach Cresap into the waiting arms of Jarrad Page. Page returned it 29 yards for a touchdown to give UCLA a 20-6 advantage.
On the next Lobo possession, WR Joe Manning caught a pass from Kelly only to be stripped of the ball. New Mexico’s third turnover of the game set up a 1-yard leap by freshman Tyler Ebell, handing the Bruins a 27-6 lead. Kelly found Manning in the back of the end zone for a touchdown that brought the Lobos to within 27-13, but New Mexico would get no closer.
Kelly finished with a season-high 237 yards. Moore, hobbled by a sprained right ankle late in the second quarter, was limited to 17 yards on 14 carries. The defense certainly did its part, holding the Bruins to a season-low 167 yards. UCLA only had to travel 76 yards for its three offensive scores, two field goals and a touchdown.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| UCLA | 3 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 27 | |
| New Mexico | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | |
| Scoring | ||||||
| UCLA – Fikse 49 FG | ||||||
| UNM Black 55 int. return (Hnida PAT blocked) | ||||||
| UCLA – Fikse 39 FG | ||||||
| UCLA – Bragg 74 punt return (Fiske kick) | ||||||
| UCLA – Page 29 int. return (Fiske kick) | ||||||
| UCLA – Ebell 1 run (Fikse kick) | ||||||
| UNM – Manning 11 pass from Kelly (Byrd kick) | ||||||
| Statistics | ||||||
| UNM | UCLA | |||||
| First Downs | 15 | 9 | ||||
| Rushing Yards | 34-45 | 39-73 | ||||
| Passing Yards | 237 | 94 | ||||
| Passing | 18-35-1 | 12-22-1 | ||||
| Total Offense | 282 | 167 | ||||
| Fumbles-Lost | 4-2 | 1-0 | ||||
| Penalties-Yards | 9-68 | 10-108 | ||||
| Interceptions | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Punts-Avg. | 6-38.5 | 8-44.9 | ||||
| Punt Return-Yards | 6-18 | 3-96 | ||||
| Kickoff Return-Yards | 5-100 | 2-50 | ||||
| Possession Time | 28:47 | 31:13 | ||||
| Third Down Conversion | 5-16 | 4-15 | ||||
| Sacks | 0 | 2 | ||||