New Mexico State hoping for record crowd for New Mexico Bowl vs. Fresno State
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KTSM) – This time next week, New Mexico State will be less than 24 hours away from kicking off the Isleta New Mexico Bowl vs. Mountain West Conference foe Fresno State (8-4). The Aggies are hoping to sell out University Stadium in Albuquerque.
The bowl game record for attendance came back in 2006, the first year of the game when New Mexico played in its home stadium, losing 20-12 to San Jose State in front of 34,111 fans. Stadium capacity since 2010 has been 39,224.
On the heels of the greatest NMSU football season in 63 years, the 10-4 Aggies want to end the season with a bang. The future is bright; plans are in the works for some major facility upgrades in the offseason, including a new locker room and scoreboard.
NMSU Athletic director Mario Moccia thinks a strong showing from NMSU and its fans at the bowl game could entice state leaders to increase support for the university.
“That’s why it’s so critical that this is the year we play in the New Mexico Bowl, in front of what I think will be a record amount of Aggie fans that have ever watched a New Mexico State football game live, to our all of our legislators,” Moccia said. “It’s just an important setting and I think it’ll be fun for the student-athletes.”
Moccia said he thinks this crowd will exceed what NMSU got at the 2017 Arizona Bowl, which ended with the Aggies beating Utah State in overtime.
Kickoff for the Isleta New Mexico Bowl is set for 3:45 p.m. on Dec. 16 at University Stadium and will air on ESPN.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
