2011 New Mexico Bowl: Temple vs. Wyoming Game Breakdown and Preview

The New Mexico Bowl is entering its sixth season and this time it features the Temple Owls and the Wyoming Cowboys.

Temple finished the year 8-4 and finished second in the MAC conference. They are a great rushing team and have played solid defense all season long. 

Wyoming is also a team that finished the year 8-4 and second in the MWC. Although they struggle on both sides of the ball, they did beat a solid San Diego State team and played with TCU. 

This game isn't exactly the game of the year but it's the game that will kick off the bowl season.

Here is your breakdown and preview of the 2011 New Mexico Bowl.

Quarterbacks

Temple

The Owls went with three different quarterbacks this season and none have been very effective. Senior Chester Stewart got the majority of the playing time after he replaced Mike Gerardi after three games. Sophomore Chris Coyer has received most of the playing time recently, but a shoulder injury leaves him questionable for this game. Who knows who will be the starting quarterback for the Owls, but it may not matter much anyway. They average 123 passing yards a game and are ranked 117th out of 120 teams.

Wyoming

The Cowboys go with a freshman by the name of Brett Smith and he is talented. He's completing 60 percent of his passes for 2,495 yards and 18 touchdowns. He's also only thrown eight interceptions. Smith is a dual-threat quarterback who can also kill you with his legs as he's ran for 645 yards and 10 touchdowns. Wyoming may only average 213 passing yards a game, but Smith is a very valuable weapon on offense for the Cowboys.

Advantage - Wyoming

Running Backs

Temple

This is what makes the Owls' offense go as they average 256 yards on the ground a game, which is third best in the country. They're led by junior running back Bernard Pierce who has 1,381 rushing yards this year and 25 rushing touchdowns. Matt Brown is the change-of-pace back, averaging six yards a carry and has rushed for over 800 yards. This team averages nearly 49 rushing attempts a game, and if you can't stop them, it's going to be a long day for your defense.

Wyoming

Wyoming isn't a bad running team either as they average 185 yards a game. There are four players on their roster that have at least 300 rushing yards this season. The main guy is junior running back Alvester Alexander who has 786 yards and six touchdowns. As mentioned in the last slide, quarterback Brett Smith is also a big part of the running game. Overall this team can run the ball but not nearly as well as the Owls can.

Advantage - Temple

Receivers

Temple

If you read the first slide, you'd know that this team does not pass the ball very much and doesn't have a legitimate quarterback to get the job done. With that said, senior wideout Evan Rodriguez is the leading receiver on this team as he has 43 catches for 427 yards and two touchdowns. Although none of the receivers have great numbers, they do have great size as three of the top four receivers on this team are 6'3'' or taller. That may give the Owls a huge advantage in this game that they really haven't had all season long.

Wyoming

The Cowboys may rank 73rd in the country in receiving yards but they have a ton of depth at the receiver position. There are currently six players on this team that have at least 20 catches this year. Junior wide receiver Chris McNeill leads the team with 42 catches for 504 yards and four touchdowns, but he is out for the season with a arm injury. Players like Mazi Ogbonna and Dominic Rufran will need to step up.

The receivers on this team may not be the most talented, but they get the job done and execute well. With a decent young quarterback throwing to them, they have to have the advantage going into the game.

Advantage - Temple

Offensive Line

Temple

The Owls are great at running the ball, so obviously their offensive line is somewhat decent. They've only allowed 21 sacks which is tied for the sixth best in the MAC conference and tied for 40th in the country. It's made up of almost all seniors and only one starter is under 320 pounds.

Wyoming

The Cowboys have a much smaller offensive line than Temple, as the majority of them are under 300 pounds. But they are dominant, only allowing their quarterback to be sacked 11 times this season. That's the fourth best in the MWC and tied for 11th best in the country.

Advantage - Wyoming

Front Seven

Temple

The Owls have 31 sacks on the year which is first in the MWC and 22nd in the country. Senior defensive end Adrian Robinson leads the team with six sacks. There are a total of 15 players on this team that have at least one and they average 2.5 a game. Temple can really get after the quarterback. They're also good at stopping the run as they only allow 122 rushing yards—that's good for the best in the MAC.

Wyoming

The Cowboys aren't as good as generating pressure on opposing quarterbacks as they only have 22 sacks on the year. That's fourth best in the MWC and tied for 67th best in the country. They average 1.8 sacks a game and have eight different players with at least one sack. Senior defensive tackle Gabe Knapton leads the team with 6.5. As far as rushing defense goes, the Cowboys give up 250 yards on the ground which is ranked sixth in the MWC.

Advantage - Temple

Secondary

Temple

The Owls have the best secondary in the MAC as they only allow 192 passing yards a game. That's also good for 19th best in the country. They have 12 interceptions on the year and 46 passes defended. Although lately the secondary has let up quite a bit, allowing over 900 passing yards and seven touchdowns in the last four games. Justin Gildea is the key player in this group as he has three interceptions and 46 tackles on the year.

Wyoming

Wyoming has gotten a lot better at defending the pass as the season has gone along. They started out giving up over 250 yards a game in the air and have brought that down to 202 for the season average. They have 50 passes deafened and 13 interceptions this season. Freshman cornerback Blair Burns has really made a huge impact on this team as he has four interceptions and 48 tackles his first season.

Advantage - Wyoming

Coaches

Temple

This is head coach Steve Addazio's first season, as he spent the last several years at Florida as an offensive line coach and offensive coordinator. He was later let go when Will Muschamp became the head coach earlier this season. He is great at working with offensive lines and has had success running the football everywhere he has gone, including Syracuse and Notre Dame. That's a huge reason for the Owls' great running game.

Wyoming

Dave Christensen is in his third season as the head coach for Wyoming and has racked up a 18-19 record. Like Addazio, he is a great offense and offensive line coach and had the Missouri Tigers clicking on all cylinders when he ran their offense for many years. After just three wins last season, he was able to improve the Cowboys by five wins this year. He also has the advantage coming into this game as he coached in the New Mexico Bowl in 2009. Although Wyoming were 11 point underdogs to Fresno State, the Cowboys pulled off the upset winning 35-28.

Advantage - Wyoming

Injuries

Temple

Chris Coyer - Quarterback (Questionable, shoulder)

Wyoming

Alvester Alexander - Running back (Out for season, leg)

Bryson Studnicka - Half back (Out for season, leg)

Oliver Schober - Linebacker (Out for season)

Patrick Mertens - Defensive tackle (Out for season, illness)

Ghaali Muhammad - Running back (Out for season, leg)

Chris McNeill - Wide receiver (Out for season, arm)

Advantage - Temple

Prediction

Although the advantages may be tied 4-4, I really don't see this game being close. Temple loves to run the football and it will be extremely easy going up against a defensive front that allows 250 yards on the ground a game.

Wyoming also has a one-dimensional offense and will struggle when the Owls shut down their running game with their solid front seven.

The Cowboys are also banged up as they will not have their leading rusher or leading receiver playing in this game.

Dave Christensen and Wyoming were able to pull off the upset in the New Mexico Bowl a couple of seasons ago, but I don't see that happening again this year.

Temple wins 34-17

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]