Temple vs. Wyoming: Game Time, Radio and TV Coverage Info for New Mexico Bowl

The Temple Owls (8-4, 5-3) will battle the Wyoming Cowboys (8-4, 5-2) in the 2011 New Mexico Bowl. Temple finished second in the Mid-American Conference while Wyoming ranked third in the Mountain West. Saturday's game will kick off bowl season for 2011.

Where: University Stadium in Albuquerque, NM

When: Saturday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN

Listen: WPHT 1210 AM (Temple) or KFBC 1240 AM (Wyoming)

Betting Line: Temple -7

Key Storyline: Will Temple and Wyoming kick off bowl season with a thriller?

The Owls and Cowboys get the college football stage all to themselves on Saturday afternoon. While both teams fell short of their conference championship goals, a bowl win to finish their season would be a nice supplemental prize, but only one can emerge victorious.

Who Might Not Play for Temple: QB Chris Coyer

Coyer has been dealing with a shoulder injury and is listed as probable for Saturday's game, according to USA Today. The good news for Temple is that he's the only player on its injury report, so they enter the game at pretty much full strength.

Who Might Not Play for Wyoming: WR Chris McNeill

McNeill, who was the Cowboys' leading receiver during the regular season, made the trip to New Mexico with his team. It appears he will not play, though, as reported by Gary Striewski. It's a significant blow to an offense which averaged 27 points per game.

What They're Saying

Temple sophomore QB Chris Coyer pinpointed one reason why Saturday's game is so important to Temple (via Philadelphia Inquirer):

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"These seniors [including 13 starters], they've been through so much since they've been here, they've really seen this built from almost right at the bottom to bringing it all the way here. Sending them out with a win like this, with a ring in hand, would mean a lot."

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Wyoming coach Dave Christensen alluded to his team's no-quit attitude as one of the main reasons they have reached this point (via Yahoo! Sports):

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“You like to go out and play four quarters of great football every week, but it doesn’t happen like that. And what these kids have done is they have found a way to win games. We’ve been in predicaments like that before, and every game we’ve been in a predicament like that, we’ve won the game. It’s a testament to the type of kids we have in our program.”

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Temple Player To Watch: RB Bernard Pierce

Pierce will be the biggest star on the field. Temple's junior running back scored 25 touchdowns and gained nearly 1,400 yards on the ground for the Owls. His touchdown total finished second among RBs, behind only Heisman finalist Montee Ball of Wisconsin.

Wyoming Player To Watch: QB Brett Smith

Even though he was only a freshman, Smith stepped right in and had a major impact on the Cowboys. He threw 18 touchdowns and ran for 10 more while totaling more than 3,100 total yards. He'll need to have another big performance against a solid Temple defense.

Key Matchup: Head coaches, Steve Addazio vs. Dave Christensen

Keeping a team's intensity level up during the down time before a bowl game is crucial to having a good showing. Both Addazio and Christensen were charged with that task as they prepared their teams to face an unfamiliar foe. Whoever did a better job will likely watch their team prevail.

Prediction: Temple 31, Wyoming 20