1997 WAC Championship Game
2nd WAC Championship Game
New Mexico Lobos Colorado State Rams
(9–2) (9–2)
13 41
Head coach: 
Dennis Franchione		 Head coach: 
Sonny Lubick
APCoaches
RV25
APCoaches
2018
1234 Total
New Mexico 3730 13
Colorado State 010724 41
DateDecember 6, 1997
Season1997
StadiumSam Boyd Stadium
LocationWhitney, Nevada
Attendance12,706
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC
WAC Championship Game
 < 1996  1998 > 
1997 Western Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Mountain Division
New Mexico x   6 – 2     9 – 4  
Rice   5 – 3     7 – 4  
SMU   5 – 3     6 – 5  
Utah   5 – 3     6 – 5  
BYU   4 – 4     6 – 5  
UTEP   3 – 5     4 – 7  
Tulsa   2 – 6     2 – 9  
TCU   1 – 7     1 – 10  
Pacific Division
No. 17 Colorado State x$   7 – 1     11 – 2  
Air Force   6 – 2     10 – 3  
Fresno State   5 – 3     6 – 6  
Wyoming   4 – 4     7 – 6  
San Diego State   4 – 4     5 – 7  
San Jose State   4 – 4     4 – 7  
UNLV   2 – 6     3 – 8  
Hawaii   1 – 7     3 – 9  
Championship: Colorado State 41, New Mexico 13
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 WAC Championship Game was a college football game played on Saturday, December 6, 1997, at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada. This was the 2nd and penultimate WAC Championship Game and determined the 1997 champion of the Western Athletic Conference. The game featured the New Mexico Lobos, champions of the Mountain division, and the Colorado State Rams, champions of the Pacific division. Colorado State would win the game 41–13.[1][2]

Teams

Colorado State

Main article: 1997 Colorado State Rams football team

New Mexico

Main article: 1997 New Mexico Lobos football team

Game summary

1997 WAC Championship Game
Period 1 2 34Total
New Mexico 3 7 3013
No. 20 Colorado State 0 10 72441

at Sam Boyd Stadium • Whitney, Nevada

Game information
First quarter
  • (4:40) UNM – Colby Cason 37 yard field goal (UNM 3-0)
Second quarter
  • (12:43) CSU – Derek Franz 47 yard field goal (Tied 3–3)
  • (8:01) UNM – Reginal Johnson 7 yard run, Colby Cason kick (UNM 10–3)
  • (3:44) CSU – Damon Washington 51 yard run, Derek Franz kick (Tied 10–10)
Third quarter
  • (11:02) CSU – Kevin McDougal 44 yard run, Derek Franz kick (CSU 17–10)
  • (8:22) UNM – Colby Cason 36 yard field goal (CSU 17–13)
Fourth quarter
  • (9:11) CSU – Derek Franz 26 yard field goal (CSU 20–13)
  • (8:01) CSU – Kevin McDougal 42 yard run, Derek Franz kick (CSU 27–13)
  • (3:32) CSU – Derrek Uhl 19 yard pass from Jaime Blake, Derek Franz kick (CSU 34–13)
  • (1:48) CSU – Kevin McDougal 66 yard run, Derek Franz kick (CSU 41–13)

Statistics

Statistics UNM CSU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
New Mexico Passing Graham Leigh 17–27, 172 yds, 1 INT
Rushing Eric Jaworsky 9 car, 104 yds
Receiving Pascal Volz 4 rec, 53 yds
Colorado State Passing Moses Moreno 9–20, 92 yds, 3 INT
Rushing Kevin McDougal 20 car, 255 yds, 3 TD
Receiving Eli Workman 3 rec, 29 yds

References

  1. ^ "Colorado State 41, New Mexico 13". UPI. December 6, 1997. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  2. ^ "Western Athletic Conf. Championship". Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. December 7, 1997. p. C9. Retrieved March 8, 2019 – via newspapers.com.


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