The 1946 Sun Bowl was a

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postseason

bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...

between the New Mexico Lobos and the

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Background

New Mexico was in their first Sun Bowl since

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

, while Mountain States Conference champion Denver was in their first bowl game. Before the game, a minister intoned a prayer dedicating this game to the nine members from the previous Lobo team to make it in the Sun Bowl, who had died fighting in World War II.

Game summary

Denver took a 10-0 lead after one quarter on Karamigios' 21 yard touchdown run and Miller's 28 yard field goal. New Mexico responded with a 65 yard interception return for a touchdown by Rudy Krall. A 70 yard drive culminated in a Don Rumley 9 yard touchdown run to make it 13-10 at halftime. John Adams ran in for a two yard score to give Denver the lead. New Mexico scored three straight touchdowns in the fourth quarter, with two of those touchdowns coming to Dick Moser (Bill Moseley) from Rumley, with the final touchdown pass going to Julian McDonald to make it 34-17. With less than two minutes remaining, Karamigios caught a touchdown pass Vernon Cochran, but the scoring stopped after that, as New Mexico won their first ever bowl game, and the first win for a

Border Conference The Border Conference, officially known as the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association, was an National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA-affiliated college athletic conference founded in 1931 that disbanded following the 1961–62 season. ...

team. Rumley threw for 8-of-12 for 207 yards and three touchdowns.

Aftermath

The Lobos made another bowl game the following year, but have never returned to the Sun Bowl since this game. Denver would also make a bowl game appearance the following year, which was their last. In a strange revelation, Mosley admitted in 2007 to playing under an assumed name (Dick Moser) in order to preserve his eligibility at Kentucky.

Statistics

References

{{New Mexico Lobos bowl game navbox

Sun Bowl The Sun Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played since 1935 in the southwestern United States at El Paso, Texas. Along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose Bowl. ...

Sun Bowl Denver Pioneers football bowl games New Mexico Lobos football bowl games

January 1946 sports events in the United States