NCAA Football Recap (New Mexico-Arizona)
Posted: Sun December 28, 1997 at 12:19 a.m EST
ARIZONA 20, NEW MEXICO 14
Kelvin Eafon and Trung Canidate combined for three touchdowns
and 172 rushing yards, leading Arizona to a 20-14 victory over
New Mexico in the inaugural Insight.Com Bowl in Tucson, Arizona.
Eafon had 75 yards and two touchdowns and Canidate added 97 and
one score in front of 49,385, the largest crowd in the nine-year
history of bowl games in Tucson, which also hosted the defunct
Copper Bowl.
The hometown Wildcats of the Pac-10 Conference came up with four
interceptions and finished their season 7-5. New Mexico, which
lost to Colorado State in the Western Athletic Conference title
game, fell to 9-4 in its first bowl appearance since the 1961
Aviation Bowl.
Arizona opened the scoring with 6:30 left in the first quarter
on a 15-yard burst up the middle by fullback Eafon, capping a
50-yard drive in five plays and just 1:48.
The Lobos tied it 2:55 into the second quarter on a 12-yard pass
from Graham Leigh to Milton Thomas, completing a 69-yard march.
The Wildcats answered right back with a 71-yard drive, capped by
a three-yard run by Canidate. Mark McDonald's extra point was
wide left, leaving the score 13-7 with 7:50 left in the first
half.
The key play of the drive was a 22-yard pass on 3rd-and-10 from
Brady Batten to Dennis Northcutt to the New Mexico 7-yard line.
Batten was Arizona's third-string quarterback but got the start
from Wildcats coach Dick Tomey for being a loyal fifth-year
senior, and wound up playing until the last play of the third
quarter, completing 7-of-17 passes for 89 yards.
Arizona intercepted Leigh four times and limited him to just
12-of-32 for 150 yards. Leigh was eighth in the nation in
passing efficiency during the regular season.
On a crucial 4th-and-goal play at the 1-yard line, Eafon blasted
to paydirt with 2:07 remaining in the third quarter to open a
20-7 lead for the Wildcats. That 10-play drive covered 51 yards
following an interception by Kelvin Hunter, who had his left
ankle when he was tackled.
New Mexico returned the favor with a 60-yard drive in just five
plays and 1:41, with Leigh scrambling four yards around left end
for the touchdown.
But Kelly Malveaux intercepted Leigh at midfield to end the
Lobos' final threat and Eafon picked up two key first downs as
Arizona ran out the clock in the final three minutes.
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