Columnist Ron Kantowski: LV Bowl: Not pretty, but still fun

Thursday, Dec. 26, 2002 | 10:13 a.m.

Ron Kantowski's insider notes column appears Tuesday and his Page One column appears Thursday. He can be reached at ron@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4088.

UCLA's 27-13 victory over New Mexico in a Las Vegas Bowl XI dominated by defense was hardly a thing of beauty. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being Bo Derek, I'd call it a Molly Ringwald -- an average-cute 5.

But it has gotten to where the quality of most non-BCS bowl games is secondary to their success. And from that standpoint, I'd give the Las Vegas Bowl about an 8, adding three points for style points earned outside the lines.

Somehow, in what must be the biggest Christmas Day upset since The Grinch received that heart transplant in Whoville, the Las Vegas Bowl keeps managing to succeed despite the obstacles.

Those would be a terrible (calendar) day on which to play football, teams that are only marginally qualified or marginally interested in being there and a local community that treats the game with the indifference of the rich guy who has everything finding yet another necktie in his stocking.

But once again, the Las Vegas Bowl managed to tie it all together in a tidy Windsor knot.

Last year, it was a huge walk-up crowd of USC fans that helped the game set an attendance record. This year, it was a throng of New Mexico loyalists that made the game look good on TV.

I admit that I was among those who thought Air Force would have made a more attractive Mountain West representative than New Mexico. But that was before Bruins coach Bob Toledo was fired.

The timing of Toledo's dismissal couldn't have been worse for the LV Bowl committee, as the Bruins received their allotment of game tickets before the ink was even dry on Toledo's pink slip.

But judging from the sea of red at the stadium, that only meant there was more room for Lobos fans. "We are so glad to have New Mexico," said LV Bowl executive director Tina Kunzer-Murphy to anybody still paying attention after Toledo was canned.

That's because New Mexico fans are more loyal than a cocker spaniel. But if you've ever taken in the Mountain West basketball tournaments at the Thomas & Mack Center, you probably already knew that.

What you may not have known is that in an effort to turn the game into a green chile fest, New Mexico offered LV Bowl tickets at reduced prices. According to news reports, pockets of UCLA fans purchased tickets through the New Mexico website, and several fights broke out in the stands when the Bruin bargain hunters mingled a little too closely with their Lobos counterparts.

That's something the bowl committee should address prior to next year's game, because where I was sitting, Christmas Spirit was dwarfed by the distilled kind.

As for what transpired between the lines, the (slightly) better team won. But give New Mexico coach Rocky Long the biggest peppermint stick, for showing some imagination.

In an effort to keep it close, the usually conservative Lobos came out with more wrinkles than a sports writer's wardrobe. On one play, New Mexico lined up with five running backs; on the next, there might be five wideouts. Or two quarterbacks. The Lobos tried reverses and flea-flickers and in perhaps the most outrageous development of all, a kicker with a ponytail -- who just happened to be a girl.

Katie Hnida's extra-point try following the Lobos' first TD was blocked, but at least it was fun to watch. All things considered, that was true of the game in general.

As usual.