Fresno State gets chance to end on a high note, lands in New Mexico Bowl against New Mexico State

Fresno State accepted an invitation to the Dec. 16 New Mexico Bowl on Sunday, matched against a team that doesn’t figure to lack motivation.

The Bulldogs will take on a New Mexico State team that is 10-4 and lost to No. 20 Liberty in the Conference USA title game. The Aggies also will be playing close to home, have a chance to win an 11th game for only the second time in school history and will be playing in a bowl game in back-to-back years for the first time since 1959 and ’60.

Fresno State could be a different head space after losing its final three games of the regular season to fall out of the Mountain West Conference championship race and coach Jeff Tedford for the bowl, but has a chance to put a few pieces back together on both sides of the football going into the spring.

Tedford on Friday informed the Bulldogs that he would sit out the bowl game due to a personal health issue. Assistant head coach and linebackers coach Tim Skipper will be the acting coach through the New Mexico Bowl.

The Bulldogs have played in the New Mexico Bowl three times — beating Texas-El Paso in 2021 to cap a 10-3 season, losing to Wyoming in 2009 and losing to Colorado State in 2008.

Fresno State (8-4) has won its past four bowl games under Tedford and coach Kalen DeBoer after a six-game bowl losing streak. It is 16-15 all-time in its bowl games.

New Mexico State is 4-0-1 in five bowl appearances and is the only FBS program without a loss and at least one bowl appearance.