New Mexico makes history but loses bowl

LAS VEGAS -- New Mexico made history, but it wasn't enough to take the Las Vegas Bowl away from UCLA and its interim coach.

Katie Hnida became the first woman to play in a Division I football game when she attempted an extra point following a New Mexico touchdown, but UCLA rallied to give fill-in coach Ed Kezirian a 27-13 victory Wednesday.

Hnida, with her blond hair in a ponytail, attempted the kick following New Mexico's first touchdown. The Lobos took a 6-3 lead on a 55-yard interception return by Desmar Black with 8:20 left in the first quarter.

Hnida's following attempt was blocked as the ball sailed low, allowing a UCLA player to get a hand on it.

The 5-foot-9, 150-pound Hnida was on the Colorado roster in 1999 and suited up for the Buffaloes in the Insight.com Bowl. She walked on to the New Mexico team before this season.

Second-half outburst

UCLA (8-5) got second half touchdowns on Craig Bragg's 74-yard punt return and Jarrad Page's interception to beat New Mexico, making just its second bowl appearance in 41 years.

UCLA played under Kezirian, who took over the team after Bob Toledo was fired at the end of the regular season. The school replaced Toledo with Karl Dorrell, the wide receivers coach for the Denver Broncos, but Dorrell has not yet taken over the team.

"This game isn't really about me, it's about the players," Kezirian said.

The Bruins put the game away with Bragg's punt return early in the third quarter and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter off New Mexico turnovers. Page scored one minute into the fourth quarter on a 29-yard return after he picked the ball out of the air off a pass from Kelly that hit tight end Zach Cresap in the back.

Freshman halfback Tyler Ebell scored with 10:40 left after New Mexico's third turnover of the game -- a fumble by wide receiver Joe Manning that was recovered by linebacker Brandon Chillar at the Lobos 31.

Bragg's punt return snapped a 6-6 halftime tie. The wide receiver caught the ball at the UCLA 26, broke a tackle and raced up the left sideline. It was the Bruins' first punt return for a TD since 1998.

New Mexico (7-7) has played in only seven bowl games since 1939 and has not won one since 1961.

It showed.

While the Lobos' blitzing and stunting defense held UCLA's rushing game to 26 yards in the first half, New Mexico's offense struggled to sustain drives or killed them with penalties.

The Lobos' other score was on an 11-yard pass from Kelly to Manning in the fourth quarter.

First-half field goals

UCLA got first-half field goals of 49 and 39 yards by Nate Fikse. The first one, with 10:24 left in the first quarter, was set up by freshman DonTrell Moore's fumble at the Lobos 21 on New Mexico's second play from scrimmage.

Moore, who rushed for 1,117 yards this season, ran tentatively the rest of the game and had just 17 yards on 14 carries.

Hnida's failed kick didn't matter as she made her mark by taking the field.

Heather Sue Mercer earned a spot on the Duke roster as a walk-on in 1995 but was cut from the team by then-coach Fred Goldsmith before the 1996 season.

Stephanie Weimer tried out for Penn State this summer, but didn't make the team. Louisville and Colorado also have had female kickers on their rosters.

In 1997, Liz Heaston became the first woman to score in a college game, kicking two extra points for Willamette, which was then an NAIA school. Last year, Jacksonville State's Ashley Martin became the first woman in Division I-AA to score, kicking four extra points.