Jim McElwain talks New Mexico Bowl, matchup against San Diego State
Central Michigan coach Jim McElwain addresses the media after a loss against Miami (OH) in the MAC Championship game Dec. 7 at Ford Field in Detroit, MI.
Jim McElwain wanted to know how many of his players have been to New Mexico.
Not many on Central Michigan's roster raised their hand when asked at the 4:30 p.m. Sunday team meeting to discuss the plan for playing at 2 p.m. Dec. 21 in the New Mexico Bowl at Dreamstyle Stadium in Albuquerque.
The Chippewas found out their bowl destination on Sunday afternoon, and it was a familiar spot for the first-year coach.
"I've been fortunate to be to this bowl game before," McElwain said, "and I know our guys are going to love it."
As the coach at Colorado State in 2013, McElwain took his squad to the New Mexico Bowl for a matchup against Washington State. Drawing an attendance of 27,104 people, the contest was a thriller.
Trailing 45-30 in the fourth quarter, the Rams scored 18 points in the final 172 seconds, or 2 minutes and 52 seconds, to pull out a 48-45 victory.
Connor Halliday connected with Jordon Vaden for a 12-yard touchdown and Kapri Bibbs scored from 1-yard out to tie the game, 45-45, before Jared Roberts made a 41-yard field goal as time expired.
"It was outstanding," McElwain said. "It has some tradition and history to it, so it's pretty cool they chose to put us there."
From an off the field standpoint, McElwain said the New Mexico Bowl delivers a "first-class" experience based on hospitality.
"All the people that come out and people who run it, do an outstanding job for both teams and the kids," McElwain said. "I'm really looking forward to it."
The Chippewas were 1-11 without a Football Bowl Subdivision victory in the 2018 season under former coach John Bonamego.
McElwain came to the program less than a week after Bonamego's firing, and he has made an instant impact.
Central Michigan went 8-4 in the regular season with a 6-2 mark in the Mid-American Conference, thus earning a bid to the conference championship game.
The loss to Miami (Ohio), 26-21, in the title game dropped the Chippewas to 8-5 overall.
McElwain said the bowl game is the culmination of a successful season.
"I'm really looking forward to these guys playing one more game together," McElwain said. "This is a tight-knit group, a really close group. That's what makes it so exciting for me. We get to go out one last time together and close this thing the right way."
As for McElwain's opponent, San Diego State, the former Mountain West Conference coach said he probably knows too much about the Aztecs.
When McElwain was at Colorado State from 2012-14, he faced off against San Diego State, led by coach Rocky Long since 2011, just once – a 38-14 loss on Oct. 13, 2012.
But Central Michigan's coach hasn't forgotten that meeting when Long's squad forced Colorado State into three turnovers and held top running back Chris Nwoke to 59 yards on 20 carries.
"Rocky Long is one of the best defensive coaches out there," McElwain said. "People try to replicate what he does. I've already been digging through some of the things we tried to do against him in those years at Colorado State when we played against him."
San Diego State has a 9-3 record this season with a 5-3 mark in the Mountain West, losing to Utah State (23-17), Nevada (17-13) and Hawaii (14-11). The Aztecs got a 24-14 victory over Pac-12 opponent UCLA in the second week of the season.
Quarterback Ryan Agnew has completed 215 of 339 passes for 2,165 yards and 11 touchdowns against five interceptions.
Even though San Diego State averaged 19 points per game in its 12 games, which is 119th of 130 in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the team has allowed a mere 12.8 points per game – fourth-best in the nation.
Cornerback Luqman Barcoo has eight interceptions along with 51 tackles, five tackles for a loss, 0.5 sacks and 16 pass breakups.
"They do an outstanding job," McElwain said. "They've got unbelievable talent; they do a great job of recruiting. I'm looking forward to it. I think it's going to be a great experience, a great matchup."
