The UTSA Roadrunners rallied from a first round loss and were crowned Survey Says champions at the annual Gildan New Mexico Bowl team dinner at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
The first round pitted the offenses against each other. UTSA took the first two questions, building a 273-0 lead. On the final question of the round, “Name a sport that does not use a ball,” UTSA tried to throw the Lobos off their game by passing the play. The move backfired and New Mexico came up with all the answers, tallying 300 points to take the round.
In round two, the defenses faced off. After splitting the points on the first two questions, UTSA garnered the win (321-156) by posting five of the six answers to, “Name a food you eat when watching the big game.”
The coaches squared off in the final round, and it was a heated battle. The UTSA coaches challenged the host after buzzing in with the number two answer to, “Name a sport with a ball without ball in the name.” UNM rang in with the number one answer on the board but both answers had the same point value. After much thought, host Gus Davis ruled in the Roadrunners favor, propelling them to the win.
Earlier in the day, a few members of both squads and coaches made appearances in the community with members of the Gildan New Mexico Bowl staff. The first stop was Isleta Elementary School, where the players signed autographs for the kids. Later in the day, more players, coaches and staff stopped by the University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital to spread a little holiday cheer with team gear.