New Mexico Bowl 2017: 3 takeaways from Marshall’s upset of Colorado State

As a 5.5-point underdog, Marshall upset Mountain West opponent Colorado State in Albuquerque. Here are three things we learned from the New Mexico Bowl.

A fixture since 2006, the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque has regularly featured one of the most exciting and closely-matched contests of the opening day of the bowl calendar. In four of the past five editions between 2012 and 2016, the game was decided by a single score. During a day when the majority of contests were decided by double digits, the New Mexico Bowl lived up to its history. Once again, fans in Albuquerque were treated to a close duel.

The game started slowly, with both defenses controlling the first quarter. Then the scoring kicked off in earnest before halftime, as Marshall and Colorado State traded touchdowns back and forth. At the intermission, the Thundering Herd were up 21-14. Doc Holliday’s team extended its lead in the third quarter, but struggled to hold on to the lead for the full hour.

Colorado State finally discovered its offense in the final quarter. Pulling back two touchdowns in the last 15 minutes, the Rams made it a far closer game down the homestretch than it had been for much of the day. Mike Bobo’s crew, however, ran out of time and came up 56 yards short on their final opportunity to take its first lead of the day.

In the end, Marshall never found itself behind in its first-ever appearance at the New Mexico Bowl. While they were made to sweat in the end, the Thundering Herd won its sixth consecutive bowl appearance dating back to 2004. What can we take away from the last game of the season for both Marshall and the Rams? Here are three takeaways from this year’s New Mexico Bowl.