View source for 2002 Las Vegas Bowl

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college football game
| name = 
| year_game_played           = 2002
| title_sponsor              = SEGA Sports
| image = Sam Boyd Stadium from the air July 2014.jpg
| caption = [[Sam Boyd Stadium]] in [[Whitney, Nevada]], hosted the Las Vegas Bowl.
| subheader = 11th Las Vegas Bowl
| game_name                  = Las Vegas Bowl
| football_season            = 2002
| visitor_name_short         = New Mexico 
| visitor_nickname           = Lobos
| visitor_school             = University of New Mexico
| home_name_short            = UCLA 
| home_nickname              = Bruins
| home_school                = University of California at Los Angeles
| visitor_record             = 7–6
| visitor_conference         = [[Mountain West Conference|Mountain West]]
| home_record                = 7–5
| home_conference            = [[Pacific-10 Conference|Pac-10]]
| visitor_coach              = [[Rocky Long]]
| home_coach                 = [[Ed Kezirian]] (interim)
| visitor_1q                 = 6
| visitor_2q                 = 0
| visitor_3q                 = 0
| visitor_4q                 = 7
| home_1q                    = 3
| home_2q                    = 3
| home_3q                    = 7
| home_4q                    = 14
| date_game_played           = [[Christmas|December 25]]
| stadium                    = [[Sam Boyd Stadium]]
| city                       = [[Whitney, Nevada]]
| MVP                        = [[Craig Bragg]] (UCLA)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lvbowl.com/facts.php |title=MAACO Bowl Las Vegas |accessdate=December 11, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107072041/http://www.lvbowl.com/facts.php |archivedate=January 7, 2012 }}</ref>
| odds                       = UCLA by 9.5
| referee                    = Rogers Redding ([[Southeastern Conference|SEC]])
| attendance                 = 30,324<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/122502aaa.html |title = UCLA 27, New Mexico 13 - UCLA Official Athletic Site |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130205013901/http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/122502aaa.html |archive-date=5 February 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| payout                     = 800,000 per team<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/college/2002/bowls/bowl_sked/ |title=CNNSI.com - 2002 College Bowls - Complete 2002-03 bowl schedule - Saturday January 04, 2003 12:53 AM |access-date=2008-12-21 |archive-date=2011-06-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622101141/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/college/2002/bowls/bowl_sked/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| us_network = [[ESPN College Football|ESPN]]
| us_announcers = Mark Jones, Bob Davie, Mike Gottfried, Holly Rowe
}}
The '''2002 SEGA Sports Las Vegas Bowl''' was the 11th edition of the annual [[college football]] [[bowl game]]. It featured the [[2002 New Mexico Lobos football team|New Mexico Lobos]] and the [[2002 UCLA Bruins football team|UCLA Bruins]]. The Bruins defeated the Lobos, 27–13.

Notably, the game was the first [[Division I-A]] college football game to have a female player on the field, [[Katie Hnida]]. Also, longtime UCLA assistant coach [[Ed Kezirian]] was victorious in his one and only appearance as a head coach. This was the second year in a row that the Las Vegas Bowl was held on Christmas Day.

==Game summary==
UCLA scored first on a 49-yard field goal by [[Nate Fikse]] to take an early 3–0 lead. New Mexico's [[Desmar Black]] intercepted a UCLA pass, and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown. The extra point try was blocked, giving New Mexico a 6–3 lead. An interesting note from that game was that when New Mexico sent [[Katie Hnida]] out to kick the [[extra point]], she became the first woman to play in a [[Division I-A]] college football game. Since the kick was blocked, UCLA was not the first team to be scored upon by a woman in a Division I-A game. Hnida would later successfully kick two extra points against [[2003 Texas State Bobcats football team|Texas State]] in the fourth quarter of a 72–8 New Mexico win on August 30, 2003.

Fikse made a 39-yard field goal for the Bruins to tie it in the second quarter, and the score remained 6–6 at halftime.

Two minutes into the third quarter, UCLA's [[Craig Bragg]] scored on a 74-yard punt return, giving UCLA a 13–6 lead. In the fourth quarter, UCLA's [[Jarrad Page]] intercepted a New Mexico pass, and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown, putting UCLA up 20–6. A 1-yard [[Tyler Ebell]] score from 1 yard out increased the Bruins' lead to 27–6. New Mexico scored once more on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Casey Kelly to [[Joe Manning (American football)|Joe Manning]]. Kenny Byrd kicked the extra point, making the final score 27–13.

===Scoring===
====First Quarter====
*UCLA — Nate Fikse, 49-yard field goal. 
*New Mexico — Desmar Black, 55-yard interception return. Katie Hnida’s kick blocked.

====Second Quarter====
*UCLA — Fikse, 39-yard field goal.

====Third Quarter====
*UCLA — Craig Bragg, 74-yard punt return. Fikse converts.

====Fourth Quarter====
*UCLA — Jarrad Page, 29-yard interception return. Chris Griffith converts. 
*UCLA — Tyler Ebell, one-yard run. Fikse converts. 
*New Mexico — Joe Manning, 11-yard pass from Casey Kelly. Kenny Byrd converts.

==Ed Kezirian==
Kezirian had become beloved at UCLA as the longtime [[offensive line coach]] for the program, serving under [[Terry Donahue]] and [[Bob Toledo]]. When Toledo was fired on December 10, 2002, Kezirian became the interim [[head coach]] and would serve in this capacity for the team's ensuing bowl game. The 27–13 result meant that "Coach K" was victorious in his only game as Bruin head coach.

==Aftermath==
After the game, Kezirian retired from coaching undefeated and was replaced by [[Karl Dorrell]] as UCLA's head coach. He remained on the staff to continue overseeing academics for the Bruins football team. When Dorrell was fired in 2007, defensive coordinator [[DeWayne Walker]] took the interim coaching duty for the [[2007 Las Vegas Bowl]]. The Bruins lost that game.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores102/102359/20021225NCAAFUCLA------0nr.htm Review of game by USA Today]

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
*UCLA Football Media Guide (PDF Copy available at [http://www.uclabruins.com www.uclabruins.com])
*University of New Mexico Football Media Guide (PDF Copy available at [http://golobos.cstv.com golobos.cstv.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226032730/http://golobos.cstv.com/ |date=2009-02-26 }})
{{Refend}}

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{{Historic college football games}}

[[Category:2002–03 NCAA football bowl games|Las Vegas Bowl]]
[[Category:Las Vegas Bowl]]
[[Category:New Mexico Lobos football bowl games]]
[[Category:UCLA Bruins football bowl games]]
[[Category:2002 in sports in Nevada|Las Vegas Bowl]]
[[Category:December 2002 sports events in the United States|Las Vegas Bowl]]