Fresno State Athletics
Land of Enchantment
12/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 17, 2008
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - While a winter snow storm blanketed the area early in the week, there were just a few remnants when the Bulldog football team arrived in Albuquerque shortly after Noon on Wednesday. The Dogs are preparing for Saturday's New Mexico Bowl showdown against Colorado State. The game will be shown live on ESPN at 11:30 a.m. PT.
After a smooth 100-minute flight from Fresno to Albuquerque, the team was welcomed at the headquarter hotel Hyatt Regency by a mariachi band and a welcoming cheering section. Once settled in the hotel, the team headed to its first practice session since Sunday. Due to the student-athletes' finals schedules, the team could not practice on Monday or Tuesday.
While a pleasant and sunny winter day greeted the Dogs, with temperatures nearing 50 degrees, Coach Pat Hill took the team though a two hour workout in the 14-month old New Mexico Lobos indoor practice facility. The Dogs will practice again there at Noon MT on Thursday. Hill, who celebrated his 57th birthday on Wednesday, was pleased with the practice.
"With the stress of finals over, there was a good bit of relief after we got here," Hill said following the practice. "The guys had a good bounce to their step. It's been a stressful couple of days as the guys had to cram four days of finals into two days. We've given them time off and they will be well rested and have their legs under them. We need to hone things and really focus in on the target."
After practice, the team headed to a team welcome dinner at El Pinto Restaurant, an Albuquerque landmark. The El Pinto has catered White House Mexican celebrations.
With the New Mexico Bowl awaiting the teams on Saturday, the Great Green Chile Bowl took center stage Wednesday night.
Six players, Chris Carter, Bobby Lepori, Joe Bernardi, Sharrod Davis, Jason Crawley, and Drew Lubinsky took on Colorado State in a cooking and entertainment challenge. The group began with the cooking, cutting and preparing the vegetables and picking their spices. While Lubinsky, the veteran chef of the group, led the guys through the cooking, Crawley recruited his teammate Nico Herron to join in him in performing the entertainment portion of the contest.
With 15 minutes left in the contest, the owner of El Pinto sampled both Fresno State's and Colorado State's concoctions. The owner told the Bulldogs their food tasted "awesome."
The judges sampled Colorado State's Green Chile Stew first while their group rapped with a local bassist accompanying.
Fresno State offered their stew next as Crawley and Herron took the mic, reciting equipment manager Eddie Brewer's original rap.
"Green V on my helmet for Central Valley
Takin' the trophy back to Cali
New Mexico winter means it might snow
Tommy makes it rain touchdown throws.
Defense up the middle, sick with the sacks
Special teams on the field
And we'll run one back.
Offense gets you red, defense gives the blues.
Those C. State Rams are crazy in the head,
Cuz we're Bulldog born and Bulldog bred.
We just took finals, now here's a lesson:
Playcalls on the field, will keep you guessin'.
You sure you wanna play?
Cuz the lambs are silly.
We're the hottest things in red,
Since sweet red chile.
Goin' for five of six,
Another bowl game snack.
Sorry Mountain West,
It's another win for the WAC."
Before relinquishing the stage, the duo danced to a little salsa music with background dancers from New Mexico's cheer squad and led the team in the Bulldog Chant. Fresno State won the "bowl" with their outstanding food and dominant performance.
After the welcome party, the team returned to the hotel for team meetings and received its gifts from New Mexico Bowl officials. Among the gifts were an Oakley backpack, beanie and watch, an RCA Camcorder, a commemorative football, a souvenir pen and subscription to ESPN the Magazine.
Join the State - Fresno State! The Bulldog football team will head to Albuquerque, N.M. to take on Colorado State in the third New Mexico Bowl. The Bulldogs are playing in a postseason bowl game for the ninth time in 10 seasons. For ticket information for the New Mexico bowl click on the tickets link at the top of this page.
