2002 Las Vegas Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 2002 edition to the Las Vegas Bowl was the 11th edition of that annual game. It featured the , and the . 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, UCLA coach Ed Kezirian
was victorious in his one and only appearance as a head coach, giving him a perfect coaching record.
out to kick the extra point
, Katie 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. Katie would later kick two extra points against Texas State University in the fourth quarter of a 72-8 New Mexico win on August 30, 2003.
Nate Fikse's 39 yard field goal for the Bruins tied it in the second quarter, and the score remained 6-6 at halftime.
2 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
scored from 1 yard out, increasing the Bruins' lead to 27-6. New Mexico scored once more on an 11 yard touchdown pass from Casey Kelly to Joe Manning. Kenny Byrd kicked the extra point, making the final score 27-13.
was an offensive line coach
under Terry Donahue
and Bob Toledo
. When Toledo was fired on December 10, 2002, Kezirian became the interim head coach
for the game against the in the Las Vegas Bowl
on December 25, 2002. He was victorious in his only game as Bruin head coach; UCLA won 27-13.
as the UCLA Bruins head coach. He remained on the staff to continue overseeing academics for the Bruins football team. When Karl 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.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
game to have a female player on the field, Katie Hnida
Katie Hnida
Katharine Anne "Katie" Hnida is an American football player who became the first woman to score in an NCAA Division I-A game, college football's highest level...
. Also, UCLA coach Ed Kezirian
Ed Kezirian
Ed Kezirian was the interim head coach of the UCLA Bruins football team for one game. As of the 2007 college football season, Kezirian is the Football Academic Coordinator at UCLA. Kezirian is known for waving a towel on the sidelines to inspire the fans during football games...
was victorious in his one and only appearance as a head coach, giving him a perfect coaching record.
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 HnidaKatie Hnida
Katharine Anne "Katie" Hnida is an American football player who became the first woman to score in an NCAA Division I-A game, college football's highest level...
out to kick the extra point
Extra Point
Extra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio that covers generic sports-related topical news and opinion. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...
, Katie became the first woman to play in a Division I-A college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
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. Katie would later kick two extra points against Texas State University in the fourth quarter of a 72-8 New Mexico win on August 30, 2003.
Nate Fikse's 39 yard field goal for the Bruins tied it in the second quarter, and the score remained 6-6 at halftime.
2 minutes into the third quarter, UCLA's Craig Bragg
Craig Bragg
Craig Milton Bragg is an American football wide receiver. He attended UCLA and Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, CA...
scored on a 74 yard punt return giving UCLA a 13-6 lead. In the fourth quarter, UCLA's Jarrad Page
Jarrad Page
Jarrad Matthew Page is an American football safety for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
intercepted a New Mexico pass, and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown, putting UCLA up 20-6. A 1 yard Tyler Ebell
Tyler Ebell
Tyler Jay Ebell was a Canadian football running back.-Ventura High:Ebell was a star player at Ventura High School, where he earned three varsity letters as a running back for coach Phil McCune. Named National High School Athlete of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association...
scored from 1 yard out, increasing the Bruins' lead to 27-6. New Mexico scored once more on an 11 yard touchdown pass from Casey Kelly to Joe Manning. Kenny Byrd kicked the extra point, making the final score 27-13.
First Quarter
- UCLA — Nate Fikse, 49-yard field goal.
- New Mexico — Desmar Black, 55-yard interception return. Hnida’s kick blocked.
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
UCLA head coach Ed Kezirian
Ed KezirianEd Kezirian
Ed Kezirian was the interim head coach of the UCLA Bruins football team for one game. As of the 2007 college football season, Kezirian is the Football Academic Coordinator at UCLA. Kezirian is known for waving a towel on the sidelines to inspire the fans during football games...
was an offensive line coach
Offensive line coach
The offensive line coach is a coaching position in gridiron football that is in charge of the offensive line. This role is very common in the CFL, NFL, and college football programs. The offensive line coach serves the offense, which is led by the offensive coordinator....
under Terry Donahue
Terry Donahue
Terry Donahue is a former American football, player, coach, and executive and, currently, a football analyst. He served as the head football coach at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1976 to 1995, compiling a record of 151–74–8. From 2001 to 2005, Donahue served as...
and Bob Toledo
Bob Toledo
Bob Toledo is a former American football coach and player. Toledo served as the head coach at University of California, Riverside , the University of the Pacific , the University of California, Los Angeles , and Tulane University...
. When Toledo was fired on December 10, 2002, Kezirian became the interim head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
for the game against the in the Las Vegas Bowl
Las Vegas Bowl
The Maaco Bowl Las Vegas is an NCAA-sanctioned Division I-A post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually at 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. since 1992. From 1992 to 1996, matchups featured the champion teams from the Big West and Mid-American...
on December 25, 2002. He was victorious in his only game as Bruin head coach; UCLA won 27-13.
Aftermath
After the game, Kezirian retired from coaching undefeated and was replaced by Karl DorrellKarl Dorrell
Karl Dorrell is a football coach, currently an assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. He was previously the head coach of the UCLA Bruins, the first African American head football coach in the school's history...
as the UCLA Bruins head coach. He remained on the staff to continue overseeing academics for the Bruins football team. When Karl Dorrell was fired in 2007, defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker
DeWayne Walker
-External links:* *...
took the interim coaching duty for the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl
2007 Las Vegas Bowl
The 2007 Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl was an NCAA-sanctioned Division I post-season college football bowl game between the UCLA Bruins and the Brigham Young University Cougars. The Las Vegas Bowl gets its first choice of bowl-eligible teams from the Mountain West Conference and the fourth/fifth choice ...
. The Bruins lost that game.