Just before Super Bowl LI kicks off Feb. 5, two rescue dogs from New Jersey will get their time in the spotlight in Puppy Bowl XIII on Animal Planet.

The two puppies filmed the rowdy match for the Lombarky Trophy in October, and both have since been adopted and renamed.

Wilma, a pug and shih tzu mix, was discovered by Animal Planet last fall at New Life Animal Rescue in Evesham, Burlington County.

Nyquist, a husky and shepherd mix named for the 2016 Kentucky Derby winner, was found at Bonnie's Animal Rescue Kingdom in Paramus in Bergen County.

Wilma's Puppy Bowl XIII Stats

* Breed - Pug and shih tzu mix

* Color - Gray

* Age - 4 months at shooting, now 7 months

* Team - Fluff

* From -- New Life Animal Rescue, Evesham

Both pups were teammates on Team Fluff and took on Team Ruff, according to a statement from Animal Planet.

"He should have been on Team Ruff," said Bonnie Dickinson, owner of the Paramus rescue, who brought Nyquist to New York City for the filming. "Because he was rough."

Little Wilma has fight in her, too, because she had to fight for her life since she was born. Kim Mangione, founder of New Life Animal Rescue in the Marlton section of Evesham, said that Wilma and her sister were rejected by their mother and she rescued them at two days old.

Nyquist's Puppy Bowl XIII Stats

* Breed - Husky and shepherd mix

* Color - Brown

* Age - 15 weeks at shooting, now nearly 7 months

* Team - Fluff

* From -- Bonnie's Animal Rescue Kingdom, Paramus

Wilma had a serious accumulation of fluids on her brain and could hardly lift her head. She was treated with steroids but it took a while for her to get her strength.

"I also administered tube feeds around the clock every two hours," Mangione said. "It was touch and go and a stressful rollercoaster ride for several weeks, but eventually she grew stronger, and the fluid on her brain decreased."

The Puppy Bowl scouts were interested in Wilma, Mangione said, so when they heard she was doing better they traveled to New Jersey to film a segment on Wima.

"The crew came to my house for an entire day in September to film and put her story together," she said. While she had already been adopted, her new owners let Mangione take her to New York to film the Puppy Bowl.

"Today Wilma is healthy and happy, little sister to two other dogs, and loving life living at the shore with her forever family," she said.

This is the third time that Puppy Bowl has used a dog from New Life Animal Rescue and the second time for Bonnie's Animal Rescue Kingdom.

Dickinson said that she rescued Nyquist from a shelter in North Carolina that used to be so overcrowded that it had a 90 percent euthanasia rate. Now it's 20 percent, she said, thanks to rescues like hers that make regular trips to bring animals north. She has network of foster homes, but no brick-and-mortar animal shelter.

After being fostered, Nyquist was adopted by a family who renamed him Homer and taught him lots of tricks that impressed the Animal Planet staff. She and his owners went to New York for the filming.

"They had people there from all over the United States, and all these dogs in hotels," she said.

This year's three-hour Puppy Bowl will feature a coin toss officiated by none other than the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil. A total of 39 puppies will wrestle, chase and score touchdowns with toys and try to avoid puppy penalties during the silly sporting event. It will be rebroadcast for a total of 10 hours on gameday, Animal Planet said.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.