Box Score | 2016 Season Statistics
DALLAS, Texas — In a game in which the offenses were the stars and main attraction, it was UNM’s defense that came up huge time and again in the fourth quarter when it needed it. The Lobos, holding onto a 45-40 lead, twice made fourth down stops in the final three minutes, and the offense ran for 373 yards as New Mexico evened its record at 3-3 with a 45-40 win over Air Force, a team receiving votes in the national poll.
The Lobos also improved to 2-1 in the Mountain West, and have now won seven conference games in the last two seasons.
Up 35-27 at the break, the Lobo defense forced an immediate three-and-out to open the half, and Lamar Jordan and company went 80 yards in nine plays, with Richard McQuarley scoring UNM’s third 1-yard TD of the game, making it 42-27. Air Force answered with a 20-yard touchdown pass on third-and-16, making it 42-34. The Lobos then got a key score late in the third when after the offense stalled, Jason Sanders bombed a 49-yard field goal that easily had another 15 yards on it. That career-long kick made it 45-34, and kept the game at two scores.
From there the defenses took over. The Lobos forced a punt after a first down, but UNM’s offense stalled as Lamar Jordan went out with a hamstring issue, forcing Austin Apodaca into the game for the first time since injuring his collar bone at Rutgers. The Lobo offense would go four straight drives without a first down, forcing UNM’s defense to have to answer.
Answer they did.
On the next drive the Lobos forced a three-and-out after one of Nik D’Avanzo’s 2.5 tackles for a loss. After another punt, the Lobos finally allowed a score as Air Force went 54 yards in seven plays, cutting the lead to 45-40. The two-point conversion pass was knocked away, keeping it a five-point margin.
Air Force got the ball back with 3:45 to go at its own 37, but the Falcons lost one yard on the drive, with three straight incompletions giving UNM the ball at the Air Force 36. UNM couldn’t get the first down it needed and punted to the 12-yard line, and Air Force with 1:54 left had one last shot.
After a holding penalty and a short completion, Air Force’s Nate Romine somehow flipped an underhanded toss to Tim McVey for a 20-yard gain to the Air Force 40 with just over a minute to go, but the defense forced four straight incompletions with breakups by Lee Crosby and Dakota Cox. UNM then took two kneel downs to end the game.
It looked like there were going to be fireworks in the daytime of the Texas State Fair, as the Cotton Bowl turf saw plenty of offense to the tune of 974 combined yards. UNM scored a season-high 35 points in the first half as Lamar Jordan and the offense had the option working.
The Lobos scored on their opening drive for the third time this season, all in even numbered games, and it took just three plays, a 33-yard run by Tyrone Owens, a 41-yard run by Teriyon Gipson, and a 1-yard touchdown for Richard McQuarley. After holding Air Force to a field goal, UNM scored again when Gipson took a pitch and went 60 yards for a touchdown. It marked the third time this season that he went over the 100-yard mark on his second carry of the game.
Both offenses were just getting started, but UNM would never trail. Jacobi Owens took a very late pitch and went for a 43-yard touchdown to make it 14-10, but UNM answered with a long 12-play drive capped by another 1-yard TD run, this by Owens. Jalen Robinett than broke a tackle for a 53-yard touchdown, but UNM again scored, this time when Jordan hit Gipson with a swing pass for a touchdown, making it 28-17 Lobos with 6:49 left.
Amazingly, there would be three scores in the final two minutes of the half.
Postgame Notes: New Mexico 45, (RV/–) Air Force 40
This was the 34th meeting between the two teams.
Air Force now leads 21-13
New Mexico leads 2-1 at neutral sites
Series is tied at 9-9 in Albuquerque
Air Force lead s 11-2 in Colorado Springs
Starting lineup changes for UNM from published two-deep
Offense: LG 50 Chris Lewis for 77 Charlie Grammel; RT 72 Avery Jordan for 62 Garrett Adcock
Defense: SS 28 Jake Rothschiller for 5 Lee Crosby; RUSH 58 Maurice Daniels for 54 Donnie White
*New Mexico’s captains were Lamar Jordan, Dakota Cox, Daniel Henry and Austin Apodaca
*Steven Romero carried the New Mexico flag onto the field.
*UNM lost the toss for the sixth time this season. UNM received the kickoff for the fifth time this season (only Boise State won and elected to receive).
*New Mexico rushed for 272 yards before it completed its first pass, which came with 6:49 left in the second quarter.
TEAM NOTES:
*New Mexico scored a touchdown on its second possession of the game for the sixth time in six games this season.
*UNM now has hit 82 straight extra points dating back to November 22, 2014.
*Under Bob Davie, UNM has now had a 100-yard rusher 46 times in 56 games.
*New Mexico wore its white and turquoise alternate road for the first time this season, and the third time in the last three years. The win was UNM’s first in those uniforms.
*UNM ended a nine-game losing in games in which it had not recorded a takeaway. The Lobos had lost nine in a row since its last such win, which was on November 8, 2014 when it defeated Air Force 45-37 in Albuquerque.
*UNM has recorded back-to-back wins over Air Force for the first time since winning three straight in the series from 1999-01.
*Both teams averaged 23.3 yards per completion for the game.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
*Teriyon Gipson scored on his second carry of the game, a 60-yard run. It gave him 101 yards on his first two carries, the third time this season he broke the 100-yard mark on his opening two carries.
*Jason Sanders now has the second-longest consecutive PAT streak in school history, passing Joe Hartshorne with his 48th. Justus Adams has the record with 76 in a row. Sanders finished the game with 50.
*Richard McQuarley scored a rushing touchdown for the fifth time in six games this year.
*Tyrone Owens tied his career-high with two rushing touchdowns. He has also scored a touchdown in three straight games.
*Lamar Jordan set a career-high with two touchdown passes.
*Q’ Drennan’s 45-yard catch for a touchdown was the longest of his career.
*Gipson moved into ninth place on the UNM rushing list with 2,405 yards.
*Dakota Cox moved into 11th place in career tackles at UNM, passing Daniel Johnson with 343.
*True freshman Elijah Lilly returned kickoffs for the first time for UNM. He averaged 40.0 yards on four returns with a long of 51.
*Nik D’Avanzo’s 2.5 tackles for loss were a season-highBob Davie Interview: https://youtu.be/bxQ-DbJpy9o
Nik D’Avanzo Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXHjGMDu8cE
Dakota Cox Interview: https://youtu.be/57FxBBoVa-E???????
Teriyon Gipson Interview: https://youtu.be/sW6X2ax5N8Q