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The University of New Mexico ends its football odyssey this Saturday with a Mountain West Conference contest at Wyoming. Kickoff is 1:07 p.m. Mountain Time from War Memorial Stadium (33,500) in Laramie. The game will be televised by SportsWest, which airs locally on KRQE-TV in Albuquerque. It’s the Lobos’ fourth straight road game.
UNM is 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the MWC after a 37-16 loss at Utah last Saturday. The Cowboys are 2-2 in all games and also 0-1 in the league following a 42-16 home setback against Colorado State.
The Lobos have not started 0-2 in conference play since an 0-4 beginning in 1998.
New Mexico has lost five straight road games while the Cowboys have dropped nine straight conference encounters. UW’s last win? Nov. 20, 1999, a 42-28 decision over the Lobos in Laramie.
New Mexico was picked to finish seventh in the eight-team Mountain West Conference by the league’s coaches. Wyoming was predicted to place eighth.
With the postponement of games on Sept. 15, the Lobos are having to play four straight road games between Sept. 8 and Oct. 6. It will be six weeks between UNM’s first home game (UTEP on Sept. 1) and its second (BYU on Oct. 13). The upside is that New Mexico now closes the season with five of its last six games at University Stadium.
The Lobos are the only team in the MWC that has to open the conference season with consecutive road games, at Utah and at Wyoming. BYU has two straight league road games as well – at UNLV and at New Mexico – however, the Cougars have a non-conference home game against Utah State in between trips.
The Lobos finished 5-7 last year in all games and 3-4 in conference play. The five wins are the most in three seasons under head coach Rocky Long and UNM’s best record since going 9-4 in 1997. Wyoming was 1-10 last year, and 0-7 in the MWC.
UNM was picked to finish last out of eight teams in the Mountain West Conference a year ago, but finished in a tie for fifth place with San Diego State and Utah. It marked the second consecutive season UNM exceeded preseason predictions in the conference standings. New Mexico was also picked to finish seventh or eighth in 1999, but tied for fifth.
SEASON TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE
Five-game season tickets are available at the UNM athletics ticket office at The Pit or by calling (505) 925-5626. The tickets are on sale through Oct. 13. Ticket office hours are 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Single-game tickets are available online at tickets.com and at all Albuquerque-area Raley’s stores. Fans can also call (800) 905-3315 or 851-5050 locally to purchase tickets through tickets.com. Prices range from $10-$19. Tickets are also available at the UNM Bookstore on main campus.
UNM-WYOMING SERIES
This is the 54th meeting in a series that started in Laramie in 1930. The Pokes have a 31-22 overall lead and have captured nine of the past 11 since 1986, including seven straight in Laramie. New Mexico has not won on Wyoming’s home field in 19 years, since a 41-20 decision in the 1982 season opener.
The Lobos defeated an injury-depleted Wyoming squad last year, 45-10 in Albuquerque. It’s UNM largest victory margin since a 51-13 triumph over Tulsa in 1997 and it matched the widest ever against a Wyoming team. UNM won 49-14 in 1971 when current head coach Rocky Long was the Lobos’ quarterback.
Last year at University Stadium, Holmon Wiggins rushed for a career-high 168 yards as UNM amassed a season-high 308 yards on the ground. The Lobos established season-highs for points, first downs (27) and total offense (429).
Lobo head coach Rocky Long was Wyoming’s defensive coordinator and secondary coach under Al Kincaid from 1981-85. LOBO HISTORY
The University of New Mexico has a 397-468-31 overall record through 102 seasons, meaning the Lobos are just three victories shy of 400 wins all-time.
UNM was founded in 1889. Three years later, the first football game was played on Oct. 7, 1892, when a team representing UNM played a squad from Albuquerque High School in a vacant lot north of the town’s ice factory. The preps prevailed 5-0.
UTAH RECAP
The Lobos were unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities in the first half and couldnt stop the Utah offense in the second as they fell to the Utes, 37-16. New Mexico has dropped nine of its last 10 games to Utah in Salt Lake City.
The Utes came out of the gate quickly. After a Lobo 3-and-out to start the game, Utah marched 54 yards in five plays to take a 7-0 lead on an 11-yard run by Dameon Hunter.
The Lobos wasted a chance later in the first period. A 27-yard pass from QB Rudy Caamano to WR Joe Manning put UNM at the Utah 10, however, New Mexico was whistled for a personal foul after the play, which pushed the ball back to the 25. The drive stalled and Wes Zunker missed a 46-yard field goal attempt.
The second quarter became a sloppy affair as the two teams combined for five turnovers. The Lobos started the errorfest when Caamano threw his fifth interception of the season. Eight plays later, Lobo safety Scott Gerhardt intercepted a Lance Rice pass. With Casey Kelly now at quarterback for UNM, his first collegiate completion was a 40-yard bomb to WR Dwight Counter to the Utah 16. Kelly later lost the handle on a fake handoff and the Utes recovered at the 15.
Following a Utah punt, New Mexico took over at its own 46. RB Jarrod Baxter broke through for a 31-yard gain to the Utah 10, but fumbled at the end while churning for extra yardage. The Utes returned the favor as safety Terrell Golden took the ball away from QB Ryan Breska at the 9. The Lobos finally scored when Baxter barrelled over from 1 yard out to tie the game at 7-7. It took the Lobos seven plays to cover the nine yards. A Utah pass interference penalty kept the short drive alive.
The Utes took a 14-7 lead into halftime on a 46-yard wide receiver screen.
Momentum switched in UNM’s favor during the first part of the third period. After a Utah punt, the Lobos’ first play of the second half was a 47-yard strike from Kelly to WR Dwight Counter to tie the game at 14. Later, Lobo LB Gary Davis sacked Rice in the end zone for a safety to hand UNM its first lead at 16-14.
It was all Utah after that. The Utes took the lead on a 33-yard field goal with 1:28 left in the third quarter. During that 13-play, 70-yard drive that comsumed 5:35, Utah converted three third downs – the first a 3rd-and-17 – including gains of 34 and 25 yards.
After three straight incomplete passes by the Lobos, Adam Tate scored on a 46-yard run to give the Utes a 23-16 lead. Utah added two more scores in the final quarter.
Utah held the ball for 11:18 of the decisive third quarter, running 23 plays to the Lobos’ 11. New Mexico garnered just one first down in the third period, that coming on the long scoring pass. The Utes dominated time of possession for the game, 34:29 to 25:31.
Utah had 465 yards of total offense, only the second time in the past 16 games UNM has allowed more than 400 yards.
LOBO OFFENSE NOTES
Sophomore QB Casey Kelly (Portland, Ore.) will make his first collegiate start Saturday against Wyoming. Kelly will be the sixth quarterback – and the fifth starter – used by the Lobos since the 1999 season.
Replacing starter Rudy Caamano early in the second quarter at Utah, Kelly saw his first extensive playing time as a Lobo. The former walk-on who was placed on scholarship this fall, Kelly started 13 drives in the final three quarters, guiding the Lobos to 241 yards of total offense. He started 3-of-6 passing for 94 yards and a touchdown, but finished the afternoon 7-of-24 for 124 yards. Kelly was sacked twice and fumbled once.
Kelly completed 21-of-37 passes for 369 yards, six TDs and one interception in the Lobos 46-23 junior-varsity win over Air Force on Sunday, Sept. 9.
Caamano completed just 3-of-11 passes for 41 yards and an interception before leaving. He has a 6-8 record as UNM’s starting quarterback. His 2001 stats: 33-of-94, 5 interceptions, 473 yards and 2 TDs. His efficiency rating is 73.76. It was 122.91 last year.
Senior RB Jarrod Baxter (Albuquerque) narrowly missed his third 100-yard rushing game of the season at Utah. He gained 95 yards on 15 carries, including his team-high fifth TD of the season. Baxter seemed primed for a big day after logging 88 yards on 10 carries at halftime, but rushed just five times in the second half. The 250-pound workhorse moved past Sam Scarber into 15th place all-time at UNM with 1,612 career rushing yards.
Baxter has 429 yards after four games, an average of 107.2 yards to rank 3rd in the MWC. Baxter’s best season at UNM is 570 yards last year.
Sophomore WR Dwight Counter (Lancaster, Calif.) surpassed 100 yards receiving for the second straight game with 4 catches for 107 yards, including a 47-yard scoring strike from QB Casey Kelly. The last Lobo to gain more than 100 yards in consecutive games was All-America Pascal Volz who did it four straight times – and seven total – during the 1997 season.
The past two games, Counter has 9 receptions for 226 yards, a staggering average of 25.1 yards a reception. Counter set career-highs for catches (5) and yards receiving (119) at Baylor. For the season, Counter leads UNM with 15 grabs for 266 yards, 17.7 yards per catch.
New Mexico was 4-of-17 on third down against the Utes. UNM has converted just 22.4% (15-67) of its tries in 2001, including 2-17 in the third period. The Lobos were 31% on third downs last year.
New Mexico had three turnovers (1 interception and 2 fumbles) against Utah and now has lost the ball seven times in the past two games (3 interceptions and 4 fumbles). For the season, UNM has turned it over 10 times (5 interceptions and 5 fumbles). The Lobos lost the ball just 19 times (10 interceptions and 9 fumbles) in 12 games last year.
Self-Inflicted: The Lobos have certainly hurt themselves the past two games, especially when scoring opportunities have been within reach. The list:
Baylor 1st-and-10, Baylor 20 – 5-yard gain to the 15 nullified by an illegal block; ball moved back to the 30…drive stalls and UNM elects to punt
1st-and-goal, Baylor 4 – fumble by QB Rudy Caamano
4th-and-2, Baylor 3 in overtime – fumble by RB Jarrod Baxter
Utah 27-yard pass puts UNM at the Utah 10, but a dead-ball personal foul moves the ball back to the 25…Lobos miss a 46-yard field goal
2nd-and-8, Utah 14 – fumble by QB Casey Kelly
Baxter fumbles at the Utah 10 after a 31-yard run
The Lobos entered the Baylor game having scored all nine times (6 TDs and 3 FGs) they entered the red zone in 2001. New Mexico has struggled, however, the past two games, getting just 10 points in five tries. The three denials have all resulted in fumbles and loss of possession. UNM got one field goal in three tries at Baylor and a 1-yard TD at Utah out of two attempts. UNM has now converted 11 times in 14 penetrations.
LOBO DEFENSE NOTES
Senior lobo Scott Gerhardt (Oklahoma City, Okla.) deflected three pass, including his team-leading third interception of the season. He had two picks in the opener against UTEP. Gerhardt has already equaled the total of last year’s interceptions leader. CB Walter Bernard had three in 2000. Gerhardt leads the leads all active Lobos with six career interceptions.
Gerhardt is 1st in the MWC in passes defensed (6) and tied for first in interceptions (3). Sophomore S Terrell Golden (Los Angeles, Calif.) was named MWC Defensive Player of the Week after Baylor. He established a career-high with 13 tackles, four that came behind the line of scrimmage. Golden is second on the team with 30 stops and leads the MWC with eight tackles for loss. He had nine stops and recovered a fumble at Utah.
After allowing just 81 net rushing yards against predominantly passing teams the first three games, the Lobos were touched for 255 yards by the Utes. That’s the most yards on the ground against a UNM team since Air Force had 283 in the 1999 season finale. The most allowed last year was 222 by Oregon State. The Lobos did not yield a rushing TD the first three games, but the Utes had four. The season average is now 84 yards a game, which ranks the Lobos 1st in the MWC in rushing defense.
Utah’s Dameon Hunter had 177 yards rushing against the Lobos, the most since Oregon State’s Ken Simonton gained 184 yards last year. Only three backs have exceeded 100 yards against the Lobo defense in the past 16 games.
Senior CB Stephen Persley (Fort Worth, Texas) is tied for 2nd in the MWC with five pass deflections.
Senior LB Gary Davis (Greenwood, Miss.) tied a career-high for the second straight week with 11 tackles. One stop was a safety. Davis leads UNM with 34 tackles and is 2nd in the MWC with 3.5 sacks.
Senior LB Mohammed Konte (Albuquerque) set a career-high with 11 tackles against Utah.
LOBO SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
The Lobos missed their first field goal of the season at Utah after true freshman walk-on Wes Zunker (New Braunfels, Texas) sailed a 46-yard attempt wide left. UNM had made its first six tries. Senior K Vladimir Borombozin (Hollywood, Fla.) had a 21-yard FG against Baylor and remains perfect on the season. He is 4-of-4 on FGs and 14-of-19 in his career at UNM. Borombozin has connected on 9 of his last 10 FGs going back to last year. Zunker is now 2-of-3. He was true from 43 yards against Baylor and booted a 51-yarder against UTEP, the first attempt of his career.
Senior Holmon Wiggins (Los Angeles) returned three punts for 11 yards at Utah, increasing his career numbers to 57 returns and 483 yards. The school records are held by Chad Smith: 82 returns and 666 yards.
GAME-DAY COACHING ASSIGNMENTS
Head coach Rocky Long is joined on the sidelines by assistants Blake Anderson (receivers), Bob Bostad (offensive line), Jeff Conway (special teams/running backs) and Lenny Rodriguez (linebackers). Upstairs in the press box are offensive coordinator Dan Dodd, defensive coordinator Bronco Mendenhall, tight ends coach Gerald Bradley and defensive line coach Grady Stretz.
TURNOVER TALLY
UNM is a +16 in turnover margin the past 13 games. The Lobos have caused 37 turnovers (21 interception/16 fumbles) over that span, nearly three a game.
New Mexico is a +2 in turnover margin (12 takeaways to 10 giveaways) in 2001, however, the Lobo offense has scored just three touchdowns and two field goals following the 12 takeaways.
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
Four of the Lobos’ last six losses have been by four points or less. UNM lost conference games last year to Colorado State (17-14), San Diego State (17-16) and UNLV (18-14). New Mexico lost a 16-13 overtime game to Baylor earlier this season.
EXPANDED STADIUM A BIG HIT
The 41-year old home of New Mexico football – University Stadium -received its most significant renovation since it was erected in 1960, and it proved to be a smashing success. A record crowd of 41,771 witnessed the Lobos’ 26-6 victory over UTEP on Sept. 1, crushing the previous mark of 37,156 for Rice in 1997.
While the expanded stadium has just 37,370 fixed seats, UNM was able toshoehorn nearly 4,000 more fans into last Saturday’s game by selling 1,000 bleacher tickets in the south end and standing-room-only spots.
A pavilion now connects the east and west stands for the first time. Renovation on the northwest corner of the stadium was completed last October and includes new concession stands, restrooms, novelty stands and landscaping. The next phase is to renovate the remaining three corners with new facilities.
The highlight of the renovation is a $1.8 million state-of-the-art video scoreboard at the north end of the stadium. Appropriately named LoboVision, the system has instant replay and live-action capabilities. It was financed through corporate sponsorships from PNM, Bank of the West, Isleta Casino & Resort, Albuquerque Publishing, Comcast, Creamland Dairies and AT&T Wireless.
Manufactured by Daktronics, Inc., the entire board measures 60 feet high and 61 feet wide while the videoboard is 21 feet high and 28 feet wide. A staff of 10, including three cameras, is needed to operate the system during a game. Personnel from UNM Media Technology Services will handle all game-day production.
2001 GAME-BY-GAME RECAPS
UTEP (W, 26-6)
FB Jarrod Baxter rushed for a career-high 184 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and the Lobos tied a school record with nine sacks in the 26-6 victory over UTEP. Trailing 6-5, UNM grabbed momentum right before halftime as true freshman Wes Zunker connected on his first collegiate field-goal attempt, a 51-yard boot, to give New Mexico an 8-6 lead. The UNM defense held UTEP scoreless the rest of the game, limiting the Miners to a minus-53 yards rushing, the fourth-stingiest effort in school history. UNM gained 271 yards on the ground, 214 of those coming in the second half.
at Texas Tech (L, 42-30)
Texas Tech used a 100-yard kickoff return in the third quarter to regain momentum and pull away for a 42-30 victory. Following a Lobo field goal that trimmed Tech’s lead to 21-17, Ivory McCann fielded the ensuing kickoff eight yards deep in his own end zone. Going against all conventional wisdom, he raced virtu ally untouched into the end zone. Texas Tech added two more scores to grab an insurmountable 42-17 lead five minutes into the fourth quarter. The Lobos fin ished with two nice scoring drives. Jarrod Baxter had his second straight 100-yard rushing game, carrying 23 times for 106 yards. The last time UNM scored as many as 30 points and lost was in a 52-31 setback to SMU in 1996.
at Baylor (L, 16-13, OT)
Unable to capitalize on several scoring chances, the Lobos fell to Baylor 16-13, in overtime when the Bears booted a 29-yard field goal on their first possession of the extra period. New Mexico scored only three points despite having the ball inside the Baylor 5-yard line on three occasions. UNM fumbled twice, the first error coming at the end of the first half with the Lobos leading 10-3 as QB Rudy Caamano mishandled the snap at the Bears’ 4 on a first-and-goal. The final miscue came in overtime. UNM had a 4th-and-2 at the BU 3, but RB Jarrod Baxter was stripped of the ball as he was heading into what appeared to be a wide open endzone. New Mexico had yet another drive stall in the first half when two penalties pushed it out of field-goal range. UNM had a first down at the Baylor 20 before the infractions. The Lobos tied the game at 13 with 1:40 left in regulation on Vladimir Borombozin’s 21-yard field goal. New Mexico had a 2nd-and-goal at the BU 5, but had to settle for the three points. Caamano passed for a career-high 258 yards.
INJURY UPDATE
Reserve LB Frank Rodgers (torn right ACL at Utah) is out for the season.
LOBOS IN OVERTIME
The Lobos are 1-2 all-time in overtime games, including a 16-13 setback Sept. 22 at Baylor. UNM played two in 1998, winning a 39-36 triple-OT thriller against Utah State and losing to San Diego State 36-33 in a single overtime.
BLOCK PARTY
With two blocks this season (Stephen Persley against Texas Tech; Derrick Shepherd vs. Baylor), the Lobos have rejected seven since the start of the 2000 season.
After having gone 21 straight games during most of 1998 and all of ’99 without blocking a punt, the Lobos established a school record with five blocks in 2000, including one in three of the last five games. UNM rejected three in 1940, ’48 and ’79. The Lobos scored twice on the blocks – both by Persley – against Oregon State and Air Force. Persley (Oregon State/Utah) blocked two while Dave Mauer (Texas Tech), Terrell Golden (Air Force) and Larry Davis (UNLV) had one apiece.
CAPTAINS
New Mexico’s captains for the 2001 season are FB Jarrod Baxter, QB Rudy Caamano, DE Brian Johnson, LB Mohammed Konte and OG Jeremy Sorenson. Baxter was also a captain in 2000. Captains are selected by their teammates.
SEASON TICKET UPDATE
Through Friday, Sept. 28, Lobo fans had purchased 13,201 season tickets, the second-highest total in school history. UNM sold 12,223 last year. It’s the eighth straight year UNM fans have purchased at least 10,000 season tickets. The single-season record is 14,254 in 1998.
GREAT JOB IN SCHOOL
The UNM football team combined to post a 2.59 grade-point-average during the 2001 spring semester. That’s the highest semester GPA by the Lobo gridders since the school began charting grades in 1988. Two of the top-three semester GPAs have occurred under current head coach Rocky Long. The Lobos had a 2.52 GPA in the spring of 2000.
SUCCESSFUL WALK-ONS
Some of the better-known Lobos began their careers as walk-ons, including three of the Lobos five captains. Jarrod Baxter, Brian Johnson and Mohammed Konte all started at UNM without athletics scholarships.
Baxter was a walk-on during the 1997 fall semester under former head coach Dennis Franchione. He was placed on scholarship in January of 1998. Johnson was a 195-pound walk-on running back when he came to Albuquerque in the fall of ’97. He impressed Rocky Long and his staff so much during ’98 spring drills that he received a scholarship that fall. Konte, also a redshirt in ’97, paid his own way for three years before being placed onaid in the fall of 2000.
Newcomers to the walk-on-to-scholarship saga include senior WR Joel Baker, sophomore S Terrell Golden, sophomore QB Casey Kelly, senior FB Sulayaman Konte, sophomore S Justin Millea, junior NT Adrian Terry and sophomore WR Terrence Thomas.
STRONGER EVERYDAY
UNM director of strength and conditioning Mark Paulsen reported in Maythat 34 players lifted 300 pounds or more in the power clean during spring testing. The total in 1998 was just 13.
There were six players with a squat of 500 pounds or more in 1998, a figure that increased more than five-fold to 33 in the spring of 2001. Only four Lobos squatted 550 pounds in 2000 compared to 16 this year.
ATTRACTIVE, DEMANDING SCHEDULE
The 2001 UNM home schedule could be the most attractive in school history. The six visitors to Albuquerque compiled a 44-28 record last year, including 3-1 in bowl games.
UNM’s two oldest rivals – UTEP and New Mexico State – highlight the non-conference docket. The top-four teams in the 2000 MWC standings – Colorado State, Air Force, UNLV and BYU – all travel to Albuquerque in 2001. CSU finished the year 10-2 and No. 14 in the final AP poll. The Rams edged Louisville in the Liberty Bowl. Air Force was 9-3 and beat Fresno State in the Silicon Valley Classic. UNLV was 8-5 and bounced Arkansas in the Las Vegas Bowl.
On the flip-side is that New Mexico is the only team in the Mountain West Conference that opens league play with consecutive road games (Utah and Wyoming). BYU plays its first two MWC contests on the road as well (at UNLV, at UNM), but the Cougars are home against Utah State between road trips.
CLINIC HELPS UNDERPRIVILEDGED KIDS
The eighth annual UNM Women’s Football Clinic was held on August 2, with nearly 150 football-hungry females attending. Consequently, over 500 Albuquerque area children will be able to see a Lobo football game this year as part of the UNM Send-A-Kid Program, which provides tickets for underpriviledged and disadvantaged youth. Since the program was founded in 1994, over 7,000 children have been able to see a Lobo game in person.
WYOMING NOTES
Head coach Vic Koenning (Kansas State ’83) is 3-12 in his second year at Wyoming. He is 0-1 against New Mexico.
In addition to the American flag on the back of their helmets, Wyoming players also wear an emblem to honor the eight members of the UW men’s cross country and track teams who died in an automobile accident the morning of Sept. 16, 2001.
The Cowboys game against Colorado State was similar wo UNM’s game at Utah: UW trailed 17-14 in the third period, but the Rams scored 25 straight points to end the game.
Wyoming is 2nd in MWC in pass offense (271.5 ypg) and 3rd in total offense (390.2 ypg), however, it is last in the league in rushing defense (235.5 ypg), total defense (465.5 ypg) and scoring defense (31.5 ppg).
Sophomore QB Casey Bramlet ranks 1st in the MWC in passing (271.5 ypg) and 2nd in total offense (271.2 ypg). He’s thrown four TD passes, but been intercepted six times.
2000 RECAP
After an 0-3 start, the Lobos won five of their last nine games. UNM went 5-1 during one point in the season before dropping its last three games to finish 5-7.
UNM was the best team in the Mountain West Conference in 2000 in rushing defense (115.3 yards), pass efficiency defense (105.7 rating), sacks (50), time of possession (32:33 average) and turnover margin (+0.67/game).
The Lobos had nearly identical records in 1999 (4-7, 3-4 MWC) and 2000, but the comparison really ended there. UNM’s average margin of defeat in seven losses in 2000 was 11.1 points compared to 16.9 points in 1999. The difference was even more dramatic in conference games: just 8 points in four setbacks in 2000 versus 24.3 points in 1999.
According to NCAA figures, New Mexico tied Arizona State by playing the 46th-toughest schedule in the nation during the 2000 season. The Lobos’ 11 Div. I-A opponents combined for a 60-53 record, a figure that excluded the outcomes against UNM. Among MWC schools, only BYU at No. 41 played a more difficult slate than UNM. The Lobos played six bowl teams in 2000, three from the Mountain West Conference, plus non-league tilts against Texas Tech, Boise State and nationally-ranked Oregon State. Those last three schools combined for a 26-8 regular-season ledger. OSU went 10-1 and pounded Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, part of the Bowl Championship Series.
TEAM DEFENSE
Allowing just 20.8 points and 309.4 yards a game, the 2000 Lobos’ defense was the best, statistically speaking, in 17 years…the 1983 Lobos – when current Mississippi State defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn was the head coach – yielded 19.4 points and 298.1 yards a game…last year, UNM allowed 27.1 points and 371.4 yards a game.
New Mexico finished 17th in the nation in total defense, the school’s best ranking in 38 years…the 1962 WAC champion Lobos also finished 17th, allowing 207.3 yards.
The Lobos allowed less than 21 points a game for only the sixth time in the past 35 years.
New Mexico allowed 6.3 fewer points in 2000 than it did in 1999…that’s the biggest one-season drop in eight years since a 13.3 differential from 1991 (39.4 ppg) to 1992 (26.1 ppg).
New Mexico led the MWC and finished second nationally with 50 sacks for 341 yards in losses, averages of 4.5 a game and 6.9 yards a sack…that’s more than twice as many as the 1999 total of 23…amazingly, the sack total came from 15 different players.
The Lobos allowed 20.8 points a game, however, 5 TDs were scored directly after a UNM offensive turnover or special-teams return…UNM defenders actually allowed just 17.8 ppg.
After forcing just two turnovers the first three games, the Lobos created 25 the last nine games to increase their turnover margin to +8 for the season, a figure that ranked first in the MWC and tied for 20th nationally…the Lobos were opportunistic after opponents’ miscues the past nine games as well, scoring 63 points on eight TDs and three field goals.
New Mexico had a 5-2 record when it committed fewer turnovers than its opponent.
THIS AND THAT FROM 2000
For the first time since 1964, UNM held five straight opponents – Wyoming, Colorado State, Air Force, Utah, San Diego State – to less than 300 yards of offense…the 1964 team kept foes under 300 yards in 10 consecutive games and led the WAC in total defense, allowing just 210.5 yards during a 9-2 season.
The Lobos defeated Wyoming, Air Force and Utah in the same season for the first time since 1982 and only the second time in 14 opportunities.
Only two backs rushed for more than 100 yards against the Lobo defense…UNLV’s Jeremi Rudolph carried 19 times for 106 yards while Oregon State’s Ken Simonton had 184 yards.
The Lobos were 3-10 on 4th-down plays in 2000, and failed in their last 5 attempts…three of those tries were less than a yard.
ROCKY LONG SAYS
(on Utah) — “I thought we had a chance when it was 16-14, but we needed to keep making plays on both offense and defense and we didn’t. I thought we got tired the last few minutes of the third quarter. Physically, they wore us down after that. They got a lot of yards after initial hits, which means we did not tackle all that well. It’s not the way we wanted to start off conference play.”
(on quarterback situation) — “Casey (Kelly) will start this week because he performed better than Rudy (Caamano) has. I thought Casey threw the ball with more velocity and he was more accurate than Rudy has been. We won’t change much offensively with Casey in there. We’ll still run the ball and use play-action passes.”
(on Wyoming) — “We’re facing an explosive offensive team that is similar to Texas Tech. The only difference is that Wyoming may like to run the ball a little more, but they do like to spread it out and throw it around. Wyoming plays extremely hard and the team runs very well. We have got to eliminate mistakes, especially in the red zone, or we will struggle the rest of the season. Our whole team has been inconsistent the past few games.”