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LOBOS ESCAPE WITH FIRST WIN IN WYOMING SINCE 1982
The University of New Mexico defense intercepted three passes, returning two for touchdowns, and Wyoming kicker Jarvis Wallum missed a potential game-tying extra-point in the final minute as the Lobos hung on to register a heart-stopping 30-29 victory over the Cowboys at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyo., Saturday afternoon. The win, UNM’s first in Laramie since 1982, snapped the Lobos’ three-game losing streak and improved their record to 2-3 overall, 1-1 in the Mountain West Conference. Wyoming fell to 2-3, 0-2.
“Sometimes it doesn’t matter how you win,” said UNM head coach Rocky Long. “When you win, you have to be happy.”
New Mexico appeared to have the game wrapped up, leading 23-16 late in the fourth quarter, when CB David Crockett intercepted a Casey Bramlett pass and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown. The play boosted the UNM lead to 30-16 with just 4:15 remaining. On Wyoming’s ensuing possession, Bramlett found receiver Brock Ralph behind the secondary for a 66-yard scoring strike, bringing UW to within seven, 30-23. The Cowboy defense forced a Lobo punt, and Wyoming had an opportunity to tie the game with 1:29 remaining. Bramlett hit Ralph for a 27-yard gain to the Lobo 20-yard line, then found Malcolm Floyd in the end zone to bring the Cowboys to within one, 30-29 with 21 seconds left. Wallum, who had been 8-8 on extra-point attempts on the season, missed his kick right and the ball clanged off the upright, where it was recovered by UNM’s Stephen Persley. Wyoming’s onside kick was unsuccessful, and the Lobos ran out the clock for their first win since the season-opener against UTEP.
“I thought that two or three times we took charge of the game,” said Long. “Wyoming made some big plays in the passing game to come back, but I thought we deserved to win this game. We outplayed them.”
The UNM defense set the tone early on, intercepting Bramlett passes on each of the Cowboys’ first two possessions and turning the miscues into 10 points. On Wyoming’s second play of the game, Charles Moss picked off a pass which had been deflected off Persley. UNM would eventually convert on Vladimir Borombozin’s 31-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.
The Lobos got another lucky bounce on Wyoming’s next series, as a Bramlett pass deflected off receiver Scottie Vines, into the hands of Persley, who waltzed five yards into the end zone for a touchdown and a 10-0 UNM advantage. It was UNM’s first interception return for a score since Scott Gerhardt did so vs. Utah in 1998.
The UNM offense did not put points on the board until late in the second half, after Wyoming had cut the lead to four, 10-6, on a pair of Wallum field goals. Sophomore Casey Kelly, making his first career start, led the Lobos on a seven-play, 80-yard drive, culminating in a five-yard touchdown pass to TE Joe Fiola to give the Lobos a 17-6 lead with just 43 seconds left in the half. Fiola, a junior, had the first two receptions of his career on the afternoon. Kelly, who completed his first five passes of the game, was 4-4 on the drive for 71 yards and ended the first half 11-14 with 144 yards.
In the second half, Borombozin connected on a 36-yard field goal with 5:56 remaining in the third quarter to give New Mexico a seemingly comfortable 20-6 lead. The scoring drive took up nearly five minutes and encompassed 14 plays, as Kelly converted three third-downs. Wyoming came right back down the field and scored, however, as Derek Armah found the end zone on a two-yard run to bring the Cowboys within a touchdown, 20-13. Kelly threw his first career interception on the next series and Wallum kicked a 43-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 20-16.
Kelly ended up throwing for 211 yards on 20 of 30 passing with one interception and one touchdown. The showing was solid, especially considering UNM ranked last in the nation in completion percentage (33.3%) coming in to the game.
“Casey showed a lot of poise today,” said Long. “He really threw the ball well and scrambled for some first downs. He played like a mature quarterback and gave us a chance to win. I was proud of his performance.”
The Lobos managed just 131 yards rushing, after averaging 184 per game coming in. Wyoming outgained UNM 392-342 overall, but the Cowboys managed just 28 yards on the ground. New Mexico was also 7-18 (39%) on third-down conversions after going just 15-67 (22%) in the first four games. Defensively, UNM linebacker Gary Davis registered 3 sacks and a game-high 13 tackles, while Daniel Kegler had five tackles, including four for loss and a fumble recovery.
UNM returns to the gridiron next weekend, hosting 19th-ranked Brigham Young at 1 p.m. (MDT) at University Stadium. It will be the Lobos first home game in six weeks, since opening the season against UTEP on Sept. 1.
UNM10-7-3-10—30WYO0-6-10-13—29
Scoring summary1st QuarterUNM11:39, Borombozin 31-yd FGUNM 3, Wyoming 0
UNM10:25, Persley 5-yd interception return (Borombozin kick)UNM 10, Wyoming 0
2nd QuarterWYO14:50, Wallum 34-yd FGUNM 10, Wyoming 3
WYO7:09, Wallum 34-yd FGUNM 10, Wyoming 6
UNM0:43, Fiola 5-yd pass from Kelly (Borombozin kick)UNM 17, Wyoming 6
3rd QuarterUNM5:56, Borombozin 36-yd FGUNM 20, Wyoming 6
WYO3:30, Armah 2-yd TD run (Wallum kick)UNM 20, Wyoming 13
WYO1:12, Wallum 43-yd FGUNM 20, Wyoming 16
4th QuarterUNM8:35, Borombozin 29-yd FGUNM 23, Wyoming 16
UNM4:15, Crockett 17-yd interception return (Borombozin kick)UNM 30, Wyoming 16
WYO3:21, Ralph 66-yd pass from Bramlett (Wallum kick)UNM 30, Wyoming 23
WYO0:21, Floyd 20-yd pass from Bramlett (kick failed)UNM 30, Wyoming 29
UNM Stats: Rushing – Baxter 23-47; Manning 5-25.Passing: Kelly 20-30, 211 yards, 1 TD, 1 INTReceiving: Counter 5-99, Manning 5-65