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•The New Mexico Lobos (2-2, 0-1 MWC) hook up with their oldest rival Saturday evening when they meet the New Mexico State Aggies. Kickoff is 6:05 p.m., Mountain Time from Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces. The game will be televised throughout the state of New Mexico by KRQE-TV Channel 13 in Albuquerque.
•Buoyed by its best defensive performance in 19 years, New Mexico is 2-2 for the first time since 1998 after blanking Baylor 23-0. A 3-2 record would be the Lobos’ best start since 1997 when it began 6-0. The win over the Bears snapped a 13-game losing skid against current members of the Big 12, dating to the 1984 season. It’s also UNM’s fifth straight non-conference victory at University Stadium. The Aggies, idle last week, are 0-2 after losses at South Carolina and California.
•The Baylor game did not come without cost as senior RB Quincy Wright was lost for the season after suffering a torn left ACL at the end of a 13-yard run in the first quarter. It was his fourth carry of the game. Wright finished with 21 yards on the night. UNM will explore the option of Wright receiving a sixth year of eligibility in 2003. He was a redshirt in 1998. The procedure calls for UNM to submit information to the Mountain West Conference and the conference, in turn, sends the request to the NCAA. It would be several months before any determination is made on Wright’s behalf.
•Last year’s game versus New Mexico State was originally scheduled for Sept. 15, but was postponed due to Sept. 11 tragedy. NMSU visited Albuquerque Nov. 24 in the finale for both teams.
•New Mexico looks to build upon last year’s strong finish when it went a bowl-eligible 6-5 overall and 4-3 in the Mountain West Conference. After a 1-3 start, the Lobos won 5 of their last 7 games. Picked to finish seventh in the MWC preseason polls, UNM tied Utah for third place. It was just New Mexico’s fifth winning season since 1979. Despite last year’s strong finish, the league’s media projects a sixth-place finish for the Lobos in 2002. NMSU was 5-7 overall last year, 4-2 in the Sun Belt. The Aggies finished second in the league behind Middle Tennessee.•New Mexico has increased its win total by one each of past three seasons: 4 in 1999, 5 in 2000 and 6 in 2001. The only other schools to make that claim are Oregon and Fresno State.
•Thanks to an odd twist in the calender – there are 14 Saturdays from Labor Day weekend until Nov. 30 as required by the NCAA – teams are able to play 12 regular-season games in 2002. Schools will also be allowed to schedule a dozen in 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2014. The BCA Bowl against NC State was an exempt game, thus giving UNM 13 tries this year. New Mexico has played 13 games only one time in school history. The 1997 squad finished 9-4, including a Western Athletic Conference division title and an appearance in the Insight.com Bowl.
SEASON TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE•Season tickets for UNM’s remaining four home games are currently available at the UNM Athletic Ticket at The Pit. Season tickets will be on sale through the Texas Tech game on Sept. 27. Call (505) 925-LOBO for information.
•Through noon on Friday, Sept. 13, Lobo fans had purchased more than 14,000 season tickets, easily eclipsing last year’s total of 13,202. It’s the ninth straight season New Mexico has sold at least 10,000 season tickets. The school record of 14,254 set in 1998 is in jeopardy.
THE NEW MEXICO STATE SERIES•UNM’s oldest series – 92 previous games – dates to 1893. In fact, the two institutions played six games – between 1893-1911 – before the territory of New Mexico joined the Union in 1912.
•The Lobos have a 60-27-5 lead in the series, although the schools have split the past four games. New Mexico has dominated since 1969, winning 27 of 33 meetings with one tie. UNM has a 36-12-3 advantage in Albuquerque, including 15-2-1 in the last 18 games at University Stadium. The Lobos lead 24-15-2 in Las Cruces.
•UNM won 53-0 last year, posting its first shutout since 1984, a span of 208 games. It’s the Lobos’ widest winning margin over NMSU since a 61-0 blanking in 1948. New Mexico had a season-high 350 yards rushing. The Aggies were held to 79 yards on the ground.
•Two years ago in Las Cruces, Holmon Wiggins set up the eventual game-winning score with a 77-yard punt return and LB Gary Davis picked off a K.C. Enzminger pass with 1:32 left as New Mexico won 16-13. The Lobos overcame a 13-3 fourth-quarter deficit and prevailed despite gaining just 168 yards of offense. It was UNM’s first win of the season after three losses.
•Including the 2000 game in Las Cruces, the Lobos have held the Aggies scoreless for the past six quarters.
UNM HISTORY•The University of New Mexico has a 404-472-31 overall record in its 104th season.
•UNM was founded in 1889, although the territory of New Mexico was not granted statehood until 1912. Three years later, the school’s 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.
INJURY UPDATE•In addition to Wright, sophomore TE Mike Augustyniak (right MCL) will be out for 2-4 weeks. K Wes Zunker (strained right quadricep) is questionable.
MORE ON WRIGHT•In RB Quincy Wright, the Lobos lose a player that head coach Rocky Long described in the following way: “In a very short time, he developed into the heart and soul of our offensive football team.”
•A virtual bit player on special teams in his first three years at UNM, Wright’s senior season of collegiate football looked to be nothing short of colossal before the non-contact injury on Sept. 14…he came into the Baylor game ranked 3rd in the nation in rushing, averaging 158.3 yards a game…he was 6th nationally in all-purpose yards at 202.3 a game and had scored 32 points in three games…he even had a hand in the Baylor win before going down…Wright tossed an 18-yard TD to TE Bryan Penley that gave the Lobos a 7-0 lead
•Wright’s season-ending numbers: 67 carries, 496 yards, 7.4 ypc and 4 TDs…8 receptions, 132 yards and a TD
•Wright broke a 25-year-old school record against Weber State when he rushed for 265 yards, including 3 TDs…he gained 145 yards on 25 totes at Air Force…his 410 yards rushing is the highest consective-game total in school history…Wright scored on runs of 34 and 63 yards against Weber State and on a 48-yard screen pass at Air Force
NEW MEXICO STATE NOTES•QB Buck Pierce leads the Sun Belt Conference in pass efficiency with a 139.19 rating. Pierce has completed 29 of 43 passes for 328 yards, no interceptions and 1 TD. He’s started his Aggie career with 100 pass attempts without an interception. Pierce is also NMSU’s leading rusher with 126 yards on 33 carries.•NMSU is averaging 190.5 yards rushing and 184 yards passing.•The Aggie offensive line averages 6-3 and 319 pounds. •Head coach Tony Samuel (Nebraska ‘79) has a 19-39 record in his 6th year at New Mexico State. Samuel is 2-3 against the Lobos, 1-1 in Las Cruces. A victory Saturday would make Samuel the first head coach since Warren Woodson to defeat the Lobos at least three times. Woodson did so seven times from 1958-67.
WORDS FROM THE HEAD COACH•(on Baylor) — “I thought our kids did a nice job of responding after being disappointed last week (at Air Force). We played great defense and held the ball long enough to put a couple of scores in there and win the game. We missed out on a couple of scoring opportunities early. It could have come back to haunt us if we weren’t playing such great defense.”•(on the loss of Quincy Wright) — “I feel more sorry for him than I do for the team because he is such a great kid. Quincy was having such a great year. He handles himself so well and he’ll handle this well.”•(On New Mexico State) — “They are really balanced on offense. They run and throw effectively. They do a lot of good things on offense like they always have. Buck Pierce is a threat throwing and running. They have played two quality opponents in Cal and South Carolina. There’s a reason they moved the ball against those teams. The week off gave them some time to make some adjustments in schemes, so they have an advantage over us in that respect. I’m sure they will be healthy and excited to have us in their stadium. This has turned into a very good series the past few years. We got some breaks last year and I know they were really banged up with injuries to some key players. It should be a great football game Saturday in Las Cruces.”
BAYLOR RECAP•After a few unsettling performances to start the year, the New Mexico defense of old made its presence felt in a convincing 23-0 victory over Baylor. UNM stifled the Bears from start to finish, allowing just 107 yards, the stingiest effort since holding UTEP to 70 yards in 1983. It ranks as the 10th-lowest allowance of yardage all-time by a Lobo team.
•Despite the victory, UNM wasted several scoring opportunities. QB Casey Kelly fumbled near the goal line with Baylor recovering for a touchback. The Lobos lost another fumble at the Bears’ 26 and also missed a pair of field goals. UNM was at or inside Baylor’s 25-yard line 10 times.
•UNM took a 7-0 lead with a bit of trickery. After Baylor muffed a punt return, the Lobos took over on the Bears’ 18. On the first play, RB Quincy Wright found TE Bryan Penley on the halfback pass.
•The Lobos drove to the Baylor 1, but lost possession when Kelly fumbled the ball while attempting to stretch it over the goal line. Later in the second quarter, K Wes Zunker misfired on a 43-yard field goal, followed by another miss by sophomore Matt Goldstein from 28 yards out. UNM went into the half with a 7-0 lead, despite outgaining Baylor 156-32 through the first two quarters.
•Redshirt freshman DonTrell Moore stepped in for Wright and gained 93 yards on 22 carries. Moore scored his first touchdown as a Lobo, a 2-yard plunge to give UNM a 14-0 lead midway through the third quarter. Goldstein chipped in with a 32-yard field goal with 2:21 left in the third, then connected again from 32 and 26 yards in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring.
•Thanks to the defense, the Lobos only had to travel 129 yards for their five scores. UNM scored 17 points following three BU fumbles.
•Average field position for the game: New Mexico the Baylor 49; Baylor its own 22.
MORE FROM BAYLOR•UNM had a crowd of 30,013, the third straight game in excess of 30,000, a first for the Lobo program
•The Lobos have recorded shutouts in two of their last three home games
•New Mexico came in allowing 32 points and 392.3 yards a game while the Baylor offense had scored 72 points and gained 948 yards in its first two contests
•Of the Bears’ 57 offensive plays, only 24 gained yardage
•Redshirt freshman DonTrell Moore (Roswell, N.M.) performed admirably in Wright’s absence, gaining 93 tough yards on 22 carries…bothered by a sprained knee himself during the preseason, Moore had just 7 carries for no yards the first three games
•Junior WR Dwight Counter (Lancaster, Texas) caught 3 passes for 25 yards…Counter has at least 1 reception in 15 straight games…his career numbers: 65 catches for 988 yards…Counter also returned 4 punts for 107 yards, the highest total since Chad Smith set a UNM record with 142 yards on 7 returns against UTEP in 1996…Counter’s 74-yard return against Baylor – which was not a TD – ties for the 7th-longest in school history
•Sophomore OG Claude Terrell (Texas City, Texas) and junior OT Jason Lenzmeier (Frisco, Texas) both graded at 96%…Terrell had 10 knockdowns, Lenzmeier 9…C Justin Colburn (Westminster, Colo.) continues to lead the team with 45 KOs
•Sophomore LB Nick Speegle (Albuquerque) tied for team honors with 7 tackles, including a career-high 2 sacks…he also had a tackle for loss…Speegle is second on the team with 30 tackles
•Junior S Brandon Ratcliff (Dallas) had a season-high 7 stops with a sack and a TFL…Ratcliff leads the team with 5 stops behind the line
•Junior DE D.J. Renteria (Roswell, N.M.) recovered a fumble for the fourth straight game, a figure that leads the MWC…the UNM single-season record for fumble recoveries is 5 by Tom Cole in 1984 and Charles Butler in 1994…Renteria has 5 recoveries for his career
•Senior S David Hall (Fort Myers, Fla.) caused two fumbles that led directly to Lobo scores…Hall popped the Bears’ Bobby Hart after the muffed punt and Domingo Villarruel recovered at the 18…the Lobos scored their first TD on the next play…Hall’s second hit came late in the third period when he submarined Baylor RB Jonathan Golden on 3rd-and-2…Hall recovered as well and UNM went on to kick a field goal
•New Mexico lost its first fumbles of the year by offensive players: QB Casey Kelly and TE Mike Augustyniak
•Junior WR Adrian Boyd (Flint, Mich.) tied a career high with 4 catches for 30 yards and rushed twice for 12 yards…Boyd is second on the team with 11 receptions
OFFENSE NOTES•UNM has scored in 110 consecutive games, the 15th-longest active streak in the nation…the last team to blank the Lobos was BYU (35-0) on Nov. 7, 1992
•Casey Kelly is now 7-4 as starter…after completing just 47% of his passes last year, Kelly sits at 58% (64-110) through the first 4 games…his percentage should be better as no less than 10 of his aerials have been dropped this season…Kelly’s 75% completion rate (12-16) against Weber State is his best single-game accuracy while at UNM
•Kelly has completed passes to at least 7 different receivers in each of the first 4 games…he found 9 different ball-catchers in the season opener at North Carolina State
DEFENSE NOTES•The effort against Baylor moved the Lobos from 87th in the nation into a tie for 46th in total defense…UNM is allowing 321 yards a game
•After just 5 sacks the first three games, the Lobos had 4 against the Bears…from 2000-01, UNM ranked 6th nationally with 76 sacks
•Only four backs have eclipsed 100 yards rushing against UNM since the start of 2000, a span of 27 games: Oregon State’s Ken Simonton (184) and UNLV’s Jeremi Rudolph (106) in 2000, Utah’s Dameon Hunter (177) in 2001 and Air Force’s Leotis Palmer (125) this season
•The Lobos had held 9 straight opponents to less than 200 yards rushing before Air Force totaled 261…only twice in the past 24 games has an opponent reached 200 yards on the ground against UNM
•It’s been 44 games since UNM allowed 300 rushing yards…San Diego State churned for 349 yards in 1998
•UNM’s first three opponents manufactured 8 scoring drives covering at least 80 yards…in 12 games in 2001, opponents only did that 7 times
•Foes converted 58% (28-48) of their 3rd-downs the first three games before Baylor was held to 2-of-15…UNM only allowed 34% all of last year…NC State was an unsettling 67% (10-15) on 3rd downs, the best percentage against the Lobos since Air Force made 73% (11 of 15) in a 56-14 win on Oct. 3, 1998…the Wolfpack gained 181 yards on those 10 conversions, including TDs of 21, 1 and 50 yards, respectively
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES•Dwight Counter leads the nation in punt returns, averaging a whopping 34 yards on 5 returns…he scored on a 63-yard return against Weber State and took one back 74 yards – for no score – against Baylor…the Lobos are 2nd in the nation in punt returns, averaging 28 yards on 7 returns
•The Lobos have returned 3 punts for TDs in the past 9 games…Counter had the 63-yarder against Weber State on the first return of his career…one of the previous scoring returns – last year versus New Mexico State – was the result of a blocked punt
•UNM has blocked 10 punts since the start of the 2000 season – a span of 27 games…Brandon Gregory (St. Louis, Mo.) stuffed the Air Force punter earlier this season
•True freshman P Tyler Gaus (San Diego, Calif.) has punted 19 times for a 40.8-yard average…8 of his kicks have landed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line…UNM is 2nd in the MWC and 13th nationally in net punting at 39.7 yards…only 4 of Gaus’ punts have been returned for a total of 8 yards
•New Mexico led the MWC in kickoff coverage last year, allowing just 18.6 yards a return…the Lobos are off to a good start in 2002 as well as opponents have returned 11 kicks for a 16.3-yard average
•UNM has punted 183 consecutive times without having a kick blocked…the last rejector was Air Force’s Buck Hodgkinson, who did so in the first quarter of the 1999 season finale, 28 games ago
CAPTAINS•New Mexico’s four captains were selected last spring by a vote of the team. The offensive captains are both juniors, QB Casey Kelly and WR Dwight Counter. NT Hebrews Josue and LB Charles Moss – both seniors – are the defensive captains.
ALTERNATIVE SCORING•The Lobos have definitely found ways to put points on the board other than just on offense. Here’s a list of “other” scores since the start of the 2000 season:
2000 (3 TDs)Oregon State:Stephen Persley 20-yard punt return (on a block)Wyoming:Mike Barnett 25-yard fumble recoveryAir Force:Stephen Persley 19-yard punt return (on a block)
2001 (6 TDs, 2 safeties)UTEP:Terrell Golden safetyUtah:Gary Davis safetyWyoming:Stephen Persley 6-yard interception returnDavid Crockett 17-yard interception returnAir Force:Stephen Persley 25-yard fumble recoveryHolmon Wiggins 47-yard punt returnColorado State:Terrell Golden 24-yard fumble recoveryNew Mexico State:Amos Wilson 30-yard punt return (ona block)
2002 (2 TDs, 1 safety)Weber State:Daniel Kegler safetyBilly Strother 42-yard fumble recoveryDwight Counter 63-yard punt return
BLOCK PARTY•The Lobos have rejected 10 punts since the start of the 2000 season, or the past 27 games. Four of the rejections have been returned for scores over that span. 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. The year-by-year blocks:
2000Texas Tech:Dave MaurerOregon State:Stephen Persley (TD by Persley)Air Force:Terrell Golden (TD by Persley)Utah:Stephen PersleyUNLV:Larry Davis
2001Texas Tech:Stephen PersleyBaylor:Derrick ShepherdSan Diego State:Derrick ShepherdNew Mexico State:Tony Mazotti (TD by Amos Wilson)
2002Air Force:Brandon Gregory