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The New Mexico Lobos (5-5, 3-1 MWC) will try to keep their conference title hopes and bowl aspirations alive this Saturday when they visit the BYU Cougars (5-5, 2-3 MWC). Kickoff is 4:07 p.m. Mountain Time from LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. The game will be televised by SportsWest and can be seen locally on KRQE-TV. It can also be picked up on the ESPN GamePlan package. Both teams have won their last two games. UNM is 1-4 on the road.•UNM needs to win two of its last three games to become bowl eligible. The Cougars must win one of their final two. Picked to finish sixth in the MWC preaseason rankings, the Lobos are all alone in second place after nipping San Diego State 15-8 last Saturday in Albuquerque. BYU, predicted to finish third in the loop, is tied for the fifth spot with UNLV. The Cougars edged Wyoming 35-31 last week in Provo. BYU will be playing its third straight home game. •The Lobos are 3-1 in conference play for the first time since 2000. However, UNM dropped its final three conference games that season to finish 3-4. UNM hasn’t been 4-1 in league action in 20 years, since the 1982 team finished 6-1. The lone loss that season was to BYU.•New Mexico will try and do something it hasn’t done in 31 years: win a football game in Provo, Utah. The Lobos have dropped 14 straight at BYU. The last win came in 1971 when current head coach Rocky Long was the starting quarterback and directed UNM to a 14-0 triumph.•The win over San Diego State makes New Mexico a perfect 6-0 following scheduled off weeks in Long’s tenure. UNM has won nine straight in such situations since the last setback in 1996.•New Mexico is 2-4 all-time in overtime affairs, 1-2 this season. The three OT games in 2002 ties an NCAA single-season record held by several schools since the format was introduced in 1996. No school has played four overtime games in one season.•UNM is 4-1 at home this season and will go after its first five-win campaign at University Stadium since 1997 when it hosts Wyoming on Nov. 30. Since the stadium was erected in 1960, the Lobos have won five home games just five times: 1961, ‘62, ‘64, ‘82 and ‘97. New Mexico is 7-2 in its last nine home games overall and 11-4 since the middle of the 2000 season.•The Lobos may have the youngest team in the nation with only eight seniors currently participating. TB Quincy Wright and S David Hall make 10, but both are out for the season with injuries. UNM has three seniors playing on offense – just one starter – and five on defense.•UNM is averaging 31,392 fans after five games. The school record, established last year, is 31,268.•Last year, New Mexico went a bowl-eligible 6-5 overall and 4-3 in the Mountain West Conference. After a 1-3 start, the Lobos won five of their last seven 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. BYU started 12-0 and won the MWC before dropping its last two games, at Hawaii 72-45, and to Louisville in the Liberty Bowl, 28-10. •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.
THE BYU SERIES•The Lobos and Cougars collide for the 52nd time, and they have met every year since 1951. BYU has a commanding 38-12-1 lead in the series, including victories in all three games since the Mountain West Conference was formed in 1999.•The Cougars have won four straight and are 28-2 against UNM since 1972. The Lobos’ only win in the past 21 years came in 1997, a 38-28 decision that paved the way to a WAC Mountain Division title. •Two years ago in Provo, the Lobos suffered their worst defeat of the 2000 season, 37-13. It was the first game at newly-dedicated LaVell Edwards Stadium and it was also Edwards’ final game in Provo. The Lobos trailed just 17-10 at halftime.•Last year in Albuquerque, BYU quarterback Brandon Doman completed a 15-yard TD pass to Andrew Ord with 3:36 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the undefeated and 17th-ranked Cougars a narrow 24-20 victory. Doman set up the game-winner with his 14-yard option keeper on fourth-and-11 from the New Mexico 29. UNM had taken a 20-17 lead with 6:09 remaining on a 19-yard touchdown pass off a reverse from wide receiver Derrick Shepherd to running back Javier Hanson. BYU played without TB Luke Staley. UNM-BYU TIES•Lobo head coach Rocky Long was born in Provo on Jan. 27, 1950, when his father, Rod, was playing football at BYU. UNM defensive coordinator Bronco Mendenhall is from Alpine, Utah. Mendenhall was the secondary coach under Gary Crowton at Louisiana Tech in 1997.•Mendenhall’s father, Paul, and older brother, Mat, played at BYU. In fact, Rod Long and Paul Mendenhall were teammates at BYU. CARDIAC CARE•New Mexico has played four games this season where the outcome has not been decided, for all intents and purposes, until the final snap from scrimmage. •The Lobos have played three overtime games, including two straight in October. UNM lost in OT at Utah State 45-44 on Oct. 19, then followed that up with a 42-35 double-OT win at home against Utah. New Mexico lost at Air Force 38-31 on Sept. 7. The Falcons scored first, then UNM was unable to score on its possession.•At Utah State, the Lobos scored 14 points in a 53-second span to grab a 38-31 lead with 25 seconds remaining in regulation. Terrell Golden’s 59-yard interception – his second pick of the game – staked UNM to the seven-point bulge, but the Aggies scored on a 32-yard Hail Mary on the last play of regulation to knot the score at 38-38. Utah State scored first in overtime. The Lobos answered with a TD, but missed the extra point to end the game.•Utah scored in OT and the Lobos answered with their own TD. New Mexico got the ball first in the second overtime and scored on a 1-yard run. UNM then held the Utes on four downs from the 14.
SAN DIEGO STATE RECAP•Playing their third consecutive heart-stopper, the Lobos held off San Diego State 15-8. A safety with 3:22 left in the final period provided New Mexico with the eventual seven-point margin, but it was far from over. The Aztecs completed a 39-yard pass to the UNM 13 with just over one minute to go. An 11-yard completion on 3rd-and-14 advanced the ball to the 6. With the Aztecs out of timeouts and the game clock winding down, Adam Hall’s final pass attempt was batted away by Lobo LB BIlly Strother, preserving the victory with just seven seconds remaining.•With swirling winds gusting to more than 40 mph, both teams were unable to do much on offense. The normally potent Aztecs passing game was held to 153 yards, or 180 yards below their season average. SDSU finished with just 183 yards of total offense, however, UNM was not much better, gaining only 237. It’s the third straight year that neither team has reached 300 yards in total offense.•San Diego State held an 8-7 lead until early in the fourth quarter. Following a sack and forced fumble by S Terrell Golden that was recovered by fellow S Brandon Ratcliff, the Lobos then marched 64 yards in 10 plays, capped by RB DonTrell Moore’s 1-yard plunge. The big plays on the drive were a 13-yard run by WR Adrian Boyd on 3rd-and-4 and a 25-yard screen pass from QB Casey Kelly to TE Bryan Penley that put UNM 1st-and-goal at the 3.•After a Tyler Gaus punt backed SDSU up to its own 6, Ratcliff and Strother combined to sack Hall in the end zone. The ball squirted out of the back of the end zone for the safety and a 15-8 advantage.
MORE FROM SAN DIEGO STATE•The Lobos beat San Diego State in Albuquerque for the first time since 1983…the Aztecs had won eight straight at University Stadium…it also marked the first time since 1995 that the road team did not win•New Mexico held the Aztecs to less than 10 points for only the third time in the history of the 29-game series…UNM won 28-7 in 1954 and 34-6 in 1956•A week after allowing 440 passing yards to Utah, the Lobos stifled the San Diego State air attack…the Aztecs set season-lows for passing yards (153) and total offense (183)…SDSU came into the game 5th in the nation in passing and was averaging 406.6 yards of offense a game•The nation’s top receiving tandem of J.R. Tolver and Kassim Osgood was handcuffed as well, combining to catch just 8 passes for 105 yards…they came into the game averaging nearly 18 receptions and 256 yards a contest…it was the first time this season that SDSU did not have a 100-yard receiver•The Lobos, losing three fumbles for the first time since a 1998 game against Air Force, had dropped 13 straight games when committing more turnovers than their opponent…San Diego State had two…the last win was 45-14 over Northern Arizona in 1999 when UNM had one miscue and the Lumberjacks were turnover-free•The Lobo defense was spectacular considering San Diego State started four drives inside UNM territory (36, 42, 38 and 46-yard lines) and got just two field goals in the process•The Lobos stopped the Aztecs three times on 4th down and limited SDSU to just 2 of 15 conversions on 3rd-down•New Mexico tied a season-high with 4 sacks…the Lobos had 4 apiece against Weber State and Baylor •S Brandon Ratcliff (Dallas, Texas) and LB Billy Strother (Evansville, Ind.) had huge defensive games…the duo combined on the sack of QB Adam Hall in the end zone that resulted in the fourth-quarter safety and a 15-8 lead…Ratcliff’s fumble recovery late in the third period set up UNM’s 64-yard scoring drive…Ratcliff finished with 7 tackles, including 3 tackles for losses, 1.5 sacks and the fumble recovery…in addition to his game-ending pass deflection, Strother totaled 5 stops, 2 for losses, half a sack, a forced fumble and he blocked a punt•Senior CB Brandon Gregory (St. Louis, Mo.), making only his second career start in 21 games at UNM, grabbed his first career interception on a deflected pass by S Kevin Walton•The beneficiary of the Lobos’ fly-series motion offense was junior WR Adrian Boyd (Flint, Mich.), who carried the ball 9 times for a career-high 64 yards against the Aztecs…Boyd, a seldom-used running back in his first three seasons at UNM, was moved to receiver last spring…Boyd has picked up 166 yards on 27 carries this season, an average of 6.1 yards per attempt…he is also the Lobos’ third-leading receiver with 19 catches for 181 yards •Junior QB Casey Kelly (Portland, Ore.), playing with a soft cast on his broken left arm for the third straight game, has seen his pass efficiency rise from 101.84 to 113.00 the past 3 games, and he has accounted for 8 TDs, 5 passing and 3 on the ground, over that span…Kelly has thrown 94 straight passes without an interception…his last pick was in the third quarter at New Mexico State on Sept. 21…Kelly and Brad Wright are the only Lobos to toss two scoring passes of 80 yards or more in a career •After two straight 100-yard efforts, redshirt freshman DonTrell Moore (Roswell, N.M.) gained 71 hard-fought yards against SDSU, including a 1-yard run that gave UNM a 13-8 lead in the fourth quarter…Moore, who rushed 7 times for 0 yards in the first 3 games as Quincy Wright’s backup, has gained 667 yards in the seven games since…he needs to average 111 yards in the last three contests to become only the second freshman in school history to reach 1,000 yards for a season…Winslow Oliver gained 1,063 yards in 1992…Moore has 400 yards the past 3 games, an average of 133.3 yards •Moore’s 166 yards against Utah State is the 3rd-best effort ever by a Lobo freshman…Reginal Johnson galloped for 232 yards vs. Tulsa in 1996 and Oliver gained 186 yards against Air Force in 1992•Junior OG Calvin McDonald (Leavenworth, Kan.) led the Lobo linemen with 13 knockdown blocks, followed by freshman C Ryan Cook (Albuquerque) with 12…sophomore FB Landrick Brody (Lancaster, Texas) collected 9 KOs in just 27 snaps
OFFENSE NOTES•Red-Zone Efficiency: The Lobos have scored 10 straight times inside the opponents 20-yard line and nine of those have been TDs…the past six games, UNM’s 13 penetrations have resulted in 12 scores, 11 of those TDs…in its first four games, New Mexico entered the red zone 16 times and scored on 12 occasions, although only eight of the scores were touchdowns•New Mexico scored 40 or more points in consecutive games – Utah State and Utah – for the first time since the 1994 season•After averaging 146.8 rushing yards and scoring 9 TDs the first six games, UNM has averaged 238.75 yards and scored 10 times the past four contests…the Lobos had 257 yards at UNLV, 263 at Utah State and 268 against Utah…UNLV was allowing just 99 rushing yards a game, Utah 100.3•Under Rocky Long, the Lobos are 11-4 when rushing for 200 yards or more and 10-2 when gaining 225 or more…the two losses came against Utah State (263 yards) this year and to Colorado State (254 yards) in 1999•Thanks to the enhanced rushing game, UNM’s total offense numbers are on the rise as well…the Lobos have averaged 374 yards of offense the past 3 games, including 483 yards at Utah State and 402 against Utah•New Mexico has scored just once on its opening drive of the game this season…after Weber State fumbled on its first snap from scrimmage, Quincy Wright scored on the next play from 34 yards out• Junior WR Dwight Counter (Lancaster, Texas) caught 3 passes for 100 yards against Utah, the third time in his career he’s eclipsed the century mark…Counter caught an 80-yard TD from Kelly, tying for the 10th-longest in school history…Counter is the first Lobo with two scoring passes of 80 yards or more in a career…he caught an 85-yard TD from Kelly last year against Colorado State•Redshirt freshman WR Hank Baskett (Clovis, N.M.) saw his first action as a Lobo at Utah State and caught 2 passes, both for TDs…he caught a 9-yard pass in the second quarter and had a 12-yard score in overtime…Baskett suffered a spinal concussion during two-a-days on Aug. 14 that required him being taken off the field on a backboard and admitted to University Hospital with minimal movement in his extremeties for several hours…Baskett sat idle for almost two months before being cleared for contact on Oct. 6•UNM had scored in 111 consecutive games, the 15th-longest active streak in the nation, before the 49-0 shutout by Texas Tech on Sept. 27…the last team to blank the Lobos had been BYU (35-0) on Nov. 7, 1992•Lobo tight ends have caught 24 passes for 226 yards and 4 TDs this season compared to last year’s numbers of just 6 catches for 37 yards…Bryan Penley (Victoria, Texas) leads the way with 16 grabs for 167 yards and a team-leading 3 TD catches…that’s the most receptions by a Lobo TE since Brian Johnson caught 18 for 212 yards in 1998•Seventeen different Lobos have scored during the 2002 season
DEFENSE NOTES•In MWC games only, UNM leads the league in rushing defense, allowing 120.5 yards a game…opponents have averaged just 89.8 yards on the ground the past five games•The Lobos have forced 11 turnovers (5 fumbles, 6 interceptions) the past four games compared to 10 in the first six games•The past two games, New Mexico has not allowed any points in the second half of regulation…Utah did score a TD in the first overtime•The first six games, UNM allowed opponents to score 21 out of 24 trips into the red zone…18 of those were TDs…the past 4 games, opponents have been inside the 20 on 12 occasions, but have scored just 8 times and only 5 of those scores have been TDs…UNM has an interception and stopped a drive on downs the past 4 contests•Junior DE Daniel Kegler (Frostproof, Fla.) is second in the MWC with 6.5 QB sacks…two of his sacks have been for safeties•The Lobo defense accounted for 11 points on a touchdown, safety and the school’s first-ever defensive PAT at UNLV…after the Rebels pared the UNM lead to 21-16 with less than 10 minutes left in the game, they went for two…the halfback pass from Larry Croom to QB Kurt Nantkes was picked off by S Brandon Ratcliff and returned about 101 yards for the duece, giving the Lobos a 23-16 advantage •Twice this year, a Lobo has caused a turnover then lateraled the ball off to a teammate for a TD…against Weber State, NT Hebrews Josue stripped QB Tate Bennett and ran 41 yards before handing off to LB Billy Strother who took it the remaining 42 yards…LB Charles Moss intercepted UNLV’s Jason Thomas and advanced it 5 yards before being tackled…Moss pitched to CB Desmar Black who rambled the 25 yards for his first career score•In the 23-0 win over Baylor, UNM allowed just 107 yards, the stingiest effort since holding UTEP to 70 yards in 1983…it ranks as the 10th-lowest total ever yielded by a Lobo team•Junior DE D.J. Renteria (Roswell, N.M.) has recovered four fumbles, 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•Only five backs have eclipsed 100 yards rushing against UNM since the start of the 2000 season, a span of 33 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) and New Mexico State’s Paul Dombrowski (136) this year•The Lobos had held 9 straight opponents to less than 200 yards rushing before Air Force totaled 261 and New Mexico State got 262…only three times in the past 30 games has an opponent reached 200 yards on the ground…the 262 yards by New Mexico State are the most against the Lobos since Air Force had 283 in 1999•It’s been 50 games since UNM allowed 300 rushing yards…San Diego State churned for 349 yards in 1998•UNM’s first three opponents produced 8 scoring drives covering at least 80 yards…in 12 games in 2001, opponents only did that 7 times
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES•Even though he has returned 6 punts for 10 yards the past three games, Dwight Counter is 2nd in the MWC and 21st nationally in punt returns, averaging 13.9 yards…he has 223 yards on 16 returns…Counter scored on a 63-yard return against Weber State…he returned 4 punts for 107 yards against Baylor, the highest single-game 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…the Lobos are 22nd in the nation in punt returns, averaging 13.3 yards•The Lobos have returned 3 punts for TDs in the past 15 games…Counter had the 63-yarder against Weber State on his first career return•UNM has blocked 11 punts since the start of the 2000 season – a span of 33 games…Brandon Gregory (St. Louis, Mo.) stuffed the Air Force punter earlier this year and Billy Strother had one against San Diego State•True freshman P Tyler Gaus (San Diego, Calif.) has punted 51 times for a 39.7-yard average…17 of his kicks have landed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line…UNM is 2nd in the MWC and 20th nationally in net punting at 37.2 yards…only 25 of Gaus’ punts have been returned for a total of 126 yards, an average of 5.0 yards•UNM has punted 221 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, 34 games ago
HIP, HIP, MILLEA•Pronounced muh-LAY, senior Justin Millea (Silver City, N.M.), a former walk-on quarterback turned safety/special teams player then back to quarterback last spring, had one of the most dramatic debuts in school history at UNLV on Oct. 12…thrust into the starting lineup just three days before the contest due to an injury to Casey Kelly and subsequent suspension of true freshman Kole McKamey, Millea rushed 20 times for 148 yards to earn MWC Offensive Player of the Week honors…included in that total was a 73-yard scoring scamper in the third quarter, the Lobos’ longest run in five years, that pushed UNM’s lead to 21-10…Millea also engineered the Lobos’ longest scoring drive of the year at the time – 90 yards – in the second quarter for a 7-0 lead…on the march, Millea rushed 4 times for 54 yards and tossed a 10-yard screen pass to DonTrell Moore to convert a 3rd-and-8•Millea’s rushing total is the most by a Lobo quarterback in 29 years, since Don Woods had 149 yards against Arizona on Oct. 13, 1973…his 73-yard TD run is the longest by a Lobo since TB Reginal Johnson went 79 yards against Northern Arizona in 1997…it’s the longest by a UNM quarterback since David Osborn traversed 85 yards against North Texas in 1982•Millea made his first start at quarterback since the summer of 1998 when he played in the New Mexico North-South All-Star game at University Stadium…he tore his right ACL on the second play of that game
ALTERNATIVE SCORING•UNM has found other ways to put points on the board other than just on offense. A list of “other” scores since the start of the 2000:
2000 (3 TDs)Oregon State:Stephen Persley 20-yard punt return (on a block)Wyoming:Mike Barnett 25-yard fumble recoveryat Air Force:Stephen Persley 19-yard punt return (on a block)
2001 (6 TDs, 2 safeties)UTEP:Terrell Golden safetyat Utah:Gary Davis safetyat Wyoming: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 (4 TDs, 2 safeties, 1 PAT return)Weber State:Daniel Kegler safetyBilly Strother 42-yard fumble recoveryDwight Counter 63-yard punt returnat UNLV:Desmar Black 25-yard interception returnBrandon Ratcliff defensive PAT returnDaniel Kegler safetyat Utah State:Terrell Golden 59-yard interception returnSan Diego State:Safety, ball rolled out of the end zone after a sack
BYU BITS•Head coach Gary Crowton is 17-7 in his second year with the Cougars and 38-20 iin his fourth season as a collegiate head coach. Crowton is 1-0 against New Mexico, •Freshman QB Matt Berry had his best game last Saturday in the Cougars’ 35-31 win over Wyoming. He completed 31 of 45 passes for a career-best 360 yards, including the game-winning toss with less than four minutes remaining. Berry threw three TDs and was intercepted twice. •Senior WR Reno Mahe caught six passes for 80 yards against the Cowboys. Immediately following the game, Mahe went to the hospital where he and his wife, Sunny, celebrated the birth of their first child. Mahe ranks 6th all-time at BYU with 157 receptions and he’s No. 10 with 2,067 receiving yards.•The Cougars have scored in an NCAA-record 348 straight games. BYU was last shutout by Arizona State on Sept. 27, 1975.•BYU is 1st in the nation in net punting, averaging 43.1 yards a kick.•The Cougars gained 532 yards of total offense against Wyoming and are now 18th in the country in that category, averaging 415.9 yards a game. BYU is 84th in total defense at 397.7 yards allowed, including 88th in rushing defense (181.3 ypg).
WORDS FROM ROCKY LONG•(On San Diego State) — “I thought the kids made a lot of plays in critical situations, both offense and defense. We were able to put a lot of heat on the quarterback. That’s the best our defense has played, especially when it came to sudden changes (turnovers). Due to our turnovers, San Diego State started a lot of drives on our side of the field but only got two field goals. The turnovers certainly hampered our offensive effort because I thought we were actually moving the ball on them. The time of possession could have been in our favor even more than it was. We mixed our coverages well and that played a big part in our success. I did not anticipate us to execute as well as we did on defense.”
•(On BYU) — “They played really well against San Diego State and they seemed to be more confident and in-tune against Wyoming. I think they are right back in the thick of things. They have momentum and their quarterback is gaining confidence every week. BYU is big and strong up front on offense and defense. They also have some big linebackers who can really play. They put great pressure on San Diego State and we’ll probably see the same thing. We will have to play our best game of the year. We need to be clicking on both sides of the ball and in the kicking game. I think BYU has a huge advantage because of their success in the past, their tradition and because of their stadium and how many many people are there. But we’re past that stage where that stuff bothers us.”yards, the stingiest effort since holding UTEP to 70 yards in 1983…it ranks as the 10th-lowest total ever yielded by a Lobo team•Junior DE D.J. Renteria (Roswell, N.M.) has recovered four fumbles, 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•Only five backs have eclipsed 100 yards rushing against UNM since the start of the 2000 season, a span of 33 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) and New Mexico State’s Paul Dombrowski (136) this year•The Lobos had held 9 straight opponents to less than 200 yards rushing before Air Force totaled 261 and New Mexico State got 262…only three times in the past 30 games has an opponent reached 200 yards on the ground…the 262 yards by New Mexico State are the most against the Lobos since Air Force had 283 in 1999•It’s been 50 games since UNM allowed 300 rushing yards…San Diego State churned for 349 yards in 1998•UNM’s first three opponents produced 8 scoring drives covering at least 80 yards…in 12 games in 2001, opponents only did that 7 times
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES•Even though he has returned 6 punts for 10 yards the past three games, Dwight Counter is 2nd in the MWC and 21st nationally in punt returns, averaging 13.9 yards…he has 223 yards on 16 returns…Counter scored on a 63-yard return against Weber State…he returned 4 punts for 107 yards against Baylor, the highest single-game 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…the Lobos are 22nd in the nation in punt returns, averaging 13.3 yards•The Lobos have returned 3 punts for TDs in the past 15 games…Counter had the 63-yarder against Weber State on his first career return•UNM has blocked 11 punts since the start of the 2000 season – a span of 33 games…Brandon Gregory (St. Louis, Mo.) stuffed the Air Force punter earlier this year and Billy Strother had one against San Diego State•True freshman P Tyler Gaus (San Diego, Calif.) has punted 51 times for a 39.7-yard average…17 of his kicks have landed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line…UNM is 2nd in the MWC and 20th nationally in net punting at 37.2 yards…only 25 of Gaus’ punts have been returned for a total of 126 yards, an average of 5.0 yards•UNM has punted 221 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, 34 games ago
HIP, HIP, MILLEA•Pronounced muh-LAY, senior Justin Millea (Silver City, N.M.), a former walk-on quarterback turned safety/special teams player then back to quarterback last spring, had one of the most dramatic debuts in school history at UNLV on Oct. 12…thrust into the starting lineup just three days before the cnteQ(|”(|” injury to Casey Kelly and subsequent suspension of true freshman Kole McKamey, Millea rushed 20 times for 148 yards to earn MWC Offensive Player of the Week honors…included in that total was a 73-yard scoring scamper in the third quarter, the Lobos’ longest run in five years, that pushed UNM’s lead to 21-10…Millea also engineered the Lobos’ longest scoring drive of the year