The formula is very simple for the New Mexico Lobos (6-6, 4-2 MWC) this Saturday: Defeat the Wyoming Cowboys (2-9, 1-5 MWC) and UNM gains its second bowl berth in the past 41 years. A loss ends the season. Its the regular-season finale for both teams. Kickoff is 12:07 p.m. Mountain Time from University Stadium in Albuquerque. 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. New Mexico saw its three-game winning streak and conference title hopes end last Saturday in Fort Collins, Colo., as it suffered a courageous 22-14 setback at the hands of the MWC-leading and nationally-ranked Colorado State Rams. CSU clinched the league crown with the victory. Picked to finish sixth in the MWC preaseason rankings and landing just one player on the preseason all-conference team, the Lobos remain all alone in second place in the league. Wyoming did not play last week. After starting the season 2-4, the Lobos have won three of four and four of six. Despite the Cowboys record they have given conference foes all they can handle. Wyomings five league losses have been by 8, 4, 1, 4 and 5 points, respectively, an average of just 4.4 points.A victory would give UNM five conference wins, a number attained only six times in school history: 5-1 in 1952, 58, 70 and 71; 6-1 in 1982 and 6-2 in 1997.
TICKET PROMOTIONS/GAME-DAY SPONSORSFans who bring a non-perishable food item to the ticket office this week or to the ticket booths at University Stadium on Saturday can get a football game ticket for just $7, which is half-price. The food drive benefits the Albuquerque Rescue Mission. For an additional $2, fans can purchase a ticket to the UNM women’s basketball tournament Saturday evening. Additionally, football season-ticket holders are eligible to purchase the $2 women’s basketball ticket and women’s basketball season-ticket holders can buy the half-price football ticket just by showing their respective game tickets.The Wyoming game is sponsored by AT&T Wireless and 610 The Sports Animal. Its also Fan Appreciation Day with giveaways throughout the game, plus fans will receive water bottles as they enter the stadium. UNMs 10 seniors will be recognized prior to kickoff.
TICKET OFFICE HOURSThe ticket office at The Pit will operate the following hours during the Thanksgiving holiday: 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; closed Thursday; open at 3 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. on Saturday.
QUICK HITSThe last time the Lobos ended a regular season this late was 1963, however, the Dec. 7 finale at Arizona 39 years ago was the result of games being postponed due to the assassination of President Kennedy on Nov. 22. The last regularly-scheduled season that ended this late was Nov. 30, 1956, a 14-12 loss to BYU in Albuquerque. This is also the first time UNM has played 13 regular-season games.New Mexicos last bowl appearance was 1997 at the Insight.com Bowl in Tucson. The Lobos fell to Arizona on the Wildcats home turf, 20-14. Prior to that, UNMs most recent postseason showing was 1961 in the one-time-only Aviation Bowl in Dayton, Ohio. The Lobos upended Western Michigan, 28-12. The past three games, the New Mexico defense has allowed just 28 points (one TD, seven field goals), 243 yards rushing, 380 yards passing and 623 yards of total offense. Wyoming ranks 18th in the nation in pass offense at 280.6 yards a game. Out of 117 NCAA Div. I-A teams, the Cowboys rank 104th in rushing defense (197.9 ypg), 116th in pass defense (296.1), 115th in total defense (494.0) and 102nd in scoring defense (34.8 ppg).The Lobo defense has not yielded a touchdown in the second half of regulation in their last four games. Utah did score a TD in the first overtime on Oct. 26. Since that time, though, San Diego State, BYU and Colorado State have registered just two field goals after halftime.A victory Saturday will give New Mexico the distinction of being the only school in the nation to increase its win total every year since 1999: The Lobos had 3 wins in 1998, 4 in 1999, 5 in 2000 and 6 in 2001. The only other schools to make that claim between 1999-2001 were Oregon and Fresno State, however, the Ducks and Bulldogs will not surpass their totals from last season.UNM is 4-1 at home this year and will go after its first five-win campaign at University Stadium since 1997. 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 need a crowd of 30,650 Saturday to set an attendance record for the second straight season. UNM is averaging 31,392 for five games. The school records, established last year, were 187,608 for overall attendance, and an average of 31,268.UNM head coach Rocky Long was Wyomings defensive coordinator and secondary coach under Al Kincaid from 1981-85.After losing to Air Force in the conference opener on Sept. 7, New Mexico won four straight league games for the first time since 1982. The Lobos are 5-2 in November the past two years. Both losses came against Colorado State. UNM was 1-9 in November from 1998-2000. 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 overall, but both are out for the season with injuries. UNM has three seniors playing on offense and five on defense.In addition to getting their first victory at BYU since 1971, the Lobos also collected their first win against San Diego State in Albuquerque since 1983 and their first-ever triumph at UNLV.The win over San Diego State on Nov. 9 makes New Mexico a perfect 6-0 following scheduled off weeks under Rocky Long. UNM has won nine straight games in such situations since the last setback in 1996.New Mexico is 2-4 in overtime, 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.Last year, New Mexico went a bowl-eligible 6-5 overall and 4-3 in the MWC. 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 Mexicos fifth winning season since 1979. 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.SENIOR FAREWELLTen Lobo seniors will be recognized before Saturdays game. RB Quincy Wright is a senior, however, UNM will attempt to get another year of eligibility for the Los Angeles native who was injured in the first quarter of the fourth game against Baylor. Safety David Hall is also out with a dislocated wrist. The 10 seniors:CB Desmar BlackEdmond, Okla.CB David CrockettGardena, Calif.WR Jake FarrelNewbury Park, Calif.CB Brandon GregorySt. Louis, Mo.S David HallFort Myers, Fla.NT Hebrews JosueFort Pierce, Fla.WR Joe ManningLancaster, CaliforniaQB Justin MilleaSilver City, N.M.LB Charles MossDallas, TexasRB Quincy WrightLos Angeles, Calif.
THE WYOMING SERIESIts the 55th meeting in a series that began in 1930 when Wyoming won 19-6 in Albuquerque. The Pokes have a 31-23 lead, although UNM has won two straight for the first time since a three-game run between 1978-80. The Lobos have a 2-1 margin in MWC games. Wyoming leads 16-12 in Albuquerque. Despite the Lobos recent success, UW has still won nine of the past 12 meetings since 1986.The Lobos won 30-29 last year, ending a seven-game drought in Laramie that dated to 1982. UNM had a 30-16 lead with 4:15 left before the Cowboys scored two TDs in the final 3:20 to creep within a point. Wyomings missed PAT with 21 seconds to go was the difference. The Lobos returned two interceptions for TDs. It was the first collegiate start for Lobo QB Casey Kelly, who completed 20 of 30 passes for 211 yards, one TD and one interception. UNM won 45-10 in Albuquerque in 2000, tying for the biggest winning margin against UW (49-14 in 71). The Lobos had 429 yards and six sacks.
UNM HISTORYThe Lobos have a 408-476-31 overall record in their 104th season.UNM was founded in 1889, although the territory of New Mexico was not granted statehood until 1912. Three years later, the schools 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.COLORADO STATE RECAPThe turnovers eventually caught up with New Mexico in the 22-14 loss at 20th-ranked Colorado State. Outplaying the Rams statistically, a pair of early fumbles were too much for the Lobos to overcome as they fell behind 19-0.CSU got on the board first when Tyler Gaus punt was blocked and the ball rolled out of the end zone for a safety. UNM had not had a kick blocked since the last game of the 1999 season, a span of 230 punts. The Rams added a field goal later in the first quarter for a 5-0 lead. On the Lobos next possession, TB DonTrell Moore fumbled and CSU recovered at the UNM 26. Six plays later, Bradlee Van Pelt scored from three yards out to increase the margin to 12-0 with one minute left in the first period.Midway through the second quarter and with UNM marching, Moore again fumbled at the end of a 12-yard run. The ball was stripped by Adam Wade, who ran nine yards before lateraling to teammate Rhett Nelson, who took it the final 54 yards as the Rams grabbed a 19-0 lead. The Lobos finally countered with a 17-play, 78-yard drive, culminating in a 1-yard TD run by backup QB Justin Millea.On CSUs opening drive of the second half, the Lobos forced a fumble of Van Pelt and took over at midfield. However, UNM was unable to capitalize on the turnover. The Rams came back with a 46-yard field goal to make it 22-7. After a short Colorado State punt, the Lobos went 38 yards in six plays to trim the deficit to 22-14. Moore, who finished with 181 rushing yards on 30 carries, scored on a 12-yard run on 4th-and-1.In the fourth quarter, New Mexico started on its own 11 following a punt. UNM marched to the CSU 34 but were stopped on downs with 3:11 to go. The Rams picked up two first downs to run out the clock and claim the MWC title.All told, Colorado State only had to travel 102 yards for its 13 offensive points. Just like last year when five interceptions hurt UNM in the 24-17 loss in Albuquerque, the Lobos had the edge in total offense (307-252), first downs (16-9) and time of possession (33:46-26:14).
DYNAMIC DEFENSEIt may be a stretch to say the best thing to happen to the UNM defense was allowing 976 yards of total offense – including 780 yards through the air – in back-to-back overtime games against Utah State and Utah. What it did, though, was force the Lobo coaching staff to take a long, hard look at its pass defense and lack thereof. Benefitting from a week off before entertaining pass-happy San Diego State on Nov. 9, the adjustments made in personnel and coverages have been startling. A look at the numbers:
First 9 GamesLast 3 GamesRushing Def./Game131.484.3Yards/Rush3.42.7Rushing TDs121Passing Def./Game257.4123.3Comp. Pct.55.3 (176-318)46.4 (39-84) Interceptions83Total Def./Game388.9207.7Scoring Defense29.415.3Avg. 1st Downs20.410.03rd Down Conv.63-147 (43%)7-43 (16%)
San Diego StateAvg. Before UNMvs. UNMPassing333.9153Total Offense406.6183Scoring Offense22.48
BYUAvg. Before UNMvs. UNMPassing279.8194Total Offense415.9188Scoring Offense25.016
Colorado StateAvg. Before UNMvs. UNMRushing220.9129Passing197.2123Total Offense418.1252Scoring Offense32.722
UNM held San Diego State (183), BYU (188) and Colorado State (252) to their lowest offensive totals of the season…San Diego State came into the game ranked 5th in the nation in passing and boasting two of the nations top-three receivers in J.R. Tolver and Kassim Hasgood…the duo combined to catch only 8 passes for 105 yards and no TDsSan Diego State started four drives inside UNM territory (36, 42, 38 and 46-yard lines) and got just two FGs…BYU started at the UNM 24 twice, but also managed just two FGs BYU had gained more than 900 yards of total offense in two games prior to UNM, including 532 against Wyoming the week before…the Cougars were 17th in the nation in passing and 18th in total offenseThe Lobos have allowed just one offensive touchdown in the past three games…essentially, the only TD against UNM defenders in the past 14-plus quarters was one overtime score by UtahNew Mexico has moved from 79th to 45th in the nation in total defense (343.6 yards a game) in the past three weeksIn MWC games only, UNM leads the league in rushing defense (117.5 ypg), pass defense efficiency (105.5 rating) and total defense (307.7 ypg)…opponents have averaged just 96.3 yards on the ground the past five games The Lobos have forced 14 turnovers (6 fumbles, 8 interceptions) the past six games compared to 10 in the first six gamesThe first 6 games, UNM allowed opponents to score 21 out of 24 trips into the red zone…18 of those were TDs…the past 6 games, opponents have penetrated on 16 occasions, but have scored only 6 TDs…the other 10 trips have resulted in 6 FGs, 2 missed FGs, one stop on downs and an interception
MORE ON MOORERB DonTrell Moore (Roswell, N.M.) rushed 30 times for a career-high 181 yards and one TD at Colorado State to break his own rushing record by a Mountain West Conference freshman…his total also ranks as the 17th-best rushing effort in school history…its Moores third 100-yard effort of the season, all which have come in the past five games…he has 674 yards the past five games, an average of 134.8 yards a game…Moore has 10 rushing TDs in 2002, the most ever by a Lobo freshman, and it ties for 8th place all-time at UNM for a season…Stoney Case has the record of 14 set in 1993…Moore, who rushed 7 times for 0 yards in the first 3 games as Quincy Wrights backup, has gained 941 yards in 9 games since, an average of 104.5 yards…he needs 59 yards in the Wyoming contest to become only the seventh Lobo – and the second freshman – in school history to reach 1,000 yards for a season…Winslow Oliver gained 1,063 yards as a redshirt freshman in 1992…the overall school record is 1,240 yards by Mike Williams in 1976…the one downside of Moores game has been holding on to the football…he has lost seven fumbles, all in the last six games…five of the bobbles have been in the past three contests…DonTrells numbers the past five games:
OpponentAtt.YardsAvg.TDsat Utah State251666.62Utah271636.01San Diego State22713.21at BYU26933.62at Colorado State301816.01Total1306745.27
CARDIAC CARENew Mexico has played four games this season where the outcome was not decided 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 Goldens 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.New Mexicos last six games – four of them wins – have been decided by nine points or less.UNM has trailed in each of its last four games, but has come back to win three. SPARKLING IN THE RED ZONEThe Lobo offense has been nearly flawless inside the red zone of late…UNM has scored 15 straight times inside the opponents 20-yard line and 14 of those scores have been TDs, including 11 in a row…the past 8 games, UNMs 18 penetrations have resulted in 17 scores, 16 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.
MORE FROM COLORADO STATEThe Lobos had more turnovers (2 to 1) than their opponents for the third straight game…UNM has lost the ball 8 times the past three games and 22 total this season…the 14 fumbles lost are the most by a Lobo team in 11 years…the 1991 team coughed it up 16 timesUNM held the ball for 33:46 at Colorado State and have had an edge in time of possession in its last six games when they have gone 4-2…in conference games only, UNM leads the league by averaging 33:10 a game
OFFENSE NOTESAfter averaging 146.8 rushing yards and scoring 9 TDs the first six games, UNM has averaged 214.3 yards and scored 14 times the past six 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 100.3Under Rocky Long, the Lobos are 11-4 when rushing for 200 yards or more and 10-2 when exceeding 225 yards…the two losses came against Utah State (263 yards) this year and to Colorado State (254 yards) in 1999Junior QB Casey Kelly (Portland, Ore.), playing with a soft cast on his broken left arm for the fifth straight game, was 19 of 30 passing at Colorado State…Kellys numbers the past five games:
Comp.Att.Yds.Int.TDAttYdsTDPlaysYdsTDat Utah State18252020310260352283Utah11231340212552351894San Diego State91570001628131981at BYU11221552113-80351471at Colorado State193012100520351230Totals68115682265610331717859 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) continues to move up UNMs career receiving lists…Counter caught 2 passes for 22 yards at Colorado State…he has eclipsed the century mark for yards three times in his career…Counter caught an 80-yard TD from Casey Kelly against Utah, 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…Counter in the UNM record book:
Career ReceptionsCareer Receiving Yards 8. 94 Shane Hall10. 1,402 Martinez Williams 9. 91 Zack Wesley11. 1,302 Pascal Volz10. 85 Ace Hendricks12. 1,258 Ace Hendricks 85 Dwight Counter13. 1,219 Dwight Counter
With the insertion of 6-6, 340-pound redshirt freshman C Ryan Cook (Albuquerque) into the starting lineup at UNLV five games ago, the average size of the Lobos all-underclassmen offensive line is now 6-4 1/2 and 319 pounds, one of the largest lines in the country Consistency has been a big part of the offensive line as demonstrated by the knockdown totals of the four Lobos who have started every game in 2002: OT Justin Colburn (124), OG Claude Terrell (123), OT Jason Lenzmeier (118) and OG Calvin McDonald (114) 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. 6UNM had scored in 111 consecutive games, the 15th-longest active streak in the nation at the time, 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, 1992Lobo tight ends have caught 24 passes for 226 yards and 4 TDs this season compared to last years 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…thats the most receptions by a Lobo TE since Brian Johnson caught 18 for 212 yards in 1998Seventeen different Lobos have scored during the 2002 season
MORE ON THE DEFENSEJunior DE Daniel Kegler (Frostproof, Fla.) is second in the MWC with 6.5 QB sacks…two of his sacks have been for safetiesThe Lobo defense accounted for 11 points on a touchdown, safety and the schools 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 UNLVs 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 scoreIn 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 teamJunior 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 careerOnly six backs have eclipsed 100 yards rushing against UNM since the start of the 2000 season, a span of 35 games: Oregon States Ken Simonton (184) and UNLVs Jeremi Rudolph (106) in 2000, Utahs Dameon Hunter (177) in 2001 and Air Forces Leotis Palmer (125), New Mexico States Paul Dombrowski (136) and Colorado States Bradlee Van Pelt (106) this yearThe 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 32 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 1999Its been 52 games since UNM allowed 300 rushing yards…San Diego State churned for 349 yards in 1998
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTESDwight Counter is 3rd in the MWC and 42nd nationally in punt returns, averaging 11.5 yards a return…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…Counters 74-yard return against Baylor – which was not a TD – ties for the 7th-longest in school history…the Lobos are 39th in the nation in punt returns, averaging 11.3 yardsThe Lobos have returned 3 punts for TDs in the past 17 games…Counter had the 63-yarder against Weber State on his first career returnUNM has blocked 11 punts since the start of the 2000 season – a span of 35 games…Brandon Gregory (St. Louis, Mo.) stuffed the Air Force punter earlier this year and Billy Strother had one against San Diego StateTrue freshman P Tyler Gaus (San Diego, Calif.) has punted 71 times for a 40.5-yard average…22 of his kicks have landed inside the opponents 20-yard line…UNM is 2nd in the MWC and 21st nationally in net punting at 36.7 yards…only 33 of Gaus punts have been returned for a total of 216 yards, an average of 6.5 yardsUNM had punted 230 consecutive times without having a kick blocked before Colorado States David Anderson got one…the last previous rejector was Air Forces Buck Hodgkinson, who did so in the first quarter of the 1999 season finale
WYOMING NOTESHead coach Vic Koenning is 5-28 as he completes his third season with the Cowboys. Koenning is 0-2 against New Mexico, 0-1 in Albuquerque.Junior QB Casey Bramlet averages 280.6 passing yards a game. He has thrown for 3,087 yards and a MWC-leading 23 TD passes. Bramlet has also thrown 15 interceptions, most in the league. He is 9th in the nation in total offense, averaging 283.4 yards a game.Bramlet has been better in conference games, though. He is averaging 334.7 passing yards in six games with 15 TDs and just seven interceptions.Freshman WR Jovon Bouknight leads the Cowboy receivers with 59 catches for 652 yards. WORDS FROM ROCKY LONG(On Colorado State) — I thought we played like a championship-caliber football team the entire game. The turnovers hurt us, but battled back into the game just like we have the past month. They got momentum and field position early on, but we got back into. I thought we would win the game in the end. We played better football (against CSU) than we did in any game last year. (On Wyoming) — I think Wyoming has the best quarterback and offense in the conference. They will benefit from the off week just like all of us do; theyll be fresh and excited about playing. We have no control on how Wyoming will play or approach the game. All we can do is just control our own team. The scores of their conference game are there for everyone to see. Instead of 1-5, they could be a team headed to a bowl. Thats how close theyve been. Its nice for us to still be in the hunt for a bowl game this late in November, especially based on peoples perception of this football team two months ago.