July 28, 2004
The University of New Mexico football program is quietly developing a tradition of excellence and a blueprint for enduring success that is beginning to catch the nation’s attention. Under seventh-year head coach Rocky Long, New Mexico is the only school in the country to increase its win total every year since 1999, moving from 3-9 to an 8-5 mark last year. After a 36-year drought, the Lobos have appeared in three bowl games in the past seven years, including consecutive appearances the past two seasons under Long. Since 1998, six UNM players have combined to earn All-America honors eight times, 16 have participated in collegiate all-star games and four players have been selected in the NFL Draft. New Mexico’s defense has also solidified itself as one of the premier units in the country, joining powerhouses Kansas State, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas as the only schools to finish in the top-30 in total defense each of the past four seasons. Equally tenacious in the classroom, the top-seven semester grade-point averages in program history have also come under Long’s watch.
UNM has established itself as one of the elite teams in the Mountain West Conference as well, finishing one game out of first the last two years. New Mexico is tied for the most conference wins since 2002, posting a 10-4 conference record over the past two seasons.
In 2003, a program and league-best 13 all-MWC honorees led the Lobos to an 8-5 mark and a second straight bowl game for the first time in more than half a century. Unfortunately, the season opened on a sour note as New Mexico suffered three close losses in its first four games. The Lobos, however, refused to let the year slip away.
Playing in front of the largest crowd ever to watch a football game in the state of New Mexico, UNM dug deep and displayed its trademark heart and intensity in a pivotal home victory over the rival New Mexico State Aggies. New Mexico erased a 14-7 halftime deficit by converting three Aggie turnovers into 17 third-quarter points. The Lobo defense, meanwhile, allowed only a late field goal as UNM secured the 24-17 win.
Following a 34-7 blasting of Utah State and an opportunistic 30-7 victory at San Diego State, New Mexico traveled to Salt Lake City to face the 6-1 and 23rd-ranked Utah Utes. After putting a scare into No. 24 Washington State on the road earlier in the year, the Lobos silenced the Utah faithful with a stellar performance. New Mexico led 44-20 at the end of three quarters and piled up yardage like never before: 407 yards rushing and 633 yards in all. The Lobos were nearly as effective on defense, holding the Utes to 300 yards – 91 below their average – to earn their first win over a ranked opponent since 1994 and first road win over a top-25 team since beating No. 13 Arizona, 44-34, exactly 28 years earlier.
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“I thought the last two-thirds of the regular season was as good of football as we’ve played around here in the last six years. I think we’ve improved yearly, so there’s a standard that’s been set where we anticipate getting better every year.” UNM head coach Rocky Long |
The next week, however, UNLV forced six turnovers in a stunning 37-35 upset of New Mexico at University Stadium, knocking UNM out of the drivers’ seat of the MWC title chase. Down, but not out, New Mexico picked itself up off the canvas and rallied for three impressive victories to close the regular season.
In a nationally-televised Friday night game, UNM beat defending conference champion Colorado State for the first time in Albuquerque in 15 years on a last-second field goal. The Lobos shut down the vaunted Air Force option attack the next week, holding the Falcons to their season-lows in yards rushing (158), points and total offense (273) in a 24-12 triumph.
New Mexico’s final regular season game at Wyoming went down as one of the most memorable odysseys in Lobo football history. A severe winter storm grounded the team plane in Denver at 11 p.m., forcing the traveling party to embark on a treacherous four-hour drive in a caravan of buses, vans and cars to Laramie, Wyo. With roughly four hours of sleep, the Lobos arrived at War Memorial Stadium, where the Wyoming grounds crew was removing piles of snow from the frozen field in -5 degree wind chill temperatures. Unfazed by the multitude of distractions and trials, the stalwart Lobos gained 413 yards of total offense and limited the Cowboys to their lowest point and yardage totals (122) of the year in a convincing 26-3 victory. While New Mexico’s second consecutive Las Vegas Bowl trip did not turn out as planned against Oregon State and its star tailback Steven Jackson, the 2003 Lobos had already secured their place as one of the finest teams in 105 years of Lobo football history.
New Mexico dominated the Mountain West statistics, leading the league in rushing offense, total offense, rushing defense, scoring defense and total defense in MWC games. The Lobos went undefeated in conference road games for the first time since 1982 and completed their first unbeaten October (3-0) since 1959. UNM quarterback Casey Kelly became the program’s all-time wins leader, tailback DonTrell Moore shattered the school single-season rushing record, tackle Jason Lenzmeier was the first offensive lineman ever to be named MWC Player of the Week and wide receiver Dwight Counter led the nation in yards-per-catch. The Lobos’ growing fan base responded with its best season as well, helping UNM set school records for single-game attendance (44,075 for New Mexico State), season attendance (245,891) and average attendance (35,127).
“I thought the last two-thirds of the regular season was as good of football as we’ve played around here in the last six years,” said Long. “I think we’ve improved yearly, so there’s a standard that’s been set where we anticipate getting better every year.”
After losing 25 lettermen and 14 starters from the 2003 squad, some pundits will likely count New Mexico out of the MWC title chase. However, past years have proven the folly in underestimating Long and his hard-working, hard-hitting Lobos. A tremendously talented group of players return in 2004 ready to solidify their own legacy in the program, including candidates for the Doak Walker Award, Lombardi Award, Lou Groza Award, Rimington Trophy and Outland Trophy. New Mexico will have a chance to prove itself against the nation’s best with a schedule that includes five bowl teams, including the ESPN-televised season-opener at home versus Washington State. UNM also welcomes Texas Tech, travels to Oregon State and has several MWC games in the works for national television coverage.
“We lost a lot of experience from last year’s team and we have a lot of inexperienced players coming back, but we have a lot of confidence in their athletic ability,” said Long. “There’s no doubt that this is a very challenging schedule for what will be a young football team, but it will also be very exciting for our team and especially our fans. It’s a real thrill to start the season at home on national television. We’ve been trying to get recognition for our program and I believe our success the past few years is being rewarded.”