Oct. 3, 2005
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The New Mexico Lobos (3-2, 1-0 MWC) and Brigham Young Cougars (1-3, 0-2 MWC) look to end two-game losing streaks when they meet Saturday in Albuquerque. Kickoff for UNM’s 81st homecoming game is 6:07 p.m., Mountain Time from University Stadium. The game will be televised live by SportsWest, shown locally by KRQE-TV in Albuquerque and be available on ESPN GamePlan.
Despite losing their last two games at UTEP and TCU, the Lobos’ 3-2 record remains the best start under Rocky Long and most successful since beginning 6-0 under Dennis Franchione in 1997. New Mexico is trying to avoid its first three-game losing streak since September of 2003 (at Texas Tech, BYU, at Washington State). UNM has won four straight at home.
UNM rallied from a 28-0 first-quarter deficit at TCU – tying the score at 28-all in the third quarter – but could not overcome the numbness caused by six turnovers in the 49-28 loss. It’s the most points New Mexico has allowed in a conference game since a 56-14 loss at Air Force in 1998. It also snapped a school-record 6-game winning streak in league games. The Lobos had won six of their past seven MWC road games as well.
BYU fell 31-10 at San Diego State as the Aztec defense held the Cougars to just 305 yards of total offense. BYU entered the game averaging 461 yards and 32.7 points. The loss was the Cougars’ first in San Diego since 1988 and was the Aztecs’ largest margin of victory in the 58-year history of the series.
BYU is the only Mountain West Conference school (not including new member TCU) that Lobo head coach Rocky Long has not beaten in Albuquerque. He is 0-3 vs. the Cougars at University Stadium. The Lobos’ most recent victory over BYU in the Duke City came in 1997. Additionally, the Lobos are looking for consecutive wins over the Cougars for first time in 34 years, since 1970-71 when Long was UNM’s starting quarterback.
This is the 55th meeting between the two schools and they have played every year since 1951, making it the Lobos’ second-longest uninterrupted series next to New Mexico State. UNM and NMSU have played every season since 1946. BYU has a 39-14-1 lead, 19-8-1 in Albuquerque.
The only time BYU has been New Mexico’s homecoming opponent was in the initial game between the two schools 54 years ago. UNM blanked the Cougars 34-0.
Although the participating head coaches may not see it this way, Saturday’s game could be billed as Teacher vs. Pupil. First-year BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall was the Lobos’ defensive coordinator under Rocky Long from 1998-2002, and Mendenhall credits Long for much of the defensive knowledge he possesses today. Long has been operating the unique scheme since the early 1990s.
Long and Mendenhall were also together at Oregon State in 1995, Long as the defensive coordinator and Mendenhall tutoring the defensive line. Also on that staff was current Lobo defensive coordinator Osia Lewis, who coached the Beavers’ outside linebackers. Mendenhall replaced Long as OSU’s defensive coorinator in 1996 after Long accepted the same position at UCLA.
Mendenhall, 38, and Lewis, 42, have known each other for nearly 20 years as both played collegiately at Oregon State, although not together. Mendenhall was a senior safety in 1987 when Lewis was a graduate assistant. Lewis was a four-year letterman at Oregon State from 1982-85.
Mendenhall’s two oldest sons – Cutter and Breaker – were born in Albuquerque.
New Mexico was picked to finish 2nd in the MWC in 2005, receiving six first-place votes. BYU was chosen fourth with one vote for a first-place finish. The Cougars were 5-6 a year ago, 4-3 in the MWC.
New Mexico is in a challenging stretch where it plays four of five games on the road. After BYU, the Lobos visit Wyoming and San Diego State.
GAME SPONSORS / PROMOTIONS –
Game sponsors include Alltel, 94 Rock, Big I 107.9 and Comcast. The first 10,000 fans will receive Alltel Howl Towels. The Homecoming coronation will take place at halftime.
LOBOS ON HOMECOMING –
New Mexico has a 40-37-3 record in homecoming games since the first one was played in 1925. UNM has been successful of late, winning six straight – and 10 of 12 since 1993. BYU has been the homecoming opponent just one time, way back in 1951, which happened to be the first game between the two schools. The Lobos won 34-0
NEW MEXICO, BYU STATISTICALLY SPEAKING –
BYU comes into the game 1st in the MWC and 6th in the nation in passing offense, averaging 340.8 yards a game. However, the Cougars rank last in the league in rushing offense at 81.2 yards per contest.
Quarterback John Beck leads the MWC and is 8th in the nation in total offense at 329 yards a game. The junior is averaging 340.8 yards passing with eight TD passes and six interceptions. The Cougars have five receivers who have caught at least 15 passes led by RB Curtis Brown with 24.
Defensively, the teams are very even. UNM is allowing 385.2 yards a game, BYU 386.
While the Lobos have struggled with turnovers the past two games, that has been a bugaboo for the Cougars through their first four games. BYU is last in the MWC and 108th nationally in turnover margin at -1.25. The Cougars have lost four fumbles and thrown six interceptions for a total of 10 turnovers while gaining four fumbles and one interception.
LAST YEAR IN PROVO –
DonTrell Moore rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown and Fola Fashola recovered a fumble in the final minute to seal New Mexico’s 21-14 win over Brigham Young. BYU was driving to tie it when New Mexico’s Gabriel Fulbright hit Antwuan Harris hard after a short completion and the ball bounced loose. Fashola pounced and came out with the ball when the pile cleared to clinch the game for the Lobos, who took advantage of some sloppy play by the Cougars.
Harris’ fumble was the third turnover for BYU, which also allowed seven sacks. Matt Payne, normally the most reliable of the Cougars, missed three field goal attempts. His 12-yard trick pass to Riley Weber in the first quarter was the Cougars’ only score until the fourth quarter, when they were already down 21-7 and running out of time.
Kole McKamey completed 7 of 12 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown and Moore had 25 carries for his fifth 100-yard game of the season. Hank Baskett had 4 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown.
Moore scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter, capping a 15-play, 87-yard drive that took nearly 8 minutes and put the Lobos up 21-7 with 8:37 remaining. BYU got within 21-14 on a 7-yard screen pass from John Beck to Fahu Tahi with 6 minutes to play.
The Lobos were able to take a few more minutes off the clock before punting and pinning the Cougars at their own 3 with 2:33 remaining. Beck got as far as the 44, despite having two passes dropped that hit his receivers’ hands. But Harris’ fumble killed the drive at the 46 with 42 seconds.
BYU took a 7-0 lead on a fake field goal late in the first quarter. Payne and the kicking team came out late, and the Lobos didn’t realize Payne was the only player in the backfield. Payne took the snap and lofted a pass to Weber, who had quietly lined up just inside the sideline.
New Mexico came right back with a touchdown less than a minute later, helped by a personal foul on BYU and a 47-yard pass from McKamey to Baskett that set up Marcus Smith’s 15-yard TD run.
The Lobos got the ball back three plays later when Fahu Tahi fumbled for BYU and Nick Speegle recovered for New Mexico at the BYU 36. Two plays later, McKamey hit Baskett at the back of the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown pass that put New Mexico up 14-7.
Thanks to the sacks, BYU was held to 58 yards on the ground and 317 total yards, its lowest output since gaining 221 yards against Southern Cal earlier in the year…the Cougars came into the game having gotten 90 points and 1,053 yards in their previous two games
Six different players dropped BYU QB John Beck, including redshirt freshman DE Michael Tuohy who had a career-high 2 sacks. Gabriel Fulbright notched his 5th interception of the year, caused the game-preserving fumble in the closing minute and made 3 tackles
UNM held BYU RB Curtis Brown to a mere 14 yards on 11 carries, snapping his streak of four straight games over 100 yards…Brown had been averaging 117.6 yards in MWC play and 76.8 yards rushing overall
BYU receiver Todd Watkins was stifled for 1 catch and 6 yards…he came into the contest 5th in the nation in yardage at 110.6 yards a game
TWO YEARS AGO IN ALBUQUERQUE –
BYU relied on defense and field position to fend off the Lobos 10-7, denying UNM from taking consecutive wins over the Cougars for the first time since 1971
BYU held UNM scoreless in the first half and to just 125 yards of total offense. New Mexico finished with 312 yards. Of the Lobos’ 13 possessions, eight started inside their own 17-yard line. UNM’s average starting field position in the second half was its own 15.
BYU got on the board first. An 89-yard run from TB Reynaldo Brathwaite on a busted play put the Cougars in business at the UNM 2. The Lobo defense held and BYU had to settle for a field goal. Early in the second quarter, UNM drove to the Cougar 25 where it faced a 3rd-and-6. An option try resulted in a bad pitch by QB Casey Kelly and BYU recovered at the 34. The Cougars made it 10-0 on a 29-yard pass play from QB Matt Berry to Phillip Niu.
The teams traded punts to start the third quarter before the Lobos finally got a big play. Senior WR Adrian Boyd took a screen pass from Kelly and weaved his way 66 yards to the BYU 5. DonTrell Moore scored from the 3 to make it a 10-7 game with 1:06 left in the third period.
The Lobos seemed poised to tie or take the lead on their next possession when they marched to the BYU 28. However, UNM lost three yards on a 3rd-and-1 then came up just short on fourth down as the 13-play drive went by the wayside. UNM’s final two possessions started at its own 7 and 15, respectively. The Cougars took over with 4:47 left and picked up three first downs to seal the win.
Of BYU’s 185 first-half yards, 89 came on Brathwaite’s first quarter run. The Cougars had 96 yards on their other 32 plays, an average of three yards per play.
The two teams had the fewest combined points at University Stadium since Oct. 28, 2000, when New Mexico defeated Utah 10-3.
TCU RECAP –
Quarterback Jeff Ballard ran for four touchdowns and threw for two more in his first career start as TCU took a big lead, blew it and regained control for a 49-28 victory over New Mexico. The junior, who started in place of injured Tye Gunn, passed for 192 yards and finished with 79 yards on nine carries, including the first four rushing touchdowns of his career.
The Horned Frogs ran up a 28-0 first-quarter lead, but running back DonTrell Moore pulled New Mexico back into the game with three touchdowns as the Lobos ran off 28 straight points to tie the game. Moore finished with 129 yards rushing – his third consecutive 100-yard game – and a career-high 99 receiving. His three touchdowns gave him 50 for his career, breaking Luke Staley’s MWC record. He has 42 rushing touchdowns, which also broke the conference mark of BYU’s Staley.
But after Kenny Byrd missed a 51-yard field goal attempt that would have given the Lobos their first lead, TCU drove 66 yards in five plays and went in front for good. Ballard, who was hit hard as he threw, found tight end Chad Andrus all alone for a 38-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1 with 1:47 left in the third quarter. TCU’s next possession lasted one play. Ballard faked a handoff left and sprinted off right tackle – breaking loose as New Mexico’s Gabriel Fulbright and Mike Mohoric collided – for a 56-yard score.
The scoring drive was TCU’s fourth of the game of 10 seconds or less. The Frogs had three one-play touchdown drives. The Horned Frogs threatened to bury New Mexico early with a dizzying succession of quick strikes on offense and defense. The avalanche began on the game’s first play, when TCU’s Quincy Butler intercepted Kole McKamey’s pass at the New Mexico 49-yard line and returned it to the 8, setting up Robert Merrill’s touchdown on the next snap.
Another interception, a fumble recovery and Jeff Ballard’s 29-yard touchdown pass to Michael DePriest with 17 seconds left in the first quarter put TCU up 28-0.
McKamey passed for 245 yards but threw four interceptions. Aaron Brown ran 14 times for 129 yards, including a 73-yard play in the final minutes, as the Horned Frogs rolled up 272 yards rushing.
TCU POSTGAME NOTES –
TCU was 0-13 on 3rd down conversions, but had three 1-play scoring drives and another that was just 2 plays…all four of those scores took less than 10 seconds in time of possession and were a combined 99 yards in distance…the Frogs scored 28 points following Lobo turnovers
Senior tailback DonTrell Moore rushed for 129 yards on 21 carries (6.1 avg.) with a pair of scores…it was Moore’s third straight 100- yard game this year and the 6th in his last 7 regular-season road games…Moore scored 3 touchdowns, including 2 rushing, to become the Mountain West Conference’s all-time leader in rushing TDs (42), total TDs (50) and points (300), passing former BYU RB Luke Staley in each category…it was Moore’s first 3-TD game since rushing for a three scores vs. Colorado State on Nov. 7, 2003
Moore also established career-highs with 9 catches for a game-high 99 yards, including a 41-yard TD reception to knot the game at 28 midway through the 3rd quarter…after his first two catches went for a combined loss of 9 yards, he picked up 108 yards on his next 7 receptions (15.4 avg.)…the Doak Walker Award candidate finished with 228 all-purpose yards on 30 touches (7.6 avg.), the second-highest total game of his career (242 yards, all rushing, vs. Colorado State 11/7/03). Moore’s 21 carries gave him 862 in his career, breaking Mike Williams’ record of 857
Senior wide receiver Hank Baskett III tallied 7 catches for 78 yards…Baskett also caught his fifth TD pass of the year and 13th of his career, tying Pascal Volz for sixth on the UNM all-time list…the Biletnikoff Award candidate drew 2 more pass interference penalties, the fourth and fifth times he has been hit early this season…Baskett has caught the ball twice on plays where interference was flagged, including a 28-yard grab
Redshirt freshman safety Blake Ligon, a San Angelo, Texas native, finished with 7 tackles, including a career-high 3 for loss…Ligon also broke up a pass and had a QB hurry…he has 16 tackles, 4 TFLs and 2 hurries in his last 2 games
Sophomore WR Travis Brown caught 4 passes for 34 yards, rushed twice for 19 yards and had 6 knockdown blocks
True freshman linebacker Zach Arnett blocked a TCU punt in the third game of his collegiate career…Arnett, a product of Albuquerque La Cueva HS, was given a scholarship during the summer after originally signing with the UNM baseball team and made his debut vs. New Mexico State on Sept. 17
The Lobos have blocked 16 punts since the start of the 2000 season, including 2 at Air Force last year…New Mexico’s last 5 punt blocks have come on the road (at SDSU and Utah in 2003, at Air Force)
Junior QB Kole McKamey had a career-high in pass completions (25) and attempts (43), and had the second-highest yardage (245) and passing TD (2) totals of his career…he also threw a career-high 4 INTs, 2 of which came under intense pressure in a disastrous first quarter and the final 2 in the 4th quarter when UNM was attempting to rally exclusively via the pass…the 4 picks are the most since Casey Kelly tossed 5 against Colorado State in 2001…McKamey started 2-of-8 for -9 yards and 2 INTs…however, he hit 5-6 for 88 yards and a TD in the 2nd quarter…he was 23-35 (66%) for 254 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTS over the final 3 quarters of play…McKamey completed passes to 7 different WRs
It was actually a decent game for the Lobo offensive line at TCU…junior OG Robert Turner had a season-high 19 knockdown blocks and a career-best 91% technique grade…Turner is averaging 11 KDs during his career, the best of any lineman in Rocky Long’s 8-year tenure…Claude Terrell is next highest under Long at 9.4 per game
Senior C Ryan Cook (15 KDs), sophomore OT Anthony Kilby and junior OG Bo Greer (12 each) all set season-highs for knockdowns
Senior OT Terrance Pennington has 10 KDs and is averaging 7.8 per game, which would be a career-high…he averaged 5.3 last year
Junior kicker Kenny Byrd missed his first field goal of the year, a career-long 51-yard attempt that was pushed wide right late in the 3rd quarter…Byrd did another fine job on his kickoffs, however, hammering 4 into the end zone to limit the nation’s leading returner, Cory Rodgers, to just a single run-back for a gain of 19 yards…opponents have returned just 9 kickoffs this season, tying UNLV for fewest in the MWC
New Mexico lost its first fumble of the year when DonTrell Moore had the ball stripped from him following a 49-yard run in the first quarter…the Lobos lost the ball again on a wild snap in the 4th quarter…the team’s 6 turnovers matched its highest under head coach Rocky Long, most recently occuring vs. UNLV in 2003…New Mexico had committed just 2 turnovers, tying 7 other teams for the 7th-lowest total in the nation, entering the game…this was the first time this year UNM had committed more turnovers than its opponent…the Lobos caused more miscues en route to a 3-0 record in their first 3 games, before matching UTEP (1-1) and losing 5 more than TCU in back-to-back losses
UNM had outscored its opponents 34-3 in the first quarter, allowing just a field goal at Missouri, before being blitzed 28-0 in the opening period by TCU…the Lobos did not record a sack or an interception for the first time this year
NEW GOALS FOR DonTrell Moore –
After becoming the school’s career rushing leader with a 120-yard performance against New Mexico State on Sept. 17, DonTrell Moore is now turning his attention to some other standards:
He needs 456 yards in the Lobos’ final 6 games – and average of 76 ypg – to become the sixth player in the history of NCAA Div. I-A football to reach 1,000 yards rushing four times in a career: Tony Dorsett (Pittsburgh 1973-76), Amos Lawrence (North Carolina 1977-80), Denvis Manns (New Mexico State 1995-98), Ron Dayne (Wisconsin 1996-99) and Cedric Benson (Texas 2001-04) were the first five.
Moore has posted 3 straight 100-yard games, rushing for an average of 136.7 ypg, plus scoring 6 TDs over that span…the last time he had 4 straight 100-yard games was in 2003 when he had 5 in a row,
He has moved into 47th place on the NCAA Div. I-A career rushing list with 4,218 yards…only 10 players have reached 5,000 yards
Moore ranks No. 2 among all active NCAA rushing leaders with 4,218 career yards. Memphis’ DeAngelo Williams tops the list at 4,811 yards. Moore ranks No. 1 among active ballcarriers with 862 rushing attempts.
Moore has eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark in 12 of his last 16 home games dating to the 2002 season. He is also responsible for 31 TDs (24 rushing, 6 receiving, 1 passing) in the past 16 home games. Moore has averaged 125.7 rushing yards (2,011 total) in his last 16 games at University Stadium.