Oct. 24, 2005
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Second place in the Mountain West Conference is at stake Friday when New Mexico (5-3, 3-2 MWC), winners of two straight, meets Colorado State (4-3, 3-1 MWC). Kickoff is 6:06 p.m., Mountain Time from University Stadium in Albuquerque. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN2. It should be UNM’s fourth straight sellout of the season as a standing-room-only crowd in excess of 40,000 is expected. The Lobos are off next week before visiting Utah on Nov. 12. CSU travels to TCU next Saturday.
Friday’s winner will be all alone in second place in the MWC. TCU has an unblemished 5-0 mark followed by Colorado State and New Mexico. BYU is 2-2. The Lobos have not lost three MWC games since 2001 when they finished 4-3. They were 5-2 every season from 2002-04.
After losing five straight to Colorado State from 1997 to 2002 and 15 of 18 between 1983-2002, UNM seeks its third consecutive win over the Rams for first time since taking five in a row between 1960-64. The last game in Albuquerque – a 37-34 Lobo win on Nov. 7, 2003 – was also played on a Friday on ESPN2.
New Mexico’s resounding 47-24 triumph at San Diego State continued a trend of late-season success. Since 2001, the Lobos are 20-4 in regular-season games played on Oct. 15 or later. Using that same scenario since 2003, UNM is 12-1 and has won 10 straight. The last loss was a 37-35 six-turnover setback at home to UNLV on Nov. 1, 2003. New Mexico is also 16-8 in October games since 1999.
The Lobos’ offensive trinity was on full display at San Diego State. Junior QB Kole McKamey (Artesia, N.M.) threw for 248 yards and tied a career-high with three TD passes. He also rushed for a score. Senior WR Hank Baskett (Clovis, N.M.) caught seven passes for 141 yards and a pair of TDs. Senior TB DonTrell Moore (Roswell, N.M.) had a career-high 42 touches, registering 223 all-purpose yards and a TD. UNM scored on its first five possessions, led 30-3 at halftime, posted a season-high 534 yards of total offense, recorded 33 first downs, ran 95 plays and held the ball for 37:57. The Lobo defense limited the Aztecs to 291 yards and intercepted three passes. Opponents have been held to an average of 298 yards of offense the past two games.
After starting 0-2, Colorado State has won four of five, including a wild 39-31 victory over Wyoming last Saturday in Fort Collins. Colorado State is 0-3 on the road in 2005 and has dropped its last five away from Fort Collins. The last road win was Oct. 16, 2004, a 21-17 decision at San Diego State. The Rams are 4-0 at home this year.
Friday’s game could be historical on a number of fronts. Most notable is that DonTrell Moore needs just 32 yards to become the sixth player in NCAA history to post four 1,000-yard rushing seasons. The first five were 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). Moore had a 36-carry, 162-yard performance at San Diego State, pushing his season total to 968 yards.
Showing no ill effects from ACL surgery on Feb. 3, Moore leads the MWC and is 9th in the NCAA in rushing at 121 yards a game, the highest season average of his splendid career. He has averaged 139.2 ypg in his last six games and is averaging 145.4 yards in five road games this year. Additionally, Moore is No. 1 in the league in scoring (9.8 ppg) and all-purpose yardage (159.4 ypg). He has averaged 193.8 all-purpose yards the past four contests.
Moore has averaged 192.3 yards in three career games against Colorado State, his highest average against any opponent. The Rams come into the game ranked last in the MWC and 103rd nationally in rushing defense, allowing 198.4 yards a game.
Moore has 4,643 rushing yards in his brilliant career, ranking 26th in the NCAA record book. He passed such notables as Marshall Faulk and Thurman Thomas last week at San Diego State. Moore is 170 yards from catching former Colorado State great Steve Bartalo, who had 4,813 yards from 1983-86. Only 11 players have reached 5,000 yards in a career. Among non-kickers, Moore ranks 19th in NCAA history with 330 career points.
A win Friday would make the Lobos bowl eligible for the fifth straight season and would inch UNM closer to its unprecedented fourth consecutive postseason game. New Mexico is the only team in the MWC to play in a bowl game each of the past three seasons.
A victory would also make it five straight years with a least six wins, a feat never accomplished at UNM. New Mexico posted four six-plus win seasons from 1961-64. It would also be the program’s 34th win since 2001, tying the school mark for most wins over a five-year span. UNM won 34 games from 1960-64.
Since 2002, New Mexico is tied with Utah for most wins in conference play with 18.
Colorado State’s Sonny Lubick is looking for his 100th win as head coach of the Rams. Lubick is 99-54 in his 13th season at Fort Collins.
New Mexico was picked to finish 2nd in the MWC in 2005, receiving six first-place votes. Colorado State was chosen fifth. The Rams were 4-7 a year ago, 3-4 in the MWC.
Since 2003, the Lobos are 8-2 in their last 10 MWC road games. They have also captured 10 of their past 13 and are 12-4 in their last 16 situations away from Albuquerque.
Of the Lobos’ 85 student-athletes on scholarship, 13 started their careers as walk-ons. The 2005 squad has 23 scholarship players from New Mexico representing 12 different high schools. Eighteen of the 23 are from Albuquerque led by five from La Cueva High School. Seven of the 23 came to UNM as walk-ons.
It’s a veteran New Mexico team as 17 starters – including two specialists – return from last year’s squad that went 7-5 overall and 5-2 in the MWC, good for second place. The Lobos welcomed back 41 lettermen, 19 on offense, 19 on defense and three specialists.
GAME SPONSORS / PROMOTIONS –
Game sponsors include Farmers Insurance, 96.3 The Buzzard and 99.5 Magic FM. Weather permitting, there will be a postgame fireworks show.
LONG GETS SCHOOL RECORD FOR CAREER VICTORIES –
In his eighth season, Rocky Long has become UNM’s winningest head coach. The 45-35 decision at Missouri on Sept. 10 was Long’s 42nd, pushing him past Roy Johnson, who was 41-32-6 from 1920-30.
The only coach to guide New Mexico to three bowl games, Long has coached more games (93) than any other Lobo mentor. He has a 45-48 record at his alma mater, but is 33-25 since 2001. UNM is 20-13 since the start of the 2003 season and has won 19 of its past 29 since Sept. 27, 2003.
Late last season, UNM and Long agreed on a contract extension good through the 2009 season. A raise of approximately $100,000 per year kicked in Jan. 1, 2005, increasing Long’s total package to more than $425,000 annually.
NEW MEXICO, COLORADO STATE STATISTICALLY SPEAKING –
The two teams are very close in a couple of categories. UNM is 2nd in the MWC in scoring offense at 30.8 ppg, while the Rams are 3rd at 29.9 ppg. CSU ranks 2nd in the league in total offense at 435.3 ypg. UNM is 4th at 418.2 ypg, which would be the highest output for a Lobo team under Rocky Long.
The Rams boast one of the nation’s most proficient passing attacks behind senior QB Justin Holland, who ranks 1st in the MWC and 10th nationally with an efficiency rating of 161.5. Holland has thrown a league-high 18 TD passes while being intercepted just eight times. CSU is averaging 305.7 passing yards a game. The Lobos are tied for 4th nationally with 13 interceptions, including five in their past two games.
CSU WR David Anderson has caught 14 passes for 258 yards and a TD in two games against New Mexico. He had 7 catches for 124 yards last year and 7 for 134 and a TD in 2003. Anderson ranks 2nd in the MWC in receptions (6.86 pg) and 3rd in yards (99 ypg).
Sophomore RB Kyle Bell trails only DonTrell Moore in MWC rushing. The bruising Bell is averaging 109 yards a game to rank 14th in the NCAA. In conference games only, Bell has a slight edge over Moore in rushing average, 124 yards to 118.6.
The teams differ somewhat defensively. The Lobos have allowed just 598 yards the past two games, lowering their per-game average to 373.5 yards a game. That ranks 3rd in the MWC and 59th in the nation. CSU is last in the loop and 104th nationally, yielding 435.9 yards per game.
UNM VS. COLORADO STATE –
New Mexico and Colorado State meet for the 53rd time since the first game in 1935. CSU has a 30-22 overall lead, 13-10 in Fort Collins and 4-2 in Mountain West games.
UNM seeks its third straight win over Rams for first time since taking five in a row from 1960-64. The 37-34 Lobo win in 2003 halted a pair of five game-losing streaks: for all games and for contests played in Albuquerque. CSU has still won eight of the past 11 and is 15-5 against the Lobos since 1983. The last 11 regular-season games have been decided by 9 points or less.
FOR SOME REASON DONTRELL LIKES THE RAMS –
Senior TB DonTrell Moore has recorded 17 100-yard rushing games in his career against Mountain West Conference teams and his favorite opponent has been Colorado State. Moore, who took a recruiting visit to CSU during his senior year at Roswell (N.M.) HS, has averaged 31 carries and a hearty 192.3 yards in three career games against the Rams.
MEL KIPER IMPRESSED WITH LOBOS –
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper likes what he sees in a couple of senior Lobos. Kiper rates C Ryan Cook as the No. 1 senior center in the nation. Kiper also tabs WR Hank Baskett as the second-best senior wide receiver behind Arizona State’s Derek Hagan, and the 25th best senior overall regardless of position.
LAST YEAR IN FORT COLLINS –
DonTrell Moore ran for 154 yards and a touchdown, and Wes Zunker kicked four field goals to help New Mexico keep its bowl hopes alive with a 26-17 victory over Colorado State. Facing a freshman at quarterback, New Mexico clogged up the line of scrimmage and took away Colorado State’s running game. Caleb Hanie was 20-for-36 for 285 yards and two touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to offset 35 yards on 34 carries on the ground. Colorado State still probably could have won this game if not for a rough start to the third quarter.
With Colorado State leading 7-3, Hanie was stripped by Evroy Thompson on the first play of the third quarter, leading to Zunker’s 21-yard field goal. Hanie then stumbled and fell on the Rams’ next drive for a 10-yard loss, followed by Daniel Ramirez’s 36-yard punt return to Colorado State’s 22. Moore scored two plays later on 7-yard run. New Mexico got the ball right back at Colorado State’s 18-yard line after Damon Morton fumbled the kickoff, and Zunker followed with a 30-yard field goal. The Rams had a quick answer once they were able to hold onto the ball.
With Hanie hitting all five of his pass attempts, Colorado State moved 92 yards in seven plays for Johnny Walker’s 18-yard touchdown reception that cut the lead to 16-14. But any momentum the Rams might have gained disappeared with another mistake. Catching what should have been about a 20-yard pass on a crossing route, Hank Baskett ran up New Mexico’s sideline for a 69-yard touchdown after two Colorado State players collided while chasing him toward the sideline near midfield. Jeff Babcock followed with a 24-yard field goal to cut New Mexico’s lead to 23-17, but Colorado State’s next drive ended with Brandon Payne’s interception after David Anderson was hit from behind.
Colorado State didn’t have any trouble moving the ball early, going 80 yards in five plays on its first drive. Dustin Osborn capped it with a 37-yard touchdown reception, slipping behind Payne in the end zone on a post. But the Rams bogged down after that. Unable to get anything going on the ground – 26 yards on 16 carries – Colorado State managed just 37 total yards the rest of the half. New Mexico wasn’t much better. The Lobos moved the ball – until they crossed midfield. New Mexico had 159 yards in the first half and crossed the 50 three times, only managing Zunker’s 46-yard field goal midway through the second quarter.
TWO YEARS AGO AT ALBUQUERQUE –
Wes Zunker kicked a 33-yard FG as time expired to give the Lobos a harrowing 37-34 victory. The game-winner came just seconds after Rams’ QB Bradlee Van Pelt misplayed a shotgun snap, which was recovered by UNM NT Kyle Coulter at the CSU 16. Zunker’s third field goal of the game was true, giving New Mexico its first win over the Rams since 1995 and first victory in Albuquerque since 1988.
DonTrell Moore rushed 34 times for a career-high 242 yards and 3 TDs while Van Pelt accounted for 300 of CSU’s 328 yards of total offense. He also led the Rams back from a 31-14 third-quarter deficit to tie the game at 34-all on a 1-yard run with 3:07 left.
UNM had not beaten CSU in four tries since the two schools joined the MWC in 1999. The Lobos ended a 5-game losing streak to CSU in Albuquerque. The last win had been in 1988 and also ended on the last play of game when the Lobos scored on a TD pass from Jeremy Leach to Tony Jones. New Mexico held the Rams to 328 yards of total offense. CSU came into the game leading the MWC at 474.4 yards a game.
UNM did not turn the ball over for the first time in 23 games. The last game without a miscue had been against Weber State on August 31, 2002. The Rams lost two fumbles.
SAN DIEGO STATE RECAP –
Kole McKamey threw three touchdowns and ran for another as the Lobos beat San Diego State 47-24. New Mexico won its fifth straight over the Aztecs. The Lobos used a nine-play, 89-yard drive to go up 40-10 in the third quarter when McKamey hit Hank Baskett for his second TD reception.
New Mexico scored on its first five possessions and limited San Diego State to 115 yards total offense as the Lobos took a 30-3 lead into halftime.
Following a 19-yard pass play from McKamey to Baskett, McKamey hit Travis Brown for a 17-yard TD on New Mexico’s opening drive.
DonTrell Moore had a 4-yard touchdown run and Kenny Byrd kicked a 39-yard field goal to put New Mexico up 16-0 after one quarter. In the second, two more New Mexico touchdowns bookended San Diego State’s only points of the half, Garrett Palmer’s 43-yard field goal. Baskett scored on a 10-yard pass from McKamey, and McKamey scored on a 1-yard keeper.
SAN DIEGO STATE POSTGAME NOTES –
New Mexico has won five straight over SDSU overall and five in a row in San Diego.
Scoring on its first five possessions, the 47 points are the most since UNM put up 47 in a road win (47-35) at No. 24 Utah on Oct. 25, 2003…the Lobos’ 30 first-half points are a season-high and the most the team had scored in any full game the previous four weeks…it’s the most points in the first half since 41 against Texas State in the `03 opener
UNM scored on its opening drive of the game for the sixth time this year…it was the fourth time the opening drive resulted in a TD…the Lobos’ 16 first-quarter points are the team’s most in the opening period since scoring 17 against UNLV in the season opener
The Lobos’ 534 yards of total offense are the most since racking up 578 in a 37-35 loss to UNLV in 2003…it’s the most for UNM on the road since gaining 633 in the win at Utah in ’03…New Mexico’s 33 first downs are the most since 1995 when it picked up 34 in a 38-29 loss at San Diego State
UNM surpassed 240 yards rushing (286) and passing (248) passing for the first time since the 2003 season opener against Texas State (299 and 257)
The Lobos gained 237-plus yards on the ground for the third straight game and fifth time in 2005…the rushing average the past three games is 255.7 yards
New Mexico’s defense held the Aztecs to 291 yards, including 94 rushing…it was the second-lowest total allowed by UNM this year (248 at UTEP)…SDSU had just 129 yards through the first three quarters…Wyoming only had 177 through three quarters the previous week
The Lobo defense has allowed 598 yards (299 avg.) the past two games, lowering the season average to 373.5 yards a game, which ranks 3rd in the MWC and 59th nationally…through six games, the 3-3 Lobos were allowing 398.3 yards, ranking 6th in the MWC and 76th in the NCAA
Limiting SDSU to 94 yards on the ground means the Lobos have allowed less than 100 yards rushing each of the past three games, an average of 93.3 ypg
UNM has intercepted 10 Aztec passes in the teams’ past three meetings, including eight in its last two trips to San Diego
Doak Walker Award candidate DonTrell Moore finished with 162 yards on 36 attempts and a 4-yard TD run…he also caught 6 balls for 61 yards…it was Moore’s 24th career 100-yard game, but his first in four career games against SDSU…he moved into 26th place on the NCAA career rushing list with 4,643 yards…he now has 968 yards this season (121/game) and needs 32 yards to become just the sixth player in D-I history to rush for 1,000 yards or more four times in a career…Moore had 95 yards on 20 carries in the first half after rushing for no more than 87 in his previous three games against the Aztecs
Moore tied a career-high for the second week in a row with 36 carries and had a career-high 42 total touches…his 223 all-purpose yards is the third-highest in his career…he moved into 19th place on the NCAA career scoring list (non-kickers) with 330 points
Biletnikoff Award candidate Hank Baskett III went over 100 yards receiving for the fourth time this season and eighth time in his career…Baskett finished with 141 yards on 7 catches and 2 TDs, all of which came in the first three quarters…four of his receptions went for 20 yards or more and two were good for first downs on 3rd-and-long…Baskett has gone over the century mark in six of his last 11 games…he notched his second multiple TD game of the season (3 at Missouri) and has a career-best seven scores this year…Baskett is now 4th all-time at UNM with 15 career receiving TDs…he also passed former teammate Dwight Counter for 6th place on the career receptions list (125) and is just behind Counter at No. 5 on the career yardage list with 2,054 yards
Junior QB Kole McKamey tied a career-high with three TD passes, which he also had in a Lobo victory at Missouri earlier in the year…McKamey completed 66% of his passes (21-32) for 248 yards and also notched his fourth rushing TD of the year…San Diego State came into the game having allowed just two TD passes in seven games and a pass efficiency rating (105.7) that ranked 18th nationally
Honors candidate and C Ryan Cook continued his stellar play, posting 14 more knockdowns and an overall performance grade of 95% in 97 offensive snaps…he had a near flawless 99% assignment grade and a season-high technique mark of 91% for the second straight week…Cook led a convincing performance by the O-line as the Lobos churned out 286 rushing yards and 534 total…the offensive line did not allow a sack in 32 pass attempts
New Mexico converted 13 of 22 3rd-down opportunities, including eight of its first 10…eight of the successful conversions at SDSU were five yards or more…the past two games, UNM’s conversion rate is 52.4% (22 of 42)…UNM now leads the MWC and ranks 15th nationally at 47%
The Aztecs converted their only 4th-down try, but UNM is still the best in the league in that category as opponents have been successful just 44% (7 of 16) of the time on 4th down
Sophomore WR Travis Brown snared his first career TD reception, a 17-yarder from McKamey on the Lobos’ first possesion of the game
New Mexico’s final TD of the evening came via San Diego Morse HS grad and Lobo WR Marcus Smith, who scored on a 10-yard sweep
Senior Gabriel Fulbright had 120 return yards in the win at San Diego State…Fulbright returned five punts for 45 yards and four kickoffs for 75 yards…the Lobos’ average field position following Fulbright’s five punt returns was the New Mexico 43-yard line
Making his first career start, senior CB Mike Powdrell recorded a pair of interceptions, the second and third of his career, all coming in the past five quarters…his first pick set up a first quarter FG…Powdrell, a former walk-on wide receiver from Albuquerque Highland HS, recorded his first career pick to set up the Lobos’ eventual game-winning FG last week at Wyoming
Junior “lobo” S Aleem Harris also notched the second interception of his career…Harris, who had his first last week at Wyoming, grabbed an errant pass in the third quarter to set up a UNM field goal
The Lobos have five interceptions the past two games, increasing the season total to 13…that ranks UNM 2nd in the MWC and tied for 4th nationally with Tulsa and Oregon
Senior LB Joe Selander, a former walk-on from Rio Rancho (N.M.) HS, notched the first sack of his career, dropping Aztec QB Kevin O’Connell to end the first half
OFFENSIVE NUMBERS IMPROVE IN A BIG, BIG WAY –
The Lobo offense is on track for a much better season, at least compared to last year. Scoring is up more than 11 points a game, while total offense has increased by more than 120 yards a game, nearly all of that coming from the passing game.
There’s a lot of balance in the attack as UNM is averaging 211.8 yards rushing and 206.5 yards passing, the only team in the MWC to be above 200 in both. Averages of more than 200 yards running and throwing for an entire season have happened just three times: 1986 (200.3 rush and 238.8 pass), 1994 (210.6 rush/261 pass) and 1995 (216 rush/202 pass).
The current total offense average of 418.2 would easily be the most productive for a Rocky Long-coached Lobo team. The best is 400.5 in 2003.
PLAYING KEEP-AWAY –
New Mexico has held the ball for nearly two-thirds of the game – 64% to be precise – over the past two games. UNM had it for 38:29 at Wyoming and 37:57 at San Diego State. The Lobos now lead the MWC in time of possession, averaging 33:45 out of a possible 60 minutes. Consequently, the Lobos have run 69 more plays than their last two opponents (183 to 114), an average of nearly 35 additional snaps per contest.
McKAMEY LEADING THE WAY ON OFFENSE –
Junior QB Kole McKamey has led the offensive resurgence, dramatically improving from a year ago. McKamey is now 12-7 in his career as the Lobos’ starting quarterback. His 62.5 completion percentage ranks 1st for a single season at UNM. He has averaged 67.9 yards on the ground in his last 10 games, including 100+ yards versus Wyoming (152), Navy (138), New Mexico State (152) and BYU (102). Against New Mexico State, McKamey became the first Lobo to record at least 150 yards rushing and 150 yards passing in a game…he finished with 152 yards on 14 carries, tying a career-high set against Wyoming on Nov. 20, 2004. McKamey is the only player in New Mexico history to surpass 100 yards rushing and 100 yards passing in a game three times
COOK PLAYING LIKE AN ALL-AMERICAN –
Senior C Ryan Cook has really elevated his level of play over the past month and now leads the team with 94 knockdown blocks in eight starts. He is averaging a career-best 11.8 knockdowns per game, and has had five games this year with double-digit KD totals, including four straight. Cook has averaged 14.3 knockdowns/game over the past month. In his most technically sound game of the year, Cook posted a season-high performance grade of 95% at Wyoming, including a season-best technique evaluation of 91%. He made virtually no assignment errors, grading out at 99%. Cook’s overall grade has been over 80% in each game and 90% or higher in five games. He has achieved an A+ assignment grade (95% or better) in six games, including four straight.
BASKETT CATCHES AND CATCHES –
Fueled by an All-America performance at Missouri that netted Hank Baskett MWC Offensive Player of the Week honors, the senior wide receiver has put together some very impressive numbers in 2005:
Tied a school record with 3 TD receptions at Missouri
10 catches for 209 yards at Missouri to become just the 3rd Lobo to surpass 200 receiving yards in a game…the 209 yards are tied for the 6th-most in an NCAA Div. I-A game in 2005
“Baskett, we didn’t think that he was that great,” Missouri defensive end Xzavie Jackson said after the game. “That’s a great player.”
Currently ranks 2nd in the MWC and 12th in the nation in receiving yards per game (104.6) and 4th in the MWC and 23rd in receptions per game (6.5)
52 receptions, 837 yards (16.1 ypc) and 7 TDs after 8 games
a career-high 11 catches for 141 yards against BYU
On pace for 1,151 receiving yards, which would rank as the 4th-best single-season total in school history
15 career receiving TDs ranks 4th all-time at New Mexico
Has 37% of UNM’s receptions on the season (52 of 141) and 51% of the yards (837 of 1,652)