Sept. 11, 2006
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A challenging test lies ahead for the New Mexico Lobos (1-1) this weekend as the Missouri Tigers (2-0) make their inaugural gridiron appearance in Albuquerque. Kickoff is 6:06 p.m. Mountain Time from University Stadium. The game will be televised live over the Mtn., located on Comcast Channel 276 in Albuquerque.
The Lobos evened their record at 1-1 last week with a suspenseful 34-28 victory at New Mexico State. UNM led 34-14 with 10:44 left in the game, but had to hold off a furious Aggies rally down the stretch. Missouri punished Ole Miss 34-7 in Columbia.
Mizzou has outscored its first two opponents 81-14, while averaging a lofty 530 yards a game, 5th-best in the nation. The balance of run vs. pass is solid as the Tigers are gaining 237 yards a game on the ground (11th nationally) and 293 yards through the air (12th nationally).
More eye-popping is the MU defense, which is yielding an average of only 156 yards through the first two games to rank 2nd in the NCAA stats. That’s a paltry 49.5 yards rushing – and 1.9 yards per carry – and 106.5 yards passing. The Tigers are trying to start 3-0 for the first time since 2003 when they began 4-0.
This is the third meeting between the Lobos and Tigers. Mizzou won 47-16 in Columbia on Sept. 13, 1980, while the Lobos rallied for a 45-35 victory last year at Faurot Field. UNM has won its last two games against Big 12 opposition after going 1-14 between 1985-2003. The Lobos took down Texas Tech 27-24 at University Stadium in the second game of the 2004 season.
In what has to be one of the most puzzling scenarios in college football, New Mexico has won four straight road games, but has dropped its last four at home. The last home victory was nearly a year ago, 38-21 over New Mexico State on Sept. 17, 2005. That was followed by losses to BYU, Colorado State and Air Force and this year’s season opener to Portland State. It’s the longest home drought since a 5-game skid from 1998-99. In the 4-game slide, UNM has been outscored 78-17 in the second half, including 59-8 in the fourth quarter.
The Lobos will be without the services of senior QB Kole McKamey for the rest of the season. He suffered a torn left anterior cruciate ligament and lateral cruciate ligament on the third play of the New Mexico State game. Fellow senior Chris Nelson will make his third Lobo start Saturday against Mizzou.
McKamey entered last Saturday’s game 4th at UNM in career completion percentage (55.4%), 7th in pass completions (279), 8th in TD passes (21), 9th in passing yards (3,359) and 9th in total offense (4,199). McKamey had one of his best collegiate performances in last year’s win at Missouri, completing 14 of 25 passes for 188 yards and 3 TDs and rushing for 41 yards and another score.
SPONSORS/GIVEAWAYS
Saturday’s game is sponsored by 94 Rock, 100.3 the Peak and KOB TV Channel 4. The first 10,000 fans will receive Lobo visors courtesy of Isleta Casino and Resort.
SEASON TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE
A prorated six-game season ticket package remains available through this Friday. Call (505) 925-5626 for more information. Through Friday, Sept. 8, a total of 15,468 season tickets had been sold. UNM fans purchased a school-record 17,404 season tickets in 2005.
HEAD COACH Rocky Long
The school’s career leader in wins, head coach Rocky Long is in his ninth season at his alma mater. The only coach to guide New Mexico to three bowl games, Long has coached more games (98) than any other Lobo mentor. He has a 47-51 record, but is 35-28 since 2001. See p. 13 for more informaton about Long’s career.
MISSOURI INFO
Missouri finished 7-5 in 2005, just the program’s fourth winning season since 1983. MU finished tied for second in the Big 12 North at 4-4. The Tigers also posted a come-from-behind 38-31 triumph over South Carolina in the Independence Bowl.
Mizzou returns a whopping 17 starters from last year’s team, however, like New Mexico, the Tigers are quite young. Of the 45 players listed in the season-opening depth chart, only 8 are seniors.
Head coach Gary Pinkel (Kent State `75) is 31-30 in his sixth year at Missouri and 104-67-3 in 15-plus years overall.
Sophomore QB Chase Daniel was named Big 12 Player of the Week after his performance against Murray State. Daniel, in his first collegiate start, completed 23 of 32 passes for 320 yards and a school-record five touchdowns. Daniel is 4th in the nation in total offense at 312.5 yards a game.
The Tigers have several candidates for national individual honors, including tight ends Chase Coffman and Martin Rucker for the John Mackey Award. DE Brian Smith is up for the Nagurski Award (top defensive player) while Smith and fellow DE Xzavie Jackson have received mention for the Hendricks Award for top defensive end. C Adam Spieker is a Rimington Award candidate. FS David Overstreet is a Jim Thorpe Award nominee as the nation’s top defensive back.
LAST YEAR IN COLUMBIA
Missouri’s defensive game plan centered on stopping one player. It turned out to be the wrong guy. Hank Baskett caught 10 passes for 209 yards and a career-best three touchdowns, helping New Mexico pull away in the fourth quarter for a 45-35 victory. “Baskett, we didn’t think that he was that great,” Missouri defensive end Xzavie Jackson said. “That’s a great player.”
Baskett’s career game overshadowed that of teammate DonTrell Moore, who had 94 yards on 20 carries and threw for a touchdown on the option. Moore had been the player the Tigers wanted to control.
Kenny Byrd’s 40-yard field goal snapped a fourth-quarter tie and Baskett’s 9-yard touchdown catch from Kole McKamey with 2:01 clinched it for the Lobos, who scored 17 points in the final quarter. They spoiled Missouri’s home opener despite a record-breaking day from Brad Smith.
McKamey threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth. He held his own against Smith, who ran for touchdowns of 31 and 15 yards, threw for a third score and broke school career records for rushing and passing.
Smith also had a career-high 29 rushing attempts for Missouri, but threw two interceptions and lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. Gabriel Fulbright had both of the interceptions, including one with 3:15 left that led to Baskett’s third touchdown catch.
The game was tied four times before Byrd’s career-long field goal put New Mexico ahead to stay with 4:22 to go. Baskett’s touchdown catch came four plays later.
New Mexico’s pass rush forced a fumble by Smith that Evroy Thompson returned 28 yards to put New Mexico ahead 21-14 early in the third quarter. Smith tied it again when he broke three tackles and slipped a fourth on a 31-yard run on the ensuing drive.
Then Smith put Missouri ahead, breaking three more tackles after New Mexico collapsed the pocket on a pass play and scoring on a 15-yard scramble for a 28-21 lead. New Mexico tied it on a 41-yard option pass from DonTrell Moore to Baskett near the end of the third quarter.
The teams traded scores early in the fourth quarter, McKamey getting a 4-yard run for New Mexico and Missouri answering on a 12-yard pass from Smith to Chase Coffman.
MISSOURI POSTGAME NOTES FROM 2005
The Lobos won their fourth straight road game for the first time since a school-record six in a row between 1981-83
UNM totaled 17 points in the fourth quarter, the most in the final period since scoring 21 in a 42-28 loss at Texas Tech in 2003
New Mexico won the turnover battle 3-0 (2 interceptions and 1 fumble return for a TD)
Senior wide receiver Hank Baskett turned in one of the best receiving performances in New Mexico history, recording career-highs of 10 receptions for 209 yards and 3 TDs…Baskett became the third Lobo ever to tally 200 yards receiving in a game and the first since Terance Mathis (252) did it against Utah in 1989…Baskett’s 3 TDs tied a UNM single-game record held by five others…it was the 6th 100-yard receiving game of Baskett’s career
Senior CB Gabriel Fulbright had the third multiple interception game of his career, recording his second and third picks of the year…he set up the Lobos’ game-clinching TD with his second interception with 3:15 left in the game
Senior TB DonTrell Moore had 94 yards rushing on 20 carries…he also threw the second TD pass of his career, a floater to Hank Baskett for a 41-yard TD
Senior DE Evroy Thompson’s 28-yard scoop and score was the Lobos’ third fumble return for a touchdown in the past 12 games…Thompson added 8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, a sack and 2 QB hurries as he earned MWC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second time in his career
New Mexico employed 24 defensive players on a hot September night iin the Midwest…Fulbright played a team-high 92 snaps, followed by Thompson (91) and LB Mike Mohoric (89)
During the last four minutes of the second quarter and first nine minutes of the third period, Missouri ran 37 offensive plays to the Lobos’ 7…the Tigers had a 36-12 play differential in the third quarter
Missouri ran 105 plays, the most ever against a Lobo team…Texas Tech ran 102 in 2002
Junior TE John Mulchrone scored his first career TD, a 6-yard pass from Kole McKamey on the game’s opening possession…sophom ore Marcus Smith carried the ball a career-high 8 times for 57 yards and added 53 yards on two KO returns
New Mexico was a perfect 4-4 in the red zone, getting 3 TDs and a FG
NEW MEXICO STATE RECAP AND POSTGAME NOTES
Backup Chris Nelson threw three touchdown passes, New Mexico’s defense forced five turnovers and the Lobos held off a late New Mexico State rally for a 34-28 win Saturday night.
Nelson replaced starter Kole McKamey, who went out with a knee injury on the third play of the game, and delivered one big pass after another. His last touchdown, a 61-yarder to Marcus Smith with 10:44 left in the game, turned out to be the game-winner as the Aggies scored two late touchdowns behind another brilliant passing performance by sophomore Chase Holbrook. Holbrook, who went into the game leading the nation in passing, completed a school record 37 of 56 passes for 472 yards and four touchdowns.
New Mexico built a 34-14 lead on the Nelson to Smith pass, then had to hold on as Holbrook threw a 60-yard TD pass to Nick Cleaver and a 13-yard pass to Derek Dubois. The Aggies got the ball back with 1:44 left but the drive stalled at the NMSU 33 after four incomplete passes.
Nelson wasn’t spectacular, completing 11 of 26 passes for 283 yards, but when he found receivers, the plays usually went for long yardage. Smith caught three touchdown passes and had 179 yards on 5 catches. NMSU’s Derek Dubois caught 7 passes for 104 yards, Chris Williams had 7 catches for 94 yards and A.J. Harris 7 for 80 yards.
No such success by the Aggies on the ground. New Mexico held the Aggies to 60 rushing yards, minus 3 yards in the first half. The Aggie backs also had four fumbles. The mostly costly were by David Romaka at the New Mexico 2-yard line which killed an 18-play, nearly eight minute drive in the third quarter and one by Chris Nwoko at the New Mexico 46 that set up the Nelson to Smith touchdown.
New Mexico forced three Aggie turnovers in the second quarter and converted two of them into 10 points for a 24-14 halftime lead. Defensive back O.J. Swift intercepted a Holbrook pass that bounced off Dubois and returned it 46 yards to the NMSU 34. On the next play, Nelson flipped the ball back to third string quarterback Donovan Porterie, who found Smith wide open in the end zone.
On NMSU’s next drive, halfback Justine Buries was hit by Lobo defensive end Tyler Donaldson and fumbled, with Donaldson recovering at the NMSU 31. That set up a 38-yard field goal by Kenny Byrd.
TEAM NOTES
The Lobo defense forced 5 turnovers, including 4 fumble recoveries, resulting in 20 points…UNM had forced 1 turnover (resulting in zero points) in its previous two games…New Mexico has forced 10 turnovers, recovering 7 fumbles, in its last two road games (at NMSU, at Utah in ’05)…the Lobos’ 4 fumble recoveries were the most since also scooping up 4 at UNLV in 2004…New Mexico only had 5 fumble recoveries in all of 2005, the lowest total since stats were made official in 1946
New Mexico has a 4-game winning streak over New Mexico State for the first time since 1993-97 and has won back-to-back games in Las Cruces for the first time since ’94 and `96…the Lobos now lead the overall series 64-28-5…UNM has won four straight road games for the first time since 2004
The Lobos have won 12 straight games when they do not commit a turnover and are 15-1 in such games under Rocky Long…UNM has also won 6 straight games decided by a TD or less
New Mexico sacked NMSU QB Chase Holbrook 6 times…the Lobos now have 15 sacks in their last 2 road games (at NMSU, at Utah in ’05)…Holbrook’s pass attempts (56) and completions (37) were the most by a UNM opponent since Texas Tech’s Sonny Cumbie (44-69) in 2004
New Mexico allowed 472 passing yards, the most under Rocky Long and the highest total in 16 years, since San Diego State totaled 530 on Nov. 17, 1990
The Lobos had 317 yards passing, the highest total since gathering 429 against UNLV in 2003
The Lobos ran just 54 offensive plays to the Aggies 87…however, UNM averaged 7.9 yards per play to 6.1 for New Mexico State
After being whistled for 11 penalties and 93 yards in the opener against Portland State, UNM committed just 4 penalties for 40 yards against New Mexico State
After using just 48 players in the season and home opener against Portland State, the Lobos employed 52 last Saturday at New Mexico State…the biggest change was in the defensive line where 7 saw action compared to 4 in the opener
INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS
Junior DE Michael Tuohy tied a Mountain West Conference record with 4 sacks, the most by a Lobo since John Bell had 4 against Akron on Sept. 24, 1988…Tuohy now has 14 dumps in 23 career games
Junior WR Marcus Smith continued his sensational early season play, catching 5 balls for a career-high 179 yards, including a school-record-tying 3 receiving TDs – the first of his career…the TDs were from 34, 20 and a career-long 61 yards…Smith is the 7th player at UNM with 3 TDs in a game…Hank Baskett III was the most recent, grabbing 3 at Missouri in the Lobos’ second game of 2005…Smith has 13 receptions for 264 in 2 games this year…he is 1st in the MWC and 4th nationally in receiving yards per game (132 ypg) and tied for the MWC with 6.5 catches a game…he had 9 receptions for 89 yards in 23 games in his first two years as a Lobo
Senior QB Chris Nelson had a career game in place of McKamey, throwing for 283 yards (11-26) with 3 TDs and no interceptions…it was the fourth time Nelson has seen significant action in place of an injured McKamey over the past two years, three of which have come in road games…Nelson is 3-1 in those games
Eight Lobos had career-highs in tackles, including senior lobo (LB/S) Quincy Black (12) and junior DE Tyler Donaldson (6)…Donaldson also recovered a fumble…Black has played every snap in the first 2 games
Junior S OJ Swift recorded his first career interception, which he returned 37 yards to set up a 2nd quarter TD…Swift also finished with a career-high 13 tackles and caused 2 fumbles…he has a team-high 18 stops
Senior TE John Mulchrone had a career-high 84 yards receiving and matched his best with 3 receptions, including a career-long of 47 grab to set up a FG
Junior DE Stephen Hutchison notched the first two sacks of his career…he added 4 tackles and a partially blocked field goal
Sophomore TB Rodney Ferguson had a career-high 77 yards rushing on 12 carries, an average of 6.4 yards per rush…Ferguson has gained 142 yards the first two games
Senior K and Lou Groza Award candidate Kenny Byrd made 2 of 3 FGs against New Mexico State, making him 4 of 5 on the season…Byrd is now 18 of 23 in his Lobo career for 78.2% accuracy…the school record for highest conversion rate is 81.8 (27-33) by Vladimir Borombozin from 2000-01…Byrd also launched 4 of 7 kickoffs into the end zone against the Aggies…for the season, opponents have returned just 4 of Byrd’s 10 kickoffs
UNM continued to feature several new faces on both sides of the ball…true freshman Mike Love made his collegiate debut at tailback, carrying the ball 5 times for 17 yards…redshirt freshman QB Donovan Porterie completed a 34-yard TD pass to Marcus Smith on his first play as a Lobo…sophomore NT Jeremiah Lovato, junior LB George Carter and junior transfer OT Devin Clark made their first career starts…sophomore NT Wesley Beck and true freshman S Frankie Solomon also played in their first collegiate game