Oct. 2, 2006
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New Mexico (2-3, 0-1 MWC) looks to even its record again when it entertains Wyoming (1-4, 0-1 MWC) Saturday evening. Kickoff is 6:05 p.m. Mountain Time from University Stadium in Albuquerque. It’s the school’s 82nd Homecoming.
There is no television this week, however, there will be live video streaming available at no charge at golobos.com. Content will be provided exclusively over the internet by the four-camera LoboVision staff, the stadium’s in-house video system. Audio from 770 KKOB-AM will be in sync over the video.
New Mexico was picked to finish 5th in the MWC in 2006, while Wyoming was selected ninth in the preseason poll.
Last week, the Lobos fell to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in MWC play after a 24-7 loss at Air Force. UNM lost its conference opener while seeing a four-game road winning streak come to an end. Two fumbles proved costly to New Mexico as the Falcons had to traverse a measly 35 yards to score 14 points following the Lobo mistakes. UNM limited Air Force to a season-low 281 yards of total offense, but New Mexico was only able to generate 273 yards itself.
Snake-bit Wyoming comes into Saturday’s game 1-4 overall and 0-1 in the league. The Pokes lost their second overtime game of the season last week at Syracuse, 40-34 in double OT. Wyoming also dropped a 13-12 overtime decision at Virginia on a missed extra point and lost two other games by a touchdown. UW played undefeated Boise State tough before coming up on the short end of a 17-10 verdict. After a 4-1 start in 2005, the Cowboys have lost 10 of their last 11 contests.
At Syracuse, Wyoming gathered 512 yards of total offense, but, like the Lobos against Air Force, were hurt by four turnovers. Syracuse, held to just 275 yards of offense, scored 17 points on three drives that were 21 yards or less. The Orange also had six sacks on two Wyoming quarterbacks. Cowboy WR Michael Ford caught 12 passes for 110 yards.
Like UNM, the Cowboys’ conference loss came to Air Force, 31-24 two weeks ago at Laramie. The Falcons controlled the ball for 40:25, including more than 34 of a possible 45 minutes over the final three quarters. Wyoming’s time of possession was just 19:35 and it ran only 42 offensive snaps. Air Force had it for 77 plays, totaling 327 yards rushing on 70 carries.
Lobo senior QB Kole McKamey is out for the season after suffering a torn left anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament on the third play of the New Mexico State game Sept. 9. He had surgery Sept. 18. McKamey ranks 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).
PROMOTIONS/GAME SPONSORS
It’s Homecoming on the UNM campus with coronation of King and Queen at halftime. There will be a fireworks show at halftime and the first 15,000 fans will receive oversized foam fingers courtesy of Alltel. Game sponsors are Comcast, 104.7 The Edge and Big I country 107.9. It’s also Ryan Montoya Day presented by Alltel. Montoya is a full-time UNM student who was selected based on receiving the most votes from other students over the past two weeks. Montoya will receive a 42″ flat screen TV, MP3 player, Alltel phone with service and VIP treatment at the Homecoming game.
NEW MEXICO-WYOMING SERIES NOTES
It’s the 59th meeting is a series that started in 1930 with a 19-6 Wyoming victory in Albuquerque. UW has a 31-27 series lead, although New Mexico has won six straight for the first time since a 7-game run between 1969-75. The Cowboys’ last win in Albuquerque was 1991, a streak that has grown to four games. Last year in Laramie, the Lobos overcame a 17-7 deficit and a game-ending injury to starting QB Kole McKamey to win 27-24. The two rivals played every year between 1949-94.
The 26-3 win in Laramie in 2003 came after the UNM traveling party got four hours of sleep due to travel delays the night before, a snowy field and a game-time wind chill of 5-below zero. That 23-point margin is the Lobos’ largest in 28 games in Laramie.
UNM head coach Rocky Long was Wyoming’s defensive coordinator and secondary coach under Al Kincaid from 1981-85.
Wyoming is probably happy to see DonTrell Moore not suiting up. In four career games against the Pokes, Moore averaged 165 yards rushing and scored 10 of his 59 career TDs.
New Mexico has recorded 25 sacks against Wyoming quarterbacks the past four years.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
A struggling Lobo offense (305.6 yards a game) meets a Wyoming defense that is allowing just 244.6 yards a game, a figure that ranks 2nd to Colorado State in the league and 12th nationally. Statistically, UW is the best in the nation in pass defense, yielding just 105 yards a game.
The teams’ quarterbacks could be in for a long night based on the sack totals through the first five games. New Mexico QBs have been dumped 23 times to rank No. 117 among 119 NCAA Div. I-A teams. The Cowboys have allowed 19 sacks, ranking 113th. As is customary, the Lobos defense in tied with Colorado State for the MWC lead with 13 sacks.
Turnovers have been the bugaboo for the Cowboys as they have lost the ball 13 times on offense via six interceptions and seven fumbles. Only Arizona State and Kansas (15) and Stanford and Troy (14) have committed more turnovers this season. Last year, the Pokes ranked last in the league and 111th in the nation in turnover margin at -12.
Wyoming WR Michael Ford leads the MWC in receiving, averaging 6.6 catches a game. Backup QB Karsten Sween played all but one series of the second half against Syracuse, subbing for starter Jacob Doss. Sween completed 19 of 27 passes for 201 yards with 2 TDs and an interception.
The Lobos may need to pick up their scoring in the second half to stay with the Cowboys. UNM has scored just 27 points after halftime in five games this season and tallied only 34 after the break in its last six home games. By contrast, Wyoming has scored 72 of its 118 points in the third and fourth quarters.
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 (101) than any other Lobo mentor. He has a 48-53 record, but is 36-30 since 2001.
MORE ON THE COWBOYS
Wyoming finished 4-7 overall in 2005, 2-6 and in eighth place in the MWC. The Cowboys lost their last six games after a 3-1 beginning. A total of 43 lettermen are back, including 12 starters, six on each side of the ball.
Now in his 4th season at Wyoming, head coach Joe Glenn has a record of 16-24, including a 24-21 triumph over UCLA in the 2004 Las Vegas Bowl. Glenn’s career mark stands at 174-83-1, including three seasons (2000-02) at Montana, 11 years (1989-99) at Northern Colorado and four seasons (1976-79) at Doane College. He led Northern Colorado to consecutive NCAA Div. II national titles in 1996-97.
Glenn is 0-3 vs. UNM.
UNM ON HOMECOMING
New Mexico has a 40-38-3 record in homecoming games since the first one was played in 1925. UNM has been successful of late, winning six of seven and 10 of 13 since 1993. Wyoming has been the homecoming opponent three times. The Lobos won in 1969 and 1983, while the Cowboys spoiled the grads’ return in 1989.
NEW MEXICO-WYOMING LAST YEAR IN LARAMIE
DonTrell Moore ran for 181 yards and scored three touchdowns in a 27-24 win over the Cowboys. “Is he a senior finally? Good riddance. The guy’s a really great football player,” Wyoming head coach Joe Glenn said. “We had no answer for the guy.”
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Lobos, who pulled away from Wyoming on a pair of nearly identical, back-to-back touchdowns by Moore in the third and fourth quarters. New Mexico beat Wyoming for the sixth straight time and for the fourth year in a row. Moore averaged 159.7 yards a game in three previous games against the Cowboys and his three touchdowns gave him 10 against Wyoming in four seasons, including five as a freshman.
Moore ran in from 6 yards to cap a New Mexico drive that lasted the first half of the third quarter, tying the game at 17. And after the Cowboys didn’t get past their own 35 on their next possession, a 50-yard Lobos’ drive ended with another 6-yard touchdown run by Moore early in the fourth.
Meanwhile, although Wyoming had dished out grief to backup quarterbacks for UNLV and Mississippi this season, it didn’t keep Chris Nelson from a solid performance. Starter Kole McKamey had to leave with a mild concussion in the second quarter and Nelson finished 8 of 14 for 91 yards.
After New Mexico took the lead, Wynell Seldon tied the game with a 2-yard touchdown for the Cowboys in the fourth quarter. But Kenny Byrd’s 30-yard field goal gave the Lobos the win.
Wyoming’s Corey Bramlet was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter, stymieing the Cowboys’ attempts to regain control. With just over three minutes left, Deric Yaussi attempted a 42-yard field goal that would have tied the game, but the ball sailed over the left post and was deemed no good.
Moore gave New Mexico a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when he bobbled the ball but regained control for a 3-yard touchdown. Wyoming tied it at 7-7 when Austin Hall recovered a fumble and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown. The Cowboys widened their lead on a 16-yard touchdown catch by John Wadkowski and a 23-yard field goal by Yaussi. Byrd’s 24-yard field goal with 2 seconds left brought the Lobos within 17-10 at halftime.
New Mexico snapped a 3-game losing streak with its come-from-behind victory…the Lobos have won six straight over Wyoming, the team’s longest winning streak in the series since taking seven in a row from 1969-75…UNM has won three in a row at Laramie for the first time since victories in 1970, ’72, and ’74
The Lobos overcame a 10-point deficit (17-7) to win for the first time since last year at UNLV. They also trailed 17-7 in the first half at Las Vegas before winning 24-20
DonTrell Moore matched his career-high with 36 carries, finishing with a season-high 181 rushing yards and three rushing TDs against the MWC’s top-ranked defense…he also had 37 yards on 2 catches for 218 all-purpose yards…in four career games against the Cowboys Moore rushed for a total of 660 yards on 117 carries, averaging 165 yards per game…he rushed for seven TDs on the ground and also caught three scores in his career against the Pokes for a total of 10 TDs
New Mexico controlled the ball for a season-high 38:29 T.O.P., including 12:41 in the third quarter when the Lobos ran 24 plays to the Cowboys’ three
Because of the wide margin in possession time, the Lobos had 88 offensive snaps to the Cowboys’ 54
Junior QB Chris Nelson came on in relief of an injured Kole McKamey after McKamey was sidelined with an injury midway through the 2nd quarter…Nelson finished an effective 8-14 passing for 91 yards and a long of 28, and also had 10 yards on 7 carries…he led the Lobos on four scoring drives that produced 20 points, and UNM had no turnovers while he was in the game…Nelson led UNM on scoring drives of 9 plays and 58 yards, 14 plays and 80 yards and 13 plays and 51 yards…he was 4-4 passing in the third quarter with three of those throws getting the Lobos first downs in third-down situations
TWO YEARS AGO IN ALBUQUERQUE
Quarterback Kole McKamey scored on an 80-yard option run in the third quarter and New Mexico’s defense kept Wyoming out of the end zone in a 16-9 win that ensured the Lobos of a third straight bowl bid, a first in school history. It was UNM’s fifth straight win.
McKamey, mediocre in the first half when he completed just 5 of 11 passes for 40 yards, erased a 6-2 Wyoming lead with his scoring run with 6:13 left in the third quarter. McKamey faked a handoff, found a seam in the defense and outran Wyoming safety Ron Rockett with 6:13 left in the third quarter.
Wyoming came right back and tied the game at 9-9 on Deric Yaussi’s third field goal, a career-best 51-yarder with 1:46 left in the third. Yaussi, who also had field goals of 31 and 25 yards in the first half, missed from 52 and 48 yards earlier in the third quarter. DonTrell Moore broke the tie with a 20-yard touchdown run on the second play of the fourth quarter. It was set up by McKamey’s 24-yard run.
Wyoming’s final drive, which started at the Cowboys’ 1-yard line after Tyler Gaus’ punt bounced out of bounds there, ended at the New Mexico 39 with just over four minutes left. Wyoming elected to punt and the Lobos ran out the clock.
McKamey finished with 152 yards rushing on 15 carries and Moore had 150 on 28 carries to go over 1,000 yards for the third straight season. McKamey had 111 yards rushing in the third quarter. Wyoming halfback Ivan Harrison darted his way for 93 yards on 26 carries, while Corey Bramlet was 19-of-31 for 213 yards.
New Mexico’s defense accounted for the Lobos only points in the first half. Linebacker Nick Speegle and safety Charles Brown sacked Bramlet in the end zone for a safety.
AIR FORCE RECAP AND POSTGAME NOTES
Ryan Williams ran for 94 yards and a touchdown and Air Force turned two takeaways into TDs in a 24-7 victory over New Mexico. The Falcons gained 262 yards on the ground and limited the Lobos to 41 yards rushing.
Trailing 14-7, the Lobos went for first down on fourth-and-inches at the Falcons 41 late in the third quarter, but quarterback Chris Nelson’s sneak came up about an inch shy of the first-down marker. And in the span of 54 seconds, the Falcons put the Lobos away.
First, senior Zach Sasser kicked a career-long 48-yard field goal to make it 17-7 with 12:53 left. Then, Glover Quin flubbed the kickoff, which was recovered by the Falcons’ Aaron Kirchoff at the Lobos 20. Three plays later, Williams took it in from 2 yards out for a 24-7 lead.
The Falcons capitalized on two costly mistakes by the Lobos to take a 14-7 halftime lead. Air Force jumped ahead 7-0 on Shaun Carney’s 3-yard keeper less than three minutes into the game after cornerback Chris Sutton’s recovery of Rodney Ferguson’s fumble at the New Mexico 15 on the Lobos’ second snap.
The Lobos were driving later in the first quarter when Nelson overthrew an option pitch on third down to tailback Paul Baker, who smothered the ball at midfield after it had bounced 14 yards, taking New Mexico out of field goal range. Air Force capitalized when wing back Chad Hall took a pitch from Carney and ran 38 yards for a score to give the Falcons a 14-0 lead.
Ferguson atoned for his early mistake by taking a screen pass from Nelson 58 yards for the score that trimmed the Falcons’ lead to 14-7 and briefly quieted the crowd..
New Mexico had a 4-game road winning streak halted…UNM lost its third straight at Falcon Stadium and is 2-8 all-time at the Air Force Academy…the loss was just the third in the Lobos’ last 12 Mountain West Conference road games…Air Force has won three in a row in the series and four of the past five overall…UNM is 3-5 all-time in MWC openers, including 1-3 on the road
The New Mexico defense held Air Force to a season-low 281 yards of total offense, 107 under its average…the Falcons’ had a season-low 262 yards rushing on 62 attempts (4.2 avg.) and a season-low 18 first downs…UNM has held Air Force under its season rushing average seven times in the past eight years
The Falcons had 3 scoring drives of less than 30 yards, netting 17 points…Air Force had to march a total of 49 yards to score its 10 fourth quarter points…14 of Air Force’s 24 points came after Lobo turnovers…AFA also kicked a 48-yard field goal after UNM failed to convert on a fourth down play near midfield
New Mexico matched a season-high with 3 turnovers, including 2 fumbles lost…UNM has lost 7 straight when it loses the turnover battle and is 5-36 under Rocky Long when it has more miscues
UNM had a season-low 13 first downs…the Lobos converted 3 of their season-high 4 fourth down attempts
The Lobos were stopped in the red zone for the first time in 12 trips this season when Chris Nelson’s pass was intercepted late in the fourth quarter
New Mexico allowed 5 sacks and has yielded 23 on the season after 5 games…UNM gave up just 19 sacks in 11 games in 2005
The 7 points by UNM are the fewest against Air Force since a 10-6 Falcons win in Colorado Springs in 1973…it’s the fewest points by New Mexico in an MWC game since a 28-7 loss to Utah in 2004…UNM is now averaging 18 points a game
Junior WR Travis Brown had a career-high 7 receptions for 89 yards – the most since the season opener vs. Portland State (93)…Brown has caught at least one pass in 17 straight games and 22 of his 25 career games…he has 24 receptions for 302 yards this year after catching 35 for 245 in 11 games last fall
Sophomore TB Rodney Ferguson recorded his second career receiving TD, scoring from 58 yards on a screen pass…it was the longest play of Ferguson’s career and the Lobos’ second-longest play of the season behind Marcus Smith’s 61-yard TD catch (also on a screen pass) at New Mexico State…Ferguson was held to a season-low 36 yards rushing, 57.2 under his season average
Senior lobo Quincy Black recorded a career-high 13 tackles…Black now has 47 stops in his last 4 games (11.8 avg.) and he has converted 25 of 26 tackle opportunities in the past 2 games, missing one against Air Force…Black ranks 2nd in the MWC and 14th nationally, averaging 10 stops a game or a total of 50…last year’s UNM tackles leader was Mike Mohoric with 85…the last time a Lobo reached the century mark in a season was 2003 when Daniel Gawronski and Billy Strother each finished with 100 stops
Senior TE John Mulchrone tied a career-high with 3 receptions (47 yards)…Mulchrone’s 214 receiving yards in five games are already the most by a Lobo TE since 1994 when David Sloan had 320…Mulchrone’s 13 receptions are the most by a Lobo TE since 2002 (Bryan Penley – 17)
Sophomore S Blake Ligon, playing with a broken right forearm, recorded his first career interception…it was Ligon’s first game since suffering the injury against New Mexico State on Sept. 9
Senior K Kenny Byrd launched both of his kickoffs into the end zone…he has now boomed 13 of 20 KOs into the end zone this season, which is tops in the MWC…his leg has the Lobos 1st in the league in kickoff coverage
DEFENSE STEPPING UP
After allowing an average of 387 yards through the first three contests, the Lobos have given up just 522 yards the past two games to UTEP and Air Force. That’s an average of 261 yards, 115 rushing and 146 through the air. New Mexico held the Miners (241 yards) and Falcons (281 yards) to season-low offensive totals.
LOOKING FOR SOME “O”
On the other side of the ball, however, the Lobos are searching for some production. UNM ranks 98th in the nation in rushing offense at 88.2 yards a game. The last time a New Mexico team failed to average at least 100 yards a game for an entire season was 1991 when it averaged just 77.2 yards over 12 games. The Lobos have scored just one rushing TD on the season, a 1-yard sneak by QB Chris Nelson against UTEP.
The Lobos are averaging a smidge over 300 yards of offense at 305.6 a game. UNM averages just 60.8 plays per game, second-lowest in the league to Colorado State’s 58.8. New Mexico is averaging 18 points a game, however, that figure is really 16.4 ppg by the offense because UNM has an interception return for a score and a safety.