Oct. 23, 2006
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The New Mexico Lobos (4-4, 2-2 MWC) look to make it three wins in a row as they travel to Colorado State (4-3, 1-2 MWC) Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is 3:30 p.m. Mountain Time from Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins. UNM’s television partners chose not to pick up the game so there will be no TV – live or delayed – for Saturday’s game. The Lobos have won two in a row while CSU has lost its last two. New Mexico will try to win three straight games for the first time since a 3-0 start in 2005.
The new-look Lobos improved to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the MWC after rallying to edge Utah 34-31 last Thursday at University Stadium. The Utes roared to a 21-point second-quarter lead at 24-3 only to have New Mexico come back behind the arm of redshirt freshman QB Donovan Porterie. The Lobos scored 24 straight points to take a 27-24 advantage early in the fourth quarter. After Utah regained the lead at 31-27, Porterie marched New Mexico 78 yards in 10 plays, capped by Martelius Epps’ 1-yard run. The Lobo defense held on a 4th-and-2 near midfield as UNM equalled the greatest comeback in school history. Porterie was named MWC Offensive Player of the Week for his 350-yard, 3-TD passing performance.
Colorado State was blanked at Wyoming last Saturday, 24-0.
The Lobos have won their last two games by erasing 14-point halftime deficits in each contest. They trailed UNLV 28-14 and Utah 24-10. New Mexico combined to outscore UNLV and Utah 43-15 in the second half. That’s a big turnaround from the first six games of the season when opponents held a 79-33 scoring advantage after halftime.
While the Lobos have rallied to win their past two games, the second half has been unkind to CSU the past two games. The Rams were outscored 42-0 by Air Force and Wyoming after halftime. Leading 21-3 at the break at Air Force, the Rams lost 24-21. Last week at Wyoming, CSU trailed just 3-0 at intermission before losing 24-0.
UNM has used three different starting quarterbacks for the first time since 1991. Senior Kole McKamey suffered a season-ending injury on the third play of the second game. Fellow senior Chris Nelson followed and was somewhat ineffective in four starts. Porterie was next in line and he has started the past two games, going 2-0. The last Lobo QB to win his first two starts was Graham Leigh, who began 6-0 in 1997.
Recent history suggests this is a good time of year for New Mexico football. Since 2001, the Lobos are 22-6 in regular-season games played on Oct. 15 or later. The record is 14-3 since 2003, although UNM did have a 10-game winning streak snapped by Colorado State last year.
Both New Mexico and Colorado State have lost key offensive performers for the season due to knee injuries. McKamey suffered a torn ACL on the third play of the second game at New Mexico State while Rams RB Kyle Bell was felled by the same injury during preseason camp.
The Rams are certainly happy to see DonTrell Moore out of a New Mexico uniform. The 2005 MWC Offensive Player of the Year averaged 173.5 rushing yards in four career games against CSU, including a career-best 242 yards at Albuquerque in 2003. Moore averaged 6.2 yards per carry and scored 7 TDs.
Since 2002, Utah and New Mexico are the two winningest programs in MWC competition. The Utes have recorded 22 conference victories, the Lobos 21.
UNM VS. COLORADO STATE
New Mexico and Colorado State meet for the 54th time since the first game in 1935. CSU has a 31-22 overall lead, 13-10 in Fort Collins and 5-2 in Mountain West games. CSU has won nine of the past 12 and is 16-5 against the Lobos since 1983.
New Mexico, however, has won two of the past four meetings in Fort Collins, including 26-17 in 2004.
The last 12 regular-season games have been decided by 10 points or less. The Rams won 35-25 last year in Albuquerque, outscoring the Lobos 23-0 in the second half. UNM led 22-5 in the second quarter.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
It could be a low-scoring game Saturday. New Mexico is 6th in the MWC in scoring offense at 21.6 ppg, a figure that has risen of late thanks to 73 points the past two games. The Lobos are 7th in the league in total offense at 308.1 ypg. Colorado State is allowing just 17.4 points and 274.4 yards per contest. The latter figure ranks 2nd in the MWC behind Wyoming and 18th nationally.
Both teams have had little success running the football. CSU is only averaging 80 yards a game on the ground and 2.4 yards per carry while UNM is at 93.5 yards a game and 2.8 yards a tote. The Rams average 223.1 yards through the air, UNM 214.6.
Colorado State QB Caleb Hanie is 2nd in the loop in passing yards at 223.1 a game and he is 3rd in the MWC in passing efficiency with a rating of 139.8. Hanie has completed 65.6% of his passes.
The Rams boast the leading receiver in the MWC in junior Johnny Walker, who is averaging 5.7 receptions a game. Despite the catches, Walker has yet to score a TD via the pass. The Lobos counter with junior WRs Marcus Smith (73.0 ypg) and Travis Brown (71.6 ypg), who rank 2nd and 3rd, respectively, in receiving yards per game.
It could be a challenging day for the quarterbacks, though. New Mexico is 2nd in the MWC with 20 sacks while the Rams have allowed 26 in 7 games. The CSU defense is tied for 3rd in the conference with 19 sacks. New Mexico has yielded a MWC-worst 31 dumps.
The Lobos do have the edge when it comes to turnovers. They have a +5 margin, gaining 17 turnovers while committing 12. The Rams have lost the ball 13 times and gained a league-low 7 for a margin of -6.
New Mexico also has a clear advantage in the kicking game. Senior K Kenny Byrd is 1st in the MWC and 6th nationally in FGs made with 13 in 17 attempts. CSU’s Jason Smith is just 2 of 7 this year. The Rams do have the league’s top punter in Jimmie Kaylor, who is averaging 45.3 yards a kick, good for 6th nationally.
MWC ROAD GAME SUCCESS
While the Lobos have had their troubles at home of late, that has not been the case in road games, specifically in Mountain West Conference competition. UNM is 7-2 in its last nine MWC road games and has won 14 of its last 19 away from home. New Mexico has not lost consecutive MWC away games since 2000 (at UNLV and at BYU).
MORE ON THE RAMS
Colorado State finished 6-6 overall in 2005, 5-3 and in 2nd place in the MWC. The Rams lost to Navy 51-30 in the Poinsettia Bowl.
Now in his 13th season at Colorado State, head coach Sonny Lubick has a record of 105-60. He is 126-79 in his 17th year as a collegiate head coach. Lubick is 7-3 vs. UNM, 2-2 in Fort Collins.
Due to injuries, 34 different players have started a game for Colorado State this season.
In a survey conducted by the University of Virginia, Colorado State is the only Div. I-A institution that has not played a true freshman in 2006.
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 (104) than any other Lobo mentor. He has a 50-54 record, but is 38-31 since 2001. See p. xx for more information about Long’s career.
BRIAN URLACHER FIRST LOBO ON WALL OF HONOR
Brian Urlacher will be the first former Lobo to be recognized in the New Mexico Football Wall of Honor. The display will be erected in the school’s new indoor facility, scheduled for completion by the middle of 2007. The 1999 All-American was honored at halftime of the Utah game on Oct. 19. It was the first UNM game Urlacher has been able to see in person since starting his professional career with the Chicago Bears in 2000.
Now in his seventh season with the Bears, Urlacher is a five-time Pro Bowl selection who was named the 2005 Associated Press Defensive Player-of-the-Year.
Arguably the most decorated player in school history, Urlacher was a first-round pick of the Bears in 2000. After leading the nation in tackles (178) his junior year, Urlacher was a consensus first team All-America in 1999 at his free safety position. He was one of three finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s top defensive back. Urlacher finished his career third all-time at UNM with 442 tackles. As a senior, he saw situational duty at receiver, catching seven passes, six of those for TDs. Urlacher tied for the team scoring lead with 42 points and averaged 15.8 yards on 10 punt returns.
KNEE INJURY FELLS McKAMEY EARLY
Lobo senior QB Kole McKamey was lost 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, who does not have a redshirt year available but could appeal to the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility, 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).
UNM-CSU: LAST YEAR IN ALBUQUERQUE
Justin Holland’s 15-yard touchdown pass to David Anderson in the fourth quarter capped off Colorado State’s second half rally in a 35-25 win over New Mexico. The Rams, who trailed 25-12 at halftime, shut down the Lobos in the second half and converted three UNM turnovers into 17 points. Jason Smith booted three of his four field goals in the second half comeback.
CSU also ruined New Mexico halfback DonTrell Moore’s big night. Moore ran for two touchdowns and 117 yards on 19 carries to become the sixth player in NCAA Division I history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons. But it was Moore’s fumble at the CSU 41 that set up the Rams’ winning score. Darryl Williams recovered the fumble and four plays later Holland hit Anderson in the back of the end zone.
New Mexico dominated the first half, but fell apart in the second half. Quarterback Kole McKamey threw two interceptions, the first was picked off by Travis Garcia and set up a 28-yard field goal by Smith. Robert Herbert made the second interception that led to a 23-yard TD run by Kyle Bell with 12:43 left that tied the game at 25.
Moore scored on runs of 1 and 29 yards and ran his season rushing total to 1,085. He broke the 1,000-yard mark with a 37-yard run to the CSU 1 with 5:15 left in the first quarter and scored on the next play.
Holland completed his first 12 passes and was 20-of-26 for 312 yards. Anderson had 8 catches for 128 yards and Johnny Walker caught 5 for 119.
New Mexico came up with a huge defensive stop at midfield to set up a pair of touchdowns that took just two plays and 17 seconds in the second quarter for a 22-5 lead. Lobo LB Mike Mohoric stopped Bell just short on fourth-and-1 and New Mexico took over at the Rams’ 49. On the first play McKamey threw to Hank Baskett just inside the end zone. CSU defensive back Robert Herbert tried to bat the ball away but missed and Baskett caught it. On CSU’s next possession, Holland went into the shotgun and the ball was snapped over his head on third down. The Rams had to punt and Gabriel Fulbright returned it to the CSU 29. Moore scored on the next play.
CSU’s defense held New Mexico to minus 7 yards in the third quarter and 47 total yards in the second half.
COLORADO STATE POSTGAME NOTES FROM 2005
UNM led 22-5 in the 2nd quarter and 25-12 at the half…the Rams scored 23 unanswered in the 2nd half
The Lobos had 34 plays for 304 yards and no turnovers in the first half, but 28 plays for 47 yards and four turnovers in the second…UNM ran nine plays for minus-7 yards in the third quarter, plus two turnovers
UNM’s initial first down of the second half came on its sixth possession, four minutes into the fourth quarter
CSU scored 17 points on three Lobo turnovers in the second half…the Rams only had to go 71 yards for those points
Colorado State QBs had been sacked nine times coming into the game, but the Lobos had five, their second-highest total of season
DonTrell Moore had 19 carries for 117 yards and two rushing TDs, but just seven carries for 18 yards in second half…Moore had 694 yards in four career games vs. Colorado State, an average of 173.5 ypg, plus seven rushing TDs
TWO YEARS AGO 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.
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.
UTAH RECAP AND POSTGAME NOTES
Freshman Donovan Porterie threw for three touchdowns and 350 yards and Martelius Epps scored on a 1-yard run with 2:09 left as New Mexico matched its biggest comeback ever with a 34-31 win over Utah on Thursday night.
Porterie, making the second start of his career, struggled through a miserable first half, then ignited New Mexico’s offense with the help of wide receivers Travis Brown and Marcus Smith. New Mexico trailed 24-3 late in the first half after Utah scored on four straight possessions.
Porterie led the Lobos on an 83-yard, five-play drive late in the first half that took just 1:09. He hit Brown with a 40-yard pass to the Utah 48, then two plays later found Smith open over the middle on a slant route. Smith took the 15-yard pass and outraced the Utes to the end zone. That was the start of 24 straight points by the Lobos.
Porterie hit Smith again with a 42-yard TD pass — on another slant route — less than a minute into the second half. That finished a drive that took just four plays and 1:42.
Lobo kicker Kenny Byrd cut the Utes’ lead to 24-20 with a 21-yard field goal with 4:17 left in the third quarter and Porterie’s 5-yard scoring pass to Brown with 10:20 left in the game gave the Lobos a 27-24 lead.
Utah regained the lead on a controversial 5-yard TD pass from Brett Ratliff to Brian Hernandez with 6:18 remaining. The officials initially signaled the catch good, then reversed it. After reviewing the play, they ruled Hernandez had possession when his feet touched down at the back of the end zone.
The score was set up by cornerback Eric Shyne’s interception of a Porterie pass that bounced off Lobo receiver Thomas Wilson near the Utah 40. Shyne returned it to the New Mexico 23 and New Mexico was hit with a personal foul that moved it to the 8.
Porterie led the Lobos on the game-winning drive with several clutch completions. He hit Smith with an 18-yard pass, which Smith caught between a trio of Utah defenders. Porterie scrambled for 16 yards to the Utah 27 on a third-and-9 play and halfback Rodney Ferguson ran for 18 yards to the Utah 9. Porterie then hit Brown for a 9-yard pass to the 1.
Utah dominated the first half. Halfback Darryl Poston scored on runs of 7 and 8 yards, Ratliff tossed a 26-yard TD pass to Derrek Richards and Louie Sakoda kicked a 19-yard field goal.
Porterie, who completed just 3 of his first 11 passes, was 19-for-33 and became the first Lobo quarterback in three years to throw for more than 300 yards. Brown had 9 catches for 154 yards and Smith had 136 yards on just 4 catches.
The 21-point comeback (down 24-3 with 3:27 left in the 2nd quarter) ties for the largest comeback in school history…UNM also rallied from 21 down (21-0 with 14:29 left in the 2nd quarter) against UTEP to win 37-21 on Nov. 23, 1974 in El Paso
It’s the largest comeback for UNM at University Stadium, which opened in 1960…the previous best was 18 points against Utah on Nov. 5, 1994…the Lobos were down 21-3 with 8:16 left in the 1st half, but won 23-21 on a Nathan Vail FG to hand the 9th-ranked Utes their first loss of the year
Rare Happenings: Winning a game when trailing after three quarters doesn’t happen very often for the Lobos, but they have pulled it off in each of the past 2 games…since 2003, UNM had been 2-15 is such situations before the UNLV game on Oct. 14…the previous wins came against Texas Tech in 2004 (down 24-21, but won 27-24) and last year at Utah (down 27-25, won 31-27)
No Second-Half Woes: The comebacks the past two weeks are even more impressive considering the Lobos’ scoring struggles in the 4th quarter of the first six games…UNM came into the UNLV game having scored just 27 points in the 2nd half, including 17 in the 4th quarter…before UNLV, New Mexico had gotten points in the 4th quarter only twice in the first six games, 10 vs. New Mexico State and 7 against Missouri…the Lobos have scored 49 points after halftime the past 2 games, 30 coming in the 4th period
Offense Shines: New Mexico entered the game averaging 285 yards of offense, but totaled a season-high 467 yards, 117 rushing and 350 passing…it’s the most yards since gaining 484 against New Mexico State last season…the 350 yards passing is a season-high and the most since 429 against UNLV in 2003
The Lobos had not surpassed 300 yards of total offense since the second game of the season, getting 426 yards at New Mexico State
UNM got 65 yards on its first 5 possessions, then 402 yards on its next 7 possessions, including 4 TDs and 1 FG
Big Fourth Quarter for Lobos: In the pivotal 4th quarter, New Mexico outscored Utah 14-7…the Lobos had 8 first downs to Utah’s 1…total offense was 153 to 31 in UNM’s favor as was time of possession, 12:08 to 2:52
Red-Zone Success Continues: UNM scored on all 4 opportunities inside the Utah 20 and has come away with points on 11 consecutive trips inside the red zone the past 3 games…the 94.7% (22-23) success rate is tops in the MWC
Utah did not commit a turnover, which usually spells doom for New Mexico…under Rocky Long, the Lobos had been 1-13 when not forcing a turnover and they had lost 11 in a row dating to 1999…that record is now 2-13 Two Lobos – Travis Brown and Marcus Smith – had over 100 yards receiving, the first time that’s happened since Nov. 1, 2003 when Adrian Boyd and Dwight Counter did it vs. UNLV
After getting 24 points in the first half, Utah was held to one TD after halftime…that drive was only 8 yards following an interception and personal foul by UNM…the Utes totaled 275 yards and 15 first downs in the first half, but were held to just 4 first downs and 119 yards in the second half
The Lobos have scored 30 points in consecutive games for the first time since last year against Missouri (45) and New Mexico State (38)
New Mexico yielded 2 sacks…that’s 4 sacks the past 2 games under QB Donovan Porterie 27 dumps the first 6 games
Prolific Porterie: Making just his second career start, redshirt freshman QB Donovan Porterie finished with a career high 350 yards passing and 3 TDs…New Mexico trailed 24-3 with 3:27 left in the first half.
Trailing 31-27 with 6:18 remaining in the game, Porterie led the Lobos on a game-winning drive capped by Martelius Epps’ 1-yard scoring run…the drive covered 10 plays and 78 yards and took 3:58…Porterie kept the drive alive with a 16-yard scramble on 3rd-and-9 from the Utah 43
Porterie completed 19 of 33 attempts and rushed 4 times for 9 yards…he started the game 3 of 11 passing for only 47 yards, but then completed 16 of his final 22 attempts for 303 yards and 3 TDs…the Lobos scored on five of their last seven possessions
Career Night for T. Brown: Junior WR Travis Brown had career highs with 9 receptions for 154 yards…he has caught at least one pass in 20 straight games and 25 of his 28 career games
Mr. Smith Goes to the End Zone: Junior WR Marcus Smith caught 4 passes for 136 yards – 34 yards a catch…included were 2 TD receptions from 40 and 42 yards…he leads the team with 7 TD receptions on the season, tying for 9th on the UNM single-season list…Smith had caught just 6 passes for 73 yards the previous 3 games
Sophomore TB Rodney Ferguson rushed 7 times for22 yards in the first half, but got 59 yards on 9 carries in the 4th quarter
Black Into Urlacher Territory: Senior lobo Quincy Black had 10 tackles against Utah, giving him 81 for the season…Black has reached double figures in tackles 7 straight games…the last Lobo to do that was Brian Urlacher during the final 8 games of the 1998 season…Black is 2nd in the MWC in tackles, averaging 10.1 a game…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
Corner Kicks: Inexperienced to start the season, UNM’s starting cornerbacks – sophomores Glover Quin and DeAndre Wright – are getting better each week…both are ranked in the top 5 in the MWC in passes defended, Wright with 1.0 a game, Quin at 0.88…Quin, a JC transfer, has broken up 7 passes and is 3rd on the team with 39 tackles…a safety last year, Wright is tied for 3rd in the MWC with 3 interceptions and has 26 tackles
Junior P Jordan Scott had a 65-yard punt in the 2nd quarter, his third punt of 60 + yards this season…he has eight punts inside the 10 yard line
Byrd Kicking True: Despite playing with the flu, senior K Kenny Byrd converted 2 of 3 FGs…his only miss was a career long 62-yard attempt at the end of the second quarter…Byrd continues to lead the MWC and is 6th nationally in FGs made at 1.63 per game…the Lou Groza Award candidate improved to 13-17 (76.5%) this season and 27-35 for his career…his 27 FGs are tied for 5th all-time at UNM, while his 77% accuracy rate is 2nd on the career list…Byrd has made 20 consecutive FGs from inside 40 yards, 21 of 23 in his career…he also leads the MWC in touchbacks on kickoffs with 20…because of his leg, New Mexico leads the league in kickoff coverage at 45.0 yards, which means opponents start their drives at the 20 following Byrd kickoffs