Nov. 13, 2006
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A big challenge awaits the New Mexico Lobos (5-5, 3-3 MWC) Saturday as they visit nationally-ranked BYU (8-2, 6-0 MWC). Winners of seven straight, the Cougars are positioned at No. 23 in this week’s Associated Press poll and No. 24 in the USA Today coaches’ rankings. Kickoff is 2:06 p.m. Mountain Time from LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. The contest will be televised live on The mtn., located at Channel 276 on Comcast in Albuquerque and Channel 329 on Cable ONE in Rio Rancho. A replay will be shown Sunday on The mtn. at 4 p.m.
The Lobos saw their three-game winning streak come to an end last week in a 27-21 setback against TCU in Albuquerque. Trailing 24-0 at halftime, New Mexico attempted to rally in the second half for the fourth consecutive game, but the mountain was just a little too high to climb. UNM got to 24-21 and to TCU’s 17 in the closing minute before throwing an interception.
The Lobos’ last five games have been decided by a total of 17 points.
BYU walloped Wyoming 55-7 last Thursday to clinch at least a share of the MWC championship. The Cougars’ seven-game winning streak is their longest since starting 12-0 in 2001.
New Mexico needs one win to become bowl eligible for the sixth straight year. UNM was bowl eligible every year from 2001-05, the only program in the MWC that could make that claim.
It’s an extremely young New Mexico team that will take the field at BYU as only nine seniors start or are seeing significant playing time: four on offense, four on defense and a kicker.
The offensive stats look like Cougar teams of old. BYU leads the MWC and ranks among the nation’s top-9 in passing offense (299.2 ypg), total offense (442.1 ypg) and scoring (36.5 ppg.).
However, BYU’s defense is just as good as its offense. The Cougars are 1st in the MWC in scoring defense (13.5 ppg) and 3rd in total defense (299.7 ypg). For good measue, BYU ranks 1st nationally in turnover margin at +13 and is 9th in punt returns (15.5 ypr).
Senior QB John Beck is playing like an All-American. He leads the MWC in passing yards (296.8 ypg), passing efficiency (172.71 rating) and total offense (292.0 ypg).
Picked to finish second in the preseason poll, BYU may be playing as well as anyone in the country. The Cougars have outscored their six conference foes 242-65, including 164-31in the last four games. They have a winning margin of 29.5 points in six MWC games and it’s more than 37 points in five home games where they are undefeated. The “average” score at LaVell Edwards Stadium has been 48-11.
While the Lobos have had their troubles at home of late (2-7 in their last 9 at University Stadium) that has not been the case in MWC road games. UNM is 8-2 in its last 10 and has won 15 of its last 20 away from home. UNM has not lost consecutive MWC away games since 2000 (at UNLV and at BYU).
UNM has started three different quarterbacks for the first time since 1991. Senior Kole McKamey suffered a season-ending injury on the third play of the second game at New Mexico State. Senior Chris Nelson started the next four, going 1-3. Redshirt freshman Donovan Porterie has started the past four and is 3-1.
UNM – BYU SERIES
This is the 56th 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 40-14-1 lead, 20-6 in Provo and 20-8-1 in Albuquerque. The visiting team has won the past five games.
New Mexico is looking to become the first team to beat the Cougars three straight times in Provo since Utah did so in 1993-95-97.
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 0-4 vs. the Cougars at University Stadium, but 2-2 in Provo. The Lobos’ most recent victory over BYU in the Duke City came in 1997.
SEVERAL TIES BETWEEN UNM AND BYU
Former New Mexico assistant Bronco Mendenhall is in his second year as head coach of the Cougars where he has a 14-8 record. Mendenhall was the Lobos’ defensive coordinator under Rocky Long from 1998-2002, and 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, 39, and Lewis, 43, have known each other for more than 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.
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 (106) than any other Lobo mentor. He has a 51-55 record, but is 39-32 since 2001. See p. 13 for more information about Long’s career.
UNM-BYU: LAST YEAR IN ALBUQUERQUE
John Beck threw for 371 yards, including the game-winning 23-yard pass to Matt Allen with 1:40 left as Brigham Young rallied for a stirring 27-24 win. With BYU down 24-19 with 2:48 left, Beck needed just a minute and eight seconds to take the Cougars 80 yards on five plays. Curtis Brown added a two-point conversion run.
Beck was 5-for-5 on the winning drive, including passes of 29 yards to Todd Watkins and 14 yards to Brown. The pass to Brown got the Cougars to the Lobos’ 23 and on the next play Beck hit Allen near the sidelines, and Allen juked his way past a Lobo defender into the end zone. Beck also threw TD passes of 11 yards to Daniel Coats and 5 yards to Joe Semanoff.
The Lobos led 24-13 early in the fourth quarter and were driving for another score when QB Kole McKamey fumbled on a run inside BYU’s 10, and linebacker Markell Staffieri recovered for the Cougars at the 7. Until then, McKamey had baffled the Cougars with his footwork and receiver Hank Baskett was pulling in McKamey’s passes.
Beck, who completed 34-of-44 passes, completed eight passes in the ensuing 93-yard drive that ended with Brown scoring on a 9-yard run to cut the deficit to 24-19 with 7:15 left.
New Mexico went conservative with its next possession and the Lobos got a couple of first downs with the help of two pass interference calls on BYU defenders. But the Cougars held and took over at their own 20 with 2:48 left. New Mexico had a final shot at forcing overtime and reached BYU’s 47 before turning the ball over on downs with less than a minute remaining.
McKamey had 321 yards of total offense – 103 yards rushing and 218 passing – and scored on a 2-yard run in the second quarter. Baskett caught a career-high 11 passes for 141 yards and the Lobos also got rushing TDs in the first half of 16 yards from Travis Brown and 2 yards from DonTrell Moore.
UNM-BYU: TWO YEARS AGO 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.
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.
UTAH COMEBACK EQUALS BEST IN SCHOOL HOSTORY
The 21-point comeback (down 24-3 with 3:27 left in the 2nd quarter) against Utah on Oct. 19 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 is 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.
VERSUS RANKED TEAMS
The last time the Lobos played a ranked team on the road was three years ago at Utah. The result was a resounding 47-35 victory. That was New Mexico’s first road win over a ranked team since 1975 when UNM knocked off No. 13 Arizona 44-34 in Tucson.
Lobo head coach Rocky Long is 1-6 in his career against ranked teams.
CHRONICLING THE COMEBACKS
The Lobos won three straight games (and nearly four) from Oct. 14-28 despite trailing by an aggregate of 44 points. A look at the rallies:
Oct. 14 at UNLV: The Lobos led 14-0 after the first quarter, then gave up 28 points in the second period to trail 28-14 at halftime. UNM scored 16 points in the fourth quarter then won it in overtime 39-36 on a Kenny Byrd FG.
Oct. 19 vs. Utah: The Utes jumped out to a 24-3 lead with 3:27 left before halftime. The Lobos scored 24 straight points to take a 27-24 lead. After Utah regained the lead at 31-27, redshirt freshman Donovan Porterie marched the Lobos 78 yards in 10 plays for the game-winning TD – a 1-yard run by Martelius Epps – with 2:09 left. The 21-point rally ties for the largest in UNM history.
Oct. 28 at Colorado State: Behind 19-10 entering the fourth quarter, the Lobos won it on Kenny Byrd’s 33-yard field goal as time expired. Porterie enginereed the game-winning drive again, going 63 yards in 10 plays. Before that drive, UNM had 211 yards of total offense.
4TH-QUARTER COMEBACKS HAD BEEN RARE UNTIL…..
Winning a game when trailing after three quarters hadn’t happened very often for the Lobos in the past, but they pulled it off three straight games in October. In 42 games from 2003 through Oct. 7, 2006, UNM had been 2-15 is such situations before UNLV 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).
PROFILING PORTERIE
Displaying the calm demeanor of a veteran quarterback, redshirt freshman Donovan Porterie has been the captain of the comebacks. A look at the Porterie-led final drives:
vs. Utah (10 plays, 78 yards, 3:58, TD): Porterie was 3 of 4 passing for 29 yards and he rushed 2 times for 14 yards, including a 16-yard scramble to convert a 3rd-and-9….after starting the game 3 of 11 passing, Porterie completed 16 of his final 22 attempts for 303 yards and 3 TDs…the Lobos scored on five of their last seven possessions
at Colorado State (10 plays, 63 yards, 3:16, FG): Porterie was 3 of 3 passing for 33 yards, scrambled 6 yards for a first down and drew CSU offsides with a hard count on a 3rd-and-5 play in the final minute
TCU RECAP AND POSTGAME NOTES
Defensive end Tommy Blake returned a fumble 20 yards for a touchdown and Brian Bonner’s late interception preserved TCU’s 27-21 win over New Mexico.
Bonner’s interception of a Chris Nelson pass at the TCU 9 with 22 seconds left sealed the win for TCU, which nearly squandered a 24-0 halftime lead. The Horned Frogs won their fourth straight and snapped New Mexico’s three-game winning streak.
New Mexico, which had rallied from double-digit deficits for wins over UNLV, Utah and Colorado State in its previous three games, got within 24-21 on a pair of third quarter touchdown runs by Rodney Ferguson and an 8-yard pass from backup quarterback Chris Nelson to Marcus Smith with 13:45 left in the game.
The Nelson to Smith touchdown followed a fumbled kickoff by TCU’s Donald Massey, which Lobo Jason Caprioli recovered at the Frogs’ 25-yard line. Ferguson scored on a 45-yard run with less than two minutes gone in the third quarter and added a 2-yard TD run with 52 seconds left in the quarter.
After Chris Manfredini kicked a 37-yard field goal to give the Frogs a 27-21 lead, New Mexico drove to the TCU 20 on a drive in which Nelson hit Smith with back-to-back passes for 22 and 38 yards. But two holding penalties pushed the Lobos back and on third-and-18, Nelson overthrew a Lobo receiver and Bonner picked it off.
TCU, as it did last year in a 49-28 win over the Lobos in Fort Worth, took advantage of early New Mexico mistakes to build its halftime lead. New Mexico starting quarterback Donovan Porterie fumbled the snap on the second play from scrimmage and Blake picked up the ball and returned untouched.
The Frogs scored again after Bonner returned a punt 27 yards to the New Mexico 38. Five plays and a couple of personal foul calls on the Lobos later, Lonta Hobbs scored from the 2. New Mexico had a chance to get back in it on its next possession with a drive that reached the TCU 16. But Porterie fumbled while trying to scramble and Rafael Priest beat a couple of Lobos to the ball near the sidelines.
Bonner set up the Frogs’ third touchdown of the first half with a 22-yard punt return to the New Mexico 45. Hobbs gained 21 yards on first down and Aaron Brown then beat New Mexico’s secondary to the outside to score from 24 yards out. Peter LoCoco added a 44-yard field goal with 53 seconds left in the second quarter.
UNM drops to 2-4 at home this year, 1-2 in MWC games…the Lobos are 2-7 in their last 9 home games, including 1-5 in conference play
The Lobos had won 9 straight games following scheduled open weeks under Rocky Long and 12 in a row since 1996
After posting just 84 total yards in the first half, UNM put up 201 after halftime
The Lobo defense held TCU to just 25 yards passing and 192 total yards, both season lows for the Horned Frogs…the 192 yards allowed by the Lobo defense is its best effort in 2006…TCU managed just 32 yards of offense and 1 first down in the second half…the 51 plays run by TCU are the fewest against New Mexico since New Mexico State was held to 48 in 2004
UNM is now allowing 325.7 yards a game, 60 yards better than in 2005
New Mexico has been outscored 65-7 in the 2nd quarter the past four games
Seeing his first action since Oct. 7, senior QB Chris Nelson came on for injured starting QB Donovan Porterie (sprained left ankle) in the third quarter and was 8-15 passing for 126 yards, one TD and one interception
Sophomore TB Rodney Ferguson had 21 carries for 71 yards and two TDs…the 45-yard TD run early in the second half was the longest rush of his career…it is also the longest TD run by a Lobo since Kole McKamey’s 71-yard dash against New Mexico State last season…the previous long this season was a 9-yard skip by Ferguson against UNLV…he is the first Lobo with multiple rushing TDs this season…65 of his 71 rushing yards came in the second half…Ferguson now has 784 yards rushing on the season and contiues to lead the MWC in rushing at 78.4 ypg
Ferguson definitely gets strong as the game goes on…466 of his 784 yards on the season, or 59%, have come after halftime…the figure has been even more dramatic the past three games where he has gained 73% of his yards (170 of 232) in the second half
Junior WR Marcus Smith had 6 catches for 96 yards and one TD…the TD reception in the 4th quarter was his eighth of the season, tying for seventh all-time on UNM’s single season list with Terance Mathis (1987) and Ricky Martin (1980)…Smith’s season totals are now 44 catches for 761 yards…he and teammate Travis Brown (48 catches for 650 yards) are the first Lobo tandem to surpass 40 receptions since Martinez Williams (49) and Germany Thompson (43) did so in 1998
Senior lobo Quincy Black had six tackles in the game and is now six shy of 100 for the season…the last Lobos to reach 100 tackles in a season were Daniel Gawronski and Billy Strother in 2003…they finished with 100 apiece…Black is 2nd in the MWC and 20th nationally with 9.4 stops a game
No Second-Half Woes: The comebacks the past four games 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 90 points after halftime the past 4 games, 47 coming in the 4th period
Byrd Kicking True: Although he had no FG attempts against TCU, senior Kenny Byrd, a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, is having quite a year…he booted a game-winning 33-yarder as time expired for a 20-19 victory at Colorado State…it was Byrd’s 2nd game-winning FG of the year and 3rd of his career (all coming on the road)…a former walk-on who never played football before college, Byrd has hit 22 straight field goals inside 40 yards over the past 2 years
Byrd ranks among the top-10 on the UNM career lists for field goals made (29 – T4th), FG accuracy (78.4% – 2nd), long FG (52 – T3rd), extra points made (83 – 5th), and points scored (170 – 9th).
Byrd has earned MWC Special Teams Player of the Week honors twice in 2006
Byrd has connected on 9-10 field goals in the past five games and 15-19 this year…all 4 misses have come from 45 yards or longer…the 15 FGs are tied for 5th on the UNM single season list
Byrd continues to lead the MWC and is 9th nationally in FGs made at 1.5 per game…he is 29-37 for his career…the 29 FGs are tied for 4th all-time at UNM, while his 78% accuracy rate is 2nd on the career list…he is also 2nd in the MWC in touchbacks on kickoffs with 24…because of his leg, New Mexico leads the league in kickoff coverage at 45.2 yards, which means opponents start their drives a hair inside the 20 following Byrd kickoffs
UNM’s two sophomore cornerbacks – DeAndre Wright and Glover Quin – had solid games again…each broke up a pass…Wright continues to lead the MWC with 11 passes defended this year (8 PBU, 3 INT)…Quin is tied for 2nd in the MWC with 10 PBUs