Sept. 24, 2007
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Mountain West Conference play opens in a big way Saturday evening when the the New Mexico Lobos (3-1, 0-0 MWC) play host to defending conference champion BYU (2-2, 1-0 MWC). Kickoff for UNM’s 83rd homecoming is 6:36 p.m. Mountain Time. The game can be heard worldwide on 770 KKOB-AM (www.770kkob.com) and will be televised nationally on CSTV. All of the homecoming activities can be found on-line at www.unmalumni.com/homecoming.
There are a lot of storylines, notes and numbers entering Saturday’s game:
A sellout crowd of 40,094 is anticipated
New Mexico looks for best start (4-1) under head coach Rocky Long (started 5-0 in 1997)
Lobos try to beat BYU at home for first time since 1997 (Long teams 0-4 vs. BYU in Albuquerque)
UNM seeking 3 straight home wins in same season for first time since last 3 games of 2002
Lobos have longest current win streak in the MWC (3 games)
New Mexico is 1-6 in conference openers since 2000 (beat UNLV in 2005)
Both UNM (29-27 at Tucson) and BYU (20-7 at Provo) have wins over Arizona this year
The Cougars are 2-0 at home, but 0-2 away from Provo (losses at UCLA and Tulsa)
BYU has won 9 straight conference games
The league’s top-2 scoring offenses (UNM 34.2 ppg, BYU 28.8 ppg) meet
The game matches the league’s top-2 offenses (BYU 493.2 yards per game; UNM 449.8 ypg)
UNM 1st in the MWC in turnover margin at +6; BYU last in TO margin at -7
BYU sophomore QB Max Hall 1st in MWC and 4th in NCAA in passing at 377.2 yards per game
Lobo sophomore QB Donovan Porterie is 6-1 in games he starts and finishes
UNM’s Rodney Ferguson 1st in the MWC in rushing (118.2 ypg); BYU allowing 95 yards a game
UNM looking for 4th straight game with 400+yards offense for first time since 5 in a row in 1996
Lobos’ senior WR Travis Brown goes for 4th straight 100-yard receiving game
UNM’s Marcus Smith (8.75 rpg) and Travis Brown (6.75) rank 1-2 in the MWC in receiving
UNM K John Sullivan and RB Rodney Ferguson rank 1-2 in MWC in scoring
Sullivan tied for 2nd in the nation in FGs at 2.5 made per game and he has made 9 straight
No Lobo defender ranks in top-30 in the MWC in tackles, but 9 players have 15 or more stops
BYU clinched last year’s MWC title with a 42-17 decision over the Lobos in Provo
Last year in Provo, BYU had 653 total yards, the most against a Rocky Long-coached Lobo team
BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall was UNM’s defensive coordinator from 1998-2002
BYU rallied for a 27-24 victory in Albuquerque in 2005; UNM led 24-13 in the 4th quarter
New Mexico improved to 3-1 on the season last Saturday with a 58-0 whitewash over Sacramento State, the Lobos’ largest shutout in 57 years. The 3-1 record ties for the second-best start for a Rocky Long-coached Lobo team. They were also 3-1 in 2005. Rodney Ferguson rushed for 129 yards and a career-high 4 TDs while sophomore QB Donovan Porterie threw for 229 yards and a TD to Travis Brown. The New Mexico defense held the Hornets to six first downs and 104 yards of offense, the lowest total in 24 years.
BYU manhandled previously undefeated Air Force 31-6 last week in Provo. Max Hall passed for 293 yards and two touchdowns while Harvey Unga ran for 111 yards and caught a touchdown pass and Manase Tonga scored on two short runs for the Cougars. BYU limited the Falcons to 221 yards of offense. The Cougars also held the ball for more than 37 minutes.
Don’t expect a kickoff return for a TD on Saturday. The Lobos haven’t reached paydirt in 111 straight games, since early in the 1998 season. BYU’s drought is at 109 games. Those are the 9th and 10th-longest current denials in the category of “Consecutive Games Without Returning A Kickoff For A Touchdown.”
While the Lobos are 7-3 in their last 10 road games, they look to capture three straight wins at University Stadium for the first time since the last three games of the 2002 season when they whipped Utah, San Diego State and Wyoming.
PROMOTIONS/GAME SPONSORS
In addition to the homecoming festivities, there will be fireworks after the game, a pregame flag presentation by the Boy Scouts and a reunion and recognition of past UNM athletics teams. Game sponsors include Bank of the West, the Santa Fe New Mexican, 94 Rock and Big I 107.9.
UNM – BYU SERIES NOTES
This is the 57th 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 41-14-1 lead, 21-6 in Provo and 20-8-1 in Albuquerque. The visiting team had won the past five games before the Cougars took a 42-17 decision last year in Provo. Since 1972 – when LaVell Edwards took over in Provo – BYU has won 31 of the past 35 match-ups overall, including 16 of 18 in Albuquerque. UNM’s came in 1980 and 1997.
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 2-3 in Provo.
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 19-10 record. Mendenhall was the Lobos’ defensive coordinator under Rocky Long from 1998-2002, and Mendenhall 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 coordinator in 1996 after Long accepted the same position at UCLA.
Mendenhall, 40, and Lewis, 44, have known each other for more than 20 years as both played college ball 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.
UNM-BYU: LAST YEAR IN PROVO
No. 23 BYU clinched the conference title with a 42-17 win over New Mexico. Curtis Brown ran for 124 yards and became the leading rusher in BYU history and John Beck passed for 464 yards and four touchdowns for the Cougars, who won their eighth straight.
Beck completed 28 of 42 passes with two interceptions and became the second Cougar to pass for 10,000 yards. Brown had 13 carries for 124 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and also caught a 9-yard touchdown.
BYU led 28-3 and put New Mexico away after allowing two quick touchdowns in the third quarter. Quincy Black returned an interception 88 yards for a touchdown for New Mexico, but the Lobos couldn’t stop Beck and Brown.
Chris Nelson completed 22 of 38 passes for 245 yards, but also had two interceptions. Rodney Ferguson ran for 138 yards on 20 carries for the Lobos. New Mexico finished with three turnovers.
The score might have been a little closer had UNM not thrown an interception inside the BYU 20-yard line, fumbled inside the 30 and turned the ball over on downs at the BYU 3
BYU’s 653 yards are the most against a New Mexico team since 1991 when the Cougars gained 659 in a 41-23 win in Albuquerque…BYU had 419 in the first half, 234 in the second
UNM-BYU: TWO YEARS AGO 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.
SACRAMENTO STATE RECAP
Rodney Ferguson had 129 yards rushing and a career-high four touchdowns and Donovan Porterie threw for 229 yards and a score as New Mexico beat Sacramento State 58-0. Travis Brown added 105 yards receiving, his third straight week over the 100-yard mark, and the Lobos looked sharp one week after a 29-27 win at Arizona.
Sacramento State, which plays in the Football Championship Subdivision formerly known as Division I-AA, dropped to 0-7 against I-A opponents since 2002 and sustained its worst loss since a 60-0 defeat to Cal Lutheran in 1988.
The Lobos lost last year’s opener 17-6 to Portland State, another Big Sky member, but made sure to put this one away early.
Ferguson scored on runs of 6, 10, 4 and 17 yards, each time reaching the end zone without much contact from the defense, as New Mexico coasted to a 30-0 halftime lead and made it 44-0 in the third quarter. Ferguson has broken the 100-yard rushing mark six times in the past seven games, including the last four at home.
The Hornets, meanwhile, didn’t help themselves. Torrell Baker fumbled away a punt, Jody Johnson was penalized for a late hit after the Lobos converted on fourth down and receiver Tony Washington lost a ball that was intercepted by New Mexico’s O.J. Swift. Each of those miscues led to scores — worth 17 points — on New Mexico’s last three first-half possessions.
The Lobos kept the momentum going after the break. Porterie threw a 24-yard TD pass to Brown and Ferguson swept the right side and weaved for a 17-yard scoring run to make it 44-0. New Mexico finished with 499 total yards and held the Hornets to 104.
SACRAMENTO STATE POSTGAME NOTES
The Lobos 58-0 win is the largest shutout since defeating Northern Arizona 78-0 in Albuquerque on Sept. 23, 1950…It is the Lobos’ first shutout since defeating Baylor 23-0 in 2002
UNM only gave up 104 yards of total offense to the Hornets…it is the fewest yards allowed by the Lobo defense since surrendering 70 yards to UTEP in 1983
The Lobos intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble, forcing three turnovers for the second straight game…UNM is now a +6 on turnovers this year, tops in the MWC
New Mexico gained 499 yards of total offense, its third straight game over 400 yards – the best streak since 2003
The 58 points scored are the most at home since the 2003 season opener (72-8 win over Texas State)
Stingy, Stingy: Sacramento State was held to 6 first downs (only 1 in the first half), the fewest by an opponent since Central Florida had 6 in 1996…UNM held the Hornets to 27 yards passing, the fewest by a Lobo opponent since a run-oriented Rice team had 0 in 1997
Big Plays Continue: Despite gaining 383 yards in the opener against UTEP, the Lobos’ longest play from scrimmage was just 19 yards on a pair of pass plays…in the last 3 games, UNM has had 35 plays go for at least 15 yards, 10 rushes and 25 passes.
Nice Timing for Turnovers: New Mexico has forced 9 turnovers – 8 in the last 3 games – and 6 of them have come in the 2nd half…the Lobos have a fumble recovery and 2 interceptions in the 3rd quarter and recovered fumble and 3 interceptions in the 4th period
Watch Rodney Run: Junior TB Rodney Ferguson (Doak Walker Award Candidate) had 18 carries for 129 yards and a career-high 4 rushing TDs, the most by a Lobo since DonTrell Moore (4) vs. Texas State in 2003…Ferguson became the 7th Lobo to rush for at least 4 TDs in a game; the record is 5 by Reginal Johnson at Tulsa in 1996; Rocky Long had 4 against Utah in 1971…Ferguson has gone over 100 yards rushing 6 times in the last 7 games, including 4 in a row at home…he has 923 rushing yards (131.9 per game) in his last 7 games…Ferguson ranks 16th all-time at UNM with 1,755 yards
Three Straight for Travis: Senior WR Travis Brown caught 7 passes for 115 yards and a 24-yard TD…it’s his 3rd straight game over 100 yards receiving and the 5th of his career…Brown has 18 receptions for 342 yards and 3 touchdowns in his last 3 games…he passed All-American Terance Mathis, moving into 2nd all time at UNM with a catch in his 29th straight game…Brown moved into 7th place on the UNM career receptions list (134) and is now 10th in career receiving yards (1,528)
Senior WR Marcus Smith hauled in 7 passes for 69 yards…he moved into a tie for 10th at UNM in career receptions (97) and is now 14th on the career receiving yardage list (1,366); he is averaging 14.4 yards/catch in his career…Smith played his first game since his mother Sheila passed away on Sept. 15
Dynamic Duo: Reaching 100 yards receiving in consecutive games against New Mexico State and Arizona, Smith and Brown rank 1-2 in the Mountain West Conference in receiving…Smith is averaging 8.75 receptions, which is also 9th in the nation, and 109.5 yards, good for 12th nationally…Brown’s averages are 6.75 catches and 89.2 yards a game
Prolific Porterie: Sophomore QB Donovan Porterie was a workmanlike 20 of 27 passing for 239 yards, 0 interceptions and 1 TD in 3 quarters of action…he completed his first 9 passes after being true on his first 8 at Arizona…Porterie has only thrown 1 interception this year and has been picked off just once in his last 160 attempts
More on Donovan: After completing 13 of his last 14 passes against New Mexico State, Porterie has connected on 62 of his last 82 throws, or 75.3%…his season accuracy is now a hearty 69.5%…the school record is 62.3% by Kole McKamey in 2005…Porterie’s season efficiency rating rests at 153.22…the school standard is 153.6 held by Graham Leigh in 1997
Another Award for Sullivan: Senior K John Sullivan was named MWC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time in three games…he continued his hot streak by making all three of his field goals (36, 30, 37) and seven extra points for a total of 16 points…after starting the season missing 2 of his first 3 FGs, Sullivan has reeled off 9 in a row…the school record is 16 by Vladimir Borombozin over the 2000 and 2001 seasons…Sullivan’s also perfect in PATs at 15-of-15…despite playing with a torn ACL in his left (non-kicking) leg, leads the MWC with 45 points…he is tied for 2nd nationally in FGs, averaging 2.5 a game
Junior FB Matt Quillen’s 33-yard run is the team’s longest of the year and 1 yard more than his career rushing total entering the night…his previous long run was 6 yards…Quillen also caught 2 passes for 14 yards
Mr. Utility: Sophomore offensive lineman Erik Cook played 43 snaps at 4 different offensive line positions…he started at right tackle and also played left tackle, center and right guard
Donaldson Dominates: Senior DE Tyler Donaldson had 8 tackles (6 solo and 2 assists), a career-high 3 QB hurries, one tackle for a loss and a pass deflection…he did not miss a tackle
Another Nice Game for Scott: Senior P Jordan Scott punted twice for a 49.5-yard average with both being spotted inside the 20-yard line…the past 2 games, Scott has kicked 8 times for a 45.25-yard average, raising his season number to 41.2 on 17 punts…6 of Scott’s last 8 punts have been downed or fair caught inside the 20
A Lot of Firsts: Senior QB Brian Clampitt was 6 of 6 passing for 38 yards and his 1st career TD pass…that scoring pass of 7 yards went to junior WR Jonathan Brooks, the 1st catch of his Lobo career…sophomore WR Roland Bruno scored his 1st TD as a Lobo, a 22-yard dash on a direct snap from center…sophomore TE Trey Buckley and junior WR Jermaine McQueen grabbed the 1st receptions of their Lobo careers…sophomore CB Frankie Baca intercepted his first pass as a Lobo
On the Spot Again: One week after recovering 2 fumbles at Arizona, senior S OJ Swift picked off his 2nd career interception
TALK ABOUT TEAM “D”
Routinely playing 21 to 24 players on defense a game, the Lobos do not have one tackler ranked in the top-30 in the Mountain West Conference in average stops per game. The top UNM defender is S Clint McPeek, who has 23 total tackles, or 5.8 a game.
However, there is great balance. Nine Lobos have between 15 and 23 tackles while 12 have 10 or more stops on the season. Fourteen different players have a tackle for a loss. UNM has had a different player be the season leader after each of the first four games.