Sept. 6, 2008
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Rocky Long Postgame Press Conference
Lobos Football
Saturday: Texas A&M 28, Lobos 22
Next: Arizona at Lobos, Saturday (Sept.13), 6 p.m.
By Richard Stevens
Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
It was a game in which subtraction might have been a better answer for the University of New Mexico Lobos than algebraic letters like Xs and Os.
The Lobos needed to take away at least four plays in their 28-22 non-conference loss to Texas A&M Saturday at University Stadium.
Take away a Donovan Porterie interception that led to A&M’s first touchdown from 48 yards out.
Take away another Porterie pick less than a minute later that set up an Aggies’ touchdown pass from 21 yards out.
Take away a questionable roughing-the-passer penalty that led to A&M’s third TD that handed the visitors from the Big 12 a fat 21-7 halftime lead.
And then take away a Porterie bobble on a low snap that A&M picked up at its 42-yard line and returned to UNM’s 21-yard line handing A&M a cozy 28-10 lead that the Aggies are able to nurse into the 28-22 finale.
Long didn’t hold back on the performance of his offense saying, “For two-thirds of the game, we were terrible on offense – horrible.” But Long also said, “I thought we made some improvement. I thought except for one drive the defense played well.
“I thought our passing game was only good in one series and that was right at the end of the game and to A&M’s credit, they were playing a real soft defense at the time. They were giving up yards grudgingly to keep the clock running.”
The Lobos didn’t reach the end zone in their 26-3 loss to TCU last Saturday, but scored three TDs against the Aggies. Senior Rodney Ferguson rambled in from 45 yards in the first quarter to cut A&M’s lead to 14-7.
Senior Paul Baker ran in from five yards out at the 5:55 mark of the fourth quarter and Ferguson scored from one yard out to form the 28-22 finale. The Lobos tried two on-side kicks in the fourth quarter, but failed to recover them and the 28-10 lead the Aggies had with 13:20 to play was simply too much for the Lobos to overcome.
Subtract the UNM turnovers, and this might have been a different game. The Lobos had more first downs than A&M (20-to-16), more total offense (370-to-236) and more rushing yards (216-to-92). But UNM had four turnovers to one for Texas A&M.
The Aggies also got a steady, not spectacular, performance from quarterback Jerrod Johnson, who came off the bench to complete 10-of-19 passes for 124 yards and three touchdowns. Porterie went 22-of-35 passing with the two picks. He tossed for 154 yards. Long said Porterie played, “very average.”
Porterie had two interceptions in game one against TCU.
“I wish I could have those back,” Porterie said of the interceptions that helped A&M form its 14-0 lead. “But I’m a quarterback and it can’t be the end of the game for you when you throw interceptions. I don’t think turnovers were the end of the game for us. We still had time. We just waited too late to pick it up.”
One of the highlights of the game for the Lobos was Ian Clark’s two punt returns for 66 yards.
“I like returning punts,” said the Albuquerque Highland High product. “I had great blocking and it allowed me to make some moves.”
Long also said the kicking game, which hurt UNM in the loss to TCU, was much better against the Aggies. Junior Adam Miller punted five times for a 42-yard average and that distance was shortened by two punts Adams had downed inside the A&M 20-yard line.
The loss to A&M drops UNM to 0-2 on the season. The Lobos play Arizona next Saturday at 6 p.m. in University Stadium. The attendance for the A&M game was listed at 28,007.
Clark said he looks at the Wildcats from Tucson as a must-win game.
“We can’t lose any more games,” said Clark. “Not if we want to establish ourselves as one of the better teams in the conference. We really need a win now, but I know we aren’t going to lay down.
“You can’t let a loss like this sit on your shoulders and haunt you. We have to get over it, practice even harder, and get a win. We thought we practiced hard this week, but maybe we didn’t practice hard enough. We need to step it up another notch.”
The loss leaves UNM 0-2 for the first time since 2000 when the Lobos came out 0-3.
The Lobos now have seven turnovers in the first two games. The Lobos’ seventh turnover in 2007 came in the fourth game of the season.
“I think the effort was there and the overall picture for us was better than last week,” said Porterie. “But sometimes you have games like this. You just have to get over it and work hard to win the next one.”
Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman said he felt the key for the game was the 14-drive play at the end of the second quarter that moved A&M from its own 10-yard line into the UNM endzone. That was the drive aided by the questionable roughing-the-passer penalty.
“With 50 seconds left on the clock, we scored the touchdown,” said Sherman. “To give us that breathing room going into the half, that allowed us to be as bad as we were on offense in the second half.”
The Lobos had a great opportunity to close the gap in the third quarter when A&M muffed a punt and Clark recovered for UNM at the Aggies’ 14-yard line. The Lobos had to settle for a 27-yard field goal by James Aho. That cut the Aggies’ lead to 21-10.
“I think both games (TCU, A&M) we’ve beat ourselves,” said Long.
Said UNM running back Rodney Ferguson, who ran for 135 yards: “We need to come together as a team. I just want to come back next week, play harder and do more to help us win.”