Lobos Face No. 14 Utah Saturday at University Stadium
Sept. 15, 2010
New Mexico Game Notes vs. No. 14 Utah in PDF Format
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico (0-2, 0-0 MWC) begins Mountain West Conference play Saturday, entertaining No. 14 Utah (2-0, 0-0 MWC) at University Stadium. Kickoff is 6:06 p.m.
The game will be televised nationally in High Definition on the MountainWest Sports Network (The Mtn.), which is channel 276 on Comcast Cable in Albuquerque and channel 616 on DirecTV. James Bates will call the action along with Blaine Fowler and Toby Christensen.
The radio broadcast is also available on the Lobo Radio Network and 770 AM KKOB in Albuquerque. Scott Galetti and Greg Remington will provide the call.
The Lobos are 0-2 on the season after losing their home opener to Texas Tech 52-17.
New Mexico show signs of improvement but penalities and special teams hampered progress. Sophomore QB B.R. Holbrook had his best game passing, going 30-for-50 for 323 yards. Sophomore WR Ty Kirk had a career-high 119 yards receiving and surpassed the 100-yard mark for the second time in his career.
The Utes enter this week nationally-ranked in both polls and carry momentum into University Stadium. Utah opened the season with an upset victory over Pittsburg, 27-24, and beat UNLV 38-10 last week in its the conference opener.
Saturday will mark the 52nd all-time meeting between the two programs. Utah leads the all-time series 32-17-2 and has won the last three meetings. However, the last two games played in Albuquerque have been decided by three points.
LOBOS FACE TOUGH SCHEDULE
New Mexico has faced one of the more difficult schedules to open the 2010 season. The Lobos are 0-2 after battling No. 5/6 Oregon and Texas Tech, which is receiving votes in both polls. UNM hosts No. 14 Utah Saturday in University Stadium. The Lobos are the only school in FBS whose 1st 3 opponents of 2010 were all ranked in the top 25 in the final 2009 poll: Oregon (11), Texas Tech (21) and Utah (18). UNM is only 1 of 5 schools that will play 2 of its first 3 games against top-25 teams (2
others from the MWC), but look at the other opponent for those teams:
New Mexico vs. (5) Oregon, (RV) Texas Tech and (14) Utah
San Jose vs. (1) Alabama, (11) Wisconsin and Southern Utah
Tennessee vs. Tenn-Martin, (7) Oregon and (10) Florida
UNLV vs. (12) Wisconsin, (20) Utah and at Idaho
Wyoming vs. Southern Utah, (3) Texas and (5) Boise State
UNM IN MWC OPENERS
New Mexico is 3-8 in MWC openers, 2-5 at home and 1-3 on the road…the record is also 3-8 in MWC home openers. The Lobos opened MWC action at home last year against Air Force and lost 37-13.
51ST SEASON AT UNIVERSITY STADIUM
The 2010 season is the 51st for the Lobos at University Stadium. The first game was played Sept. 17, 1960, when UNM ripped the University of Mexico, 77-6. UNM is 144-137-3 all-time at University Stadium.
LOBO FOOTBALL TAILGATE CHALLENGE
OK, almost everybody loves to eat and is good at it. Often, too much and too often. But can you cook? Can you bring it with the special spices, the unique additives, the secret sauces and place your entry in front of some starving Lobo-type judges and see if you got what it takes?
The Lobos have a deal for you, and, no, this is not our way of getting a free lunch. We love our Lobo Dogs. The University of New Mexico athletics department has teamed up with Albertsons, Pepsi and Route 66 Casino to bring you “The Lobo Football Tailgate Challenge.”
It’s not really an eating thing. It’s a cooking thing. But the cooked things have to be edible and we’ll produce some highly-qualified judges to see whether you can bring it on your grill.
Of course, the dishes mostly will be judged by palates and stomachs. We’ll have some time-tested culinary experts (of sorts) who will sample your wares on a 100-point scale and give out points according to: 1- taste (70 points) and 2- ambience (30 points).
Here are a few contest details.
1. It’s free.
2. The contest begins three hours prior to kickoff.
3. A tent will be set up next to the Lobo Football Pre-Game shows at Gate 8 (Stadium Lot North). That’s where you bring the food.
4. There will be prizes and GoLobos.com will announce them next week. Stay tuned.
Of course, there also are specific dishes set for specific games. The scheduled Lobo opponent that week has little to do with the scheduled dish, but it does look suspicious that the first week is chili and a team from chili-famous Texas is coming to University Stadium. Anyway, here’s the order:
1. Sept. 11 vs. Texas Tech — chili
2. Sept. 18 vs. Utah — hamburgers & brats
3. Oct. 2 vs. UTEP — Ribs
4. Oct. 23 vs. San Diego State — brisket
5. Nov. 6 vs. Wyoming — green chili stew
6. Nov. 27 vs. TCU — chicken/turkey or any poultry.
Lucas Reed HONORED
Lobo TE Lucas Reed has been named honorable mention tight end by College Footbal Performance Award for his outstanding play against Texas Tech. Reed receives the national honor after having four catches for 68 yards including a TD. Reed had a career-long grab of 33 yards against the Red Raiders. Reed was a freshman All-American last year for the Lobos.
LOBOS SHOWING IMPROVEMENTS
New Mexico showed signs of improvement Saturday against Texas Tech. The Lobos had 433 yards of total offense including 336 yards passing. UNM scored 17 points against Texas Tech and had opportunities to hang with the Big 12 power.
Sophomore QB B.R. Holbrook had the best game of his career going 30-for-50 through the air for 323 yards and a TD. Sophomore WR Ty Kirk had a career-high 119 yards receiving including a career-long catch of 57 yards vs. TTU. Kirk, who led all MWC freshmen in receiving last year, is currently leading the MWC in receptions per game with 6.5. Sophomore TE Lucas Reed had four catches against Tech for 68 yards. Reed, who was a freshman All-American, had his second career TD against the Red Raiders. UNM had nine different receivers catch at least one pass Saturday against Tech. Junior kicker James Aho hit his first field goal attempt Saturday from 28 yards out. Junior DE Johnathan Rainey has 7 tackles this season and recorded his first sack of the year against TTU. Rainey is tied for third in the MWC with two tackles for loss. He also has a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.<>P Sophomore S A.J. Butler made his first career start and finished with 6 tackles. Butler is ninth in the MWC in tackles with 16. Sophomore LB Joe Stoner has started both games this year and has the Lobos lone INT. Stoner nearly had a INT for a touchdown Saturday against Tech. Sophomore LB Spencer Merritt currently leads the MWC in passes defended with 4. Merritt is in the starting lineup for the first time in his career and has 7 tackles in two games.
YOUNG GUNS
The Lobos had 17 players make their first collegiate debut during the first two weeks. Sophomore QB B.R. Holbrook made his first career start against Oregon and had a career day vs. Texas Tech. The Lobos have two talented sophomores in the backfield in RBs Demond Dennis and Kasey Carrier. Sophomore WR Ty Kirk is back after leading all MWC freshmen in receiving last year. Sophomore TE Lucas Reed was a Freshman All-American last year and is much improved. Defensively, sophomore DBs DeShawn Mills and Emmanuel McPhearson have had strong camps and will compete on Saturdays. Sophomore Freddy Young has earned a starting spot at safety. Illinois transfers Ugo Uzodinma and Reggie Ellis are sophomores on the D-Line along with freshman Calvin Smith.
SCOUTING UTAH (2-0)
Utah, who is playing in its final season as a member of the Mountain West Conference, is among the top teams nationally. The Utes enter this week at No. 14 after back-to-back wins. Utah opened the year with an impressive victory over Pittsburgh, and beat UNLV last week in its conference opener. The Utes are coached by sixth-year head coach Kyle Whittingham. Whittingham has guided Utah to a 48-17 record during his time in Salt Lake City, including six bowl games.
Utah has used two quarterbacks this year in Jordan Wynn and Terrance Cain. Wynn injured his throwing hand during the opening week of the season and missed the UNLV game. Cain stepped in and led the Utes to a 38-10 victory over the Rebels.
In the backfield, Utah is leaning on Eddie Wide and Matt Asiata. Wide is the team’s leading rusher with 24 rushes for 124 yards, while Asiata has 104 yards on 24 carries.
Jereme Brooks and DeVonte Christopher are the top receivers for the Utes. Brooks leads the team in receiving with 164 yards and 3 TDs. Christopher has a touchdown and 163 yards receiving.
Defensively, Utah has only allowed 34 points in two games. The Utes have forced three turnovers this season and has been strong in the red-zone. Utah has only allowed one TD in seven red-zone situations. Chaz Walker is the team’s top tackler with 27 stops.
NEW MEXICO VS. NATIONALLY-RANKED OPPONENTS
The Lobos have a 7-44 record against nationally-ranked teams…the breakdown is 5-21 at home, 4-20 in University Stadium, 2-22 on the road and 0-1 at a neutral site…UNM’s last win against a nationally-ranked team was 47-35 at No. 23 Utah on Oct. 25, 2003, in Salt Lake City…the last victory in Albuquerque was 23-21 against No. 8 and undefeated Utah on Nov. 5, 1994…UNM has faced No. 5 Oregon this year and has two teams remaining on the schedule that are currently ranked in the Top 25 in Utah and TCU.
New Mexico is 2-3 against nationally-ranked Utah teams…the ledger:
Nov. 5, 1994 New Mexico 23, No. 8 Utah 21 Albuquerque
Oct. 25, 2003 New Mexico 47, No. 23 Utah 35 Salt Lake City
Oct. 1, 2004 No. 14 Utah 28, New Mexico 7 Albuquerque
Nov. 1, 2008 No. 9 Utah 13, New Mexico 10 Albuquerque
Nov. 7, 2009 No. 17 Utah 45, New Mexico 14 Salt Lake City
UP NEXT FOR THE LOBOS
UNM continues Mountain West Conference action next week at UNLV. The Rebels are 0-2 on the year after facing nationally-ranked Wisconsin and Utah. UNLV is at Idaho this week. UNM leads the all-time series with the Rebels, 9-8, and will be looking for its first win in Las Vegas since 2006.