New Mexico Lobos Football — On The Mountain West Road
Who: New Mexico (3-6, 1-4 MW) at Utah State (7-3 4-1 MW)
When/Where: 2 p.m., (MT), Saturday – Romney Stadium, Logan, Utah
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
Utah State Coach Matt Wells says the New Mexico Lobos have “our attention and I promise we’ll focus on them.”
Yeah, when you rack up 627 total yards and 505 rushing yards against a Boise State defense that statistically was among the best in the Mountain West that should bring you some attention.
For sure, the Lobos are taking a hard look at the Utah State defense – now atop the Mountain West yielding 96.1 yards rushing per game.
Of course, something has to give. UNM tops the MW in rushing yards with a 326.3 average which is good for the No. 3 spot nationally.
The Bob Davie “pistol” offense was firing on its main cylinder – the ground – in a 60-49 league loss to Boise this past Saturday on Branch Field. You might think if the Lobos had that much success against the highly-touted Bronco defense that there might be major concern in Logan, Utah for Saturday’s visit from the Lobos.
And there is.
| Utah State has won nine of its past 10 Mountain West games and 22 of its past 24 league games. The Aggies have won 16 of their past 18 home games. The Aggies have won 17 of their past 19 games played in November. |
“It’s a big challenge,” said Aggie nose guard Travis Seefeldt. “We just have to step up again and play our hearts out.”
But while Boise might have had the statistical bragging rights on the defensive side of the football vs. the run (pre-UNM’s pistol), the Utah State Aggies are generally considered to have the most pure talent on that side of the scrimmage line. They are big, long and lean.
“I think they have the best personnel in this conference,” said Davie referring to the Aggies’ depth and their “big bodies and mature players.”
The Broncos’ depth and maturity was a factor in UNM’s loss as Boise State outscored UNM 19-0 in the final quarter. The Broncos’ offense was as dynamic in that game as was the Lobos’ offense. The Aggies might need to lean more on their defense vs. UNM.
“They (Lobos) got our attention really fast, especially our defense. It looked like a video game,” Wells said of UNM’s first-half explosion plays. “It was unbelievable to see that. I think their offensive line is moving people off the ball. They’re not tricking people. They’re moving people off the ball.”
The Aggies have a few obvious advantages besides the home field. Both the Lobos and the Aggies have experienced some major injuries and UNM is without its No. 1 quarterback, Cole Gautsche, and its best defender, linebacker Dakota Cox.
However, Utah State’s depth and maturity allows the Aggies more room for recovery. A big loss for Utah State was losing starting quarterback Darell Garretson to an arm injury in the Aggie’s 16-13 loss at Colorado State.
“They are playing a true freshman quarterback in our game,” said Davie.
Utah State seeks balance on offense rolling out 154.8 yards per game on the ground and 229.7 passing. However, the Aggies’ passing yards have diminished as the Aggies have slid down their depth chart at quarterback.
Garretson, the No. 1 arm, averaged 190 yards per game passing but that average was hurt when he missed most of the second half at CSU. He went 19-25-0 for 321 yards and three aerial scores in Utah State’s impressive 35-20 win at Brigham Young. He was 20-29-0 (298 yards) in the 34-16 win over Air Force.
Utah State lost Garretson early in the third quarter at Colorado State. The Rams kicked two field goals in the final 1:50 to pull out the win.
Kent Myers, the freshman now in charge of the Aggie huddle, averages 127 yards passing. The Aggies look to keep pressure off the rookie by controlling the clock, establishing field position and keeping the score down. They ask Myers to be efficient with no big mistakes. So far, he has answered the call.
“I think first of all, he (Myers) understands what we’re trying to do,” said Coach Wells. “We’re staying out of things that maybe could over-complicate him. He’s very smart and he’s very cerebral. I think all those things have helped, and he’s been extremely accurate.”
Myers has completed 83.3 percent of his passes (30-of-36) with no interceptions and three touchdowns. Utah State has simplified and shortened routes for him. The Aggies look to give Myers a dependable running attack behind a committee of running backs – none who average more than 37.3 yards per game.
Myers will get his third start of the season vs. UNM. He took over the huddle in the fourth quarter vs. UNLV when Garretson’s backup got injured. Myers’ first start vs. Hawaii saw him go 14-15-0 with three TD passes. Utah State ran for 235 yards vs. Hawaii.
In the Utah State win at Wyoming, Myers went 13-16-0 for 150 yards. His defense rallied around him by allowing no TDs.
The Aggies average 26.8 points on offense and allow 19.2. They hold opponents to 96.1 yards on the ground.
The Aggies look – and need – for their defense to keep the score down. The Aggies probably came close to throwing out a perfect script in their last game at Wyoming, Myers was efficient and the Aggie defense did its job. Utah State has not given up a touchdown in seven quarters and gave up only one TD at CSU. The Aggies allowed 15 rushing yards vs. UNLV.
Utah State’s defense has not given up more than 20 points in the past six games and the Aggies have gone 5-1 in that stretch with the loss 16-13 at Colorado State. The Aggies are playing well and they are in the hunt for a Mountain West title. As Wells said, they probably will not be looking past New Mexico.
“The very, very narrow focus is a New Mexico team that is 3-1 on the road,” said Coach Wells. “They’ve played very well as of late, and obviously they had our attention Saturday night, as we all watched them on T.V. (vs. Boise State).”
Editor’s Note: Richard Stevens is a former national award-winning Sports Columnist and Associate Sports Editor at The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net.