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
If you are a casual football fan, not avid or rabid, you might not be aware of what awaits Bob Davie’s Lobos in Logan, Utah on Saturday.
Romney Stadium does not yet have the same fearful reputation as the blue turf at Boise State – but give it time. That might be the only difference between the two football arenas at this stage of Mountain West football development. The Broncos’ blue turf is more time tested, more recognized, more unique.
But Romney Stadium is a trap, too. It is like a huge, venomous snake waiting to strike at Aggie enemies – and it usually does. Consider just a few facts about Romney:
- The Aggies have won 16 of their past 18 home games.
- The Aggies have won 10 of their past 11 league home games.
- The Aggies have not lost a home game in November since the 2010 season.
Of course, this isn’t just stadium mojo or haunted turf. Sure, playing at home helps, but the Utah State Aggies have been something special on the football field for several seasons – home and away. They have won 32 of their past 43 games and 22 of their past 24 league games going back to the 2011 season.
The Aggies win because they are good and because the roots of a program have been planted. Utah State Coach Matt Wells also sees reasons why his Aggies play tough in November.
“I think first of all, it starts with the players,” said the former Lobo assistant. “I think they’re a tough-minded bunch, and I think when things get a little tougher, and you get banged up a little bit, I think we have a tough-minded group.
“I’d like to say we train them that way, I’d like to say we coach them that way, and I’d like to say we talk them through it, but at the end of the day, the players decide if they’re tough or not. I think we have a bunch of tough-minded individuals.
I think we have a mindset that to build this program the way we want it, you have to win games down the stretch to be in a conference race.”
The Lobos obviously need to be tough to play with these tough Aggies in Logan. The Lobos are banged up and minus arguably their best offensive player in quarterback Cole Gautsche and definitely minus their top defender in linebacker Dakota Cox.
“You are a little bit hypocritical to talk about our injuries when certainly Utah State has had their fair share of injuries,” said Davie, who will give a MW road start to a redshirt freshman quarterback in Utah.
It will be a tough road test for redshirt freshman quarterback Lamar Jordan, but the Lobo pup is not untested. He has thrown 76 passes for the Lobos and has carried the ball 74 times. He has played in eight of nine games for the 3-6 Lobos.
However, this might be Jordan’s toughest call to duty – because of the defense he has to face. Utah State, the No. 1 team in the MW in rush defense, has forced 27 turnovers in its past nine games. That turnover number (27) is tied for second in the nation.
The 7-3 Aggies went into the 2014 season expecting to field a high level of balance on both sides of the football, but Utah State is now on its fourth quarterback: freshman Kent Myers. Myers has completed 83.3 percent of his passes (30-of-36) with no interceptions and three touchdowns.
The Aggies also lost junior linebacker LT Filiaga, who was third on the team tackles. Filiaga got hurt in the 20-3 win at Wyoming. Utah State is led in tackles by senior linebacker Zach Vigil (104) and sophomore linebacker Nick Vigil (78). Utah State has given up an average of 12.3 points in the past three games.
“It’s just next man up,” said Aggie nose guard Travis Seefeldt, on losing Filiaga. “Whoever steps in the role, we know will make plays and do their job.”
The Lobos have had similar challenges in filling holes or simply moving around bodies. The Lobos list 11 players in the rushing category, but only two running backs – Jhurell Pressley and David Anaya – have played in all nine games. That UNM rushing attack is good for 326.3 yards per game – No. 3 in the nation and No. 1 in the Mountain West.
Wells said the New Mexico running display vs. Boise State – 505 yards rushing – got “our attention.” Wells’ also said the explosive UNM runs, “looked like a video game.”
The Lobos’ pistol also is thinking about the Utah State defense that tops the Mountain West giving up 96.1 yards rushing.
Davie remembers a season ago when Utah State’s defense shut down UNM’s option attack.
“Last year, they came in here (Albuquerque) and we were the No. 2 rushing team in the country at that time.,” said Davie “We had 160 yards rushing, our lowest total of the year. They beat us pretty significantly.
“To be able to replace injured players like they have been able to do is really impressive to me. They are really good. They have a really good program.”
The Lobos play a 7-3 Aggies’ team on Saturday, but there is a reason that it is so tough for opponents to win in Logan. The tradition and the culture of a program usually kick in to help a team. The Aggies have been seeing that for the past several years – and especially in November.
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.