Tulsa Pulls Away for 40-21 Win Over UNM
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of Tulsa was consistent, scoring 10 points in each quarter as New Mexico made a rash of uncharacteristic mistakes and lost to the Golden Hurricane 40-21 in front of 24,167 on Branch Field at University Stadium.
The game saw the lead see-saw back in forth in the opening half. UNM opened the scoring with a quick and efficient six-play drive, all on the ground with the last 13 from Teriyon Gipson, but Tulsa answered right back, and even faster. The Golden Hurricane got a 69-yard pass from Dane Evans for Josh Atkinson on their third play for a 7-7 game. After the first of four Redford Jones field goals made it 10-7, Lamar Jordan hit Dameon Gamblin for a 62-yard touchdown and UNM led 14-10 after one. Tulsa took the lead for good on another long Evans pass, this 41 yards for Keevan Lucas for a 17-14 lead.
Tulsa eventually was up 23-14 in the third when UNM got closer on a 4-yard Gipson run, and then after a stop, the Lobos had a chance for the lead but Jason Sanders missed from 42-yards out. Tulsa then went out and scored to make it 30-21 on a 1-yard run by D’Angelo Brewer.
After Jones’ fourth field goal made it 33-21, it looked like UNM got within a score on a diving touchdown catch by Carlos Wiggins, but UNM was called for an illegal shift, its 13th and penultimate penalty of the game. On the next play, Jordan was intercepted, and it was all academic after that.
New Mexico did get a career night from receiver Dameon Gamblin who caught a career-high eight passes for a career-best 131 yards. He also added four runs for 42 yards.
NOTES
This was the seventh meeting between the two teams.
Tulsa now leads 5-2
Tulsa now leads 3-1 in Albuquerque
Tulsa has won three straight in the series
Tulsa has won two straight in Albuquerque
Starting lineup changes for UNM from published two-deep
Offense: WR-Patrick Reed for Marquis Bundy; LG-Bryan Oldenkamp, C-Eden Mahina, RG-Aaron Jenkins, RT-62 Garrett Adcock; Tevita Fonua did not start.
Defense: LC-Isaiah “I.B.” Brown for Markel Byrd.
Regulars that missed the game for UNM: None
Attendance was 24,167
*New Mexico’s captains were Lamar Jordan, Dakota Cox and Reece White
*New Mexico won the toss and elected to receive for the second straight game.
Team Notes
*New Mexico’s second TD drive of the second quarter was actually 101 yards due to penalties.
*New Mexico was shutout in a quarter for the first time this season when they didn’t score in the second quarter.
*The 154 penalty yards were the first time going over 100 yards since October 9, 2010 when the Lobos had 115 yards in penalties at New Mexico State. It actually was the most since 159 penalty yards against New Mexico State (on 15 penalties) in a 28-27 loss to the Aggies on September 19, 1998.
*The nine penalties in the first half were tied for the most in any entire game in the Davie era. UNM had nine at Texas in 2012. Of the nine penalties in the first half, seven were personal fouls. UNM’s total of 154 penalty yards nearly doubled the previous high under Bob Davie, which was 79 in 2012 against Texas.
*The Lobos are now 1-21 when trailing at the half in their last 22 games.
*New Mexico scored on both opening drives of the half.
*UNM’s lost fumble in the fourth quarter by Teriyon Gipson was UNM’s first turnover of the season. UNM later threw an interception and lost the turnover battle 2-1.
Individual Notes
*Zack Rogers ran eight yards for a first down on a fake punt in the first quarter. UNM eventually scored a touchdown on that drive. In the fourth quarter he raced for two yards on a fake punt to again convert a first down.
*Dameon Gamblin’s 62-yard TD catch in the first quarter was his longest of his career. The junior had 77 receiving yards in his career entering that drive. He finished with 131 receiving yards, the most by a receiver in the Bob Davie era, and the second 100-yard receiving game. Ty Kirk had 108 against Wyoming in 2012.
*Teriyon Gipson in his first game of the season scored two rushing touchdowns, giving him three multi-TD games in his career and 15 rushing TDs all told.
*Jason Sanders missed his first collegiate kick, a 42-yard field attempt with 4:58 left in the third quarter.
*Patrick Reed, a freshman, made his first career start.
Quotes
UNM Head Caoch Bob Davie
Opening Statement
“We got off to a good start. Obviously, the first drive we take it the length of the field, and then they throw the ball over the top of us for a huge gain. It put us kind of back on our heels. But if you look at the game and just go through the amount of mistakes that we’re making, it’s obviously on me. It’s obviously on me. There’s nowhere else to direct it. I thought the effort was good. I thought guys played hard. Nobody caved in; nobody gave in. The penalties were just unbelievable and I’m sure they were the right calls. It was just some silly things. I think Nick D’Avanzo himself had three, and we had three or four on the offensive line. We had an illegal formation because Carlos Wiggins was moving when the game ball was in motion, and it took a touchdown away at the end. So, just an unbelievable amount of penalties. We dropped two balls I guess there at the end of the first half. We fumbled the pitch on the option. Again, the effort was there, just the execution wasn’t there. Now I thought we had some guys that really played hard, I thought Dameon Gamblin played really hard. Teriyon Gipson came back off an injury and did some good things. We competed on defense, but again it was really hard to stop them. They ran the ball on us, probably more than they even anticipated. Then on third down we had a hard time covering them. It was pretty much a butt kicking. We were fortunate at halftime we were only down 20-14 quite honestly. You know it could have been more.”
“With that said I think it’s the second game of the year. We have to get better. We got exposed a little bit. Our offensive line got exposed. We started Mahina at center. We went with Aaron Jenkins and Odenkamp at tackle. In there at guard, Reno and Adcock. Then Adcock went out here with a knee pretty early. They basically lined up in one defense and covered our guards and whipped us in there. We couldn’t get the dive going. There are only so many times you can pitch the ball. We had some success pitching the ball when we got the ball out on the perimeter, but you cant just pitch it 25 times, something’s is going to happen and the ball is going to go on the ground. So certainly the reality set in; we are what we are. We got to continue to improve; we have to continue to get better. I think we have a chance to be a good football team. But, they were the better team tonight. They deserved to win that game and they won the game. I think our guys played hard, but I don’t fault the effort at all. When you have that many penalties it’s on the head coach. When you do some of the things we did, its on the head coach and there is no other way to say it. We thought we could out work, out hit and out discipline and we didn’t do it. They come in here and honestly, out disciplined us.
On being able to regroup and refocus …
“Well it’s the second game of the year. Obviously it was an opportunity. It was an opportunity we didn’t take advantage of because Tulsa beat us. It wasn’t like we went out there and didn’t take advantage of it. They came in here and beat us. I give them credit. I really do. Yeah, I mean it is a setback, but more importantly what happened tonight is what we do tomorrow, what we do to resolve this. It’s the second game of the year, and it’s disappointing. No way to sugar coat that. We have to dig in. We are going on the road for the next two weeks. We have Arizona State, a Friday night game, then we are going to Wyoming. So quite honestly there’s a lot of football left to be played, but we have to improve. It’s not time to be philosophical, its not time to talk big picture, its time to talk about how do we get that dive going up in there. There at the end of the game it was fourth and one and we couldn’t make a yard up in there. The stuffed us. I give them credit, but we are going to play other defenses that line up and play the heck out of us. To me, its not big picture as much as how do we get better.”
UNM linebacker Dakota Cox
On the number of penalties the Lobos committed …
“The guys just need to step up and take it upon themselves to take it as a learning opportunity. That’s just it. Guys need to step up.”
On his leadership role in eliminating mental errors …
“Of course I’m always trying to keep the guys upbeat and make sure they know they made a bad penalty and make sure they know how to fix it. But, really it all comes down to them and really just buying in. Being disciplined to themselves.”
UNM wide receiver Dameon Gamblin
On how the Lobos can respond when the dive isn’t working …
“We are a run-oriented team. We run first. So, when the dive is not working it throws us off balance from what we are trying to do offensively.”
On the penalties …
“It’s deflating, but adversity happens in the game of football. I try to keep my guys up, keep making play after play. But the one thing I know since coach has been here is the Lobos don’t beat the Lobos. Out work, out hit, out discipline. We weren’t disciplined and the Lobos beat the Lobos tonight.”
Tulsa Head Coach Philip Montgomery
“Feeling great right now. Any time you can go on the road against a quality opponent, New Mexico, and Coach Davie and his staff – it’s a tremendous staff over there – so to be able to come in here and get us a win, it’s just a great team win, by all three teams: defensively, offensively, and special teams. We didn’t do very well in the red zone, but any time you can go back and correct mistakes after a W sure makes it a lot easier. Coach Norwood and Coach Young did a great job making adjustments. We changed some things on what we were doing with the quarterback and the pitch guy. I thought our guys on the inside did a tremendous job stuffing the inside run stuff, so everything was happening on the perimeter. We just had to make open field tackles and play assignment football. I’m so proud of our defense, they’ve been working on it (turnovers) so hard and it’s kind of like touchdowns: once you break the ice on the scoreboard you got the chance to get some more. Turnovers are kind of the same way. Once you get one, they kind of come in pairs so we keep looking and fighting for them. I’m just happy for our football team. Our guys have worked extremely hard and they’ve bought in to what we’re doing, even after spring ball … The way they’ve worked throughout summer and fall camp, I love to see the energy they bring every single day. It’s a process and those guys have done a great job of understanding that and continuing to grind and get better and still fighting for respect every day. I take my hat off to Redford (Jones). He’s a guy that has kind of been battling some things and he stepped up and was big tonight. We did not do what we wanted to do and we left a lot of points out there on the football field, but Redford stepped in there every time and knocked them stiff. It was just a tremendous effort.”
Tulsa quarterback Dane Evans
“New Mexico did a really good job disguising what they wanted to do. They have a really active D Line and linebacker crew and they got to us a couple times. I thought our O-line did a good job picking it up. Receivers did a good job knowing when we could get the ball out of our hand quick. Our biggest asset tonight was the way we finished. It was a close game at halftime, and it was a close game all the way and then we just finished the game good. The O-line just said ‘run behind me’ and that’s what we did. We have to keep having games where we don’t turn the ball over; that’s key no matter who you’re playing. We missed a couple deep shots tonight, which is going to happen, but in a perfect world you don’t want to miss any of those. It’s a little different playing scout team all week and then you come and play the actual team you’re playing. That’s kind of how it was for us and our defense and their offense and their defense and in the second quarter we kind of felt who we are. At halftime we made good adjustments and came out and finished the game.”
Tulsa Linebacker Matt Linscott
“New Mexico was really great. They made a lot of adjustments throughout the game, like three or four times during the game. Trent (Martin) and I had to adjust on who had the QB and pitch and that’s pretty much what it summed up to. The second New Mexico thought we were locking in on them and we were stopping them, they switched to something else and that’s where a lot of their drives were from. Communication was key between me, corner, and safety on who has Q and pitch. New Mexico is definitely a bit different. Whenever we got out there compared to our scout team they were fast and they have some athletic guys, but once we kind of chilled out and got in there and got a grasp on the tempo I felt pretty good. New Mexico has quite a few athletes on their side and it’s hard to mimic how fast you’re doing it. It was so much faster when we got out here, but once we adjusted to it we did okay. We just take it one week at a time. We are all humans and we can play. Any team can go out and beat another team, not think about what other people are saying about us and just know that we have athletes and we think we’re good and we’re ready to play anyone.”