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The University of New Mexico Lobos are going bowling. In this seven-part series by Assistant A.D. for Communications Frank Mercogliano, we will look back at each of UNM’s seven wins that brought UNM to bowl eligibility. Part five is UNM’s 14-13 upset home win over Utah State in which UNM was a 20-point underdog.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — To this point in the season, New Mexico was sitting at 4-4 and coming off a bye, which was following a 31-21 loss to San Jose State. The four wins added to the previous three seasons under Bob Davie gave UNM 15 in his first 3 ½ years at New Mexico. However, those 15 wins were always met with a “but”.
But you needed a comeback against Hawai’i.
But you beat Wyoming who hadn’t won a game yet.
But you beat New Mexico State four times.
But you beat an FCS team.
The biggest one was always this…
But you haven’t beaten a team with a winning record since 2008.
Then Utah State came to Albuquerque. Then all those qualifiers in front of Lobo wins went out the window. The Lobos put on a defensive performance not seen at University Stadium in ages and the Lobos defeated Utah State, a team that was 5-3 at the time and coming off a 10-win season with a Gildan New Mexico Bowl win, 14-13, providing at the time the signature win of the Bob Davie era.1
To say it was a defensive game is an understatement. Safe to say it was a bit of a surprise as well. Utah State, which entered the game having scored 50 or more in three of its last four games mustered only 294 yards of offense, including 78 on the ground.
The Lobos picked up just 236 yards of offense themselves, but scored the only touchdown of the first half on a nifty pass from Lamar Jordan, who drew the entire defense to him when it looked like he was going to run, and then lofted a pass in blustery conditions to a wide-open Delane Hart-Johnson2, who caught the ball around the Lobo 45 and was caught at the 5-yard line but somehow stayed in bounds for an 86-yard touchdown, which only came about after a lengthy review.
Utah State’s only score came on a field goal after getting 30-yards in penalties on the same play, meaning UNM led 7-3 at the half with UNM getting the ball to open the third quarter. UNM went three and out, but then perhaps the play that defines the 2015 season happened as a pair of former New Mexico walk-ons teamed up for the biggest play of the season. David Anaya stuck returner Andrew Rodriguez at the 15-yard line of Utah State, stripping him of the ball, which bounced backwards, where Reece White3 recovered at the 3-yard line. Richard McQuarley then added the winning points one play later.
Utah State however didn’t go down without a fight. Rodriguez atoned for his gaffe with a diving catch in the end zone for USU’s only TD of the game, and Brock Warren tacked on a career-long 41 yard field goal with 11:47 left, and suddenly it was 14-13.
But UNM’s defense and specials came up big again. Anaya recovered a Lobo fumble on a kickoff that would have spelled disaster, Daniel Henry recovered a red zone fumble and Taylor Timmons forced a sack to complete a 3-and-out.
However, Utah State moved the ball in the final minute to the Lobo 24 where Warren again came out for a 41-yard field goal4. To this point in the season Warren was a perfect 8-for-8. He would not be 9-for-9. The Lobos rushed hard and Warren, sensing pressure, hit the ball too far wide right for it to draw back and the Lobos had themselves a 14-13 win.
The win pushed UNM to 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the Mountain West and within one game of bowl eligibility. The win, as a 20-point underdog no less, over an established program that had three straight bowl victories in Utah State served notice to the conference that the Lobos were for real. In just seven short days, the Lobos would serve that notice to the nation.
New Mexico will be playing in its first bowl game since the 2007 season. UNM will take on Arizona in the 10th Annual Gildan New Mexico Bowl at noon on Saturday, December 19. Tickets can be purchased through the UNM ticket office at www.unmtickets.com.
1 lest you think folks didn’t think that, the LoboTV headline for the highlight video is title “Lobs Get Signature Win of 2015 Over Utah State”.
2 Johnson entered the game with 76 yards receiving on the season.
3 Anaya and White were named the 2015 New Mexico Men at the Lobo Football Awards Banquet on December 13.
4 Jake Thompson normally took all field goals longer than 40 yards for Utah State, but he missed the game recovering from an appendectomy, forcing Warren to the edge of his range. The missed kick seemed to have a lasting effect. Warren and Thompson were 10-for-10 heading into that kick, but they combined to finish the season 1-for-7.
Road to a Bowl: Win #5 – UNM 14, Utah State 13
