Lobos Step Out of Conference and Into Kyle Field
New Mexico Game Notes | Texas A&M Game Notes | Mountain West Notes
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — If any media thought there was going to be an elephant in the room for Bob Davie’s press conference, he not only addressed it, but he practically rode in on it.
“The topic today is probably pretty simple,” said Bob Davie to open his Tuesday media luncheon. “Turnovers and Texas A&M right? Those two things.”
The Lobos face a tough test in heading into SEC country to take on the Texas A&M Aggie at Kyle Field in what could the largest attended game in the history of Lobo Football. The game is slated to kick off at 5:02 p.m. Mountain Time, 6:02 p.m. in College Station, and along with the Lobo Sports Network, the game will be shown on ESPNU.
While there are a lot of numbers for Lobo Football this season, certainly the one that has caused the most consternation, and the one that has flipped UNM’s record from 6-3 at this point a year ago to 3-6 this year, is turnovers. Twenty-five of them to be exact. UNM’s 15 lost fumbles are the second-most in the nation, behind only San Jose State’s 19. Last year, over a 13-game season, the Lobos had just 14 turnovers.
“If you look at the average of the last five years, we averaged being the 13th-best team in not turning the ball over, averaging about 16 turnovers,” said Davie. This season UNM is 128th in total turnovers lost, and 129th in fumbles. “Not that that is our only issue, but particularly the last two weeks, you just have no chance to win.”
Those turnovers obscure some terrific stats that the team has in fact racked up. Jake Rothschiller is second nationally in fumbles recovered, Corey Bojorquez is third nationally in punting and the team is third in net punting, and UNM leads the nation in kickoff coverage defense. UNM is also one of four teams that has lowered it’s yards allowed in each of the last five years, joining Washington State, Michigan and Troy.
Of course, the bigger story is the return to Texas A&M of many of the UNM staff, including Davie, who spent nine years coaching at Kyle Field, four as the outside linebackers coach and then five as the defensive coordinator of the vaunted “Wrecking Crew” defense. The list of Lobo coaches with ties to Texas A&M is long, from graduates Brian DeSpain and Jordan Peterson to former coaches Stan Eggen and Bob DeBesse, to even UNM graduate assistants. Ben Sherman’s father Mike Sherman was Texas A&M’s coach from 2008-11. Dennis Franchoine coached by UNM and Texas A&M. Davie’s son Clay was born after a road game between A&M and Southern Mississippi, and although it was close, Davie made it time for the birth of his son as his wife JoAnne was getting wheeled into the delivery room upon his arrival. “She said take that damn tie off, as if to say, it’s time to go to work.”
The ties run deep for certain.
“I owe a lot to Texas A&M, I owe a lot to R.C. Slocum,” said Davie. “College Station made me a better coach and a better person. A lot of memories there, it’s a great place, and they are a heck of a football team.”
NOTE: The football game will be on the main network and flagshipped at 770 KKOB. The men’s basketball game will be on 610 AM The Sports Animal (that game begins at 7 p.m. Mountain Time). After the football game, J.J. Buck will host an extended length call-in show that will continue from the end of the football game until about 30 minutes after the conclusion of the men’s basketball game.
Lobo Talk Live at Kellys is Wednesday night this week from 7-9 p.m.