Epic Comeback falls just short 52-43
Box Score | 2018 Season Statistics
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The largest deficit UNM has ever come back from in football was 21 points. The largest fourth quarter deficit was 15. Both of those marks nearly came down on a resplendent Homecoming evening, but UNM’s epic comeback bid from 32 points down fell just short, as Liberty defeated the Lobos 52-43.
The game was significant for another key injury as Tevaka Tuioti was lost potentially for the remainder of the season. The quarterback broke his left clavicle (non-throwing shoulder) after getting tackled after a long run. It was a part of a frustrating first half for UNM that saw it jump to a 7-0 lead in just four plays, and then struggle afterwards.
Liberty posted 42 points in the opening half, 21 in each quarter as it bolted to a 42-10 halftime lead. Liberty threw for 303 yards in the opening half with three passing touchdowns from Stephen Calvert. The Flames (2-2) also blocked a punt by Tyson Dyer that Dyer was able to recover, but instead of a safety, the ball was ruled to be recovered outside the end zone at the 1-yard line, allowing for a short score to make it 2:34.
That made it 35-10, and Liberty than converted an interception by Sheriron Jones into a touchdown with a quick 3-play, 63-yard drive for a 42-10 lead with 22 seconds left.
UNM’s defense held on the opening drive, forcing a punt, and Jones needed two plays to bring UNM 80 yards. After a 1-yard run, Jones lofted a pass to a wide-open Patrick Reed for a career-long 79-yard score, making it 42-16, but the extra point was missed. After the teams traded punts, the offense went to work again. Tyrone Owens gained 31 yards on three carries, and after converting a 3rd-and-3, he hit Anu Somoye for 31 yards to the Liberty 8-yard line. Jones two plays later hit Delane Hart-Johnson on a perfect fade in the end zone to make it 42-23.
Hart-Johnson then had a highlight-reel 44-yard catch on the next drive, setting UNM up for a 3rd-and-goal to start the fourth quarter. Jones hit Marcus Williams for a 7-yard TD, but UNM’s attempt at a 2-pt conversion failed, leaving the game 42-29.
The Flames finally answered with a touchdown with 12:26 to go to make it 49-29, and UNM turned the ball right back to Liberty on an interception, it all looked done. Liberty drove to the UNM 24, but on 4th-and-1, it eschewed a field goal for the first down attempt, and Michael Sewell timed it perfectly for a four-yard loss, giving UNM the ball with 8:48 to go.
UNM then went 73 yards in three plays, the final a tip-toe down the sidelines on a pass from Jones by Tyrone Owens to make it 49-36. After a punt, UNM scored again as Owens rushed for his second touchdown of the game and third overall, making it 49-43 with 5:07 to go.
UNM needed a stop but couldn’t get it. Frank Hickson rushed four straight times, the last setting up a 3rd-and-4. Calvert hit Antonio Gandy-Golden on a 10-yard hitch route that he converted into a 50-yard gain. It was the last of his career-high 11 catches for 245 yards.
UNM held to force a field goal attempt, with Aaron Peart hit from 22 yards to ice the game at 52-43 with 1:02 to go. UNM drove to the Liberty 26 in the dying moments before Jones was intercepted with 38 seconds left at the 2-yard line.
Jones threw for a career-high 312 yards and threw for four touchdowns in the loss, doing so in just over two quarters of play.
UNM finished non-conference play at 2-2, and now heads to UNLV for a date with the Rebels at 2 p.m. Mountain Time on Saturday. That game will be on AT&T Sports Network.
Postgame Notes: Liberty 52, New Mexico 43
This was the first meeting between the two teams.
Liberty now leads 1-0
Liberty leads 1-0 in Albuquerque
The teams haven’t met in Lynchburg yet
Liberty has won one in a row
Liberty has won one in a row in Albuquerque
Starting lineup changes for UNM from published two-deep
Offense: Anselem Umeh started for Patrick Reed at receiver. Marcus Williams at tight end didn’t start.
Defense: De’John rogers started at nickel instead of Michael Sewell, Jr. Stanley Barnwell, Jr. started at free safety instead of Bijon Parker.
*New Mexico’s captains were Aaron Jenkins, Alex Hart, Cody Baker and Sitivena Tamaivena
*New Mexico won the toss for the first time this season and UNM elected to receive the opening kick.
*Micah Gray, a native of Clovis, carried the New Mexico flag onto the field at the New Mexico Man, his first career honor.
TEAM NOTES:
*New Mexico became the last team in the FBS to attempt a field goal when Andrew Shelley attempted and made a 38-yarder with 9:44 left in the second quarter. Boston College was the other team entering the day without a field goal attempt, and they hit one earlier on Saturday.
*Tyson Dyer had a punt blocked in the second quarter, and it was the first time UNM had a punt blocked since November 8, 2014 when Kamalei Correa of Boise State deflected a Zack Rogers roll-out punt.
*UNM’s scoring average increased to 40.2 points per game.
*The game marked the second time UNM had a quarterback throw for 4 touchdowns in a game as Jones threw for four and Tevaka Tuioti threw for four to open the season. It marks the second time in school history UNM has had multiple four-TD passing games in the same season, as it happened three times in 1993 with two different quarterbacks (Stoney Case and Fred Schweer)
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
*Tyrone Owens’ two rushing touchdowns gave him 19 in his career.
*Andrew Shelley’s 38-yard field goal in the second quarter was his first career make and attempt.
*Stanley Barnwell, Jr had a second quarter interception, UNM’s eighth of the season and 10th takeaway overall.
*Tevaka Tuioti rushed three times for 42 yards. He left the game in the second quarter after injuring his collar bone.
*Sheriron Jones’ 79-yard touchdown pass to Pat Reed was a career long pass by Jones and a career-long reception by Reed.
*Jones’s four touchdown passes and 312 yards passing were career-highs.
*Delane Hart-Johnson had a career-high five catches.
*UNM had 10 different receivers catch a pass.
*Evahelotu Tohi had a career-high 13 tackles after recording a career-high nine in his previous game.
*UNM did register seven pass break ups.
Postgame Notes: Liberty 52, New Mexico 43
UNM Head Coach Bob Davie
“First of all, credit to Liberty. We have played a lot of games in this stadium, the quarterback put on a performance and played a great game. I have nothing but respect and compliments for the way he played. I really appreciate the effort in the second half, you guys can imagine going in there at 42-10 at halftime and what all that entailed. I was proud of the effort in the second half.”
On run offense:
“Well we got behind, it was 42-10 at halftime, we aren’t going to run it a whole lot. Also, we aren’t going to run triple because we are down to one quarter back right now. We could run it, we ran it a little bit, T.O. had some runs up in there.”
On encouraging the defense after a loss:
“Well, we have to get better. We thought we were going to be pretty good on defense. Tonight didn’t have a whole lot to do with not having Alex Hart in there honestly. We have no excuses. It starts with me and we have to back out there at 4 o’clock tomorrow, we can’t tuck our tails, we can’t drop our heads, we’ve got to stay together and we’ve got to get things solved.”
Sheriron Jones – UNM – Jr. | Quarterback
On the beginning of the comeback and feeling like the Lobos could finish the momentum:
“Oh, most definitely. At the end of the day, when you have that tempo and you have that drive, you look at those guys and they look at you – and they want to win. You get into a different mindset, you get into a different mode, a different zone. That’s what everybody did and we started scoring.”
On picking up where the Lobos left off tonight against UNLV:
“We’re not going to slow down. Coach Davie said it’s not going to be easy but at the end of the day you come in and you practice, you work hard, you watch the film, and you give every day the best that you can and you’ll be fine.”
Evahelotu Tohi – UNM – Sr | Linebacker
On adjusting to the first game without Alex Hart:
“It was important that everything we did tonight we did it for those hurt guys like Alex, and we did our best. We’ve just got to keep moving forward, that’s what he would want from us, to get better.”
On what worked to slow Liberty in the second half:
“I felt like we made a couple of adjustments on defense that helped us out pretty well and we wanted it. We weren’t going to give up and we wanted to give the fans what they wanted”
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On the defensive struggles:
“It is important to put our offense in the best field position throughout the game, and do whatever we have to do on defense especially in (important) moments. It is unfortunate that we weren’t able to do that in the end of the game tonight.”
Liberty Head Coach Turner Gill
On offense doing just enough to win it:
“There are key plays in the game and you have to make those kind of plays. We had a lot of plays even on the defensive side we had to make, but offensively those guys were hot. Gandy- Golden got a one-on-one match up. We’ve told Buckshot (Stephen Calvert) any time you see that, go ahead and get the ball there to number 11 and see what he can do. Most of the time he won, particularly that last series.”
On preparing the team in the locker room at half time for a second-half run:
“I tried to tell the guys to keep playing and don’t worry about the scoreboard. It’s always so difficult, as human beings you still look at the scoreboard. I’m not sure our guys didn’t give up or anything, but we just didn’t have enough in the second half.”
“We had to play a lot of people to continue to stay in the football game and to do what we had to do. It’s very, very important to find a way to win a game like this. I am proud of the guys, that they found a way to come back and win the game.”
On Gandy-Golden’s big drive in the 4th quarter (Was it the biggest of the game):
“Yes, that was the biggest drive, no question about it, we needed to take a touchdown because we had not scored a point in the second half. We had some drives going and kind of made some mistakes of our own. It was big to score a touchdown.”
“I am very, very proud of Aaron Peart, (that was a) huge field goal. Again, we debated back and forth if we would take another shot to go with AGG (Antonio Gandy-Golden). He got a 1-on-1 to throw the ball to him, and I decided to just run the football and go for the field goal.”