Lobos Look for Faster Start Against Nevada

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Weekly Media Schedule:
TUEADAY
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THURSDAY
The Opening Drive: 7:30 am, Jeff Siembieda and J.J. Buck Player Interview Listen Live

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — If The University of New Mexico Lobo football team opens up Saturday’s game at Nevada with the fire and urgency that Bob Davie started his Tuesday afternoon press conference, things should be alright.  If anyone thinks that UNM football, having lost five straight games in which they were in each one, is down, sullen or despondent, should probably think again.  Practices are crisp and full of life.  Those words also describe head coach Bob Davie, who was a bundle of energy with the media on Tuesday.

UNM takes on the Nevada Wolf Pack on Saturday night at 8:35 p.m. Mountain Time in Reno at Mackay Stadium on ESPNU with Clay Matvick and Ryan Leaf on the call.  Robert Portnoy and DonTrell Moore will also have the call on the Lobo Radio Network with the pregame show starting at 7:30 p.m. Mountain Time.

Davie’s point of emphasis on Tuesday was not just about consistency, but about how UNM has started football games in the past few weeks.  He spit out the numbers of UNM’s first half point totals: 0, 3, 7, 7 and 14 (against Colorado State).  Those starts are not conducive to winning.  There’s been lots of ideas thrown around, and Daive and Company have implemented some, from changing up practice periods to use team periods right at the beginning to other things.  In the end however, it’s about a simple solution.  “Just through individual improvement, you are going to start the game better,” said Davie.  “But, early int he game it’s hurting us, particularly us as a fragile team.”

So, UNM will look to get off to a better start this week against a Nevada team that nipped San Jose State 41-38 a week after UNM lost 32-21 to the same Spartans.  Nevada also owns a 34-31 win over Purdue from the season opener, and both of those wins were off of walk-off field goals by rookie Brandon Talton, who hit a 56-yarder to win over Purdue.

But back to that energy.  Bob Davie was full of energy, and it was on display on Tuesday, even when asking for the opening question.  He went with Henry Tafoya, a legendary Albuquerque media fixture, but it took a while to get to Tafoya, as Davie wanted to make sure he was bringing it.  “Are you ready?  Are you prepared?” Davie asked Tafoya, eliciting plenty of chuckles from the assembled media.  “We’re talking about starting the game fast, I’m going to the guy that I know, that I can ride that horse that’s going to get us out of the gate.”

And Tafoya got it going.  Davie talked of the credit his players deserve for their efforts in the face of adversity.  “Not many people know what 35-3 at halftime feels like, being down to a team that could score 100 on you,” he said.  “coming out and saying that we have to get a stop and turn this around.  I give those guys a lot of credit.”

Davie also singled out some of the many positives on the season from Erin Austin, who picked up an interception, to Tyson Dyer, who leads the nation in punts inside the 20 (25) and percentage of punts inside the 20 (64.1%), to Bryson Carroll, who had just 10 yards rushing but added 128 on three kickoff returns.  “He’s going to find a way to be productive.”

The magic elixir will be the consistency piece, and that was Davie’s running theme of the day.  Can a guy like Tevaka Tuioti put together two complete games and then make that three complete games?  Can players continue to build off their successes, and get enough together to get a win and get back on track.  As one media member noted, one win and all the postseason dreams are still in play with a tough schedule ahead but two of three at home.

It all starts Saturday night on ESPNU.