Game Week! Lobos to Host First Home FB Game in 642 Days

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The text of the graphic released on Monday honestly said it all.  It had been a long time coming…

We’ve waited 639 days to say this….

📣IT’S GAME WEEK IN ALBUQUERQUE!

🎟️: https://t.co/eoWwKUpIQU pic.twitter.com/6dfkn64by7

— New Mexico Football (@UNMLoboFB) August 30, 2021

It was be 642 days between home games for New Mexico.  Danny Gonzales’ first home game will come in game eight of his career, and just two coaches had EVER had to wait as many as three games.  It certainly has been a long time coming, and to hear Gonzales, he’s really excited, maybe more so for his family to finally watch him coach in person.

“Yeah it will be cool for my family to have them see me on the sidelines,” said Gonzales, who spun plenty of tales and yarn in a nearly 40 minutes press conference that touched on everything from the beginning of his Lobo fandom as a kid to listening to the Lobo women’s soccer game in his office on Sunday while watching practice film. “It’s exciting that we get to do this and I want to paint this town Cherry and fill this place up.”

There were plenty of big announcements in the press conference as well.  First and foremost, fans out of state will be able to watch the game via the Mountain West Network, and folks who for one reason or another can’t get to University Stadium will be able to catch the game on My50-TV with Jeff Siembieda and George Carter.  As always, the game can be heard on the Lobo Radio Network with Voice of the Lobos Robert Portnoy and DonTrell Moore.

The second big announcement led the press conference off.  Gonzales officially announced that Bobby Santiago’s 42 and Brian Urlacher’s 44 have been unretired.  Those numbers will now be worn by two players based on certain criteria.  Santiago, an Albuquerque High graduate and a member of the 1962 WAC title team, is perhaps the best ABQ metro player in the region’s history.  Now, each season an ABQ Metro player will don Santiago’s 42, and this years’ selection is Dion Hunter from Rio Rancho and Cleveland High School.  Urlacher, the greatest player in school history who is enshrined in both the College Football and NFL Halls of Fame, will have his number 44 worn by a defensive stalwart that best exemplifies the heart and determination shown by Urlacher in his playing days.  This year, Reco Hannah will don Urlacher’s 44 jersey.  Hunter was 41 and Hannah was 23.

The announcement quickly generated excitement around the room and social media, and the hope for Gonzales is that folks will remember that bridge to UNM’s past.  “It’s my hope that when they see 42 or 44 making tackles that the announcers will talk about Santiago and Urlacher and what they meant to the program.”  Gonzales also announced that Don Perkins’ 43 will eventually be worn again, but that criteria hasn’t been announced yet, and the number won’t be worn this season.

“I don’t think there is a better way to honor and represent somebody than to wear their number out on the field,” said Gonzales.

Of course, UNM has a football game to play, and they face a hungry, dangerous FCS team in Houston Baptist that went just 1-3 last year, playing four FBS opponents.  The Huskies beat Eastern Kentucky, and by all rights should have beat Texas Tech, losing 35-33 after missing a game-tying two-point conversion in the final minutes.  The good news is HBU’s record-setting quarterback Bailey Zappe transferred to Western Kentucky, taking his 1,833 yards passing in just four games with him to the starting job with the Hilltoppers.  The bad news is HBU is very high on his former backup Blaise Bentsen, who could prove to be even better.  HBU also can score with the best of them, averaging just under 34 points per game last year against all FBS competition.

While HBU’s quarterback transferred out, UNM had its transfer in as Terry Wilson is set to make his debut.  The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Watch List candidate was named the starter two weeks ago and is ready to showcase what he can do.  UNM has horses and talent around him with starters Mannie Logan-Green, Andrew Erickson and Bobby Cole all back, and host of others returning.  However, UNM will go as far as its defense will allow it, and UNM’s passing unit went from allowing over 400 yards per game the first half of last season to under 185 per game, a total that would have ranked 14th nationally.

NOTES: Gonzales also mentioned the Isaiah Chavez was ruled out for this game, but he could be back for next week’s matchup with New Mexico State … UNM’s last four home openers, including this one, have been against Texas-based schools … there was one other number change as punter Aaron Rodriguez switched from 96 to 10 to avoid having two of the same number on the field potentially during punts.