Lobos Head to Wyoming Looking to End Skid

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — There are some similarities to this week’s matchup with Wyoming and last year’s matchup with Wyoming.  Both games weren’t in Albuquerque, and UNM was on a five-game in-season losing streak last year, and this year.  Much like last year, it looks like UNM’s quarterback choices will be among a pair of freshmen in C.J. Montes and Isaiah Chavez, where last year it was between Chave and Connor Genal.  But perhaps the biggest similarity is staring back at the UNM sideline, and that is the Wyoming Cowboys, a team that UNM head coach Danny Gonzales wants his charges to be like.

“They play the game the right way,” said Gonzales. “They play hard, they play physical and they play through the whistle.  They are the team we are trying to be in terms of that type of toughness.”

UNM will get their chance for a two-game winning streak against Wyoming on Saturday afternoon on what should be perfect weather for football as UNM heads to Laramie for a 1:36 pm contest at War Memorial Stadium.  The game will be broadcast on Stadium as well as the Lobo Radio Network.

UNM will be looking to end several streaks, the most obvious being a five-game losing streak.  However, UNM is also trying to end a 16-game road losing streak, the longest current road losing streak in the nation.  A win would be doubly sweet as it would not only end that skid, but it would pass the longest road losing streak down south 240 miles to New Mexico State, who are losers of 15 straight on the road (they play the final game of the night on Saturday at Hawai’i).

UNM will be looking to spoil Wyoming’s Homecoming as well.  To do so, Gonzales knows that the Lobos have to be better on offense, as UNM hasn’t scored an offensive touchdown in nine quarters, and they have just one in the last 15 quarters.

“I’m really disappointed in what we are doing on offense, production-wise,” said Gonzales. “Sixty-nine yards is horrendous.  So we have to get back to the basics and fundementals of blocking people and running the football.  We are not good enough of defense yet to have to hold people to nothing to win, and the last two weeks we would have had to do that.”

The Lobos allowed just three touchdowns on Saturday against Colorado State, but the Rams field goaled UNM to death, hitting five of six.  Two of those came after turnovers deep in UNM’s territory.  UNM’s offensive issues started when the squad lost six of the top eight receivers for the UTEP game less than 36 hours prior to the game, and the Lobos have struggled to recover.  An injury to starting quarterback Terry Wilson has limited him to just watching practice, and former quarterback Trae Hall has moved to receiver, in part to fill in for Mannie Logan-Greene, who is still out with a sternum injury.

What has been working for the Lobo offense is a pair of true freshmen in Aaron Dumas and Luke Wysong.  Dumas led UNM in rushing for the sixth time in seven games, and Wysong scored UNM’s only touchdown on a 63-yard punt return.  Wysong is UNM’s leading receiver for the season as well as UNM’s leading kickoff returner and punt returner.

The Lobos have lately been loaded up with freshmen, and the squad has started 11 freshmen at some point with eight of them being true freshmen, and if UNM goes with Chavez as the quarterback, he would make 12 for freshmen starters.

Where UNM has been solid is defensively, and they have been led by Joey Noble, who is third on the team in tackles and is third nationally in tackles for loss with 11.5.  Noble has been first team All-Conference worthy.  Last year’s first team All-Conference defensive player Jerrick Reed leads the team with 60 tackles, and Tavian Combs is right behind at 56.  Where UNM has struggled is in the last three games, the Lobos have gotten just one takeaway, that being a strip, scoop and score by Ray Leutele against San Diego State.  Otherwise, that’s it, and UNM will need to turn over Wyoming.  The Cowboys are coming off a five-turnover game against Fresno State in a 17-0 loss.  Where UNM has opened conference play 0-3, the Cowboys are 0-2, putting both teams on a collision course as both need a win.