LARAMIE, Wyo. — It was all about the freshmen. Freshmen Isaiah Chavez led UNM with a near perfect game throwing the ball, a true freshmen Trace Bruckler and Aaron Dumas scored touchdowns. That was more than enough for a Lobo defense that punished Wyoming as New Mexico picked up its first Mountain West win of the season, taking a 14-3 win in Laramie.
The win was not only UNM’s first win in conference play, but it ended the nation’s longest road losing streak at 16 games. The Lobos, in a bit of perfect karma, have now happily passed that streak onto New Mexico State, which entered their game at Hawai’i with a 15-game losing streak.
New Mexico implemented a ball control offense with Terry Wilson out for a second straight game. UNM was able to control the ball, and the game, as UNM easily won the time of possession battle at 34:14. The Lobos limited Wyoming to only 11 total drives, two of which started in the final minute of the half.
Neither team scored after halftime, with only UNM having a real scoring opportunity as Cody Moon, another freshman, recovered a fumble in the Wyoming red zone, but the Lobos couldn’t capitalize. Isaiah Chavez threw his only incompletion of the game on a throw away on third down and UNM missed a field goal into a tricky wind. It didn’t matter as the Lobo defense was stout throughout, holding the Cowboys to just a field goal and only 255 yards on 66 plays, forcing two changes of quarterbacks during the game.
New Mexico opened a 14-3 lead after a first half which couldn’t have gone any better. The Lobos punted on their opening possession, but Corey Hightower picked off Sean Chambers at the UNM 20-yard line to end Wyoming’s opening threat. UNM then drove the field and twice converted on fourth down. Aaron Dumas converted the first fourth down, bowling over for a two-yard gain on fourth-and-one just inside Lobo territory.
Chavez then set up the second conversion, and that one went for a touchdown. On third-and-7, he somehow escaped a couple of tackles and bullied his way to the Wyoming 43, setting up a fourth-and-three. Danny Gonzales chose to go for it, and Chavez rolled right and then threw back left, where tight end Trace Bruckler was wide open. He caught it and waltzed into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.
Wyoming had just 123 yards of offense in the first half, and 62 of those, just over half, came on its only scoring drive. Levi Williams, who entered on the drive, engineered a drive from the Wyoming 28 into the UNM 10-yard line, with the key play being Isaiah Neyor’s 38-yard catch. Neyor had an easy touchdown but couldn’t keep his feet, stumbling at the Lobo 11-yard line, and it cost the ’Pokes. Neyor also was open because UNM’s defender on the play stumbled as well.
A false start and a Tavian Combs pass breakup on third down forced a 27-yard Jon Hoyland field goal. UNM was able to answer, chewing up the rest of the half in the process. UNM took over at its own 25-yard line, and Chavez hit Kyle Jarvis for two big gains, one a 34-yarder to the Wyoming 35, and another to Wyoming’s 8-yardline, with a targeting penalty tacked on afterwards. That and an offside set up UNM at the 2-yard line and Aaron Dumas barreled in for his first career touchdown, making it 14-3 with 29 seconds left, and that was how the game went into the half.