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Lobos Rested and Ready for Utah State

by Frank Mercogliano

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico football team is a little more rested and ready to hit the grind of the final four games of the season knowing that bowl eligiblity will be tough, but it is still in site. The team is well rested after an off week, and they are ready to face Utah State and end the Aggies’ five=game winning streak over UNM.  The Aggies are also well rested, also coming off an off week.

The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network at 1:32 pm with John Sadak and Randy Cross on the call.  Robert Portnoy and DonTrell More will have the radio broadcast on the lobos Radio Network.

The Lobos enter the game on a rough skid, having lost five in row with just four touchdowns to show for their efforts.  Sitting at 2-6 and 0-4 in the Mountain West, the Lobos need to win out in order to be bowl eligibile for the first time since 2016.  Ironically, that was the last time that UNM defeated Utah State.  In that one, the Lobos’ Dakota Cox got a stop on fourth-and-1 from the 1-yard line with the game tied at 21-21.  Jason Sanders eventually kicked a 40-yard go-ahead field goal to make it 24-21, and after an offensive pass interference wiped out a go-ahead touchdown, the Aggies couldn’t get a field goal try off in the dying moments.

This season, the Aggies are 3-5, and although they are coming off a 28-14 loss to Wyoming, the Aggies had won two in row prior to that, including a 34-27 win over Air Force.  Last year, the teams played on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and UNM rather famously, or infamously, started graduate manager Bryson Carroll at quarterback in that game.  In 2020, UNM started third-string quarterback Trae Hall before he got hurt, leading to Connor Genal, a redshirt, walk-on freshman at the time, entering the game in an eventual 41-27 loss.  The last three meetings between Utah State and New Mexico have all been on Thanksgiving weekend, including that 2020 matchup that wound up as the only game on Thanksgiving night after COVID wiped out the only other NCAA game in the same time slot and the Thursday night Prime Time NFL game.

For the Lobos, the off week was a chance to get some action for the younger players, and get game speed reps for guys like newly-minted starter Justin Holaday, who was 8-for-16 in his first start at quarterback against Fresno State.  More importantly, UNM was able to get back several of the starters missing in the last few weeks.  CJ James (center), Ray Leutele (MLB), Geordon Porter (WR) and Donte Martin (CB) all practiced and should start and play against Utah State, and that might be the biggest impact the off-week had on the team according to head coach Danny Gonzales.

“The off week was good to get those guys healthy,” said Gonzales.  Speaking specifically of Martin, who is fully recovered from a collapsed lung that he suffered against UNLV, missing just one play after the injury in that game, he said, “I think Donte Martin is one of the best corners in our league, and having him miss four weeks really hurt our pass coverage in the secondary.  He should be fresh he hasn’t had to hit anybody or get hit in four weeks.”

While UNM’s defense will be bolstered byt he return of two starters, the key factor might be how UNM’s offense handles an Aggie defense that has allowed just under 400 yards per game.  UNM has gone 11 quarters and 32 straight drives without a touchdown, and despite Utah State understanding what life is like having to play four quarterbacks due to injury this season (something UNM has done each of the last three seasons, the only NCAA team to have to do so), UNM will need to break that streak and get points, because Utah State is still a scary offense, no matter whom is at quarterback.

Gonzales and Utah State coach Blake Anderson are friends, having coached together at UNM from 1999-2001 under Rocky Long, but there won’t be any phone calls this week. “It’s not typical for me to talk to Blake, or any coach, the week of a game,” he said.  “I’ll talk to him before the game on the field.”