LARAMIE, Wyo. — New Mexico allowed two long touchdowns in the third quarter, each of which looked to be stopped behind the line of scrimmage, and that was enough for Wyoming to hold off UNM in Laramie, as the Cowboys won 35-26. The Lobos now have a week off to get ready for a pair of home games, the first of which is on October 14 against San Jose State at 4 pm at University Stadium.
The game turned on UNM’s first drive of the second half. The Lobos quickly moved the ball near midfield, but on third down at six from the UNM 43, Hopkins threw behind Jeremiah Hixon, and Wrook Brown picked of the pass, returning it to the Lobo 46-yard line. On the next play, Harrison Waylee, who was pinned behind the line of scrimmage, somehow escaped, turned the corner and UNM missed two downfield sideline tackles, and the Cowboys had a touchdown and a 22-9 lead.
After Luke Drzewiecki hit a 26-yard field goal which followed a 48-yard scramble by Dylan Hopkins, the Lobos got a stop, but couldn’t capitalize, with Aaron Rodriguez hitting a 51-yard punt to the Cowboy 34. On the final play of the half, Andrew Peasley was running for his life when his dump-off pass to Ayir Asante turned into a host of cutbacks and missed tackles, ending in a back-breaking 66-yard touchdown and a 29-12 Cowboy lead at the end of three.
The Lobos made a game of it in the fourth quarter. After Dylan Hopkins was banged up, UNM used both DC Tabscott and Devon Dampier on the next drive, and it ended in a Dampier to Hixon 14-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 29-19. Another long run, this 66 yards by Waylee, set up Wyoming inside the Lobo 10-yard line, but the defense stiffened and forced a field goal to move the lead to 32-19. UNM then had Dampier race 58 yards on the first play of the next drive, but a downfield hold moved the ball back to the Wyoming 43, and UNM ended up punting, which hurt.
After a stop, UNM took over on its own 1-yard line and Dampier led the Lobos the entire length of the field with DJ Washington scoring on a fourth-and-5 play as Dampier hit him at the 2-yard line and it with Washington fighting for the goal line, DJ Wingfield gave a tush-push to get into the end zone to make it 32-26. UNM then had a shot on the onside kick, but Wyoming jumped on the loose ball and tacked on a field goal with 11 seconds left for the final margin.
New Mexico took the opening kickoff and went right down the field, mostly through the air. UNM never faced a third down on the drive as Hopkins was 6-for-6. He twice hit Ryan Davis for first downs on the drive, and he finished off the drive with a 17-yard pass to Jeremiah Hixon in which he toe-tapped just inside the pylon for touchdown. The issue was the extra point as DeVonne Harris knocked over UNM’s long snapper and blocked the kick, and it bounced perfectly to Jakorey Hawkins, who ran it in for a defensive two-point score.
Wyoming, now down 6-2, got the ball back after each team traded punts, and Andrew Peasley was able to run it in from two-yards out after a 22-yard pass to Treyton Welch set up Wyoming at first and goal. UNM was able to tie the game on a Drzewiecki field goal of 39 yards, but John Hoyland answered with a 34 yard field goal. An Aaron Rodriguez late punt to the 2-yard line gave UNM a shot at a tie before halftime as UNM was able to force a short punt after a failed third-and-short, but in field goal range, Hopkins was sacked and fumbled, and only a touchdown saving tackle by JC Davis kept Wyoming from tacking on at the half.