New Mexico's name made it on the national radar screen in connection with the Motor City Bowl.
I don't know if it's driven by stories out of Albuquerque or people's inside information, but several newspapers, including the St. Paul Pioneer Press, are projecting the Lobos going to the Motor City Bowl.
At this point, I think it's just too murky to predict what will happen.
Fans will just have to sweat through the weekend and wait for word sometime between Sunday night and Monday afternoon.
I wrote a story on Tuesday talking about the teams vying for spots in the Motor City Bowl. The list includes Memphis, tough competition out of Conference USA.
You can find the story here: Lobos engine idling on road to Motor Bowl

Posted by ilimon at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have a Heisman Trophy vote this year.
With so many dynamic performances each week, I plan to wait until the final weekend of football is played before casting my ballot.
Any suggestions on who the big winner should be?

Posted by ilimon at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

No. 25 New Mexico relied on a smothering full-court press and late-game heroics by sophomore forward Dionne Marsh to notch a 56-52 come-from-behind win against Oklahoma State.
The Lobos trailed by six at the with seven minutes remaining, but stepped up its defense. New Mexico also attacked Oklahoma State's two-three zone defense, passing inside to Marsh, who either scored or was fouled.
New Mexico coach Don Flanagan said the Cowgirls survive in the talent-rich Big 12 Conference by playing a physical brand of basketball. The aggressive play of the well-coached team threw the Lobos off. The team fired away from the perimeter but was hesitant to drive or pass inside.
"We needed to be more aggressive running our offense and really trying to split or overload their defense," Flanagan said.
He said it was good to see the Lobos pull off a late surge to earn a win, forcing a turnover and shot-clock violation to jumpstart the rally.
"I thought the press we we used in the last three minutes or so was perfect because a lot of times you can turn to it too early and it fades," Flanagan said. "We were able to sustain that intensity until the end of the game and it was effective at really making them think about whether they could get the ball up the floor."
The score was tied at 50 with 2 minutes remaining when Marsh stepped up her game.
She deflected a pass on the full-court press, blocked a shot and sank four free-throws to seal a New Mexico win. Marsh finished with 14 points and four rebounds.
"Dionne seems to need pressure situations to be at her best," Flanagan said. "She did some amazing things tonight when we really needed it."
New Mexico is idle until Wednesday, when it takes on No. 12 Minnesota in The Pit.

Here's the all-tournament team:
Dionne Marsh, Lobos, MVP
Jana Francis, Lobos
Whitney Pegram, Oklahoma State
Meg Dahlman, Marist
Leilani Mitchell, Idaho

New Mexico's Julie Briody came up just short of making the team. She scored in double figures in both games and played a major role in both wins but her turnovers along with Dionne's late surge hurt her chances of cracking the top five.

Posted by ilimon at 12:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Athletics director Rudy Davalos said New Mexico still has one last shot at a bowl game.
The Lobos were shut out of the Fort Worth Bowl Saturday when Kansas beat Iowa State 24-21 in overtime.
Now New Mexico is hoping for a spot in the Motor City Bowl, which will be played in Detroit on Dec. 26 at 2 p.m. MST. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
The game pits the Big 10's eighth place team against the MAC's first or second place team.
New Mexico is counting on the Big 10 failing to field a bowl-eligible team.
The Lobos need Ohio State to stay high in the BCS rankings and earn a spot in a BCS game. They also need No. 17 Louisville to win a Connecticut next week,
At that point, Davalos said the Lobos likely would be competing against bowl eligible WAC schools and should earn a spot because of their much stronger attendance.

Posted by ilimon at 11:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

No. 25 New Mexico (4-1) matched a scrappy Marist (0-4) team and emerged with a 61-54 win Friday night in the opening round of the UNM Thanksgiving Tournament.
The women's basketball team, however, suffered a harsh blow when senior guard Abbie Letz was poked in the eye with less than a minute remaining in the game.
She left The Pit with the help of her parents and was taken the hospital for tests.
Letz did not start the game because of a lingering back injury.
Her status is unknown for Saturday's game against Oklahoma State (1-1), which earned 69-68 win over Idaho (1-1) in a game played early Friday night.
New Mexico struggled on defense, especially in the low post, and but shot 48.6 from field goal range. The Lobos finsihed with 22 points in the paint, while the Red Foxes scored 24.
"It was almost like we were just trading baskets with them instead of playing defense," New Mexico coach Don Flanagan said.
The Lobos led by as many as 16 points in the second half, but Marist hit a late barrage of 3-pointers to cut the final gap to seven.
New Mexico senior center Jana Francis scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds, sophomore forward Dionne Marsh scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds and sophomore guard Julie Briody finished with 10 points adn two rebounds.
Marist was led by senior center Fifi Camara, who finished with 18 points, five steals and three rebounds. Forward Sarah Smrdel and guard Kristen Vilardi added 10 points apiece.

Posted by ilimon at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Lobos survived a scare today, with No. 2 Texas rallying for a 40-29 win at Texas A&M to keep New Mexico's bowl hopes alive.
The UNM football team is guaranteed a spot in the Fort Worth Bowl if the Big 12 Conference cannot field a bowl-eligible eighth place team.
The Longhorns struggled the majority of the game, but they extended their lead late and kept the Aggies from becoming bowl eligible.
Now New Mexico needs Iowa State to win at Kansas Saturday to clinch the bowl berth. The Cyclones are favored by two points but have added incentive thanks to Nebraska's 30-3 win at Colorado, which knocked the Buffaloes out of contention for the Big 12 North regular season title. If Iowa State knocks off the Jayhwaks, it will clinch the Big 12 North and earn a spot in the conference championship against Texas.
The Fort Worth Bowl will be played Friday, Dec. 23, in Amon G. Carter Stadium and broadcast on ESPN.
I'll be updating the blog with bowl news throughout the weekend.

Posted by ilimon at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Fort Worth Bowl issued the Lobos a conditional invitation, guaranteeing New Mexico a spot in the bowl if the Big 12 Conference fails to field a bowl eligible eighth place team.
"Should the Fort Worth Bowl have an opening from one of its conference partners, the bowl will extend an invitation to the University of New Mexico to participate in the third annual game on Friday, Dec. 23 at Amon Carter Stadium," said Tom Starr, executive director of the Fort Worth Bowl.
If Texas wins at Texas A&M and Iowa State wins at Kansas this weekend, the Big 12 won't have enough bowl eligible teams and the Lobos will go bowling in Fort Worth.
The Lobos also would get an invitation if Conference USA fails to field a fourth place team, but the league seems prime to have plenty of bowl eligible teams. Three Conference USA teams already have winning records and four others are 5-5.
The Fort Worth Bowl will be played Friday, Dec. 23, at Amon G. Carter Stadium, home of TCU. The game will be broadcast at 6 p.m. MST on ESPN.

Posted by ilimon at 02:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

While New Mexico waits to hear whether it will land in the Fort Worth Bowl, it seems like a good time to ask whether the Lobos are bowl worthy?
Fans were outraged when the 2001 team went 6-5 overall and 4-3 in the Mountain West Conference but did not earn a bowl berth. The expectations were much lower and Lobos fans loved the underdogs.
This season, the Lobos appeared prime for its first Mountain West Conference title and struggled with prosperity. New Mexico stumbled to a 6-5 overall record and 4-4 conference mark.
It's far from perfect, but it's far better than much of Lobos' football history rife with losing records.
The current college football post-season system isn't a playoff system and is typically just a reward for teams who finish above .500. The Lobos fit that mold.
I know plenty of New Mexico fans who suffered through an 0-11 season and would have given anything to watch a competitive team.
This year's group may not have met their own expectations or the ones laid out by fans, but they did meet the standards to go bowling.
Why stand in their way?
I've heard an earful on sports talk radio, but I'm curious whether fans on the message boards believe the Lobos deserve to play in a bowl game. Share your thoughts by clicking on the comments section, and we'll run some of them before the big Texas-Texas A&M and Iowa State-Kansas games this weekend. I would love to see real names on posts but understand if you prefer to use your Internet handle.

Posted by ilimon at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)

Athletics director Rudy Davalos said the Lobos have unofficially been shut out the Mountain West Conference bowls -- Las Vegas, Emerald and Poinsettia -- and must wait to see if there is a vacancy in the Fort Worth Bowl.
New Mexico is one of four Mountain West teams with 6-5 records, but the league only has three official bowl contracts.
Conference champion TCU is expected to go to either the Liberty or Houston bowls. Las Vegas Bowl officials favor BYU and Utah seems to be a lock for the Emerald Bowl, which did not want the Lobos back for the second year in a row.
Davalos said San Diego Bowl officials told him they would take Colorado State over the Lobos because the Rams beat New Mexico this season and had a better conference mark at 5-3 compared to the Lobos' 4-4 finish.
The Mountain West Conference is slated to make all of its official bowl announcements by Wednesday.
A slot in the Fort Worth Bowl will open if the Big 12 Conference fails to field a bowl eligible team. The conference will fall short if Texas wins at Texas A&M and Iowa State wins at Kansas this weekend.
Davalos said the Lobos will be invited to the Fort Worth if the Big 12 does not have a team available.

Posted by ilimon at 05:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Lobos got the worst case scenario, with Utah earning a 41-34 overtime win at BYU and Colorado State earned a 31-27 win over UNLV at home.
It means five Mountain West Conference teams are now bowl eligible.
According to bowl officials I interviewed this week, the likely pecking order is as follows:
1. TCU to Liberty or Houston bowl
2. BYU to Las Vegas Bowl
3. Utah to Emerald Bowl
4. Colorado State or New Mexico to Poinsettia Bowl
5. If the Big 12 fails to qualify a team, the Fort Worth Bowl would take the Lobos or Rams.
Whichever team is bypassed by the Mountain West bowls needs Texas to beat Texas A&M and Iowa State to beat Kansas next week to keep the Big 12 from fielding a team for the Fort Worth Bowl.
I will continue to update the blog as bowl committees hand out their invitations this weekend.

Posted by ilimon at 05:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

New Mexico's bowl fate is in limbo after the Lobos suffered a 42-24 home loss to Air Force to end its regular season 6-5 overall and 4-4 in Mountain West Conference play.
The Lobos extended its home turf woes, failing to contain Air Force's triple option defense and extending its home losing streak to three games.
"We practiced everything we needed to do against them, but they just came out stronger and played better than us," said senior linebacker Mike Mohoric, who led the Lobos with 20 tackles. "It's really disappointing because I think we were capable of playing much better all season, but we didn't get the job done.
Now the team's bowl fate rests in the hands of other teams. The Mountain West Conference has three bowl contracts -- the Las Vegas, Emerald and Poinsettia bowls. League champion TCU is all but assured a spot in either the Liberty of Houston bowls, making room for four league teams.
Three teams went into the weekend bowl eligible. Utah and Colorado State needed wins Saturday to become bowl eligible and were locked in tight contests.
If one of those teams loses, the Lobos are assured a bowl spot.
Should Utah and Colorado State both win, the Lobos still have a shot at earning a spot in the Fort Worth Bowl, which agreed to take a Mountain West team if the Big 12 Conference failed to field a bowl eligible team.
Kansas must beat Iowa State or Texas A&M must upset Texas next week to become bowl eligible and earn spots in the Fort Worth Bowl. If those two teams fail to qualify, it would open the door for the Lobos or whichever Mountain West team is passed up by the other bowl committees this weekend.
Lobos coach Rocky Long called the team's bowl chances shaky following the poor showing against Air Force.
New Mexico's offense struggled to move the ball consistency, then took a devastating blow when backup-turned-starter Chris Nelson broke his right collar bone with 9:12 remaining in the third quarter.
Sophomore Bryan Clampitt, a former walk-on who had no game experience, stepped in and went 11-of-17 passing for 129 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
"I tried to relax and help the team as best I could out there," Clampitt said. "I felt comfortable and tried to do everything the coaches asked me to do. It just wasn't enough today."
Senior wide receiver Hank Baskett was quick to praise Clampitt, who he said did well under immense pressure. Baskett struggled, finishing with two catches for eight yards. Going into the game, he averaged 6.5 catches for 106.3 yards per outing.
"Bryan worked hard out there. It was up to the rest of us to do our jobs and we didn't get it done," Baskett said. "I take the blame for this one because I didn't play the way I should have out there. I didn't step up the way my team needed me."
Senior DonTrell Moore carried the offense, possibly for the last time, with 143 yards, one touchdown and one two-point conversion on 28 carries. He has 4,973 yards on his career, good for 13th all-time among NCAA Division I players.
"It's frustrating to lose such a big game like this because the other team just outplayed us," he said. "It's not the way the seniors wanted to go out."

Posted by ilimon at 04:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

AUSTIN, Texas -- New Mexico used steady free-throw shooting and stellar scoring from sophomores Dionne Marsh and Brandi Kimble to earn a 76-68 win over No. 12 Texas in the Frank Erwin Center.
It was New Mexico's first win over a ranked team on the road in school history and the second-highest ranked opponent the Lobos have ever upset.
The Lobos beat No. 9 Utah at home in 1998, which remains the biggest sleighing of a ranked foe.
New Mexico players said they were hungry for an upset after a disappointing 74-63 loss to No. 25 Oklahoma in The Pit Wednesday.
"We knew we could have played better and it motivated us to do a better job tonight," junior point guard Katie Montgomery said.
New Mexico led Texas by 10 in the first half, then struggled early in the second half and trailed the Longhorns by 11 points.
"I think the key for us was playing with a lot of confidence and being patient running our offense," Lobos coach Don Flanagan said. "It also really helped that we jumped out to an early lead because then we knew we could score against them."
Marsh finished with 24 points and two rebounds, while Kimble added 19 points and eight rebounds.
Senior guard Abbie Letz added 13 points and five rebounds, while Montgomery scored 13 points and only turned the ball over once under steady Longhorns' pressure.
New Mexico also capitalized on a foul-heavy contest, which led to 76 free-throw attempts.
The Lobos converted 33-of-41 free-throws, while Texas hit 23-of-35 attempts.
"It was hard getting into the flow of the game because they were callling so many fouls under the basket," Marsh said. "We knew we just had to keep fighting as best we could and stand our ground."
Texas' last home loss in a season opener was to Rutgers in 1998. The Longhorns are 44-2 at home during the past three years. The team suffered one home loss last season and went undefeated at home the previous year.

Posted by ilimon at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

New Mexico is playing solid half-court defense and getting a huge lift from guards Abbie Letz, Brandi Kimble and Katie Montgomery.
Letz has played positions two through four, guarding Texas' alll American forward Tiffany Jackson while several Lobo post players were saddled with foul trouble.
Letz has 10 points and was shooting 100 percent from field-goal and free-throw range with less than four minutes in the first half before collecting her first miss.
Kimble was fearless against the Longhorns, scoring 10 first-half points and grabbing two rebounds.
Montgomery has controlled the ball under pressure, giving up just one turnover. She added six points and three rebounds.
Jackson leads the Longhorns with nine points, while guard Erika Arriaran added eight points.

Posted by ilimon at 07:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos suffered two long droughts and couldn't contain Oklahoma center Courtney Paris, falling 63-74 the Sooners in The Pit Wednesday night.
New Mexico (2-1) was down 14 points in the first half, then rallied to go into the locker room trailing by one point.
"Halftime came at the perfect time because it really cut off their momentum," Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said.
The Sooners (3-0) relied on perimeter play in the first half to build a quick lead, then lobbed the ball inside to Paris at will during the second half to seal a win.
Paris finished with 26 points and 18 rebounds.
Versatile junior forward Leah Rush paced the Sooners with 14 points and two rebounds.
Lobos' sophomore forward Dionne Marsh countered with 23 points and five rebounds, but it wasn't enough to overcome Oklahoma's balanced attack.
"They're dangerous everywhere," New Mexico senior guard Abbie Letz said. "They don't just have one good player. You can't let up on them at all."
Letz said she isn't sure why New Mexico suffered a pair of painful slumps, trailing by 14 in the first half and 17 in the second half before trying to claw it's way back into the game.
"If we had an answer, it wouldn't of happened," she said.
Coale complimented the Lobos poise rallying from an early deficit and the raucous atmosphere of The Pit. The game drew 6,103 fans, well below the team's typical average around 8,500, but the crowd made up for it by being loud.
"Your crowd is pretty smart," Coale said. "They understand when to be loud and when to be quiet."
The Lobos don't have much time to linger on the loss, leaving Thursday morning for Austin, Texas. They will face No. 12 Texas Friday.
Check out Thursday's Tribune for a bonanza of New Mexico women's basketball coverage, including a Richard Stevens' take on the Lobos.

Posted by ilimon at 09:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Lobos coach Rocky Long said Monday afternoon starting quarterback Kole McKamey will miss Saturday's game at Utah.
McKamey, a junior from Artesia, is suffering from a lingering lower back injury aggravated during games at Wyoming four weeks ago and at home against Colorado State two weeks ago.
The pain grew worse last week, when the team had a bye. McKamey missed half of Thursday's practice and team trainers scheduled an MRI for Sunday.
Head trainer Dave Binder told coach Rocky Long Monday team doctors and a back specialist examining McKamey Monday did not find any serious back problems that would require massive treatment or surgery, but they recommended McKamey sit out Saturday's game.
Long said McKamey's return will depend on how his back feels next week.
Backup quarterback Chris Nelson, a junior transfer, will take over as the team's starter.
Nelson led the Lobos to a 27-24 road win over Wyoming, taking over in the second quarter when McKamey injured his back, hip, thumb and head after a series of hard hits.
Long said the team's game plan for the Utes' won't change with Nelson in the lineup.
Check out Tuesday's Tribune for more details.

Posted by ilimon at 05:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)