BYU gained six yards on its first play, bringing up second-and-four at the UNM 27. Harvey Unga ran on the next play for a gain of four yards and a big first down. Max Hall's next pass was incomplete, bringing up third-and-10 with 1:41 left in the game. Hall tucked and ran for 17 yards and a first down that should seal the Lobos' fate.

That's all the Web updates for now. I'm going down for postgame interviews. Check Lobo Zone soon for complete postgame coverage.

Posted by ilimon at 09:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Lobos started the drive at their 28. Travis Brown caught a pass for six yards, but the Lobos lost one yard on Donovan Porterie's next pass to Brown. It brought up a big third-and-four. Porterie threw to Jermaine McQueen, but it was ruled incomplete.

With 3:18 left in the game, facing fourth-and-four at the UNM 34 Rocky Long let the Lobos punt.

Posted by ilimon at 09:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It looked like BYU may have fumbled on the kickoff returned, but the Cougars were awarded the ball at UNM's 26. The first play was broken up by a penalty. It was a false start on BYU. It brought up first-and-15. Harvey Unga rushed for no gain on the next play. Max Hall's pass intended for Austin Collie sailed high and was incomplete. Collie was injured on the play. It brought up third-and-15 for BYU, bringing UNM fans to their feet again. Hall got hit on the play and the pass was down field and way off.

The Cougars punted. Frankie Solomon was trying to get more yards on the punt, ran into DeAndre Wright and fumbled. BYU recovered at the UNM 22, a heartbreaker for the Lobos. Manese Tonga had back-to-back carries for 12 yards.

BYU's Harvey Unga countered with a fumble of his own, but BYU recovered a tthe UNM 11. Hall passed to Andrew George for a nice catch and 11-yard touchdown pass. The play was reviewed and after a lengthy delay it was overturned. Jerome Jenkins was credited with breaking up the pass. It brought up third-and-10 on the 11. The Lobos were called for an offsides penalty, giving BYU third-and-five at the UNM 6. Hall rushed for a one-yard gain, bringing up fourth-and-four at the five. Mitch Payne attempted a 22-yard field goal and hit it with 4:13 left in the game to give BYU a 31-24 lead.

Posted by ilimon at 09:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos struggled early, but got a big break with an 18-yard pass to Roland Bruno for a first down at the BYU 46 with 9:28 left in the game. Paul Baker then burst forward with a gain of 18 yards on the play. Baker carried again for no gain. It brought up second-and-10 at the 28. Rodney Ferguson rushed for three yards, bringing up another big third-and-seven at the BYU 26. Porterie's pass to Travis Brown bounced off his hands. John Sullivan hit a 43-yard field goal make the score BYU 28-UNM 24 with 7:34 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 09:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BYU quickly moved the ball up the field for a first-and-10 at the 13. But the Lobos held for a third-and-nine at their 14. Max Hall recognized the Lobos' coverage and threw a 14-yard touchdown pass. BYU was bounced back after being slapped with a false start penalty but still hit the extra point to take a 28-21 lead with 11:04 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Paul Baker rushed for five yards on the Lobos' first play. Donovan Porterie's pass was tipped, but Marcus Smith caught it had a first down. the play was called back because Rodney Ferguson was called for holding. It brought up second-and-five at the 25. Ferguson cut back the other direction after getting cut off and got a nine-yard gain. He's feeling it tonight.

Porterie's pass was complete to Matt Quillen and he fumbled. BYU recovered at the UNM 32 with 12:35 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 09:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Harvey Unga ran for four yards before time expired in the third quarter, giving BYU second-and-six at the 24. Max Hall completed a pass to Matt Allen and the Lobos were called for pass interference. Hall then hit Harvey Unga for an 18-yard gain, giving BYU a first down at UNM's 48.

Manese Tonga ran for one yard on the next play. Michael Tuohy sacked Hall on the next play and nearly recovered a fumble. It forced third-and-12 at the BYU 49. Hall threw a bad pass into double coverage that fell incomplete and BYU was forced to punt.

There was a touchback on the punt.

Posted by ilimon at 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BYU started on its 22. Max Hall passed to Austin Collie for a gain of nine yards. It brought up second-and-one at the 31. Manese Tonga carried on the next play for a gain of three yards and the first down.

The Lobos were able to force third-and-six at the BYU 38, firing up the crowd. Hall's pass was knocked down by Phillip Harrison. The Cougars punted.

The Lobo got a huge lift off a big screen pass to Rodney Ferguson for a 71-yard touchdown. UNM went for a two-point conversion. Porterie hit Chris Mark for two points and tying the game at 21 with 27 seconds left in the third quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 09:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM took over at the 19 and quickly punched the ball forward. Rodney Ferguson got the biggest chunk, with eight yards and a first down at the BYU 5. Ferguson bounced outside to the left and rumble ahead to the end zone for a touchdown. Sullivan hit the extra point, making the score BYU 21, UNM 13.

Posted by ilimon at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Harvey Unga opened the BYU drive with an eight-yard gain. Manese Tonga carried on the next play for eight yards. If the Lobos don't force a turnover, this is looking very grim because the offense simply is not clicking. And the Lobos aren't relying on Rodney Ferguson nearly enough either.

Unga rushed but the play was called off due to a holding penalty on BYU. The Cougars face first-and-20 on their 21. Max Hall's pass was complete, but there was flag on the play. BYU was called for holding again, brining up third-and-21 at the BYU 21.

Well, I'm not going to brag or anything, but the Lobos recovered a BYU fumble. Perhaps I should ask for turnovers on their behalf more often to make the game more interesting.

Posted by ilimon at 08:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie hit Travis Brown for five yards, then the Lobos dodged a bullet when Roland Bruno's dropped catch was called incomplete instead of a fumble. Porterie's was nowhere near his receiver on third down and the Lobos quickly punted again. This time the Cougars start a their 25.

Posted by ilimon at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The UNM defense had BYU pinned on a third-and-four, but the Cougars were called for offensive pass interference. It brought up third-and-20 at the BYU 27. Max Hall's pass down field was incomplete and the Cougars punted.

Frankie Solomon was knocked for a six yard loss on the return, so the Lobos started at their 21.

Posted by ilimon at 08:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The first BYU kickoff went out of bounds and the Lobos made them re-kick it but lost 15 yards when on the play.

Rodney Ferguson was dropped for a one-yard loss on his first carry. Donovan Porterie's pass intended for Marcus Smith was incomplete. Porterie's pass to Roland Bruno was incomplete. There was heavy contact but no call and the Lobos were forced to punt from their own six-yard line. BYU takes over at its 37.

Posted by ilimon at 08:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It looked like the UNM defense was going to get a big stop, but Max Hall pitched a nice 59-yard touchdown pass to Austin Collie. It looks like Jerome Jenkins got burnt in one-on-one coverage. The extra point was good, giving BYU a 21-6 lead with 9:23 left in the third quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 08:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson rushed for one yard, saving what could have been a significant loss. Then Donovan Porterie passed to Marcus Smith for a gain of 13 yards. It gave UNM a first down at its 38. Ferguson ran again and only got one yard. Matt Quillen ran for five yards on the next play. UNM was facing third-and-three at its 45, but the Lobos were called for false start and bounced back five yards.

Porterie had time and hit Smith for a 13-yard gain and a first down. Porterie's next pass was on target, but Travis Brown bobbled it and the throw was incomplete. Ferguson gained two yards on the next play, then Porterie connected with Travis Brown. It brought up fourth-and-one at the UNM 38. The crowd was fired up with the Lobos finally going for it on fourth down.

The Lobos ran some sort of strange botched play. A Cougar knocked it out of Porterie's hands and BYU's Bryan Kehl recovered the ball at the BYU 41.

Posted by ilimon at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos had another nice kickoff and BYU started on its 20.

UNM forced a dropped pass on the first play. Max Hall completed his next pass to Michael Reed, but Austin Collie dropped the following pass throw his way. Harvey Unga gained one yard on the play. Hall's next pass was tipped and the Cougars were forced to punt. The Lobos have a shot at a very good start to the second half.

Posted by ilimon at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jordan Scott kicked the ball out of the end zone, and I think that was the first time he did that this season but I could be wrong.

Rodney Ferguson's last touchdown was his seventh this season, matching his total from last year.

BYU got a few big gains early, but the UNM defense managed to hold the Cougars back before time expired. BYU leads 14-6 a the half.

Posted by ilimon at 07:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson got a first down on the opening play, then Donovan Porterie hit Travis Brown fo rnine yards on the play. Ferguson rushed for six yards on the next play to the BYU 24, giving UNM it's best scoring opportunity. Ferguson has just battled tonight, and kept pushing forward. He gained another seven yards on the play. Ferguson ran again, spinning like a man half his size to gain five yards and drive the ball to the BYU 12. Porterie's pass was complete to Travis Brown, another sideline pass that Brown ran up field for seven yards. Paul Baker took a turn at running back and gained four yards on the next play. It brought up first and goal at the BYU one.

Loboe fans went crazy pushing for the score.

Ferguson fittingly got the ball, stayed on his feet when there was heavy traffic in front of him and scored. John Sullivan missed the extra point and UNM trails BYU 14-5 with 1:41 left in the first half.

Posted by ilimon at 07:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos were ready for BYU's first play. Harvey Unga rushed, but Wesley Beck and Michael Tuohy dropped him for a five-yard loss. And he isn't easy to drop. Hall's next pass gained three yards and the Lobo fans woke up to cheer on the team with BYU facing third-and-12. Hall gained nearly 12 yards, falling inches short. BYU opted to punt and the Lobos regain possession at the UNM 49.

Posted by ilimon at 07:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos started the next drive at their 22. At some point, Donovan Porterie has to get over his nerves or it will be a long night for UNM.

Rodney Ferguson rushed for six yards on the first play. Ferguson ran again and hit heavy traffic. There was a flag on the play and the Lobos were called for holding. It brought up second-and-15 on the UNM 18. Porterie was on target on the next play, but a pass down field bounced off Marcus Smith's hands.

UNM salvaged the drive with a screen pass to Ferguson when BYU brought the house. Ferguson moved the abll at the way to UNM 36. Porterie pass was complete to Smith, but he lost two yards on the play. Porterie is finally starting to warm up and passed a good pass across the middle to Smith for a gain of nine yards, brining up third-and-three at the UNM 43. Porterie hit Ferguson for a gain of two yards, but the Lobos punted on fourth-and-one.

Jordan Scott booted a 40-yard punt and the Cougars will take over at their 14.

Posted by ilimon at 07:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BYU started its drive inside its 20, but two plays later already had a first down on its 39. The Lobos sniffed out a rushing play, with Harvey Unga going down for no gain. Unga rushed again for a gain of six yards. It brought up third-and-four at the BYU 45. Major Mosley dodged the right tackle and sacked Hall to force the BYU punt.

Posted by ilimon at 07:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The wind was a factor for UNM in the first quarter and now is hurting BYU in the second. The kickoff sailed out of bounds and the Lobos start this drive at their 35.

Donovan Porterie handed the ball off, it was pitched back to him and he threw over the head of Travis Brown. BYU wasn't fooled and Quin Gooch intercepted the ball.

Posted by ilimon at 07:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Max Hall threw to Austin Collie for a gain of eight, then Harvey Unga ran for four yards and a first down. Unga ran for five yards on the next play. The Lobos had strong coverage on Hall's long pass down field to Michael Reed and it fell incomplete. DeAndre Wright was credited with the break up and BYU faced third and five. Hall responded by hitting Collie for a gain of 22 yards. It brought a first down at the UNM 18. Hall is getting plenty of time and threw to Manase Tonga for a gain of 10 yards. Unga muscled the ball up the middle and scored an eight-yard touchdown. BYU hit the extra point and claimed a 14-0 lead with 11:50 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 07:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie was sacked on the last play of the first quarter after evading some pressure. The Lobos faced second-and-14 at their 16 to start the second quarter.

The Lobos went with a delayed handoff to Rodney Ferguson and gained six yards on the play. Porterie's pass intended for Roland Bruno sailed high and it's clear Porterie is still having trouble handling pressure.

The Lobos punted. BYU caught it at the 30, made the Lobos miss and was stopped at the Cougars' 43.

Posted by ilimon at 07:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

George Carter slipped up on coverage and BYU quarterback Max Hall passed for a gain of 14 yards. Then Hall hit Dennis Pitta for a six-yard gain. Harvey Unga ran for a first down, plowing into at least field goal range. Unga ran again to the left, plowing forward for a gain of seven before he was stopped at the UNM 21. Hall's pass to Manase Tonga was complete to Tonga for no gain. It brought up third-and-two at the UNM 21. Unga dodged a few defenders to gain six yards and a first down.

Unga carried again, but this time it was for no gain. Hall tried to thread a tough pass over Tonga's shoulder and it fell incomplete. Hall threw to Michael Reed in the left corner of the end zone, but it was intercepted by DeAndre Wright. UNM gets a touchback on the play, which cost the Cougars at least three points.

Posted by ilimon at 07:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie still has trouble with his delivery, but Paul Baker gained seven yards on the second play off the UNM series. Porterie kept the ball as the pocket collapsed and dove for a gain of four yards and a first down.

Baker rushed for a one-yard gain, the Porterie was sacked for a loss of three yards. It brought up third-and-11 at the UNM 29. Porterie's pass Roland Bruno was incomplete, but he left Marcus Smith wide open on the right side of the field. Fans booed because they thought there was too much bumping by the BYU corner.

The Lobos punted and BYU takes over at its 42.

Posted by ilimon at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BYU rushed on the first two plays and lost yardage both times. It brought up third-and-three for the Cougars on their 49. Quarterback Max Hall overthrew his receiver. BYU punted into the end zone.

Posted by ilimon at 06:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think Donovan Porterie figured out this is a big game. He's playing very jumpy. His first pass to Travis Brown fell incomplete, Rodney Ferguson ran for a two-yard loss and Marcus Smith only gained four yards on the next pass from Porterie.

Jordan Scott punted high to help the cover team since he doesn't have big distance on his kicks. BYU gets to start on UNM's 48.

Posted by ilimon at 06:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BYU was called for a false start, then the Lobos sacked Cougars quarterback Max Hall to bring up second-and-20 at the BYU 10. Hall completed his next pass to Michael Reed for a gain of 10 yards. Hall's next pass was broken up by Jerome Jenkins and BYU punted.

The Lobo defense got some good heat on BYU.

The Cougars rebounded with a tremendous punt. Frankie Solomon grabbed it when the ball stopped at the UNM 5 and was tackled at the UNM 8. The punt was for 75 yards.

Posted by ilimon at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie was lucky another pass wasn't picked off, throwing a pass way behind Marcus Smith that fell incomplete. Rodney Ferguson rushed for two yards, then Roland Bruno dove to catch a Porterie pass thrown behind him that ended up a 10-yard gain.

Porterie rolled out and looked much better on the next play, finding Chris Mark open for a 14-yard gain.

Ferguson danced at the line and managed two yards on the next play.

BYU got fierce pass rush and Porterie was called for intentional grounding. It was a good call, but the flag came really, really late. It brought up third-and-16 at the BYU 48. Ferguson helped another broken play, as BYU got heavy pass rush but Ferguson took the screen pass for 14 yards but fell three short of a first down.

UNM punted to the end zone.

Posted by ilimon at 06:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM's offense started off looking alright.

DeAndre Wright returned the opening kickoff 15 yards to the 22. The Lobos gained one yard on their first rushing attempt. Donovan Porterie threw to Marcus Smith in double coverage, but Smith caught the ball for a six yard gain. Rodney Ferguson weaved through traffic for a five-yard gain and first down.

Then the wheels came off.

Porterie's pass bounced out of Travis Brown's hands and fell into Bryan Kehl's hands, who returned it 36 yards for a touchdown. The Cougars hit the extra point and claimed a quick 7-0 lead with 13:06 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 06:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fans are filing into the stadium and we're all ready for the start of the UNM-BYU football game. The crowd already inside booed big, bad BYU with enthusiasm and cheered pretty loudly for the Lobos. Stay tuned for game updates ...

Posted by ilimon at 06:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm going to call it quits on the game updates a little early since the Lobos obviously have this one in hand. I'm heading down to the field and on to the locker room to get the players' and coaches' reaction to absolutely dominating the Hornets.

Posted by ilimon at 08:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Roland Bruno, a walk-on, took the direct snap and scored a 22-yard touchdown. John Sullivan hit the extra point and the Lobos took a 50-0 lead with 14:54 left in the game.

The Lobos' 51 points is the most points scored at home since the 2003 opener against Texas State-San Marcos.

Posted by ilimon at 08:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Frankie Baca intercepted the Hornets and Bryan Clampitt took over for Donovan Porterie as the Lobos' starting quarterback. Clampitt got a nice round of applause from the sparse crowd.

Paul Baker ran for a loss of two, then Clampitt's first pass of the year was complete to Daryl Jones for a gain of five yards. And that was the end of the third quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 08:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson continues to just run all over Sacramento State, snagging two huge runs for another touchdown. That would be his fourth of the night for those keeping track at home. John Sullivan hit the extra point to put UNM ahead 44-0 with 2:51 left in the third quarter.

Ferguson has 18 carries for 129 yards and four touchdowns. He has hit at least 100 yards rushing six of the past seven games.

Posted by ilimon at 08:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The UNM defense hasn't let up. The Lobos gave up two first downs on the last possession. This time they gave up one yard. And they've given up three all game. And I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't give up any more.

Frankie Solomon, the Lobos' punt returner, is getting quite a workout this game. He was smacked for a loss of two, starting UNM's drive at its 33.

Posted by ilimon at 08:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos changed it up a little bit, with Donovan Porterie passing to Travis Brown for a 24-yard touchdown after an efficient, 71-yard drive down the field. John Sullivan hit the extra point, pushing the Lobos ahead 37-0 with 6:59 left in the third quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 08:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Hornets ran the kickoff to their 23-yard line. Cyrus Mulitalo, a linebacker, helped the Hornets get their second first down of the night on a rushing play. Sacramento State then called a timeout. Sacramento State's next pass was incomplete and tipped by Blake Ligon. Trevon Jones rushed to the left side and picked up 12 yards for another first down. The Lobos sniffed out the next three plays and forced Sac State to punt from its 38.

Frankie Solomon returned the punt 13 yards to UNM's 29.

Posted by ilimon at 07:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie's pass was incomplete, but the Hornets were called for a personal foul (late hit). It brought up first-and-10 at the Sac State 19 with 48 seconds left in the game. Porterie's next pass was complete to Marcus Smith, who gained nine yards on the play. It brought up second-and-1 on the Sac State 11 with 38 seconds left in the half.

Porterie was sacked in the backfield on the next play for a loss of 10 yards. UNM faced third-and-11 at the 21-yard line with 32 seconds left in the half. The Hornets chased Porterie out of the pocket and he narrowly got rid of the ball. It brought up fourth-and-11 at the UNM 21.

John Sullivan attempted a 37-yard field goal with 25 seconds left in the first half. Sullivan's kick was good, and the Lobos went up 30-0.

The Lobos had to kickoff with 22 seconds left in the game. The Hornets returned the ball to their 27-yard line with 17 seconds left in the game. Trevon Jones carried and appeared to fumble, but the Hornets recovered the ball. And that was the last play of this dominant half for the Lobos.

Posted by ilimon at 07:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos' kickoff went out of bounds. Travon Jones ran for four yards on the first play. OJ Swift picked off Duncan White and someone grabbed his foot, once again thrwarting Swift's chances of returning an interception for a touchdown.

Posted by ilimon at 07:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Paul Baker rushed for one yard on the first play of the series. The Lobos were offsides, bouncing them back five yards and bringing up second-and-14.

Sacramento State reports that quarterback Jason Smith has an injured right pinky and is doubtful to return.

Donovan Porterie evaded some pressure and found Paul Baker open on the right sideline. Baker gained 31 yards on the play. Baker took a pitch on the next play, but was tackled by Cyrus Mulitalo for a loss of one yard on the play. Porterie's next play was a lateral to Travis Brown for a gain of 10 yards. It counts as a rushing play. It looked like offsides on the play, but the refs said Porterie took a knee for a one-yard loss. Weird. It brought up fourth-and-two at the UNM 35. Porterie's pass to Brown was complete to Brown for a four-yard gain, then the defense was called for a personal foul. It brought up first-and-10 at the Sac State 16.

Baker carried again for a gain of one yard. Porterie threw over the middle to Brown for a gain of 12 yards. It brought up first-and-goal at the four. Ferguson ran ahead for his third touchdown. John Sullivan hit the extra point with 1:33 left in the game, giving UNM a 27-0 lead.

Posted by ilimon at 07:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Hornets returned the kickoff to the 20-yard line.

Sacramento State rushed for two yards on the first play. Sac State quarterback Jason Smith complete a pass to Tony Washington for a gain of seven yards. Smith was injured on the play, and play stopped while he was treated by trainers. Backup Ducan White, another freshman, took over at quarterback. Cyrus Mulitalo, a linebacker, carried on the next play for a gain of six yards and the Hornets' sole first down of the game.

The Hornets were called for delay-of-game and moved back five yards, repeating first down. Trevon Jones rushed for one yard on the next play, setting up second-and-14 at Sac State's 32. Jones carried again and was tackled for no gain. White's pass was incomplete and the Hornets were forced to punt. Again.

Frankie Solomon returned the punt five yards, and UNM starts its next drive at its 30-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 07:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sacramento State fumbled Jordan Scott's punt and deep snapper Jon O'Brien recovered it at the 10-yard line. Rodney Ferguson ran it in for a touchdown on the first play of the drive.

John Sullivan hit the extra point, but there was a flag on the play. It was offsides on the defense and UNM declined the penalty, taking a 20-0 lead with 8:55 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos started the next drive on the 27-yard line. The only thing that could be frustrating offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin is the Lobos' unforced errors in the red zone. They need some more touchdowns.

Rodney Ferguson ran for two yards on the first play. Donovan Porterie had a lot of time to throw but tucked and ran for five yards. It brought up third-and-four at the UNM 33. Porterie scrambled again, but this time he found Marcus Smith for a 12-yard gain. Smith had to dive for the catch, another case of receivers making dynamic plays to help Porterie.

Porterie's pass down field to Roland Bruno looked like it was good from my vantage point, but it was ruled incomplete by a ref much closer to the ball. No TV, no chance for me to review it. Oh well. Ferguson got a first down on the next play, running for 15 yards.

Ferguson is getting really adept at running with Hornets hanging onto him. He gained five rushing yards on a play that easily could have been for no gain or a loss. Porterie ducked and ran again, this time taking a few licks from Sacramento State. There was a flag on the play and the Lobos were called for holding. It brought up second-and-14 at the Sacramento State 44. Porterie was sacked on the next play by Sac State's Mike Brannon for a loss of eight yards. So UNM was saddled with third-and-22. Porterie had to dump the ball out of bounds under heavy pressure and the Lobos were forced to punt.

It was not a pretty series for the UNM offense. Of course the Hornets have a much stronger defense than offense but hte Lobos should not struggle this much.

Posted by ilimon at 06:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sacramento State got a nice return on the kickoff, with UNM only getting the ball to the 19-yard line. The Hornets start this drive on UNM's 42-yard line.

Trevon Jones carried for a one-yard gain. Sacramento State then tried a lateral to Jones, but the Hornets lost four yards on the play. They were charged with holding on the same play, so it brought up third-and-13. Quarterback Jason Smith threw way out of bounds on the next play, and Sacramento set up to punt.

The Hornets still don't have a first down with 13:41 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 06:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

John Sullivan missed a 35-yard field-goal attempt to open the second quarter. The kick was low. There was a flag on the play. Sacramento State ran into the kicker, so Sullivan got another chance to kick. He attempted a 30-yard field goal and hit this one. Since the flag erased the play, the missed kick did not count against Sullivan and he has hit eight field goals in a row. Sort of.

Posted by ilimon at 06:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Paul Baker gained seven yards on the first play, then Matt Quillen rushed on a draw play all the way to the Sac State 18. Donovan Porterie threw out of bounds on the next play, then Marcus Smith gained two yards on the direct snap. Baker carried on the next play for a loss of two yards.

It marked the end of the first quarter, but the Lobos are poised to pick up another field goal.

Posted by ilimon at 06:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sac State gained five yards off an option pitch, then quarterback Jason Smith's pass was incomplete under heavy pressure from the Lobos' favorite new gunner -- Clint McPeek. Smith's next long pass was incomplete and the Hornets punted. Again.

The snap was awkward, but a friendly bounce let the Hornets down the ball at UNM's 42-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 06:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie's first pass was complete to Jermain McQueen for a loss of three, then his next pass was complete to Chris Mark for a four-yard gain. It brought up third-and-nine for the Lobos. Porterie threw to Marcus Smith in heavy traffic and the pass was broken up.

Jordan Scott punted for the first time, booting the ball high and giving Sacramento State no shot a return. The Hornets will start at their 17.

Posted by ilimon at 06:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sacramento State started at its 20-yard line after returning the kickoff from the end zone. The Hornets' Travon Jones rushed for three yards on the first play. Jones carried again for no gain. Sac State got a lucky bounce when quarterback Jason Smithe got rid of the ball under pressure, it bounced off one receiver and was caught by another for a five-yard gain. It brought up fourth-and-two at the Sacramento State 28, so the Hornets were forced to punt.

Then the Hornets were called for delay of game and bounced back another five yards. They set up to punt again. Frankie Solomon was slammed upon catching the punt but did not cough it up. The Lobos started at their 27.

Posted by ilimon at 06:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie is seven-of-seven passing for 97 yards. There's seven minutes left in the first quarter. It's that kind of game.

Posted by ilimon at 06:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson ran for a loss of two on the first play, then Donovan Porterie connected with Travis Brown for a gain of 40 yards and moving the ball to Sacramento State's 36. If Porterie had been a little more on target, Brown easily could have scored.

Porterie hit Marcus Smith on the next play for a gain of nine yards. Paul Baker did a nice DonTrell Moore impression wearing old 22, shaking his way in traffic for a 10-yard gain. Porterie's next pass was complete to Smith for an 11-yard gain. Ferguson stopped in front of the pile up at the line of scrimmage, steered left and jogged into the end zone.

John Sullivan hit the extra point, giving UNM a 10-0 lead with 7:00 left in the game.

The Lobos look like Pac-Man chomping away at yardarge. It could be a good day for the reserves too if the starters keep this up.

Posted by ilimon at 06:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The UNM defense looks so much better than Sacramento State, it could be dangerous for the Hornets. The Lobos gave up a mere six yards on the first drive before the Hornets were forced to punt from their own 11-yard line.

Frankie Solomon returned the punt for the Lobos to about the UNM 42-yard line, but there was a flag on the play. UNM was called for illegal block in the back and was bounced back 15 yards to 26-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 06:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

John Sullivan has now hit seven consecutive field goals and Travis Brown has a reception in 28 consecutive games.

Posted by ilimon at 06:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos received the opening kickoff and took a knee in the end zone.

New Mexico efficiently marched the ball up the field, then faltered in the red zone and settled for a 36-yard field goal by John Sullivan.

Here's how the Lobos scored:

Donovan Porterie's first pass was a slant complete to Marcus Smith, who gained 14 yards on the play. Rodney Ferguson ran for a gain of one on the next play. Porterie sold a handoff to Ferguson, then completed a pass to Travis Brown for a gain of 18 yards on the play. Then Ferguson took the handoff on the next play for a gain of 11 yards, evading a few tackles for the first down. Porterie then passed to Smith for a gain of five yards. Ferguson carried on the next play for a gain of 13. Ferguson didn't get quite as much on the next play, gaining three yards. Porterie threw a screen pass to Matt Quillen for no gain. It was the Lobos' first stumble and brought up third-and-seven at the 15. Porterie fumbled, had time to recover the ball, drop back for a pass and get sacked. It was a loss of four for the Lobos. Sullivan saved the drive but hitting the field goal and pushing the Lobos ahead 3-0 with 10:27 left in the first quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 06:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I don't think there will be many crowd control problems today at University Stadium. A very small crowd has its choice of seats to watch the Lobos take on Sacramento State.

Marcus Smith participated in warm-ups and will play today, as previously reported. It looks like the funeral services for his mom will be next week.

Alright. We've said all we possibly can about this matchup. Let's watch 'em play.

Posted by ilimon at 05:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's UNM-Sacramento State football game won't be broadcast on TV.
But, if you have a high-speed Internet connection, you can watch the game on your PC. I heard previously there were some problems watching CSTV-streamed games on a Mac, but those kinks may have been resolved. You can get all the details at this link. There is a $6.95 one-time payment to view the game. It is free if you have paid for an all-access pass to UNM athletics multimedia for 2007-08.

Posted by ilimon at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson rushed for solid gains on back-to-back plays, setting up second-and-six at the Arizona 30. The Lobos used the direct snap to Marcus Smith again, and it didn't work. Again. The trick plays are getting repetitive and not so tricky.

Paul Baker bounced off some people laterally and the Lobos were called for a penalty, pushing UNM back. Ferguson caught a pass on the next play for 11 yards to set up fourth-and-three at the UNM 27.

John Sullivan attempted and hit a 44-yard field goal to give the Lobos a 29-20 lead.

I'm heading down for postgame interviews. Be back to update our complete Web coverage.

Posted by ilimon at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Willie Tuitama has all day to throw, and he made a huge play to put the Lobos' lead in jeopardy. Tuitama hit Mike Thomas for a 48-yard catch. When it looked grim, Chris Jennings fumbled. Jennings is still down. OJ Swift ran back he fumble and tripped at the Arizona 46.

Posted by ilimon at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marcus Smith returned the Arizona kickoff to the UNM 28, a gain of 25 yards.

Rodney Ferguson rumbled ahead on the first two plays of the possession for a first down. Those are good gains for the Lobos. They are safe and they run clock while moving the ball.

Donovan Porterie hung onto the ball on the next play for too long and was sacked, bringing up second-and-16. The Lobos' screen pass failed on the next play for a loss of two yards. It brought up third-and-18. Porterie overthrew Travis Brown, ending the Lobos' drive and causing some serious problems for UNM.

Jordan Scott stepped back to punt and UNM got a friendly bounce. The Lobos downed the ball at the Arizona 14, but the Arizona crowd is getting a little rowdy and sensing a comeback.

Posted by ilimon at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Frankie Baca got a nice stuff in coverage on the kickoff return and Arizona starts its drive on the Wildcats' 18.

It looks like Willie Tuitama and the Wildcats are starting to crumble. They aren't as sharp or threatening as they looked in the first half.

Tuitama's first pass was not complete, then he hit Terrance Turner for a six-yard gaining. It brought up third-and-four at the Arizona 24 at the end of the third quarter.

Arizona quickly recovered at the start of the fourth quarter, efficiently moving the ball up the field. The Lobos faced a tough situation with the Wildcats sitting on third-and-10 at the Lobos' 12. Tuitama's pass to the left corner of the end zone was broken up by DeAndre Wright. Give Delaushaun Dean credit for preventing the pick. Arizona went to the other corner and picked up a touchdown pass. The Lobos should have had a shot at that pass too but were called for interference instead.

Arizona narrowly made the extra point and trails the Lobos 26-20 with 13:06 left in the game.

It obviously is important UNM takes care of the ball on this possession.

Posted by ilimon at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DeAndre Wright ran the kickoff back to the UNM 41-yard line, the Donovan Porterie hit Travis Brown for a 32-yard gain. The Lobos gained one yard rushing on the next play, setting up second-and-nine at Arizona's 26. Roland Bruno, who hasn't seen much action, carried on the next play for three yards. Porterie hit Marcus Smith wide open in the right corner of the end zone. The Lobos then went for a two-point conversion. The pass was complete to Travis Brown, but there was a flag on the play. It was illegal procedure and UNM moved five yards back. The Lobos went for the extra point this time, with John Sullivan hitting to give UNM a 26-13 lead.

Posted by ilimon at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The UNM defense dug in against Arizona, forcing a third-and-six at the Arizona six-yard line. William Tuitama tried to avoid being tackled in the end zone and was called for intentional grounding. The Lobos were credited with the safety. It counts as a pass attempt, and the Lobos get credit for the safety as a team.

Posted by ilimon at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos didn't gain anything on the first play of the drive and Sylvester Hatton went down with an undisclosed injury, stopping play.

Donovan Porterie's next pass was complete to Travis Brown on this sideline play that hasn't been very successful. It calls for the other receiver to block after a lateral pass and Arizona has closed in on the play very quickly. This time it gained five yards.

Arizona was called for a penalty that helped UNM get a first down. The Lobos weren't able to move the ball on the first play, bringing up second-and-10 at Arizona's 41.

Porterie had a good toss Josh Fussell, but he dropped the ball right before going out of bounds on the right side. Porterie's pass to Marcus Smith was complete for a nine yards. It brought up fourth and inches for the Lobos at the Arizona 49. The Lobos decided to go for it. Arizona jumped offsides, giving UNM five yards and a first down.

Porterie's next pass was complete to Smith, but if he had been a little sharper on the pass it could have been a touchdown. It brought up first-and-10 at the Arizona 30. Smith caught another great pass over the middle for a gain of 21 yards.

The Lobos got a penalty for a false start of its own and was bounced back five yards. Ferguson tip toed up the sidelines for a gain of six yards, for second-and-goal at the eight. Matt Quillen caught the next pass but was forced out of bounds soon afterward. The Lobos faced third-and-goal at the Arizona 5.

Ferguson fumbled on the drive and Arizona recovered at the one-yard line.

It was the Lobos' first fumble of the year, a tough turn of events after an impressive drive.

Posted by ilimon at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos survived another kickoff, stopping Arizona at its 27-yard line. The returner ran away from his hole, but his error was UNM's gain.

Willie Tuitama got rid of the ball quickly on his first pass for a gain of six yards. Chris Jennings gained 10 yards off a pretty run on the next play. Willie Tuitama threw incomplete on the next play and fans were screaming for a roughing the passer call. Alas, no passer was roughed. Tuitama's next screen was tossed into the turf. It brought up third-and-10.

Tuitama threw deep, but the ball was tipped by Blake Ligon and appeared to be intercepted by Clint McPeek at the UNM 3-yard line. The play was reviewed and the catch was overturned. It brought up fourth down, which actually helps UNM's field position.

Arizona booted one ugly punt and UNM takes over at its 31-yard line.

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

Arizona continues to help the Lobos' erratic offense.

Donovan Porterie threw two bad passes, but the Wildcats were called for roughing the passer. It looked like a bad call on the replay.

Rodney Ferguson rushed for 14 yards and Porterie hit Marcus Smith for another 14-yard gain. Ferguson gained one yard on the next play. The Lobos went from big trouble to second-and-nine at the Arizona 15. Porterie had a good pass headed Smith's way on a slant, but Smith dropped it. The Lobos went to the sad screen again, this time gaining all of two yards. It brought up fourth-and-seven on the 13.

John Sullivan hit a 31-yard field goal to give UNM a 17-13 lead with 7:15 left in the third quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos kicked off to open the second half, with Jordan Scott booting it out of bounds. Arizona took a re-kick with UNM moving back five yards and repeating the play. This time Scotts kickoff went deeper. Scott picked up the stop on the play and the Wildcats open the drive at their 43-yard line.

Willie Tuitama continues to have tons of time to go through his progressions and find open receivers. This time he completed a 21-yard pass to the UNM 36 and Arizona is quickly threatening to score again.

The Wildcats rushed for four yards, then carried again but the Wildcat rusher slipped for a loss of one yard. It brought up third-and-5 on the UNM 31. Tuitama completed a pass across the middle for a gain of 10 yards to the UNM 21. Tuitama moved past 200 yards passing on the play.

UNM swarmed on a bad Arizona shuffle pass, bouncing the Wildcats back for second-and-29 on the 40. Tuitama used the extra room to complete a 27-yard pass to Anthony Johnson. The Lobos then kept swiping for the ball instead of tackles, Tuitama completed another pass for nine yards. It brought up first-and-goal at the four.

George Carter forced a Tuitama fumble at the 2-yard line and OJ Swift recovered the ball. He returned it 39 yards. Jerome Jenkins didn't pick up a big block, otherwise Swift could have gone all the way.

It was a big momentum swing for UNM. These are the kind of plays UNM's defense has made for years on the road. Big-time plays for big-time wins. It's early, but that was sorely needed.

Posted by ilimon at 09:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Wildcats gained one yard on their first play of the series, then Willie Tuitama fired the ball out of bounds.

The UNM defense obviously knew a screen was coming, but Tuitama still hit Chris Jennings for a 21-yard gain. The ball was spotted at the UNM 35-yard line with 2:11 left in the first half when the officials decided to review the play. I guess they want to see if the player went out of bounds on the play, but it's obvious he didn't step out.

The Lobos got a stop on the next pay, dropping Arizona for a loss of two. The Wildcats offense prevented a UNM interception on the next play but it still was an incomplete pass. It brought up third-and-12 at the Arizona 33. The next pass to Anthony Johnson fell incomplete, bringing up fourth-and-12 with 1:16 left in the half.

Arizona booted a 67-yard punt, and the Lobos were fortunate the ball tumbled into the end zone. UNM decided to go conservative to close out the half. running the ball to run down the clock and avoid a turnvoer.

The Wildcats called a timeout to stop the clock and gun for another possession with UNM facing third-and-three on its 27 with 32 seconds left in the game.

Donovan Porterie then completed two long passes to push the ball to Arizona's 42-yard line. The Lobos called back-to-back timeouts to go for a score, an interesting about-face in response to Arizona's timeout.

Wow, Arizona's bench was called for unsportsmanlike conduct and was slapped with a 15-yard penalty. The Wildcats sacked Porterie on the next play, bringing up second-and-16 at the Arizona 33. The Lobos called timeout with 11 seconds left. UNM shot itself in the foot again, getting called for false start.

Porterie then pulled a rabbit out of the hat, hitting Travis Brown for a 38-yard touchdown with three seconds left in the first half. John Sullivan hit the extra point to give UNM a 14-13 lead.

Posted by ilimon at 09:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos fixed a whole lot of ugly offense with two great catches, both by Travis Brown. His grab brought up first-and-10 at the Arizona 46. Two trick plays in a row fizzled for the Lobos, with Rodney Ferguson overthrowing Travis Brown and Rodney Ferguson taking a two-yard loss on a delayed handoff. Donovan Porterie narrowly avoided an interception on the next play, bringing up fourth-and-12 at the Arizona 49. The Wildcats took a fair catch at the 13-yard line.

After the Lobos played some pretty inspired football on their first offensive drive, they really have sputtered. UNM is fortunate to be this close heading toward halftime.

Posted by ilimon at 09:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos looked very bad on the first three plays of the series but got bailed out with a roughing the passer play by Arizona, giving UNM a first down and 15-yard gain.

Rodney Ferguson then took a direct snap for a gain of four yards. Donovan Porterie threw into traffic and was picked off for the first time this season by Wilrey Fontenot. Arizona got the ball at its 48-yard line. It was Porterie's first interception in 133 attempts dating back to last season.

Posted by ilimon at 09:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The UNM defense opened with a dumb play, getting called for pass interference on a pass that probably would have fallen incomplete. Arizona earned a first down on its 30. The Wildcats rushed or four on the next play. Willie Tuitama got popped on the next play, but Tim Turner managed to win a jump ball play with DeAndre Wright. It gave the Wildcats a first down on UNM's 39.

The Wildcats ran for 10 yard gain to the 29. The Lobos then made a bad situation worse with an offsides call, setting up first-and-5 at the UNM 24. The Wildcats gained four on the ground, then looked to the end zone but the pass was broken up. Arizona rushed for no gain on third down, setting up fourth-and-one at the UNM 20. The Wildcats appeared to be going for it but called timeout.

Arizona went for the field goal instead. The Wildcats were pushed back five yards on a false start penalty, but Jason Bondzio hit a 42-yard field goal to give Arizona a 13-7 lead with 9:47 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 08:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson rushed for two yards, then Marcus Smith got stuck behind the line of scrimmage on a pass play. Donovan Porterie scrambled but only gained a few yards to bring up fourth-and-8 at the UNM 35.

Jordan Scott had a great punt and Arizona was stopped at its 15. The Wildcats ran into him and could have been slapped with a five-yard penalty, but the Lobos wisely took the 50-yard punt.

Posted by ilimon at 08:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Michael Tuohy broke up a play just before the end of the first quarter. Then UNM caught a break when Arizona was called for a false start. It brought second-and-15 at the Arizona 18. The spread offense is designed for big plays to help teams quickly erase this kind of trouble. Lobo Clint McPeek came up with a good, meaty hit to shut down a potential Arizona first down. Tuitama looked down field with good protection, but he slightly overthrew his receiver and brought up fourth-and-15 on its 18.

Frankie Solomon took a fair catch on the punt, giving UNM first-and-10 on its 33.

Posted by ilimon at 08:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie responded well with a pass across the middle to Marcus Smith for a 25-yard gain. It gives UNM some breathing room. Porterie then shot himself in the foot, throwing a dump pass intended for Paul Baker that fell ridiculously short. Baker came up short on the next carry and Porterie held onto the ball too long in the pocket. He lost seven yards by getting sacked.

Jordan Scott stepped up to punt and finally pinned Arizona in its own territory with a high kick. It was a 39-yard punt, giving the Wildcats first-and-10 at the 23-yard line. Now the defense has to make some magic happen.

Posted by ilimon at 08:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Wildcats rushed for two yards, then Mike Thomas gained nine yards after bobbling a pass and narrowly hanging onto the ball. If a Lobo had been around him, UNM easily could have forced a fumble. Arizona gained three yards on the next carry, then another 10 yards on a pass play when three Lobos missed tackles. The Lobos busted up the next play, bringing seocnd-and-10 at the UNM 29. Tuitama completed another big pass on the next play, but Arizona was called for holding, setting up second-and-20 at the 39. Arizona then capitalized on what the spread does best, with Tuitama dumping the ball off to Terrell Turner for a 39-yard touchdown. The extra point was good, and Arizona claimed a 10-7 lead with 2:18 in the first quarter.

This is why the Lobos' offense really can't afford to stall so quickly in their own territory. It's simply a recipe for disaster on defense.

Posted by ilimon at 08:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM took a touchback to start the next drive.

Donovan Porterie had his first incomplete pass of the night on the first play of the series. Rodney Ferguson rushed for four yards on the next play, bringing up an important third-and-six at UNM's 26. The Lobos didn't respond well, and Devin Clark was charged with false start. Porterie's next pass was incomplete, setting up a huge punt for Jordan Scott at the UNM eight-yard line.

The Lobos grounded the ball at the Arizona 47, which isn't very good but I supposed it could have been much worse considering the punt was nearly blocked.

Posted by ilimon at 08:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jordan Scott kicked off for the Lobos, who need to be really strong on coverage against the super speedy Wildcats. Jake Bowe made an important stop at the 31-yard line.

UNM's defense didn't look as good on the first two plays. Arizona quickly moved the ball up to the Lobos' 46-yard line. Then quarterback Willie Tuitama hit Turner covered by corner DeAndre Wright for a 23-yard gain.

The Lobos did hit Tuitama on the next play, which I think is a pretty big key to winning this game. Tuitama's next pass was incomplete, bringing up third-and-10 at the Lobos' 23. Michael Tuohy slammed Tuitama on the next play and he threw another incomplete pass. It set up a 40-yard field goal by Jason Bondzio. The Lobos lead the Wildcats 7-3 with 6:09 left in the first quarter.

UNM salvaged a rough start on defense and did well to prevent an Arizona touchdown and clock Tuitama twice.

By the way, Tommy Trujillo from the Santa Fe New Mexican says hello.

Posted by ilimon at 08:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos have to feel good about their first possession.

Donovan Porterie completed his first pass of the night to Marcus Smith with an Arizona defender rumbling toward him. Smith gained nine on the play. Ferguson carried twice in a row, gaining four yards on the second carry to get the first down. Arizona was slapped with a sideline interference warning after the Lobos' first down.

Porterie completed two more passes, including one to Matt Quillen -- who has rarely been used a receiver. Porterie converted on a big third-and-five, slightly leading Marcus Smith who rumbled for 23 yards. Great catch, great pass.

Ferguson broke one tackle to avoid a loss on the next carry and ended up with a one-yard gain. Ferguson lost his shoe on the play and Paul Baker came in for him. Porterie completed his next pass to Travis Brown, bringing up third-and-five. Then the Lobos used a direct snap to Marcus Smith, who ran for nine yards and the first down. The trick play, complete with hesitation, worked better than it did all week in practice.

Ferguson carried on the next possession, moving up to the 19-yard line for a gain of five yards. The Lobos used the direct snap again to Ferguson, who got bogged down in traffic but did gain four yards. Ferguson carried for no gain, brinign up fourth-and-one. I would say go for it since it was such a nice drive. The Lobos did and got a lucky break. Porterie's pass was tipped but Josh Fussell caught the ball for a first down on the seven-yard line. I say it takes guts to win on the road and the Lobos are showing it on this drive.

Ferguson ran on the next play but got stuffed pretty good for a loss of two. It brought up second and goal on the 9-yard line. Porterie threw across the middle to Brown, who was immediately hit at the 6-yard line. It brought up third-and-goal. He hit Brown who dove forward for a nice catch in the end zone.

The play was reviewed by the officials, who also took a TV timeout. The ruling on the field was upheld and UNM was credited with a touchdown. John Sullivan stepped up to hit the extra point, and the Lobos took a 7-0 lead with 7:46 left in the first quarter.

I think it's a tremendous way for UNM to start the game, with the Lobos' offense using an array of looks to march up the field from the 20-yard line. They were lucky they didn't turn the ball over once, but I think it's one of those good drives that can set the tone for the game.

Posted by ilimon at 08:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos are receiving the kick after losing the coin toss. Stay tuned for updates.

Posted by ilimon at 08:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The UNM defense at least stopped UTEP, setting up first-and-10 on the UNM 26 with 10:20 left in the game. The Lobos needed this series to go well. They needed to score.

Ferguson had a great run and the Lobos discovered something called the forward pass, but penalties killed both gains. Then Donovan Porterie hit Chris Hernandez for a big first down. Then the offense hit the wall and Porterie was sacked. I think the series may spell doom for the Lobos.

That's all for now on the blog. Check back soon for a complete postgame Web story.

Posted by ilimon at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

UNM needed to respond to UTEP's touchdown but the Miners just couldn't get it done. The Lobos are moving a lot laterally and not much toward the UTEP end zone.

The special teams unit had a chance to recover UTEP's fumble on the ensuing punt, but the ball didn't bounce the Lobos' way.

Looks like the defense may have to make a huge play to help UNM win this game.

Posted by ilimon at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Terrell Jackson finally broke through the UTEP defense and scored the Miners' first touchdown of the night. Jose Martinez hit the extra point, pushing the Miners up 10-6 with 13:08 left in the game. The Lobos have been so sluggish, UTEP may have all the points it needs for a win.

Posted by ilimon at 10:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

John Sullivan came through for the Lobos, hitting a 40-yard field goal to give UNM a 6-3 lead with 14:29 left in the fourth quarter. It wasn't an especially pretty kick, but right now there isn't much going on in this game that is very pretty.

Posted by ilimon at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DeAndre Wright got his first pick of the game, but the UNM offense struggled to take advantage of good field position. UNM opted to go for it on fourth-and-one on the 41. Donovan Porterie got the first down on the QB keeper.

The offense still hasn't been able to find much traction, especially passing the ball. It's hard to tell who will win this stalemate, but it's clear the rest of the season will be much tougher if the Lobos don't improve an awful lot.

Posted by ilimon at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The UTEP stadium just ran out water. More precisely, the stadium water was shut off. No tap water. No bathroom service. Fun!

Now the Lobos are seriously missing Kenny Byrd. John Sullivan just missed his second field goal of the game, this time one from 37 yards out.

So no magic halftime pill for special teams. Defense is gonna have to cause some turnovers or the Miners will win this one.

Posted by ilimon at 09:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos have used tight end Chris Mark for longer pass plays than those going to Marcus Smith and Travis Brown? Surprise plays or good coverage by the Miners on UNM's star receivers? I'm not sure.

Win or lose, it looks like Rodney Ferguson will have 100 yards by the third quarter. Of course, he gets the ball a whole lot. His line as I type this he 19 carries for 82 yards late in the second quarter.

Ferguson and Paul Baker helped the Lobos bulldoze up the field in their most dominant series of this game. UTEP got some stops to squash a bit of UNM's momentum and kicker John Sullivan redeemed himself with a 20-yard field goal to tie the game 3-3 with 1:09 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 09:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos started the next series with a penalty, putting UTEP's strong kicker in field goal range. Well not quite, but almost. The UNM defense then stepped up and kept the pressure on the Miners' quarterback, breaking up some passes and forcing a punt instead of another field goal.

UNM is still struggling with coverage and had to take a fair catch at its 17-yard line. Special teams is shaping up to be the weakest link on a less-than-impressive start.

Posted by ilimon at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos completed rode Rodney Ferguson for a first down, then there was finally a forward pass to Travis Brown. UNM then decided to go in reverse. The Lobos opted to go for on fourth-and-one at the Miners' 32, and Ferguson came through with a carry for four yards. Ferguson carried yet again on the next play for another 10 yards to the Miner 18. Then he ran again for three yards. I think UTEP might catch on to this game plan eventually.

Donovan Porterie attempted a pass to Marcus Smith, but he once again threw it behind his receiver and it was nearly intercepted. Porterie was sacked on the next play, setting up four-and-seven. And to top off all the ugliness, kicker John Sullivan missed a 32-yard field goal wide right.

Posted by ilimon at 08:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Don't you just love those TV timeouts? I know, bathroom breaks for fans back home. Not so much over here. Did I mention this press box has no air conditioning?

The UNM defense is getting into a decent rhythm, ending the Miners' first series of the second quarter with a sack of freshman QB Trevor Vittatoe. So now the offense needs to get going or dust off the fly series.

Posted by ilimon at 08:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm not sure Lobo fans are liking the look of the offense so far. It looks very, gulp, conservative. UNM is going with an awful lot of screens and rushing plays. The latest series ended with Porterie getting sacked and yet another punt. Where have we seen that before?

Posted by ilimon at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobo defense look strong the first few plays of the series, then UTEP snagged big gains on its march toward the end zone. The Lobos don't appear to be putting any pressure on the quarterback or sitting back in strong coverage. They have to do one or the other to get the upper hand in this game.

UTEP gave the Lobos an assist with back-to-back penalties -- holding and false start. The plays forced first-and-25 at the 31. The Miners narrowly failed to complete a pass on the next play. Then UNM finally got heat on the quarterback and UTEP was charged with intentional grounding, making it third-and-40. UTEP ran for 20 yards to set up a 53-yard field goal attempt by Jose Martinez, but he missed this one wide right.

Posted by ilimon at 08:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It looks like the Lobos are going to use Rodney Ferguson an awful lot tonight, and it's hard not to blame him because he has been good. Travis Brown dropped a pass on third down, though, ending UNM's drive. Th special teams unit almost came up with a fumble, but the Miners manged to recover the ball on the punt. They start their drive at the UTEP 26.

Posted by ilimon at 08:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos needed a stop and got it. But their special teams unit is still playing really shaky. It's first-and-10 at the Lobos' 22 after UNM lost two yards on the punt.

Posted by ilimon at 08:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's definitely loud and there's a whole lot of orange here in the Sun Bowl. It seems wise that the Lobos started with a run play, then got a first down off a pass to tight end Chris Mark. The Lobos are using more mid-range passes and screens than I saw in practice, which is a good way to steadily move up the field under this kind of pressure. Ferguson has been strong with the ball in his hands so far. Quarterback Donovan Porterie was firing well on his passes and scrambled well out trouble for a three yard gain without getting hit. But his last pass of the series was slightly behind Marcus Smith and fell incomplete, setting up a UNM punt.

It's not a bad start as long as UNM settles down a little bit.

Posted by ilimon at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UTEP kicker Jose Martinez booted a 51-yard field goal to give UTEP at 3-0 lead with 13:30 left in the first quarter. Then the Lobos took a knee in the end zone on the kickoff. Like I said, not such a good start.

Posted by ilimon at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Looks like the Lobos and I both are having trouble out of the gate. I'm riding dial-up since the Miners' wireless network isn't being nice to my laptop. And the Miners are charging down the field on the first possession. John Sullivan, who wasn't going to do kickoffs because he tore his ACL trying to prevent a touchdown in spring ball, saved a touchdown on the opening kickoff by making a tackle. Then the Miners gobbled up 13 more yards on a rushing play. The Lobos regrouped and it's fourth-and-four at the Lobos 34.

Posted by ilimon at 08:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's one story in today's Trib that is a must-read for every Lobo football fan. No, I didn't write it. And neither did Richard Stevens or his buddy The Linz. It's Tribune editor Phill Casaus' looks back at the most memorable games the Lobos ever played against their opponents on the schedule this season,

We came up with the story idea when I went hunting for ideas to make the print edition of Lobo Zone better. I thought it would be cool to do a series on the Lobos' most memorable games against their opponents this season. I thought Casaus would be the perfect guy to come up with these gems because he is like a New Mexico sports encyclopedia and amazing writer.

He didn't disappoint me. Casaus went hunting through our library and found lots of stories I think fans will absolutely love. We planned to run the small profiles during each week of the season, but the Trib won't be here by the end of the season. So you get them all in one big dose. Enjoy!

Posted by ilimon at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Greetings press row. I'm seated near the Bears' end zone inside Dolphin Stadium. I can't believe I'm here right now, and I'm all set to bring you all the crazy vibe of Super Bowl XLI. I wish everyone from New Mexico could be here because it's really something to behold.

Getting here was a little tough. I left four hours before the game and was in traffic on an NFL media shuttle for a little less than three hours. The trip normally takes about 35 to 45 minutes. People were getting off buses on the freeway near the stadium and walking the rest of the way. There was no chance of them getting hit or anything since the place turned into a parking lot. Crazy.

It's a little foggy and has been raining all day, which could favor the smashmouth Bears running game. Of course, I can see the field but can't touch it, so who knows if it actually has been affected by the weather. Earlier this week Brian Urlacher kept going on and on about the field and the fast grass. I think he was happy to talk about something besides himself and the grass here was his fallback anecdote. Mmmmm. Grass.

Bears fans did indeed travel well, I can't say for sure whether they outnumber the Colts, but they are a lot louder and appear to be a lot drunker. Drunk with hapiness? Who knows. They just break out into random Bears chants more often in random corners of the stadium -- even the luxury boxes.

OK, look for updates all evening here from press row. Right now I'm going to try to quickly add a pregame photo gallery.

Posted by ilimon at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The wheels have come off the Lobos' offense. UNM fumbled again and San Jose State took over with the chance to mount a long drive and end the game.

I'm heading down to the sidelines a little early to get postgame interviews. Check out Lobo Zone soon for complete postgame coverage.

Posted by ilimon at 05:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

UNM's defense stopped the bleeding, holding back San Jose State. Now UNM's offense must score.

Posted by ilimon at 05:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chris Nelson is back in and passed to Marcus Smith for a 12-yard gain. Nelson went to Smith again for a 17-yard gain, quickly advancing to the Spartans' 44-yard line. Rodney Ferguson ran for a loss of three on the next play. Nelson's pass was complete to Ferguson for a gain of 11 on the play. It brought up third-and-three at the 37-yard line. Ferguson rushed for three yards and a first down.

Nelson's next pass to Marcus Smith in the end zone was incomplete. Ferguson was dropped for a two-yard loss on the next play, bringing up third-and-12 at the Spartans 35. The next pass was complete to Ferguson, but he fumbled leaping for more yards. The ball was forced by Matt Castelo and recovered by Damaja Jones.

Posted by ilimon at 05:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DeAndre Wright nearly intercepted Adam Tafralis' pass, forcing the Spartans to punt.

UNM ran the punt back to its 27-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Adam Tafralis' first pass was complete to James Jones for a gain of 12 yards. The sun is setting at University Stadium and on the Lobos' shot at a win if they don't do something soon.

Patrick Perry carried on the next play for a gain of eight yards, another quick blow for UNM's defense. There was a flag on the next play, with San Jose State called for false start. It brought up second-and-six at the Spartans' 42. James Jones carried on the next play for a gain of three yards. All those other third downs were huge, but this is gigantic. Both teams have time to mull it over with the end of the third quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 04:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DeAndre Wright returned the kickoff from the goal line to the 29-yard line. I think this is a huge possession for UNM.

Chris Nelson is still in the game and holding onto the ball too long. UNM was called for a holding penalty as the line tried to protect him. It brought up first-and-20 at the UNM 19. Rodney Ferguson ran for 10 yards on the play, bringing up second-and-10. Nelson's ass was complete to Marcus Smith, but it was erased thanks to a flag on the play. UNM was called for holding again, bringing up second-and-20 at the UNM 19.

San Jose State pancaked a UNM receiver and another player intercepted the ball and returned it for a touchdown. The play was reversed when the Spartans were called for pass intereference. It brought up first-and-10 at the UNM 35.

Ferguson ran for three yards. Chris Nelson tried to fire more quickly and threw behind Travis Brown, hitting the ref instead. Not good. I think it's well past time to put Donovan Porterie back in the game. Nelson's next pass intended for John Mulchrone was thrown behind him and fell incomplete.

UNM punted and San Jose State took a fair catch at the 26-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 04:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM's defense forced a third-and-two, but Adam Tafralis passed to John Broussard for a gain of 11 yards as the pocket collapsed around him. Then Tafralis passed to James Jones, who made a great leaping catch for a 24-yard touchdown.

The Lobos may be the comeback kids, but they need to step on the gas quick to rescue this game.

Posted by ilimon at 04:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chris Nelson's pass intended to Marcus Smith was nearly picked off and UNM was called for offensive pass interference. It brought up first-and-25 at the UNM 18. Nelson threw out of bounds under pressure on the next play. Nelson's next pass was complete to Rodney Ferguson, and he worked for a 10-yard gain. It brought up third-and-16 at the UNM 27. Nelson danced all over the field with a lot of protection and was dropped for no gain. His scramble earned some boos from UNM fans who are frustrated by UNM's struggling offense.

There was a flag on the punt play, with illegal participation called against San Jose State. It was a 15-yard penalty and UNM had a shot to extends its drive. Nelson carried, fumbled and recovered but was inches short of a first down.

San Jose State took over at teh UNM 43 on downs.

Posted by ilimon at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It looks like the UNM defense is going to have to make something happen to jumpstart UNM's tepid scoring.

AdamTafralis' pass to John Broussard was incomplete. San Jose State was called for false start on the next play, setting up second-and-15 at the Spartans' 32. Tafralis' next pass was complete to James Jones for a gain of 10 yards. It brings up third-and-five for San Jose State. It would help the Lobos a ton if they could get a stop here.

Tafralis tucked and ran, but Herbert Felder stopped him after a four-yard gain and short of a first down.

The Spartans went for it on fourth-and-one at their 46. There was a flag on the next play, and San Jose State was called for false start. The penaly moved the Spartans back five yards and forced them to punt.

The punt went out of bounds and UNM will take over at its 33-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 04:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Senior backup Chris Nelson came in at quarterback and handed off to Rodney Ferguson, who gained four yards. The play was erased on a holding call, but it seemed like San Jose State was guilty of face mask. It brought up second-and-16 at the UNM 21.

Nelson's first pass was complete to Marcus Smith for a gain of two yards. It brought up a big third-and-14 at the UNM 23. His pass to Travis Brown was incomplete, in part because Brown wans't moving toward the ball.

UNM was forced to punt again.

San Jose State will start its next drive at its 37-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 04:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM kicked off for a touchback to open the second half. Steven Hutchison sacked Adam Tafralis on the opening play for a loss of eight yards. Tafralis tried an option pitch Yonus Davis to but was forced out for another loss of four yards.

Tafralis broke off a 19-yard run, but the Spartans still face fourth-and-three. The Spartans punted and Thomas Wilson ran it back seven yards to the UNM 27.

Posted by ilimon at 04:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd notched a touchback.

Yonus Davis carried for San Jose State for no gain, and the teams headed into the locker room for halftime.

UNM trails the Spartans 13-3.

Posted by ilimon at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM opened the drive on its 20-yard line.

Paul Baker rushed for nine yards on the first play, a speedy carrier who seemed to surprise the Spartans. Rodney Ferguson ran on the next play up the middle for 35 yards. Baker carried again for nine more yards. Yimin Bauman carried for two yards and a first down.

Donovan Porterie's screen pass to Paul Baker was incomplete, which was probably for the best because Baker was surrounded by Spartans. Ferguson carried again for two yards, bringing up third-and-eight at the UNM 23.

The Lobos called a timeout to set up for the next big play. I think they need to get a field goal out of this possession. Porterie's pass intended for John Mulchrone sailed high, setting up a Kenny Byrd punt. He nailed the 40-yarder, giving UNM its first points of the day.

Posted by ilimon at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yonus Davis rushed for 13 yards on the first a first down. With the play, he went over 1,000 yards rushing for the season. Davis carried again but was stopped by Jeremiah Lovato for no gain. Adam Tafralis threw under pressure and it seemed the ball would sail high, but James Jones pulled it in for a 19-yard gain. James Callier rushed for one yard.

Tafralis' next pass to Jones was complete for a 36-yard touchdown. The Spartans missed the extra point wide right, and went ahead 13-0 with 3:59 left in the first half.

Posted by ilimon at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie's first pass to Travis Brown was incomplete, a few steps ahead of him. Porterie's pass to Thomas Wilson was complete for a one yard gain. It brought up a quick third-and-nine. Porterie's next pass intended for Brown was incomplete, sailing high again and off the mark.

The Lobos punted again, and it was downed bt UNM at the Spartans' 31-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 03:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos defense came out angry, forcing an incomplete pass. Then they knocked receiver James Collier back for a three-yard loss. Then Adam Tafralis' next pass was incomplete. He got hit on all three plays.

San Jose State was forced to punt. It was fielded by Blake Ligon and he downed it at the UNM 32.

Posted by ilimon at 03:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DeAndre Wright responded for the Lobos, running back the kickoff 60 yards to the Spartans' 40-yard line.

Rodney Ferguson ran on the first play of the drive for no gain. Porterie threw a screen pass to Ferguson under pressure for a gain of 15 yards to the Spartans' 16-yard line.

Matt Quillen carried for one yard on the next play. Ferguson carried next for a gain of one yard, bringing up third-and-eight. Porterie's next pass was complete to Travis Brown for a 10-yard gain and a big first down for the Lobos.

Ferguson carried on the next play for a loss of one yard, bringing up second-and-11 at hte 14. Porterie completed a screen pass to Yimin Bauman for a gain of 11 yards. This more of Bauman than we've seen all year. Ferguson carried for two yards on the next play, giving UNM second-and-goal at the one.

The Spartans were called for illegal substitution penalty, but the ball moved an inch forward for UNM off the flag. Ferguson ran into a big old pile, and lost one yard. Ferguson tried again and was dropped for no gain. It brought up a big third-and-goal at the two. San Jose State had to call timeout because they had some substitution trouble.

Ferguson fumbled, it was recovered by Demaja Jones. He ran it back to the UNM 43-yard line, where Jones was tackled by Ferguson to save a touchdown. Porterie tried to trip up Jones earlier but failed.

Posted by ilimon at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Opps. San Jose State broke the stalemate, with Adam Tafralis hitting wide open John Broussard for a 76-yard touchdown. The extra point was good, giving the Spartans a 7-0 lead with 14:51 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 03:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson rushed for six yards, then stumbled for a one-yard gain on the next play. It brought up third-and-three at the UNM 47. Donovan Porterie's pass intended for Thomas Wilson was dropped, ending a drive that squandered the Lobos' best field position of the day.

UNM punted and San Jose State took a fair catch at the Spartans' 24-yard line.

The first quarter just ended, and it's been a punt fest. The Lobos had 63 yards and four first downs in the first quarter, wile San Jose State had 16 yards and one first down.

Posted by ilimon at 03:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Adam Tafralis' first pass was complete to John Broussard for a gain of 14 yards on the play, eliminating the chance of a safety. Patrick Perry carried on the next play for one yard, moving the ball to the Spartans 22. Tafralis threw under pressure to James Jones, and it was knocked down by Glover Quin. The play brought up third-and-nine at the Spartans' 22. Tafralis carried on the play for a gain of four yards, setting up the punt.

I wonder if that quarterback keeper ever works for long yardage. It hasn't against the Lobos.

Thomas Wilson returned the punt for 11 yards to the UNM 40, the Lobos best field position of the day.

Posted by ilimon at 03:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson ran for eight yards straight up the middle on the first play. Ferguson carried again for three yards and a first down, going up the middle again. Then UNM went with a two receiver set on the left side, and Ferguson ran right behind the guys as blockers up to the San Jose State 49-yard line. It was a gain of 20 yards.

Donovan Porterie's pass to Marcus Smith was incomplete, about one step ahead of the receiver who would have scored if it were on target. Porterie's next pass was complete to tight end Yimin Bauman for four yards, bringing up third-and-six. Porterie completed his next pass to Smith in zone coverage for a gain of 15 yards despite three Spartans surrounding Smith.

Ferguson was set to pass back to a quarterback for a trick play, but it was broken up and fell incomplete. The Lobos were fortunate it was not picked off. Porterie scrambled and threw out of bounds on the next play, bringing up third-and-10 at the San Jose State 30. Porterie was sacked on the next play for a loss of seven. It knocked UNM jsut out of field goal range.

Jordan Scott hit a perfect punt, forcing the Spartans take over at their seven-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 02:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

San Jose State jumped offsides and was pushed back five yards. Then the Spartans gained on yard on a rushing play. Quarterback Adam Tafralis kept the ball on the next play for a four-yard gain, bringing up third-and-10. Tafralis' pass was complete to James Jones for five yards, but it was well short of a first down and forced the Spartans to punt.

Waylon Prather is living up to his top billing so far. He booted the ball 54 yards for a touchback.

Posted by ilimon at 02:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM started on the 34-yard line.

Donovan Porterie completed his first pass to Travis Brown for a gain of five yards. Then Brown carried on the next play and was dropped for a loss of three yards. It looked like Porterie's next pass to Travis Brown was intercepted by Dwight Lowery, but it was ruled incomplete and the Lobos punted.

Now it seems San Jose State's defense is at least part of the reason the Lobos' passing game is struggling early.

Jordan Scott shanked the punt and the Spartans will start on their 41-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 02:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Quincy Black stopped San Jose State's James Jones after a six-yard return, letting the Spartans start on their 21-yard line.

San Jose State started with the run, with Yonus Davis rushing for four yards. Jacob French carried next, this time gaining two yards. It brought up third and four. Quincy Black laid a pretty good hit on Spartans QB Adam Tafralis, who overthrew his receiver and adjusted his helmet getting up.

The Spartans laid out a good punt for 61 yards, but Thomas Wilson worked hard for a 22-yard return.

Posted by ilimon at 02:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos got a nice start on their 35-yard line. Rodney Ferguson stumbled for one yard on the first play, then rushed for 10 yards and a first down. Donovan Porterie first throw was incomplete, then cornerback Ian Clark threw on a trick play but couldn't connect with Marcus Smith. Clark was a high school quarterback and this is just one of several trick plays Lobos' lame duck offensive coordinator Bob Toledo has up his sleeve. Porterie's pass to Travis Brown on third-and-10 was short, forcing the Lobos to punt.

It was a quick series, so it's hard to tell whether Porterie needs to just shake off jitters or the San Jose State pass defense is that good.

Posted by ilimon at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's a beautiful clear, crisp day at University Stadium, with lovely snow-capped mountains in the background. It's a real pretty picture for ESPN.

The Lobos are receiving the kickoff. Stay tuned for updates ...

Posted by ilimon at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My story on the Lobos' win over San Diego State has been posted on Lobo Zone, along with a Tribune photo. You also can visit the audio section of Lobo Zone to hear UNM coach Rocky Long's postgame remarks. And The Linz also offers his thoughts on the Lobos' win and invitation to the New Mexico Bowl.

So that's all the Lobo football coverage for tonight, but women's basketball fans come back soon for coverage of tonight's Thanksgiving tournament championship.

Posted by ilimon at 05:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Aleem Harris took a fair catch on the kickoff, starting the UNM drive at its 31-yard line.

Paul Baker carried for one yard on the first play of the drive. Looks like Rodney Ferguson is done for the day. He didn't play the fourth quarter, a move to protect him for the big New Mexico Bowl game. UNM ran again, this time gaining four yards. UNM faced third-and-five at its 36. Nelson passed on the next play to Marcus Smith, who could have caught the pass on target but dropped it.

UNM punted, and San Diego State will start the next drive on its 21-yard line with 6:01 left

The Aztecs moved the ball well for awhile and managed to get a first down on a fourth-and-four on its 42. There is 3:51 left in the game.

The New Mexico Bowl will be handing out hats to the Lobos and making their official bowl invitation following the game. I'm heading down early to catch the celebration. Check out Lobo Zone for a postgame story and musing from The Linz.

Posted by ilimon at 03:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kevin O'Connell passed twice, quickly moving the ball to the UNM 27-yard line. O'Connell kept the ball on the next play, scrambling for 10 yards. O'Connell completed another pass to move the ball to the UNM 10-yard line. The Aztecs ran on the next play to the UNM 3-yard line. The Aztecs ran again for no gain. It brought up second-and-goal at the three. O'Connell threw under pressure and it was nearly picked off. O'Connell finally completed a three-yard touchdown pass. Garrett Palmer completed the extra point, making the score 41-14 with 7:53 left in the game.

The Aztecs offense is coming to life against UNM's reserves.

Posted by ilimon at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marcus Smith returned the San Diego State kickoff to the 30-yard line, but there was a flag on the play. UNM was called for illegal block in the back, which means the Lobos start at their eight-yard line because the foul was so early in the return.

Paul Baker ran the ball for three yards. Baker ran again for one yard, bringing up third-and-six at the UNM 13. Chris Nelson's pass intended for Chris Mark was incomplete. UNM punted and San Diego State took a fair catch at the Aztecs' 48.

Posted by ilimon at 03:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On days like this, I kind of wish there was a mercy rule and running clock.

San Diego State is back for that third-and-five. Kevin O'Connell completed his pass near the middle for a gain of 10 yards. O'Connell scrambled for a gain of eight yards. He passed again for a gain of seven yards on the play. O'Connell passed again for a gain of 16 on the next play. O'Connell completed his next pass to Brandon Bornes, who finally scored for the Aztecs on a 28-yard catch. San Diego State's Garrett Palmer hit the extra point and the Aztecs trail UNM 41-7 with 13:11 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 03:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

San Diego State returned the Lobos' kickoff 25 yards to start its drive at the 26-yard line.

O'Connell's pass was a little behind his receiver and incomplete. O'Connell's next pass was complete for a gain of five yards, bringing up third-and-five at the Aztecs' 31-yard line. San Diego State let the clock run out, ending the third quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 02:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson ran for 31 yards on the first play of the drive, pushing his total to 210 yards on 20 carries so far today. Quincy Wright had the school best 265 yards in a single game, a mark Ferguson is closing in on if the coaches leave him in the game.

Chris Nelson scrambled and completed a pass to Marcus Smith for an 11-yard gain. It gave UNM a first down at the Aztecs' 20. Ferguson ran on the next play for four yards. Ferguson tripped on the next play and appeared to fumble the ball, but the officials said he was down. UNM got lucky with only a loss of four instead of a San Diego State touchdown.

Nelson hit Chris Mark across the middle on the next play for a 20-yard touchdown. It was Mark's first touchdown catch. Kenny Byrd hit the extra point, pushing UNM ahead 41-0.

Posted by ilimon at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lobos were offsides again on the kickoff, so San Diego State starts its drive on its 25-yard line.

Kevin O'Connell's first pass was complete for a seven-yard gain. The Aztecs ran for no gain. It brought up third-and-three at the San Diego State 32. O'Connell scrambled for a seven-yard gain before he was forced out by Quincy Black. The Aztecs ran again for no gain. O'Connell threw under pressure and completed it across the middle for no gain. It brought up third-and-10 at the San Diego State 39. O'Connell rolled to the left and threw the ball out of bounds to no one.

San Diego State punted and Thomas Wilson returned it 23 yards to the UNM 39.

Posted by ilimon at 02:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The fumble call was challenged but it stands. The officials didn't have much to go on, but I guess the stadium cameras backed up the call. This game is not broadcast on TV, so the stadium cameras are the only video evidence available.

The Lobos opened with a run for a loss of one. Rodney Ferguson broke off a big run, rushing on the next carry for 23 yards. Paul Baker ran for six yards on the next play to the UNM 48. Baker carried again for three yards. It brought up third-and-one at the Aztecs' 49. Ferguson ran out of the pocket, cut left to dodge defenders and dodged more by cutting to the right for a 49-yard touchdown run. Kenny Byrd hit the extra point, pushing UNM ahead 34-0 with 6:34 left in the third quarter.

Ferguson has 19 carries for 179 yards and two touchdowns so far today.

Posted by ilimon at 02:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Aztecs opened with a reverse, but the Lobos stuck with it and backup quarterback Kevin Craft was sacked by Cody Kase for a loss of 10 yards on the play. Man, San Diego State is having a reaaaaally bad day.

Kevin O'Connell tucked the ball and ran on the next play for four yards, bringing up third-and-16 at the Aztecs' 36. O'Connell's next pass was complete for a gain of 32 yards that bailed the Aztecs out big time. The Aztecs ran on the next play for six yards all the way to the UNM 26-yard line. The Aztecs ran again, this time gaining 9 yards on the play to the UNM 17. This time, the Aztecs just might score.

The Aztecs used another reverse pitch but got no gain on the play. O'Connell's next pass was complete for five yards, bringing up third-and-five at the UNM 12. O'Connell was hit as he was throwing and his pass across the middle was tipped, but there was a flag on the play. UNM was called for offsides, bringing up third-and-one at the UNM seven. The Aztecs got two yards on a rushing play, plowing ahead to bring up first and goal at the five.

O'Connell kept it but appeared to fumble on the goal line. The officials ruled OJ Swift forced the fumble and recovered by Blake Ligon. It was fumbled into the endzone and was touchback for the Lobos.

Posted by ilimon at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's attendance is a paltry 23,421. It is the lowest since the 2000 home finale against San Diego State drew 21,007.

San Diego State kicked off and the Lobos start at their 20.

Rodney Ferguson rushed for one yard on the first play of UNM's drive to open third quarter. Ferguson ran again for what appeared to be around six yards, but there was an illegal block in the back by New Mexico. The play counts, but UNM faces second-and-13 its 17. Chris Nelson's pass was intended for Travis Brown, but he caught it out of bounds. It brought up a quick third-and-13 for the Lobos. Nelson's pass intended for Thomas Wilson was incomplete and about five yards long on the left sideline.

Jordan Scott stepped back to punt and UNM downed it at the Aztecs' 42-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 02:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I had some technical difficulties, so this blog entry covers the last few possessions of the first half. I think the Linz cursed my computer, but it fought back.

Rodney Ferguson ran for one yard, then added another three on the second play of the drive. It brought up third-and-six at the 46. Chris Nelson completed a pass to John Mulchrone for nine yards. It brought up a first down at the Aztecs' 38. Nelson's next pass was a bomb to Travis Brown, but it was well-covered and incomplete. Brown stood up with a slight limp but looks fine, while the Aztecs corner was hurt and needed trainers to help him off the field.

Rodney Ferguson ran for six yards on the next play, moving the ball to the Aztecs' 32. Nelson's pass was complete to Brown for an eight-yard gain. Ferguson ran for a gain of three-yards on the play. Nelson's pass was intended for Marcus Smith, but Smith stepped out of bounds in the endzone on the catch so it was ruled incomplete. It brought up third-and-seven on the 20. UNM called timeout with 4:33 left in the second quarter.

Nelson was sacked for a loss of eight on the play, which probably isn't what Bob Toledo had in mind after the timeout.

Kenny Byrd stepped up for a 45-yard field-goal attempt. Byrd hit and the Lobos extended their lead to 27-0 with 3:39 left in the second quarter.

UNM had a five-yard penalty on the kickoff and the Aztecs fumbled but recovered the ball on a pass play early in the drive. Then Kevin O’Connell hit two long passes, moving the ball to the UNM 27-yard line. O’Connell scrambled on the next play and was sacked by George Carter for a loss of one. O’Connell completed his next pass for a gain of 12, bringing up first-and-10 at the UNM 16. O’Connell lob pass into the back of the end zone was incomplete, bringing up second down. O'Connell scrambled for nine yards, bringing up third-and-one on the UNM seven with 36 seconds left in the half. O'Connell was sacked by Cody Kase for a loss of five, bringing up fourth-and-six at the UNM 12. The Aztecs called another timeout to stop the clock at 26 seconds.

The Lobos blocked a field goal attempt by Garrett Palmer, shutting out the Aztecs in the first half.

Posted by ilimon at 01:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson ran for one yard, then added another three on the second play of the drive. It brought up third-and-six at the 46. Chris Nelson completed a pass to John Mulchrone for nine yards. It brought up a first down at the Aztecs' 38. Nelson's next pass was a bomb to Travis Brown, but it was well-covered and incomplete. Brown stood up with a slight limp but looks fine, while the Aztecs corner was hurt and needed trainers to help him off the field.

Rodney Ferguson ran for six yards on the next play, moving the ball to the Aztecs' 32. Nelson's pass was complete to Brown for an eight-yard gain. Ferguson ran for a gain of three-yards on the play. Nelson's pass was intended for Marcus Smith, but Smith stepped out of bounds in the endzone on the catch so it was ruled incomplete. It brought up third-and-seven on the 20. UNM called timeout with 4:33 left in the second quarter.

Nelson was sacked for a loss of eight on the play, which probably isn't what Bob Toledo had in mind after the timeout.

Kenny Byrd stepped up for a 45-yard field-goal attempt. Byrd hit and the Lobos extended their lead to 27-0 with 3:39 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 01:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson ran for one yard, then added another three on the second play of the drive. It brought up third-and-six at the 46. Chris Nelson completed a pass to John Mulchrone for nine yards. It brought up a first down at the Aztecs' 38. Nelson's next pass was a bomb to Travis Brown, but it was well-covered and incomplete. Brown stood up with a slight limp but looks fine, while the Aztecs corner was hurt and needed trainers to help him off the field.

Rodney Ferguson ran for six yards on the next play, moving the ball to the Aztecs' 32. Nelson's pass was complete to Brown for an eight-yard gain. Ferguson ran for a gain of three-yards on the play. Nelson's pass was intended for Marcus Smith, but Smith stepped out of bounds in the endzone on the catch so it was ruled incomplete. It brought up third-and-seven on the 20. UNM called timeout with 4:33 left in the second quarter.

Nelson was sacked for a loss of eight on the play, which probably isn't what Bob Toledo had in mind after the timeout.

Kenny Byrd stepped up for a 45-yard field-goal attempt. Byrd hit and the Lobos extended their lead to 27-0 with 3:39 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 01:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson ran for one yard, then added another three on the second play of the drive. It brought up third-and-six at the 46. Chris Nelson completed a pass to John Mulchrone for nine yards. It brought up a first down at the Aztecs' 38. Nelson's next pass was a bomb to Travis Brown, but it was well-covered and incomplete. Brown stood up with a slight limp but looks fine, while the Aztecs corner was hurt and needed trainers to help him off the field.

Rodney Ferguson ran for six yards on the next play, moving the ball to the Aztecs' 32. Nelson's pass was complete to Brown for an eight-yard gain. Ferguson ran for a gain of three-yards on the play. Nelson's pass was intended for Marcus Smith, but Smith stepped out of bounds in the endzone on the catch so it was ruled incomplete. It brought up third-and-seven on the 20. UNM called timeout with 4:33 left in the second quarter.

Nelson was sacked for a loss of eight on the play, which probably isn't what Bob Toledo had in mind after the timeout.

Kenny Byrd stepped up for a 45-yard field-goal attempt. Byrd hit and the Lobos extended their lead to 27-0 with 3:39 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 01:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson ran for one yard, then added another three on the second play of the drive. It brought up third-and-six at the 46. Chris Nelson completed a pass to John Mulchrone for nine yards. It brought up a first down at the Aztecs' 38. Nelson's next pass was a bomb to Travis Brown, but it was well-covered and incomplete. Brown stood up with a slight limp but looks fine, while the Aztecs corner was hurt and needed trainers to help him off the field.

Rodney Ferguson ran for six yards on the next play, moving the ball to the Aztecs' 32. Nelson's pass was complete to Brown for an eight-yard gain. Ferguson ran for a gain of three-yards on the play. Nelson's pass was intended for Marcus Smith, but Smith stepped out of bounds in the endzone on the catch so it was ruled incomplete. It brought up third-and-seven on the 20. UNM called timeout with 4:33 left in the second quarter.

Nelson was sacked for a loss of eight on the play, which probably isn't what Bob Toledo had in mind after the timeout.

Kenny Byrd stepped up for a 45-yard field-goal attempt. Byrd hit and the Lobos extended their lead to 27-0 with 3:39 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 01:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kevin O'Connell dumped the ball out of bounds under pressure, while the Lobos flirted with a safety. O'Connell attempted a dump pass on the next play but seemed too worried about the safety to complete it, bringing up third-and-10 at the Aztecs' 8.

The Aztecs called timeout.

UNM nearly got a safety, but O'Connell got rid of the ball just in time. The Aztecs punted from their end zone. Thomas Wilson received the punt and was dropped at the 50-yard line for a two-yard loss on the return.

Posted by ilimon at 01:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chris Nelson's first pass was complete to Yimin Bauman for a 19-yard gain. It was, by far, Nelson's nicest pass of the game. Rodney Ferguson ran for a gain of three. Nelson was sacked on the next play for a loss of six yards. He didn't get any weak side protection and didn't have time to scramble away from the pressure. It brought up third-and-13 at the UNM 46. Nelson's pass was complete to Thomas Wilson, who gained 12 yards on the play, bringing up fourth-and-one. UNM punter Jordan Scott had a nice punt and San Diego State takes over at its eight-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 01:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kevin O'Connell completed a pass to start the second quarter, but the Aztecs were dropped for a two-yard loss on a running play. It brought up third-and-five at the Aztecs' 25. O'Connell's next pass was complete for a gain of 14.

O'Connell's next pass to the right sideline was incomplete. He completed his next pass across the middle for 14 yards, moving the ball to UNM's 47. O'Connell scrambled for again of 15 yards, moving the ball to the Lobos' 32. O'Connell passed for seven yards on the next play. O'Connell held on to the ball too long and was sacked by Major Mosley for a loss of five. Tyler Donaldson tipped O'Connell's next pass and nearly earned an interception but the ball fell incomplete.

Garrett Palmer set up to attempt a 48-yard field goal, but it was a trick play. Palmer's pass fell incomplete and UNM took over on downs. Again.

Posted by ilimon at 01:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another Kenny Byrd touchback.

Chris Nelson only has eight yards passing, but the Lobos lead 24-0. How crazy is that?

This time San Diego State started with a run for a gain of two yards. It marks the merciful end of the first quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 01:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yet another touchback for Kenny Byrd.

It's hard to believe San Diego State beat Air Force this year.

Blake Ligon picked off San Diego State's Kevin O'Connell, running it back for a 24-yard touchdown. Kenny Byrd hit the extra point, pushing UNM up 24-0 with 38 seconds left in the first quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 01:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson ran for eight yards on the first play of the drive. Ferguson ran again to the nine-yard line and just hit 1,000 yards rushing this season. He ran again for no gain, hanging on to his 1,003 rushing yards. Ferguson carried again for four yards. It brought up third-and-goal at the five. Chris Nelson's pass was complete to Travis Brown for a five-yard touchdown. Kenny Byrd hit the extra point, pushing the Lobos ahead 17-0 with 1:04 left in the first quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 01:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd kicked the ball out of the end zone again, forcing the Aztecs to start at their 20-yard line.

Kevin O'Connell's first pass was complete for a gain of six yards. His interceptions have been costly, but he is moving the ball better than Chris Nelson. The Aztecs ran for a three-yard gain, bringing up third-and-one at the Aztecs' 29. O'Connell scrambled for no gain, bringing up a fourth-and-one. The Aztecs lost one yard on the play, and the Lobos took over at the San Diego State 29-yard line on downs.

Posted by ilimon at 01:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Aztecs ran for three yards on the first play. They ran again and were dropped for a two-yard loss. It quickly brought up a quick third-and-nine at the Aztecs' 13. UNM got their second interception of the day, with DeAndre Wright picking off Kevin O'Connell on his left side. The ball was spotted at the Aztecs' 26.

Rodney Ferguson ran on the Lobos' first play of the drive and ran it in for a 26-yard touchdown.

Kenny Byrd hit the extra point, pushing the Lobos ahead 10-0 with 5:24 left in the first quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson ran for nine yards for his first carry of the day. Chris Nelson's threw an wobbly pass behind Marcus Smith, and it fell incomplete. Ferguson ran for three yards on the next play and a first down. Nelson isn't looking so good early here.

Ferguson ran for 11 yards on the next play, shaking off some defenders. Nelson's next pass to Travis Brown also was off and incomplete. He passed up open receivers to force the ball to Brown. Ferguson had another big run, jumping over a defender to get the last few yards on a 13-yard rumble, giving UNM a first down on Aztecs' 45-yard line.

Paul Baker carried on the next play for a yard. He went left and the Aztecs were ready for the run. Nelson scrambled out of a quickly collapsing pocket on the next play and actually got the ball safely out of bounds without a penalty. That's progress for a guy who has struggled to get rid of the ball quickly and was sacked a lot earlier this season.

Nelson's next throw was short and nearly intercepted, bringing up fourth-and-nine at the San Diego State 44.

Nelson is not looking good at all.

The Lobos punted and the Aztecs took a fair catch at their 12-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd sent his second kickoff sailing out of the end zone for a touchback.

Kevin O'Connell scrambled for a nine-yard run to open the Aztecs' second drive of the game. Brandon Bornes ran on the next play for a gain of 10 yards. O'Connell threw out of bounds, then completed his next pass for a gain of 11 yards.

San Diego State is moving the ball pretty well so far, with the exception of the interception.

O'Connell overthrew his receiver on the next play and it was incomplete, bringing up second-and-10 on the 50. O'Connell's next pass was on target, but his receiver dropped it to bring up a big third down for the Aztecs. O'Connell scrambled and threw the ball away to avoid a sack.

The Aztecs punted and Thomas Wilson took a fair catch at the UNM 19-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chris Nelson went long to Travis Brown on the right side but was just short. The refs calle pass interfence, giving the Lobos a first down at the Aztecs' 22. Nelson's next pass intended to Mulchrone also was way short. Nelson's next pass across the middle was complete to Brown for five yards. It brought up third-and-five at the San Diego State 17. Nelson threw into traffic to Marcus Smith for a loss of two yards.

Not sure why they didn't run with Rodney Ferguson playing so well lately, but a field goal is fine for now.

Kenny Byrd stepped up and hit a 35-yard field goal. The Lobos lead San Diego State 3-0 with 11.54 left in the first quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

San Diego State returned the opening kick to the 12-yard line. Kevin O'Connell passed for a 15-yard gain on the Aztecs' first play. Then the Aztecs ran the ball for no gain. O'Connell dropped back to pass again and it was intercepted by Cody Kase at the Aztecs' 37-yard line for no return.

Posted by ilimon at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

and is kicking off.

Posted by ilimon at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

They are introducing the seniors for what many hope is not their final game in University Stadium.

I just hope the New Mexico Bowl isn't turned off by the tiny crowd. I don't think I've ever seen it this empty for a game that means so much.

Posted by ilimon at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's tough to stop BYU 12 yards away from the endzone. The Cougars scored, pulling ahead 42-17 with 4:53 left in the game.

Actually, the run came up short, but BYU scored on the next play.

I'm heading down early to make sure I get a chance to talk with the Lobos about the game. Come back and visit Lobo Zone soon for a complete Web story.

Posted by ilimon at 04:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chris Nelson made a pretty good pass to Rodney Ferguson under pressure for a gain of nine. The Ferguson carried for on third-and-one, and was stopped for no gain with 7:41 left in the game.

UNM went for it, a dangerous proposition in BYU territory and Ferguson was stuffed after gaining an inch on a rushing attempt straight up the middle.

Posted by ilimon at 04:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BYU moved the ball well again and seemed poised to score, but OJ Swift picked it off and ran it back to UNM 12.

Posted by ilimon at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Travis Brown ran for a six-yard gain on a reverse, bringing up third-and-14. Nelson was sacked to end the drive. It appeared it could have been a penalty driving Nelson into the ground, but nothing was called. UNM punted and BYU starts at its 24.

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

Opps. BYU had great kickoff coverage and UNM started at its 5-yard line, waking up the rabid Cougars crowd.

Rodney Ferguson gave the Lobos a huge lift, running for nine yards and pushing past BYU defenders on the sidelines to the dismay of Cougars fans. The Quillen ran for a first down at the UNM 19. Chris Nelson threw an incomplete pass and the crowd let him hear it.

The BYU fans stayed pretty loud, but Ferguson ran ahead for seven yards to set up third-and-three. Then Nelson ran for the first down and appeared to protect himself enough to avoid any big hits. Ferguson ran again for seven yards. Ferguson ran again on second down and was wrapped up from behind for a loss of two. The crowd roared again on third-and-five at the UNM 36. Nelson still managed to hit Thomas Wilson for a gain of eight yards and a first down.

Nelson rolled way out to his right and fell down in the backfield. It was a loss of 10 and BYU was credited with a sack to end the third quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 04:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM had pretty good kickoff coverage, with BYU starting at its 16.

The BYU crowd is pretty quiet right now.

The Cougars gained three on a run, then John Beck hit McKay Jacobsen for a 26-yard gain. Then Beck hit Michael Reed for a gain of 13. Then the Cougars ran for another first down, marching up the field. Beck passed for another first down, moving to the UNM 15 in a flash. Beck hit Reed again for a gain of 11, making it first and goal at the 4.

Beck fired up the student section while in the huddle, then hit Matt Allen in the corner of the endzone for a touchdown. The extra point was good, pushing BYU ahead 35-17 with 4:58 left.

I suspect he got made about that interception and toyed with the Lobos on that drive.

Posted by ilimon at 04:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BYU countered with a pretty good opening run of its own, with Curtis Brown running for 20 yards. UNM's Tyler Donaldson then sacked John Beck, setting up second-and-17 at the BYU 32. Beck's next pass was complete to Brown, who gained 11 on the play. Beck threads the ball so well in traffic. He hit Michael Reed for a 19-yard gain and big first down at the UNM 38.

Big Quincy Black picked off Beck and ran it back 88 yards for a touchdown.

Kenny Byrd hit the extra point, making the score BYU 28, New Mexico 17 with 8:56 left in the third quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson had a huge run to start the half, going 45 yards to the BYU 35. Then the Lobos used an option toss to Travis Brown for a 35-yard touchdown. That was 80 yards in two plays. Apparently, no lead is safe with the Lobos.

BYU challenged the call, arguing Brown stepped out. Luckily for the Lobos, Brown has really skinny feet and he stayed in bounds en route to the end zone.

The refs agreed with my take, Kenny Byrd hit the extra point and UNM is mounting a comeback.

Posted by ilimon at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos had some promising drives, but they certainly can't afford turnovers against a team as talented and experienced as BYU.

UNM isn't just rolling over, but the team has to find ways to make more defensive stops and score on offense. And not just field goals. The trading touchdowns for field goals math doesn't work out in the Lobos' favor.

BYU already has more than 400 yards total offense, which is insane. UNM is getting some pressure on Beck, but he still has way too many options and is smart enough to find the best ones.

Want good news? The Lobos were down by more at the half against TCU.

Want more good news? There's a 99.9 percent chance the Lobos don't need this game to go to a bowl game.

Want even more good news? The Linz isn't hear to pick on the Lobos.

With that, let's get ready for the second half.

Posted by ilimon at 03:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos tried to mount a drive, but Nelson was picked off and BYU returned it to around the 11-yard line with 13.1 seconds left. BYU was called for a personal foul penalty on the return. It gave the Cougars a first-and-10 a the 35. John Beck's pass was broken up by Ian Clark, so BYU went for a 53-yard field goal. The kick was blocked making the score 28-3 BYU at the half.

Posted by ilimon at 03:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BYU started at its 6-yard line, which would be dangerous for most teams. John Beck got the Cougars a first down, but he was hit again for the Lobos. They can only hope those swipes add up. Doesn't look like it fazed Beck. On the next play, he threw a perfect pass in decent UNM coverage for a 25-yard gain. Ouch. Beck threw an incomplete pass, then hit McKay Jacobson for another huge gain to bring up first and goal at the nine.

Aleem Harris hit Beck again, doing his part to the rattle the quarterback. UNM stopped the next run play, but Beck was patient in the pocket on the third-and-goal. He found Curtis Brown wide open in the right corner of the end zone for another touchdown. The extra point was good and BYU leads 28-3 with 1:02 left in the first half.

Well, it's not quite as bad as TCU yet.

Posted by ilimon at 03:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well this time the Lobos didn't turn the ball over, but they couldn't sustain a drive. Chris Nelson did throw a good pass to Marcus Smith that would have kept the drive alive, but Smith tipped it and let it fall to the ground. UNM punted and had solid coveraging, forcing BYU to take over its six-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 03:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM's defense picked up a huge stop, turning BYU away in the red zone. DeAndre Wright had a huge deflection in the end zone to force the turnover on downs.

The Lobos may be overmatched, but they're fighters.

Posted by ilimon at 03:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos started the next drive on their 22-yard line.

Rodney Ferguson got the team off on the right track with a 12-yard run. Then Nelson bounced back by rolling to the left and hitting Travis Brown on the left sideline for a gain of 17. As bad as the score looks, UNM is moving the ball.

Ferguson ran on the next play for five yards, moving the ball up to the BYU 45-yard line. Nelson threw to Matt Quillen on the next play for no gain to bring up third-and-five. The more time Nelson has, the more he seems to throw behind his receivers.

On the big third-down, Nelson was almost sacked but BYU was called for a personal foul face mask. It was a 15-yard penalty and automatic first down.

So the Lobos moved to the BYU 29.

Paul Baker carried on the next play and fumbled away the Lobos' progress. BYU recovered at its 29-yard line. At the last second before BYU started its drive, it appears UNM asked for the play to be reviewed. It's hard to tell whether there was enough evidence to reverse the call, although I think he was down before the fumble.

The refs upheld the play and BYU takes over at its 29.

Posted by ilimon at 02:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's like open target practice for John Beck, but the Lobos are lucky he's missed the long ones early in the drive. But UNM let Beck take his chances too many times, and he finally connected with Jonny Harline for a 71-yard touchdown pass. He managed to outrun Quincy Black for the touchdown, which isn't easy to do. The extra point was good, so BYU took a 21-3 lead with 13:26 left in the second quarter.

The only bright note for the Lobos is Beck was hit by Aleem Harris as he was throwing the ball. Beck looks fine, but those aren't easy hits to take.

Posted by ilimon at 02:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chris Nelson hit Travis Brown for a huge gain of 31 yards when it looked like the Lobos' drive was dead. The Lobos are fighting back a lot earlier than usual.

Then Chris Nelson had two errant passes in a row followed by a BYU interception that was intended for Travis Brown. There's a debate whether it was Brown's fault for not looking for the pass or if Nelson threw too late or too early.

Regardless, it's a turnover.

Posted by ilimon at 02:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BYU took a touchback on the kickoff.

Curtis Brown ran for four yards on the first play, then John Beck threw the ball out of bounds. It brought up third-and-six at the BYU 24. And suddenly the soldout stadium is a lil' quiet. Beck's pass intended for McKay Jacobsen was incomplete and was broken up Glover Quin. BYU fans wanted pass interfence, but they didn't get it. BYU punted and UNM took over at its 38.

Posted by ilimon at 02:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My flight was delayed and I ran into a slew of other trouble, but I was in the parking lot by kickoff.

BYU jumped out to a 14-0 lead with 6:56 left in the gam. Cougar Curtis Brown took over as the Cougars' all-time rushing leader and John Beck already has passed for 100 yards.

The Lobos went four-and-out on their first drive. The second one looks a little better and at the very worst will get the defense a little better field position to deal with off a decent punt.

Rodney Ferguson had a good run on the drive and Chris Nelson completed a pass across the middle to Matt Quillen for a first down. Then Nelson hit John Mulchrone to keep the drive going with a gain of 12 yards. Nelson hit Mulchrone for another 16.

Nelson went to Mulchrone again, but this time he was dropped for a loss of one at BYU 12-yard line. Ferguson carried on the next play for three yards. Then UNM was called for false start. It was five-yard penalty, bringing up third-and-12 at the 14. Nelson's pass intended for Mulchrone was incomplete on the play. The pass was pretty far behind Mulchrone in traffic.

A BYU player was hurt while deflecting the pass, stopping the clock for the Lobos at 3:05 left in the first quarter. Senior kicker Kenny Byrd stepped up and a 31-yard field goal. BYU now leads the Lobos 14-3 with 3:01 left in the game.

Well the Lobos were late arrivers like me, but they're showing signs of life.

Posted by ilimon at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm covering the women's basketball team at the Arizona State tournament, so Tribune sports ace Phil Parker will be providing all your live play-by-play analysis on his blog. You can get to his blog by visiting this link. He will start blogging around kickoff, which 3:30 p.m.

And, of course, the Linz will be offering his take following the game.

I'll be kicking back watching the action online via CSTV's pay per view site. You can buy the game by visiting the CSTV link on the upper right corner of golobos.com.

Posted by ilimon at 02:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My postgame story is up, and I'm going to get a head start on my long drive back. It is a shame this game wasn't on TV because it was pretty exciting. I hope you all still enjoyed it.

Posted by ilimon at 08:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM fumbled the first snap and Donovan Porterie recovered for a loss of one. Rodney Ferguson then ran for 15 yards. Porterie hit Ferguson for a six yard gain that was mostly run. It brought up second-and-four at the UNM 41 with 2:07 left in the game. Porterie rolled to the right side and scrambled six yards for a first down at the UNM 47.

Porterie hit John Mulchrone on the left side for 23 yards. UNM jumped ahead to CSU's 30-yard line with 1:54 left. Porterie's pass was complete to Marcus Smith for a gain of four yards but the clock keeps running. Ferguson ran for a one-yard gain on the next play. The Lobos faced a third-and-five at the CSU 25 with 1:00 left in the game. CSU called timeout.

The good news is UNM is definitely in Kenny Byrd territory.

CSU was called for offsides, giving the Lobos five yards and a huge first down. UNM has a first down at the CSU 20. Ferguson ran to the left side but was dropped for a one-yard loss with 42 seconds left in the game and the clock running. Ferguson ran again for five yards, and the clock ticked down to one second. UNM finally called timeout facing a third-and-six from the 16-yard line.

The Lobos all took a knee on their sideline, hoping for another huge comeback.

Kenny Byrd stepped up for a 33-yard field goal attempt. The CSU fans roared in attempt to ice him. It was good. It was Byrd's third career game winner.

I'm heading down to interview players and coaches. Check back soon for a complete story.

Posted by ilimon at 06:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The UNM defense needs to make yet another big play here.

Caleb Hanie completed his pass to Johnny Walker, who was dropped for a loss of one. Nnamdi Ohaeri ran on the next play for no gain, bringing up a huge third-and-11 at the CSU 39. Hanie's pass intended for Luke Roberts was broken up by Quincy Black. It forced CSU to punt with 3:28 left in the game.

UNM ran the punt back five yards to its 21-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 06:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Since it worked before, UNM's offense needs to step up and make a big play. If it's good for the defense, it might work for the offense too.

Rodney Ferguson ran for five yards to start the drive. Ferguson carried again for four yards. Ferguson carried again and gained two yards for the first down. Porterie rolled out, appeared to stumble and was sacked for a loss of eight yards. It brought up second-and-18 at the UNM 28. Porterie threw into traffic toward Travis Brown. Brown tipped it and UNM was lucky CSU did not grab it. It brought up a huge third-and-18 at the UNM 28. Porterie's pass was complete to Thomas Wilson, who gained five yards on the play.

UNM punted on fourth-and-13 at its 33. CSU's ran the punt back back to its 40-yard line with 5:15 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 06:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just for kicks, I say the UNM defense has to make a big play again. It worked on the last drive.

Colorado State's Damon Morton returned the kickoff to the CSU 19-yard line.

Nnamdi Ohaeri ran for a loss of one yard on the first play of the drive. Hanie's next pass was complete for no gain. It brought up third-and-11 at the 18. Hanie found Dustin Osborn across the middle and he gained 22 yards on the play. It gave CSU a first down at its 40.

Hanie's next pass was incomplete. His pass was complete to Luke Roberts for a gain of eight yards. It brought up third-and-two at the CSU 48. Hanie hit Osborn again across the middle for a gain of 29 yards on the play. These passes have been comparable to the gains UNM got against Utah. I'm not sure what safety Tyson Ditmore was doing on coverage, but it hasn't been very good.

Hanie's next pass intended for Luke Roberts was incomplete, bringing up second-and-10. Hanie's next pass was complete to Osborn for a gain of six yards. It brought up another big third-and-four at the UNM 17. Tyler Donaldson sacked Hanie for a loss of eight yards and put it on the left hash mark of the 25-yard line.

CSU kicker Jason Smith stepped up for a 42-yard field goal attempt. He missed, giving the Lobos a huge edge and the ball on the UNM 25.

Posted by ilimon at 06:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Colorado State fumbled the ball on the return, but recovered it at the CSU 31 with 28 seconds left in the third quarter.

UNM needs a little help from its defense here, with some kind of big play.

Caleb Hanie's first pass was complete to Kory Sperry for a gain of four yards. Damon Morton carried on the reverse and was tackled by Michael Tuohy for a loss of nine yards. It brought up third-and-15 from the CSU 26 as time ran out in the third quarter. The teams had time to regroup with the end of period timeout, then Quincy Black picked off Hanie's next pass and ran it back to the CSU 15. UNM was called for holding, bouncing UNM back to the 25.

Donovan Porterie stepped back and hit Travis Brown on the right side for a 35-yard touchdown. Kenny Byrd hit an extra point, making the score New Mexico 17, Colorado State 19 with 14:34 left in the fourth quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 05:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marcus Smith ran the kickoff back from the endzone to the 17-yard line.

This is a big drive for the Lobos with 1:54 left in the third quarter.

Donovan Porterie's first pass was complete to Marcus Smith for a gain of 14 yards. The Lobos had a reverse situation on a great trick play that had Smith open down field. But Porterie didn't set up and underthrew Smith, who was wide open up the field for a touchdown. Instead, the play brought up second-and-10 at the 31. Rodney Ferguson danced way too much on the next play and was dropped for no gain, It brought up a huge third down. Porterie had time but overthrew Smith around the CSU 40-yard line.

The Lobos punted again.

Posted by ilimon at 05:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Caleb Hanie's first pass to Dustin Osborn on the right side was broken up by Glover Quin. Hanie went back to Osborn on the left side and he gained 10 yards on the pass for a first down at the UNM 30. Osborn hit Damon Morton on a fade route. Morton hauled in a one-handed grab with Glover Quin on his heels. The play was reviewed and upheld, but it was either a muffed extra point or bad two-point conversion attempt. CSU extended it's lead to 19-10 over the Lobos.

The Lobos are going to have to snap out of their funk in hurry. Colorado State is getting a bunch of shots at long passes and making big plays because the Lobos are getting any significant heat on the Rams quarterback.

Posted by ilimon at 05:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Marcus Smith returned CSU's kickoff from the endzone to the 21-yard line. UNM began its drive with 5:40 left in the third quarter.

Rodney Ferguson ran on the first play of the drive up the middle for two yards. Donovan Porterie was in the pocket for a few seconds, avoided one hit and then was sacked for a loss of three yards. It brought up third-and-11 at the UNM 20. Porterie had more time and hit Marcus Smith for a 15-yard gain and first down at the UNM 35. The ball was a little low, but Smith came back to it and scooped it up before sliding down.

Porterie looked for Matt Quillen on a screen pass to the left side, but overthrew him. Porterie passed to Jason Caprioli for a gain of eight yards. Caprioli also had to come back for the ball, diving for it. It brought up third-and-two at the 42. There was a fumble on the snap and CSU recovered at UNM's 40-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 05:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jumping into the Colorado State first drive of the half, Glover Quin was called for pass interference, and CSU was called for holding so the penalties offset eachother. Colorado State gained 13 yards on the next pass play, bringing up first-and-10 at the UNM 34.

Nnamdi Ohaeri ran on the next play for a loss of one yard. Hanie's next pass was intended to Luke Roberts, who tipped it and the Lobos couldn't grab it. It brought up a huge third-and-11 at the UNM 35. Hanie completed a pass to Johnny Walker, who was hit hard by Quin but held onto the ball. Walker was injured on the play, but CSU got the 12-yard gain and first down at the UNM 23. Hanie's next pass intended for Korey Sperry sailed out of the right corner of the endzone and was uncathable. Damon Walker ran for two yards to the UNM 21. Hanie had Damon Morton relatively open on a fade route in the left corner of the endzone, but the receiver dropped the ball.

Colorado State's Jason Smith hit a 38-yard field goal to push the Rams ahead 13-10 with 5:52 left in the third quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 05:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I had some techincal difficulties and am back a little late from halftime.

The Lobos couldn't score on the opening drive, and Coloraoad State just crossed midfield on its first possession of the second half.

Posted by ilimon at 05:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos returned the ball to their 20. Donovan Porterie's first pass was complete to Marcus Smith on the right side for a 20-yard gain but there was flag on the play. UNM was called for a personal foul and the gain was erased. Porterie's next pass intended for Smith up the right side of the field was overthrown and fell incomplete. It brought up second-and-10 at the UNM 25. Porterie's next pass intended for Travis Brown on the left side was high. It brought up third-and-10 for the Lobos. There was a flag on the next play. UNM moved back again after being called for false start. It brought up third-and-15 at the Lobos' 20. Rodney Ferguson ran for no gain on the next play.

Colorado State called timeout to stop the clock with 36 seconds left in the half.

Jordan Scott's punt went out of bounds at the 38 with 29 seconds left in the half. Herbert Felder sacked Caleb Hanie for a loss of nine yards on the first play of the drive. CSU called timeout to stop the clock at 14 seconds. DeAndre Wright patted away Hanie's next pass intended for Dustin Obsorn. It brought up third-and-19 with eight seconds left. Hanie ran for eight yards as the clock ran out in the second quarter. UNM called a timeout just before time ran out to make CSU punt. Hanie ran the ball on fourth down for a 12-yard gain and a meaningless first down as time ran out in the half.

The curse of the second quarter struck again for the Lobos and the momentum they picked up the first quarter was erased. The good news is they only go into halftime tied at 10 instead of down 14 points. We'll see how they pick up in the second half.

Posted by ilimon at 04:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos took a knee in the endzone and started the next drive at their 20.

Donovan Porterie's pass was intended to Travis Brown, but it was thrown into heavy traffic on the right sideline and fell incomplete after Brown tipped it. Rodney Ferguson ran up the middle on the next play for a gain of three yards. It brought up a quick third-and-seven at the UNM 23. The Lobos fumbled on the snap, but Porterie recovered the ball for a loss of two yards.

New Mexico quickly punted. Damon Morten returned it to the UNM 45, but there was a flag on the play. Colorado State was called for an illegal block to the back and was bounced back to its 30-yard line to start the drive.

Caleb Hanie's pass was complete to Dustin Osborn for no gain. Hanie scrambled out of pressure on the right side of the field and ran the opposite direction across the field for a gain of nine yards. It was the Rams' longest rush from scrimmage today. Nnamdi Ohaeri ran for two yards on the next play and a first down at the CSU 41.

Hanie threw the ball out of bounds to the right side on the next play. He didn't have a ton of pressure, so I'm not sure if that was intentional or the ball just caught extra air. Hanie danced in the shotgun pocket and was sacked for a loss of four yards. It brought up third-and-14 at the CSU 37. Hanie dropped back and completed a pass to Damon Morton in triple coverage. It slipped through George Carter's hands and was quite a reception. The Rams moved all the way to the UNM 37 on the play.

Morton took a direct snap on the next play and gained three yards. It brought up second-and-seven at the UNM 32. DeAndre Wright broke up Hanie's long pass attempt near the endzone, but it looked like he could have picked it off if he had not chosen to bat it down. It brought up third-and-seven at the UNM 32. Hanie's next pass was intended for Luke Roberts, but it was broken up by Glover Quin. It brought up fourth-and-seven at the 32.

CSU's Jason Smith completed a 49-yard field goal, a career long. It tied the game at 10 with 1:36 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 04:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Caleb Hanie started the drive with an eight-yard pass. Then Hanie handed off to Nnamdi Ohaeri, who ran for a first down the UNM 43. Hanie then picked up a huge pass across the the middle for a gain of 19 yards. It brought up a first down at the UNM 24. Damon Morton ran to the left side on the next play and gained eight yards to the UNM 16. Hanie's next pass into the far right corner of the endzone was covered well by Glover Quin and fell incomplete. Ohaeri carried on the next play, a third-and-two, and gained eight yards. It brought up first-and-goal at the nine. Brett Madsen was injured on the play and was helped off the field.

Hanie's next pass was complete to Kory Sperry, who gained four yards. Ohaeri ran for one yard on the next play, bringing up third-and-goal at the 4-yard line. Hanie's next pass was complete to Morton for a four-yard touchdown. Morton slipped behind Tyson Ditmore on the left side and caught the touchdown strike over his shoulder. Colorado State hit the extra point, making the score 10-7 with 7:58 left in the second quarter.

The press box announcer just reported Colorado State starting receiver Johnny Walker has a rib and chest bruise. He is being evaluated and it is unclear whether he will return this game.

Posted by ilimon at 04:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson carried on the first play for one yard. He stumbled and ran right into traffic going up the middle. Porterie dropped back to pass to Marcus Smith and was nearly picked off. Smith was covered well and the pass was a little behind him. It brought up third-and-nine at the UNM 22. Poterie overthrew Smith on the right side, forcing UNM to punt.

Jordan Scott punted and CSU took a fair catch at its 43-yard line.

Porterie had good coverage, he just was a little off this series.

Posted by ilimon at 04:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CSU returned the kickoff from the endzone 18 yards to open the second quarter.

Caleb Hanie's first pass was complete to Damon Morton for a gain of 10 yards. Nnamdi Ohaeri ran on the next play, but Tyler Donaldson dropped him for a loss of one. Hanie had a lot time in the pocket and completed his next pass to Walker, who gained eight yards on the play. It brought up third-and-three at the CSU 35. Hanie's pass intended for Kory Sperry was behind him and fell incomplete, forcing another CSU punt.

Thomas Wilson evaded one tackle after the catch and ran the punt back to the UNM 31-yard line.A penalty was called on UNM for a block to the back, pushing the Lobos back to their 21-yard line to start the drive.

Posted by ilimon at 04:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson carried on the first play, but he was stopped for no gain. Ferguson ran to the middle instead of the left side where it looked like he would have more room and gained four yards. It brought up third-and-six. There was a flag on the next play. It was false start on New Mexico, boucning the Lobos back for third-and-11 at their 19. Donovan Porterie kept the drive alive by hitting Thomas Wilson across the middle for a 13-yard gain. Porterie's getting good protection so far today and making the most of it.

Porterie's next pass to Travis Brown was complete for a 14-yard gain. It gave the Lobos a first down at their 46. Porterie handed off to Martelius Epps, selling the drop back for the pass first, but the Rams weren't fooled. Epps was stopped for no gain and really had nowhere to go on the carry. Ferguson stumbled to start the next run, then regained his footing and broke off a 25-yard gain. It gave UNM a first down at CSU's 28.

Epps carried on the next play for four yards. Epps carried again, this time running to the far left side for a gain of two yards. It brought up third-and-four at the CSU 22. Porterie threw into traffic to Marcus Smith, but it broken up by Ram Darryl Williams.

Kenny Byrd stepped up for a 39-yard field goal with one second left in the first quarter. It was good, pushing the Lobos ahead 10-0. Byrd has hit 21 straight field goals inside the 40-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Rams started again on their 20.

Caleb Hanie connected with Johnny Walker for an 11-yard pass, moving the ball to the 31-yard line. Nnamdi Ohaeri ran on the next play to the right side for a gain of eight. Ohaeri ran again, this time up the middle, and got three yards on the play.

Hanie passed on the next play to Walker on the left side, gaining nine yards on the play. Ohaeri ran to the left on the next play, but he was stuffed for a loss of one. It brought up third-and-two on the 50-yard line for the Rams. Hanie overthrew Dustin Osborn on the next play, forcing Colorado State to punt.

Thomas Wilson took a fair catch at the UNM 20-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 03:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie connected with Travis Brown for a seven-yard catch to start the drive. Then Rodney Ferguson danced for a first down, gaining five yards in traffic. Marcus Smith carried on the next play for two yards. Porterie's next pass was complete to Jason Caprioli, who was tackled immediately after catching the ball and gained three yards. It brought up third-and-five. Porterie rolled out and hit Marcus Smith for a 13-yard gain and first down at the CSU 25.

Porterie's next pass intended for Smith sailed way high out of the endzone, but there was a flag on the play. I'm not sure how it could be considered a catchable ball, but pass interference was called on the Rams. It gave New Mexico first and goal at the 10. Ferguson rushed for seven yards on the next play, He seems to be bouncing off defenders well today. Ferguson was dropped for a loss of two on the next carry. Both runs were to the right side, and the Rams were ready for the second one. Ferguson changed it up for a five-yard touchdown run up the midde. Kenny Byrd hit the extra point but there was a flag on the play. It was an offsides penalty on CSU but UNM declined the penalty, giving the Lobos a 7-0 lead with 8:12 left in the first quarter.

The Lobos moved the ball well and seemed to handle CSU's pressure. It's a really good start for New Mexico, which could pick up a huge psychological edge if it jumps out to a big lead after the Rams have struggled so much lately. We'll see what happens on the next CSU drive.

Posted by ilimon at 03:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CSU started at its 20. The Rams carried three times, with receiver Johnny Walker taking a direct snap on third-and-eight. Walker was dropped for a four-yard loss. The Rams punted and Thomas Wilson ran it back to the the UNM 44.

It was a strange start for Colorado State that gave UNM nice field position.

Posted by ilimon at 03:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm not sure if our staff predictions were posted online this week, so here they are real quick:

Iliana Limon
Lobos 24
CSU 21

Van Tate
Lobos 21
CSU 14

Richard Stevens
Lobos 13
CSU 21

Posted by ilimon at 03:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The coin toss was at the 20-yard line so the CSU band could line up for the Colorado State march into the field. Not nice.

Posted by ilimon at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's a beautiful, sunny and clear day in Fort Collins. The teams are about to take the field.

Posted by ilimon at 03:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brice McCain returned the kickoff to the Utah 34. The Utes get the ball with 1:55 left in the game.

Brett Ratliff hit Brian Hernandez for an 11-yard gain. He hit Hernandez for a five yard play. The clock stopped at 1:32 due to an injured Utah player. Ratliff just barely overthrew Derrek Richards. It brought up third-and-five at the Utah 49 with 1:27 left. Ratliff's pass appeared to be intercepted but there was some debate. The officials ruled it was complete to Bradon Godfrey for three yards, to bring up fourth-and-two with 1:03 left. Utah called timeout. On the next play, Ratliff kept the ball and did not appear to get the first down. The clock stopped at 1:00 and the Utes got a good spot. It was one yard short and the Lobos took over on downs. It's their game. All they have to do is protect the ball for one minute.

I gotta ask who are these guys? They don't even run this well in practice. This was a huge night for the offense. I'm heading down to the locker room for reaction. Check Lobo Zone for a story very soon.

Posted by ilimon at 10:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marcus Smith ran the kickoff back to the UNM 22.

Rodney Ferguson carried for seven yards on the first play of the drive. The clock is down to 5:18. Ferguson ran for nine yards and a clock-stopping first down. It moved the ball to the UNM 43 with 4:51 left. Porterie's pass was complete Marcus Smith, who had a nice 18-yard catch. Porterie traversed the backfield and was eventually sacked for a loss of two yards. Porterie's pass was complete to Ferguson who stayed on his feet for a three-yard gain under pressure. It brought up a big third-and-nine with 3:57 left. Porterie scrambled and ran for 16 yards before sliding down safely without being tackled. Porterie's pass to Marcus Smith was a little short and incomplete. It brought up second-and-10 at the Utah 27 with 3:25 left in the game. Ferguson ran for 18 yards to the Utah 9. Porterie hit Travis Brown for an eight yard gain, bringing up second-and-goal at the one with 2:29 left. Epps ran to the right side for a one-yard touchdown. Kenny Byrd hit the extra point and UNM jumped back ahead 34-31 with 2:09 left.

Posted by ilimon at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brett Ratlliff ran for five yards, bringing up second-and-goal at the three. Ratliff's pass to Wilson was incomplete, bringing up third and goal. Ratliff's pass was complete to Brian Hernandez in the back of the endzone. The officials reversed the play on the field and called the pass incomplete. Then the play was under review. It doesn't look like a touchdown, but it's a tough call. It was finally ruled a touchdown. Utah earned the extra point and collected a 31-27 lead with 6:18 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 09:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Utah lost another player. Running back Darryl Poston is out with a knee injury and is not expected to return. That hurts. He had two touchdowns.

Rodney Ferguson ran on the first play of the drive for a loss of two. The Lobos have to be careful not to lose their aggression cause there's a lot of time left. Donovan Porterie rolled out to pass and hit Travis Brown on the sideline for a gain of 17 yards. Porterie pitched to Martelius Epps, who ran for five yards on the play. It brought up second and five at the UNM 40. Robert Turner jumped offsides, so UNM faced second and 10 at the UNM 35. Porterie's pass intended for Luke Walters was incomplete and it was surprising there was no flag on the play. Porterie's pass intended for Thomas Wilson. sailed high and was intercepted by Eric Shyne. He was tackled on the return by Robert Turner. There was personal foul penalty called on UNM, giving the Lobos a loss of 15.

Posted by ilimon at 09:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd got in the way on Brice McCain's kickoff return, saving a touchdown. McCain ran it back 54 yards to the UNM 46.

Brent Casteel took the option pitch for three yards. Brett Ratliff's next pass was tipped by Quincy Black but fell incomplete. It brought up a big third-and-seven. Ratliff's best pass was overthrown and intended for Brian Hernandez. Utah punted for a touchback and UNM took over at its 20.

Posted by ilimon at 09:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson ran for four yards on the first play. Donovan Porterie threw a screen pass across the middle, a rare but relatively easy throw, and hit Travis Brown for a gain of 21 yards. The Lobos moved to the Utah 41. Porterie threw across the middle again to Brown for eight yards. Ferguson ran again, for one yard. It brought up third-and-one. Ferguson ran again but was dropped for a loss of one. The Lobos called timeout and went for it. Porterie's pass intended to Brown was incomplete, but Utah's Eric Weddle was called for pass interference on the play and the Lobos earned a first down at the 29. Ferguson carried for a six-yard gain. Porterie was in the pocket but waited a little too long and made a smart move to throw the ball away. He could have run for a first down but, as I said, he waited too long. It brought up third-and-four at the Utah 23. Ferguson broke a lot of tackles, at least three, for a 17-yard gain. It brought up first-and-goal at the five. Porterie threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Brown.

Kenny Byrd hit the extra point, pushing the Lobos ahead 27-24 with 10:20 left in the fourth quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 09:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brett Ratliff's pass deep to Derrek Richards was incomplete, and Glover Quin was credited with breaking up the pass. It looked like Ratliff was wide open for a huge run going the other way.

Utah punted 19 yards and UNM takes over at its 34.

Posted by ilimon at 09:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd earned a touchback, and Utah started on its 20.

Brett Ratliff completed his first pass of the drive to Marquis Wilson for a six-yard gain. Darryl Poston ran on the next play for no gain. It brought up third-and-six at the Utah 26. Ratliff's pass was complete to Wilson, who gained six yards and a first down at the Utah 32. Ratliff kept the ball for a nine-yard gain on the play. Poston ran but there was a holding penalty on Utah, pushing the Utes back to second-and-eight at the 34. Ratliff completed his next pass for five yards to Derrek Richards. It brought up third-and-three. Ratliff hit Freddie Brown for a six-yard gain. Then Poston picked up five yards. Poston ran again for a loss of three yards. It brought up third-and-eight and the end of the third quarter.

Utah's starting defensive tackle Kelly Talavou injured his knee and will not return.

Posted by ilimon at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie hit Marcus Smith for 36 yards, picking apart Utah's secondary again. Martelius Epps was in serious danger of getting dropped for at least a five yard loss but worked hard for a three-yard gain on the next carry. Porterie found Travis Brown open on the right side again for a 14-yard gain to the Utah 14. Rodney Ferguson ran on the next play for six yards. Ferguson carried again, this time for three yards to bring up third-and-one at the Utah 4. Porterie kept it for two yards. Epps was stuck in the backfield again, this time he couldn't shake off tackles and was dropped for a loss of one yard. It could have been worse, but it wasn't pretty either. Porterie's pass was incomplete to Matt Quillen, bringing up third-and-goal at the four. Porterie gave an option toss to Epps on the left side, but it was dropped for a loss of one. Kenny Byrd hit a 21-yard field goal.

The Lobos are exploding on offense, showing their best effort of the season. This is an unbelievable turnaround. It's huger than UNLV because the offense is doing the scoring, although a TD obviously would have been better on that play.

Posted by ilimon at 09:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Utes took a knee in the endzone and will start at their 20. Looks like Kenny Byrd definitely got some halftime help from the training staff because he's kicking a lot better.

Mike Liti gained three yards on the first play. Brett Ratliff overthrew Brent Casteel, who was on pace to catch the ball and go out at the UNM 40. Instead, the Utes faced third-and-seven. Ratliff completed his next pass to Casteel for 38 yards. Blake Ligon fell down on the coverage. Liti ran for six on the next play to the UNM 34. Casteel carried on the next play and was stuffed by the UNM defense for a one-yard gain. The Utes faced third-and-four at the UNM 33. Ratliff's pass intended to Casteel was incomplete, bringing up fourth-and-four. The Utes went for it. Ratliff's pass intended to Derrek Richards was incomplete. DeAndre Wright covered the play well.

UNM takes over on downs at its 33.

Posted by ilimon at 09:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie's pass was complete to Thomas Wilson, who gained seven yards on the play. Rodney Ferguson ran down the middle for a gain of two yards. It's third-and-a-long one at the Utah 47. Ferguson ran outside and dove for the first down, finishing with four yards on the play.

Porterie pased to Marcus Smith, sniffing out blown coverage. Smith ran down the right side for a 42-yard touchdown. He shook off two tackles, but it didn't look like Smith scored and the play was reviewed. It looked like he was out around the one-yard line from my view of the Mountain's telecast. It's looked like bad camera work, so the play stood. Kenny Byrd hit the extra point, making the score New Mexico 17, Utah 24 with 11:23 left in the third quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lobos kicked off to open the second half. Kenny Byrd, who probably got some IV help at halftime, earned a touchback.

Darryl Poston ran for four yards on the first play of the drive. Poston ran again for a loss of one. Looks like the UNM D may have regrouped at the half. Brett Ratliff's pass was incomplete and was nearly picked off by OJ Swift.

The Utes punted and downed it at the UNM 45.

Tonight's attendance was a season-low 23,471. It is the lowest since Nov. 4, 2000.

Posted by ilimon at 08:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie rolled out and completed a 14-yard pass to Travis Brown. The two are heating up tonight. Porterie's pass was on target to Chris Mark, but he missed it and Utah strangely did not gra an easy pick. Porterie's screen pass was complete to Rodney Ferguson, who gained 13 yards but ran slowly and took a lot of time off the clock.

New Mexico took a timeout with nine seconds left, giving it time to regroup.

Porterie completed his next pass to Thomas Wilson for 17 yards and stopped the clock with two seconds left.

Even though Kenny Byrd was suffering from flu-like symptoms and has had trouble hitting the endzone on kickofs, the Lobos attempted a 62-yard field goal. It was way short and Utah's Eric Weddle attempted to run it back but was stopped around the 10-yard line.

It's the end of the first half and UNM trails 24-10.

Posted by ilimon at 08:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd kicked the ball out again, so Utah stared at its 35. Brett Ratliff's pass was complete to Brent Casteel for a gain of 21 yards. And the Utes are suddenly back in Lobo territory at the 44. Ratliff's next pass was incomplete. Mike Liti ran for six yards on the next play, bringing up third-and-four. The Lobos tipped Ratliff's next pass and nearly earned an interception but couldn't hang onto the ball in the crowd. DeAndre Wright blocked it and Quincy Black missed the grab.

The Utes punted and the Lobos took a fiar catch at the Utah 10-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marus Smith returned the ball from the endzone to the UNM 17.

Donovan Porterie threw across the middle, but it was ahead of John Mulchrone and fell incomplete. Porterie's next pass intended for Smith on the right sideline was incomplete, bringing up third-and-10. There was a flag on the next play, which wnet against the Lobos. They are facing third-and-15 at the 12. Porterie completed his next pass deep across the middle to Travis Brown for a 40-yard gain. That was huge. It should be a confidence booster.

The next play was an end-around by Brown, who gained eight yards on the play. Porterie's next pass to Smith was complete for a 40-yard touchdown pass.

Kenny Byrd's extra point was good.

The Lobos finally came to life on offense, just when they desperately needed it.

The Lobos now trail Utah 24-10 with 2:08 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brett Ratliff's first pass was complete to Derrek Richards for a seven-yard gain. Darryl Poston ran for seven more yards to the Utah 19.

Brent Casteel was able to turn the corner in the backfield and pick up an eight yard rushing gain. Ratliff scrambled and held on to the ball for what seemed like an eternity. He was tackled for no gain. The Utah offensive line dug in and perhaps held Lobos on the play, allowing Ratliff to gain 10 yards on the play. It brought up a first down at the Utah 37. Mike Liti carried for three yards on the next play. Liddy carried again, this time gaining four yards. It brought up third-and-three, but Ratliff completed his next pass to Derrek Richards for 17 yards. Sean Smith picked up nine yards on a reverse play, plowing ahead to the UNM 29. Poston ran for four yards on the next play. Ratliff connected with a wide open Richards for a 26-yard touchdown. The extra point is good, pushing Utah up 24-3 with 3:27 left in the second quarter.

It's looking pretty ugly for the Lobos if they can't come up with a huge turnaround at halftime.

Posted by ilimon at 08:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos need some help on this drive.

Glover Quin got off to a good starter, returning the ball from the goal line to the UNM 30-yard line.

Donovan Porterie pitched to Martelius Epps, who ran for a loss of two on the slow developing play. It brought up second-and-12 at the UNM 28. Porterie stepped back to throw, ran away from pressure and threw out of bounds near Travis Brown. It brought up third-and-12 at the 28. Porterie had a lot of time and settled on Rodney Ferguson, for a gain of two yards.

So it's another punt for the Lobos in their territory.

After going so stinky on the last few punts, Jordan Scott punted for 65 yards and the Lobos downed it at the Utah five.

Posted by ilimon at 07:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brett Ratliff had a ton of time in the pocket and completed an 12-yard pass to Colt Sampson. It pushed the ball the UNM 29. Darryl Poston ran for six yards on the next play to the UNM 23. Poston ran again for seven yards. Ratliff kept the ball on the next play, gaining eight yards. Poston ran for an eight-yard touchdown. The Utes hit the extra point, extending their lead to 17-3 with 9:45 in the second half.

Posted by ilimon at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos were called for a personal foul on the kickoff return, pushing the ball back to UNM's 17.

Martelius Epps ran for one yard to the UNM 18. Donovan Porterie was catching heat up the middle, so he threw a bad screen pass to Rodney Ferguson he was lucky didn't get picked off and only was incomplete. It brought up third-and-nine at the UNM 18. Porterie's pass went through Thomas Wilson's hands and almost was picked off by Utah.

Jordan Scott punted from the Lobos' 6. The punt was worth 42 yards and Maquis Wilson returned it to the UNM 41. This obviously doesn't help the Lobos' defense.

Posted by ilimon at 07:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos nearly picked up an interception, but Brett Ratliff's pass was complete to Bradon Godfrey for a gain of 23 yards and moving the ball the UNM 6-yard line. Ratliff carried on the next play for a gain of three yards. Darryl Poston carried for one yard, bringing up third-and-goal at the UNM two. Ratliff's pass was batted down by Kendall Briscoe, bringing up fourth and goal at the two. Louie Sakoda hit a 19-yard field goal, pushing the Utes up 10-3.

At least the Lobos didn't give up a touchdown.

This could be a long night for the Lobos if the defense can't make some stops and force some turnovers. A little scoring wouldn't hurt either.

Posted by ilimon at 07:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brent Casteel ran for seven yards, then Darryl Poston picked up another two yards. The officials measured his run just inches short of a first down. It brought up third-and-one at the UNM 27. The Lobos needed a big stop. Utah was slapped with a delay of game penalty, pushing the Utes back to third-and-six at the 32. Brett Ratliff completed his pass to Casteel for four yards. The Utes faced fourth-and-one at the UNM 28, but Utah called timeout. Ratliff carried on the play for a gain of one yard.The officials measured and he got the first down, much to the dismay of the relatively small UNM crowd.

There were flags on the next play. Utah was offsides again, bringing up first and 15 at the UNM 32. Casteel carried on the next play, for a gain of three yards. It brought up the end of the first quarter, with the Utes driving the Lobos in danger of falling further behind.

Posted by ilimon at 07:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Martelius Epps ran for eight yards on the first play, shaking off a guy to get a good gain. Epps ran again fora gain of one yard, bringing up third-and-one at the UNM 29. Donovan Porterie fumbled on the play and recovered his own bobble. Utah was credited with a sack by Martaill Burnett for a loss of seven yards.

Jordan Scott put up a bad punt, which bounced back and was downed for 15 yards.

Posted by ilimon at 07:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd was suffering from flu-like symptons and spent the day in the UNM training room getting treatment. He is off to a good start so far.

Utah earned a touchback on kickoff and the Lobos will start at their 20.

Posted by ilimon at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Darryl Poston opened the Utes' drive with a run for a three-yard gain. Poston ran again, this time gaining for four yards. Brett Ratliff carried for a four-yard gain and a first down to the Utah 47. Ratliff passed to Derrek Richards for a gain of 10ish. The officials went to measure it. It was good for 10 yards. There was an offsides penalty on the play, but the Utes took the first down off the pass. Mike Liti ran for a gain of two on the play. Poston ran on the next play for a loss of one yard on the play, bringing up third-and-nine at the UNM 42.

Ratliff passed to Richards for a 32-yard pass. Glover Quin didn't have very good coverage on the play. Poston ran for four yard, pushing the ball to the UNM seven. Then Poston ran one more time, walking into the endzone after one stutter step to shake off a defender. Utah hit the extra point and claimed a 7-3 lead with 4:27 left in the first quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 07:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The UNM women's basketball team was introduced during the lag between the field goal and kickoff. The players got rousing cheers.

Kenny Byrd kicked the ball out of bounds, so Utah will start at its 35.

Posted by ilimon at 07:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson ran for three yards to open the drive. Martelius Epps ran for a gain of eight yards and a first down. Donovan Porterie completed a nice pass down the right sideline to Travis Brown for 27 yards, moving the Lobos to the Utah 37. Porterie passed to the right again to Paul Baker, who gained 18 yards to the Utah 19-yard line. Epps ran for two yards on the next play, pushing the Lobos to the Utah 17. Ferguson was supposed to pull a halfback pass but chickened out when no one seemed open and ran for a gain of three yards. It brought up third-and-five at the Utah 14. Porterie overthrew Marcus Smith, who may not have gotten off the line quick enough or run the right route. Hard to say who messed up this time around.

Kenny Byrd stepped up for a 30-yard field goal attempt. Byrd hit it, pushing the Lobos ahead 3-0 with 8:58 left.

Posted by ilimon at 07:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Darryl Poston ran for two yards on the Utes' first play on offense. Poston ran again for a gain of one yard. It brought up third-and-seven at the Utah 28. Brett Ratliff's pass to across the middle was incomplete.

Utah punted for 47 yards and the Lobos took a fair catch at their 25-yard line.

Both teams are living up their reputations and look pretty rough on offense.

Posted by ilimon at 07:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson ran for one yard, then Donovan Porterie's first pass of the game was knocked down at the line of scrimmage. Porterie threw behind Chris Mark, who was streaking across the middle. It brought up fourth-and-nine at the 22. Jordan Scott punted for 53 yards, and Utah took a fair catch at its 25-yard line.

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

The Lobos are on the east side instead of the west sideline because of the skermishes during the last home game. Apparently there was some problems with Wyoming's bench and the student section the east side.

New Mexico received the kickoff. The Lobos returned the ball 16 yards and start on their 21.

Posted by ilimon at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's about 15 minutes before kickoff and University Stadium is pretty empty. It's pretty blustery out. We'll see if we get a late rush from the tailgate lots and folks who sit in their cars until the last minute.

I'll do my best to respond to comments readers make during the game, so feel free to share your thoughts during this running play-by-play.

Richard Stevens is in the house and will be chiming in every once in awhile. And the Linz will have his post-game gems on his blog.

Posted by ilimon at 06:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today we had our big Lobo Zone preview, with tons of coverage in the print edition of the paper. Just in case you can't grab a copy, here's a run down of the stories we had in the paper:

My main story was on the offensive line, which we all know has taken a lot of heat this year for its performance.

And here are the profiles of the five starting offensive linemen.

Richard Stevens asks if Donovan Porterie is up to the task of being the spark UNM's offense needs this season.

I did an interview with UNM punter Jordan Scott, a feature we call In His Words.

I also wrote about Utah's Eric Weddle, who is drawing a lot of comparions to former Lobo Brian Urlacher.

I also compiled notes about the New Mexico-Utah game and notes from the Mountain West Conference.

And finally, we've got our Tribune staff predictions. Van Tate, our broadcast partner over at KRQE-News 13, and I picked the Lobos. The columnist you all love to hate, Richard Stevens, swears editors pressured him into picking Utah so there would be more drama. Do you buy his excuse?

That's all for now. See you a little before kickoff ...

Posted by ilimon at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's really late, but I stopped by Inn and Out Burger after the game to grab a midnight snack/dinner. So this is my final Game Day (sort of since it's after Gamey Day) note.

I wrote a post-game story, which you can read here, and posted audio of my interview with Rocky Long after the big win.
we'll have a photo gallery up on Lobo Zone Sunday.

This was an unbelievable game. I don't think I've seen anything quite that dramatic in a long time. It speaks volumes about the progress the Lobos have made as a team to get into a position to win such a back-and-forth game. It also is problematic that they suffered such lapses and dug such a huge hole.

The early hours of Sunday are for celebration. I'll be back in Albuquerque Sunday afternoon to break down what happened and start talking about those erratic Utes, who visit UNM Thursday.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading.

Posted by ilimon at 02:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Major Mosley forced the fumble and Michael Tuohy recovered the ball for the Lobos' win.

Posted by ilimon at 11:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Kenny Byrd stepped up to attempt at 28-yard field goal. He hit it, pushing the Lobos up 39-36 with the Rebels still getting an OT possession at the 25.

Posted by ilimon at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos start at the 25-yard line.

Talk about crunch time for a rookie QB. Let's see how redshirt freshman Donovan Porterie holds up here.

Rodney Ferguson ran for three yards. Martelius Epps then ran for one yard, bringing up third and seven. UNLV broke up the next pass intended for Marcus Smith. It brought up fourth-and-seven.

UNLV's Bradley Niles is down, stopping play.

Posted by ilimon at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

New Mexico starts on offense during the overtime.

Posted by ilimon at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marcus Smith returned the kickoff to the 34.

Donovan Porterie ran for one yard and the Lobos called timeout with 28 seconds left.

Porterie had Marcus Smith open down field for a touchdown, but he threw it past him.

UNLV defender Starr Fuimaono nearly picked off Porterie's next attempt and could have run it back for a score.

The Lobos opted to punt on fourth-and-nine at the 35. The Lobos downed the ball at the one yard with two seconds left.

It was unbelievable the Lobos didn't call timeout because they could have gone for a safety on the play. It's real hard to get out of the endzone in that situation.

This is the Lobos' first overtime game since 2002;

Posted by ilimon at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shane Steichen hit Ryan Wolfe across the middle for a nine-yard touchdown pass with 1:07 left. The play was reviewed and upheld. Steichen hit Renan Saint Preux in the endzone for a two-point conversion. The score is tied at 36 with 1:07 left.

Posted by ilimon at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm back because UNLV is driving. The Rebels have second-and-goal at the nine. It was clear the Rebels were out of bounds on the last pass play and did not score, but the officials are reviewing the play. The ruling was upheld.

There is 1:17 left in the game, plenty of time for UNLV to score in the redzone and go for two to tie the game and force overtime. x

Posted by ilimon at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Lobos ran the ball five yards to the UNLV 17 with 2:45 left in the game.

UNM is the driver's seat. UNLV called a timeout.

Donovan Porterie ran for 12 yards on the next play. The Lobos earned a first and goal at the five with 2:39 left in the game.

Martelius Epps ran for a four-yard touchdown. Kenny Byrd hit the extra point, pushing the Lobos up 35-28 with 2:32 left in the game.

I'm heading down to the locker room to get the Lobos' reaction. Check back later for a complete report.

Posted by ilimon at 10:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

UNLV returned the kick to its 18-yard line.

Shane Steichen's first throw was incomplete. His next pass to Ryan Wolfe was complete for 13 yards. Steichen's next pass was deflected, bringing up second down at the UNLV 31. Steichen scrambled and the officials initially called that he fumbled and the Lobos recovered it. The refs reviewed it and upheld the ruling.

Posted by ilimon at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson ran for three yards on the first play.

Donovan Porterie had his best throw in awhile, hitting Marcus Smith for a 19-yard gain. UNM moved up to the 50-yard line on the play.

Porterie threw the ball short across the middle on a screen pass intended for Thomas Wilson. Martelius Epps ran for four yards to the 46. The Lobos faced third-and-six. Porterie hit Travis Brown, who got exactly the six yards needed for a first down at the UNM 40.

Epps ran on the next play and was dropped for a one-yard loss as he swept to the left side. Epps ran for five yards on the draw play, bringing up third-and-seven at the 35. Porterie's pass to Marcus Smith was incomplete. Pass interference was called on UNLV and cost the Rebels 15 yards. It appeared to be an uncatchable ball, so the Lobos got a big break. Smith may have been held early but I didn't see it.

The Lobos eanred first-and 10 at the 20 on the penalty.

Rodney Ferguson ran for two yards to the 18. Ferguson ran again for four yards. It brought up third-and-four at the UNM 14. Porterie pitched to Epps for one yard.

Kenny Byrd stepped up for a 30-yard field goal attempt and nailed it. UNM snagged a 29-28 lead with 4:37 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNLV ran back the kickoff to its 15-yard line.

Shane Steichen ran for his life and was almost sacked, but he managed to gain one yard on the opening play of the drive. It brought up second and nine at the UNLV 16. Erick Jackson ran on the next play for six yards. It brought up third-and-three at UNLV 22. Steichen completed another screen pass to Rodelin Anthony for 11 yards. UNLV scrambled for three yards on the next play. Steichen had another screen pass on target to Wolfe, but he dropped the ball. It brought up a big third-and-seven at the UNLV 36 with 11:01 left in the game. Steichen's five-yard pass was complete to Casey Flair, but Quincy Black hit him hard two yards shot of a first down.

The Rebels punted and Thomas Wilson took a fair catch at the UNM's 29-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jordan Scott had a bad punt. No bad snap. Just a bad punt and it went out of bounds. UNLV started at the 50-yard line.

The Rebels sent Shane Steichen back out despite the hard hit he took on the last drive.

Erick Jackson carried for no gain.

Cody Kase picked off Steichen's pass and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown. The Lobos went for a two-point conversion. Donovan Porterie rushed up the middle and was stopped two yards short. The Lobos trail UNLV 28-26 with 14:09 left in the game.

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

Martelius Epps carried for one yard to start the drive. Epps ran again, this time sweeping to the left for four yards. It brought up a quick third-and-five at the UNM 22. Porterie underthrew Travis Brown, and UNLV deflected it.

So the Lobos punt again.

Posted by ilimon at 10:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tons of flags went out on the kickoff. UNLV returned the kick to its 15-yard line. UNLV was called for holding on the return, bouncing the Rebels back to the eight to start the drive.

Erick Jackson carried straight up the middle for eight yards. Glover Quin saved the Lobos on the next play, Jackson ran for 22 yards and was clear for the endzone if he hadn't of been tripped up by Quin.

The Rebels' option attack faltered on the next play and UNLV lost two yards on the run by Shane Steichen. It brought up second-and-12. Steichen was sacked by Aleem Harris for an eight-yard loss. Looks like Steichen is woozy and may have a concussion. Fill in bird chirping noises here.

So Rocky Hinds is back in for third-and-20. He handed off to Jackson, who gained four yards on the carry and the Rebels were forced to punt on fourth-and-16.

UNM took a fair catch at its 17.

Posted by ilimon at 10:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The ball was spotted at the UNLV 14 to start the drive.

Rodney Ferguson ran for two yards, then Donovan Porterie's pass was complete to Thomas Wilson for a nine-yard gain. It brought up first and goal at the UNLV 3. Porterie rolled out and overthrew Travis Brown, who looked frustrated in the endzone but didn't seem to run out his route.

Clayton Cardenas was called for offsides, moving the ball back to and bringing up second-and-goal at the UNLV 8. Porterie ran an option toss to Martelius Epps, who did gained one yard on the play. UNLV deflected Porterie's next pass attempt toward the endzone and the Lobos brought out Kenny Byrd again on a drive that should have ended with a touchdown.

Byrd hit a 14-yard field goal. The Lobos trail UNLV 28-20 with 5:18 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNLV returned Kenny Byrd's kickoff and start the drive at the UNM 24.

UNLV ran for a loss of four on the first play of the drive. Shane Steichen completed his next pass across the middle for a 10-yard gain. Steichen went across the middle again to Ryan Wolfe, earning a first down and moving the ball to the UNLV 35. Erick Jackson ran on the next play and lost three yards. It brought up third-and-13 at hte UNLV 32.

DeAndre Wright intercepted Steichen's next pass attempt, running it back the UNLV 13.

Posted by ilimon at 09:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marcus Smith ran back the opening kickoff from the endzone to the UNM 27-yard line.

Donovan Porterie is still in at quarterback. He handed off to Rodney Ferguson, who gained three yards on the first play of the drive. Porterie handed off to Ferguson again, who gained another two yards. It appeared he might of fumbled, but he didn't. Porterie hit Paul Baker for a 17-yard pass and a first down.

Martelius Epps ran for 12 yards and a first down on the next play. Porterie stepped back in the pocket and hit Marcus Smith for a 25-yard gain. Ferguson carried on the next play, but UNLV sniffed out the Lobos' routine and dropped him for a two-yard loss. Porterie was slightly off on the pass to Clayton Cardenas, who bobbled and dropped it in the endzone. It brought up third-and-12 at the UNLV 16. Porterie was hit and his pass was incomplete. It was intended for Thomas Wilson but fell way short.

Kenny Byrd stepped up and hit a 32-yard field goal. The Lobos trail UNLV 28-17 with 10:40 left in the third quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 09:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos turned in one good quarter, then they let UNLV senior backup quarterback Shane Steichen take over the game.

Steichen was nine-of-12 passing for 188 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 59 yards on five carries. He led the Rebels offense on every scoring drive, all of which came in the second quarter. Steichen made the Lobos' defense look meek.

The Lobos' offense failed to counter under pressure. Redshirt freshman Donovan Porterie went from steady in the first quarter to running scared in the second.

UNLV isn't 14 points better than New Mexico. It's up to the Lobos to step and prove they are tired of losing. It's up to them to prove themselves in the second half.

Continue reading "Halftime thoughts" »

Posted by ilimon at 09:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM was called for illegal block in the back on the return, pushing the Lobos back to the 22-yard line with 33 seconds left.

Donovan Porterie threw the ball under pressure to Rodney Ferguson, who picked up a nine-yard gain. The Lobos called timeout with 12 seconds left in the half.

Porterie was sacked on the next play, which ran all the time off the clock.

UNLV owns a 28-14 lead over New Mexico at the half.

Posted by ilimon at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shane Steichen hit Erick Jackson for an 11-yard gain. Ryan Wolfe rushed for no gain. Jackson then ran for a first down to the UNM 34. Steichen fumbled but recovered the ball for a loss of two yards. It brought up second-and-12 at the UNM 36. UNLV called timeout Steichen stepped back in the pocket and hit Wolfe across the middle for a 27-yard gain. It brought up first and goal at the eight. Steichen rushed for three yards, bringing up second-and-goal at the five. UNLV called timeout again with 55 seconds left in the half.

Steichen is having a monster game tonight. He was the Rebels' starter the past few years, but he lost his job to hotshot transfer Rocky Hinds.

Steichen hit Chris Butler for a four-yard touchdown pass. The Lobos bit on the fake run/trick play formation. UNLV hit the extra point and jumped ahead 28-14 with 48 seconds left in the half.

Posted by ilimon at 09:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marcus Smith returned the kickoff 27 yards to the UNM 40.

Donovan Porterie had time but threw a wounded duck pass that UNLV defenders dropped. It was intended for Clayton Cardenas. Travis Brown carried on a failed reverse, losing one yard. It brought up third-and-11. Porterie scrambled and threw across the middle. The pass was incompleted to Rodney Ferguson and nearly intercepted again.

Porterie hasn't looked very good the past few drives and Chris Nelson may get into the game soon.

Casey Flair pulled off a long rutern, pushing to the UNLV 38.

Posted by ilimon at 09:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shane Steichen stepped back and completed a pass to Ryan Wolfe, who scored an 75-yard touchdown. Wolfe really had a five-yard gain but ran up the middle and found daylight on the play. The Rebels hit the extra point and took a 21-14 lead with 3:59 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 09:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tyler Donaldson got his hand on the ball and nearly got an interception. Shane Steichen completed an eight-yard pass to Ryan Wolfe. It brought up third-and-one at the UNLV 25. The Rebels called timeout with 4:11 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marcus Smith returned the kickoff 17 yards to the UNM 32 yard.

Donovan Porterie is still the Lobos quarterback. He handed off to Rodney Ferguson, who gained one yard on the running play. Ferguson carried again, gaining four yards. It brought up third-and-five at the UNM 37. Porterie underthrew Travis Brown. Then there was a flag on the play. UNLV coaches complained and the refs decided it was not pass inference because the ball was uncatchable.

Jordan Scott was back to punt and narrowly got it off without getting it blocked. It was a good punt considering the pressure, and UNLV took a fair catch at its 16.

Posted by ilimon at 09:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Rebels capitalized on this turnover. Shane Steichen hit Aaron Straiten for a 14-yard touchdown pass. UNLV hit the extra point to tie the game at 14 with 6:47 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 09:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Donovan Porterie is still in at quarterback after the turnover. He handed off to Rodney Ferguson, who gained one yard on the play. Porterie's then passed to Travis Brown for an eight-yard gain. It brought up third-and-one at the UNM 21. Matt Quillen was called for a false start on the next play, and the Lobos faced third-and-six. Porterie rolled out of pressure on the blitz and probably could have run for the first down but he overthrew Clayton Cardenas.

Jordan Scott punted on fourth-and-six. It was blocked by UNLV. In the mad scramble, UNLV recovered it at the 14-yard line. It was a bad snap and Scott's first blocked punt of the year.

Posted by ilimon at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DeAndre Wright deflecteed a huge pass intended for Aaron Straiten. The Rebels gained nothing on a rushing play. Then Shane Steichen connected for a 16-yard pass to Corey Henderson.

Steichen carried on the next play and was tackled, but the Lobos were offsides. It brought up first and five at the UNLV 36. The Rebels gained three yards on a rushing play by Ronnie Smith. It was second-and-two when Steichen hit Corey Anderson for a one-yard loss. Then UNLV was called for a personal foul and bounced back for third-and-20 at its 21. Steichen ran for 18 yards and was hit hard by Tyler Donaldson. Steichen was woozy leaving the field and the Rebels punted on fourth-and-two at their 39.

The Lobos took a fair catch and will start at their 12.

Posted by ilimon at 08:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The roughing the passer penalty was assessed on kickoff, so the Rebels kick off at the 50. Then UNLV kicked it out of the endzone, so it was pretty much a wash.

There was a penalty flag on the three-yard line on the kickoff. After the play ended it was a personal foul on the kicking team. So the Lobos started the drive on their own 35-yard line.

Maretelius Epps ran to the left side for a one-yard gain to open the drive. Rodney Ferguson then carried straight up the middle for seven yards. It brought up third-and-two at the UNM 43. Ferguson carried again, gaining four yards on the play and a first down. The Lobos improved to five-for-five on third downs with the run.

The officials had a little clock trouble, then Ferguson tried to turn to the right side on his next carry and only gained one yard on the play. Porterie stepped back to pass and appeared to be trying to hit Marcus Smith but overthrew him for a mile. It was picked off by Daryl Forte.

UNLV takes over its 15.

Posted by ilimon at 08:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Backup UNLV quarterback Shane Steichen connected with Ronnie Smith for a 30-yard touchdown pass. The Lobos also were called for roughing the passer on the play.

The Lobos blocked the PAT, but it still went through and was good.

UNM did not look ready for the second quarter to start and got burned right out of the gate.

New Mexico now leads 14-7 with 14:54 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 08:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

UNLV took a fair catch in the endzone, giving the Rebels a first down at the 20 to start the drive.

The Lobos bit on a running fake out of the spread formation and backup quarterback Shane Steichen scrambled all over the field for a 34-yard gain. It brought up first down at the UNM 46. Then Erick Jackson rushed for nine yards. Jackson ran again, picking up three yards and a first down at the UNM 34-yard line.

Jackson carried again, but this time the Lobos wrapped him up for no gain. Steichen scrambled for four yards and was hit hard on the play by Michael Tuohy.

That's the end of the first quarter, with UNLV facing third-and-six at the UNM 30.

Posted by ilimon at 08:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie looked down field, but he was sacked on the first play of the Lobos drive for a four-yard loss. It brought up second-and-14 at the UNM 38. Porterie scrambled well, but he was tirpped from behind and he fumbled. Rodney Ferguson recovered the fumble and the Lobos gained 10 yards on the play. It brought up third-and-four at the UNM 49. Porterie's then completed a pass to Thomas Brown for a 4-yard gain and first down.

The Lobos then pulled off a flea flicker. Porterie handed off to Marcus Smith and then got it back. He then passed to Travis Brown for a 37-yard gain. Martelius Epps then lost a yard on the next carry. Porterie hit Yimin Bauman for a one-yard gain. He shook off some tackles to avoid a loss on the play. Porterie completed his next pass to Thomas Wilson was complete for a eight-yard touchdown pass. Kenny Byrd hit the extra point and the Lobos jumped ahead 14-0 with 2:59 left in the first quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Rebel Mil'Von James returned Kenny Byrd's kickoff to the UNLV 21-yard line.

Rocky Hinds lingered and threw an ugly option pitch to Eric Jackson, who lsot four on the play. UNM nearly picked off Hinds' next pass, which was intended for Corey Anderson. It brought up third-and-14. Hinds was sacked on the next play by Billy Brittain and Major Mosley.

The Rebels punted from their endzone. It was an ugly punt, but he got a lucky bounce to the UNM 43.

Posted by ilimon at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson ran for three yards, then Donvoan Porterie completed his next pass to Marcus Smith for one yard. Porterie passed again, hitting Thomas Wilson for 42 yards.

Ferguson ran on the next play for four yards, then UNLV also was called for offsides on the play. It brought up first-and-five at the UNLV 23. Ferguson ran for one yard on the next play, getting tripped up while driving up the middle. Ferguson ran again, this time picking up five yards and a first down.

Ferguson ran again and actually used a blocker, running behind the line to get a five-yard gain. The Lobos went to Ferguson again, and he delivered a three-yard gain to the UNLV nine. Ferguson ran again, and the officials initially ruled it a touchdown as he was shoved out of the bounds while hitting the pylon. The refs reviewed the play and determined the touchdown stands.

Kenny Byrd hit the extra point, pushing the Lobos ahead 7-0 with 8:48 remaining in the first quarter.

The scoring drive was eight plays and 54 yards in 4:38. It culminated with a nine-yard touchdown run by Ferguson.

UNLV's defense is rolling over to the once-dormant UNM running game, and the Lobos seem to be playing with a lot more fire and energy. If this holds up, the Lobos could be on their way to a huge win.

Posted by ilimon at 08:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

UNLV starts at its 15-yard line after the Lobos posted solid kickoff coverage.

UNLV's Rocky Hinds rolled out to pass, but the pass was incomplete. Eric Jackson rushed for four yards on the next play, bringing up third and six. Hinds passed again, but he threw a little too high for Casey Flair and the Rebels were forced to punt.

Marcus Smith laid a big block on the return, and Thomas Wilson ran the ball back to the UNM 46.

Posted by ilimon at 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

And defer until the second half. They are defending the south goal.

Posted by ilimon at 08:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Linz is pouting at a casino tonight and won't be sharing his insight after the game. He decided if the Tribune wasn't going to pay for him to go to Vegas, he was going to drown his sorrows at a casino in the Land of Enchantment. He refused to release his location. He's still jumpy after his latest stint in jail.

So be it. I think we can live without him for one night.

I will, however, make sure both the Linz and Richard Stevens catch a complete tape of the game before they open their mouths to assess the Lobos. It's only fair.

The teams took the field and the captains are walking to midfield. Good news. Senior Kole McKamey is walking without crutches.

Posted by ilimon at 07:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- There's a very sparse crowd in Sam Boyd Stadium with a little more than 15 minutes until kickoff. Perhaps the fans were scared off by rain that hasn't really hit yet, save a few sprinkles. Perhaps it was a matchup of two struggling teams. It doesn't matter because I'm here to relay it all blow-by-blow.

I noticed former athletics director Rudy Davalos chatting with UNM football coach Rocky Long during pre-game warmups. I pressume Davalos used his role as the executive director of the New Mexico Bowl selection committee to write off a nice trip to Vegas.

Well, let's hope the Lobos can generate some excitement tonight. There are only three Mountain West Conference games this week, with Air Force beating Colorado State Thursday and Wyoming beating up Utah earlier today.

OK, just waiting for the coin toss and kickoff ....

Posted by ilimon at 07:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It wasn't pretty in the locker room after the game. The Lobos were pretty upset after the 14-10 loss to Wyoming.

I wrote a post-game story, with UNM players trying to explain why they couldn't find a way to score against the Cowboys.

The Linz's short run being sweet to the Lobos is over. He had some pointed remarks about the team's woeful performance on offense.

And I posted audio of UNM coach Rocky Long's post-game interview with the media. It was awkward, uncomfortable and another sign things aren't going well for the Lobos.

John Mulchrone hurt his ankle during the game and missed out on the Lobos' comeback attempt. He is a big target and could have helped, but it's hard to tell because the quarterbacks connect with him so rarely and the passing game was so bad at that point.

No word yet on why Michael Tuohy did not play. He was benched for violating team rules. He did not dress for the game and was not on the sidelines.

On a brighter note, Kole McKamey returned for the team's coin toss for the first time since his surgery. He has been to one practice since the surgery, but it seriously hurt his mobility. He looked much stronger today walking to mid-field with the captains.

And that's it for tonight. Check the blog Sunday afternoon for more Lobo football news.

Posted by ilimon at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm heading down to talk to players and coaches. The Linz did sneak back into University Stadium and will share his thoughts soon on his blog. I'll also post a complete story and photos soon on Lobo Zone.

Posted by ilimon at 08:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chris Nelson is back at quarterback. Rodney Ferguson ran for four yards, then ran again for another five. Matt Quillen carried for one yard on a big third-and-one.

The Lobos are at their 33 with 2:51 left.

Nelson pass was intended for Clayton Cardenas, but he dropped it.

The Lobos face second-and-10 at their 33 with 2:40 left. Ferguson ran on the next play for two yards. UNM faces third-and-eight. Nelson's pass to Travis Brown was incomplete brought up fourth-and-eight at the UNM 35. UNM went for it.

Nelson hit Marcus Smith for a 21-yard gain, keeping the Lobos' hopes for a comeback alive. Nelson threw into traffic to Brown, but he couldn't handle it. Nelson's next pass to Matt Quillen was incomplete, bringing up third-and-10 at the Wyoming 44 with 1:49 left in the game. Nelson completed the next pass to Marcus Smith for one yard.

The Lobos face fourth-and-nine at the Wyoming 43 with 1:37 left in the game and called timeout.

Nelson's pass to Smith was incomplete and Lobos turned the ball over on downs.

That pretty much seals the 14-10 loss to Wyoming, with the Cowboys taking over with 1:31 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 08:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wyoming was called for illegal procedure and moved back five yards. Joseph Harris carried for three yards, bringing up second-and-13. Harris carried again for three more yards to the Wyoming 38. The Lobos faced a huge Wyoming third-and-nine. Harris carried one more time for a gain of three. Wyoming punted with 4:24 remaining.

It seems like Wyoming is daring the UNM offense to beat it. Can the Lobos do it?

Posted by ilimon at 08:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson ran on the first play but the ball was fumbled out of bounds at the end of the play. It was a nine-yard gain for the Lobos. Ferguson has had butterfingers all night. Ferguson ran for no gain, then he ran again for the one yard he needed and a first down at the UNM 30.

Porterie's pass intended for Marcus Smith was incomplete. Ferguson ran again for a seven-yard gain. Porterie pass intended for Clayton Cardenas also was incomplete, bringing up fourth-and-three at the UNM 37. Jordan Scott stepped back to punt and it was returned by Hoost Marsh 11 yards to the Wyoming 37.

Posted by ilimon at 08:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Karsten Sween's first pass was incomplete to Tyler Holden. Wynel Seldon ran for seven yards on the next play. Sween hit Seldon on a screen pass for no gain, bringing up fourth and three.

The Cowboys punted into the endzone for a touchback.

Posted by ilimon at 08:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Zach Arnett returned the kickoff to the UNM 30.

It's crunch time and Donovan Porterie is back in at quarterback.

Travis Brown took a reverse and ran for a 11-yard gain to the UNM 41. Porterie rolled out and attempted to pass to Marcus Smith but it sailed high. The Lobos were called for holding, bringing up first-and-20 at the UNM 31.

Porterie attempted to pass to Marcus Smith across the middle, but he was hit and the ball sailed high. It was nearly picked off after Smith tapped it, but the ball safely hit the ground. Porterie's next pass to Rodney Ferguson was incomplete, bringing up third and 20. There was a flag on the play. It was offsides on the offense, bringing up third-and-25 at the UNM 31.

Porterie's pass to Marcus Smith sailed just out of reach. The crowd wanted a pass inteference call, but the refs called it a fair play.

The Lobos punted and Wyoming signaled fair catch but was hit. The officials threw a flag and moved Wyoming up to its 46 to start the drive.

Posted by ilimon at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Karsten Sween's pass was complete to Chris Sundberg for a 33-yard gain. It was a crazy catch and gave the Wyoming a first down at the UNM 21.

Joseph Harris ran for two yards on the next play. Sween is heating up. He heat Tyler Holden for a 13-yard gain, setting up first and goal at the UNM 6. Sween overthrew Greg Bolling in the corner of the endzone. Sween kept the ball for a two-yard gain, bring up third and goal at the UNM four. Sween lingered in the pocket and hit Michael Ford for a four-yard touchdown. Wyoming hit the extra point and snagged a 14-10 lead with 12:48 left in the fourth quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Karsten Sween's first pass was incomplete. Sween was under pressure and knocked down but got the ball to Devin Moore for a nine-yard gain. A penalty was called as time ran out in the third quarter. It was roughing the passer on New Mexico, giving the Cowboys a first down at the 45 and free, untimed play at hte end of the quarter. Moore carried for no gain.

At the end of the third quarter, the Lobos offense is still struggling mightily. UNM leads 10-7 but the Lobos only have 128 yards total offense to Wyoming's 241 yards. If the trend holds, New Mexico will be hard-pressed to hang on to this lead.

Posted by ilimon at 08:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie is back for another series at quarterback.

Rodney Ferguson ran for a five-yard loss, then Porterie connected on a 16-yard pass to Ferguson for a first down at the UNM 34. Porterie was sacked on the next play for a loss of one. His next pass was incomplete to Matt Quillen. Porterie got no protection on third-and-11 and was sacked quickly for a loss of two.

The Lobos punted yet again. Jordan Scott had a 47-yard punt and the Lobos hit Wyoming for no return. The Cowboys will start on their 23 with 21 seconds left in the third quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 08:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wynel Seldon carried for five yards. Seldon carried again for a gain of one.

Tonight's attendance was just announced and is 31,375.

Karsten Sween's pass was complete to Hoost Marsh for a seven-yard gain, giving Wyoming a first down at the its 31. Sween's next pass was incomplete. Devin Moore ran for a three-yard loss, dropping Wyoming back for third-and-13. Sween was hit as Marsh was trying to pass. Kendall Briscoe was credited with the hurry on the play, forcing a Wyoming punt.

Posted by ilimon at 07:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wyoming earned a touchback on the kickoff.

Donovan Porterie is back in at quarterback. Bob Toledo said he doens't like shuffling in different quarterbacks, but it's hard to keep Chris Nelson in when he's two-of-six passing.

Rodney Ferguson ran for two yards, then Porterie completed a pass to Travis Brown for a 35-yard gain. Porterie's next pass was knocked down by John Wendling and nearly intercepted but no one scooped it up before it hit the ground. The Lobos then ran a trick play, handing off to former high school quarterback John Mulchrone. Travis Brown slipped and Mulchrone's throw was short and incomplete. Porterie was sacked, or rather tripped, then recovered his own fumble for a loss of eight.

Jordan Scott punted and Wyoming took a fair catch at the 18 yard line.

The Lobos are putting an awful lot of pressure on their defense to win this game. Let's see what happens.

Posted by ilimon at 07:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wynel Seldon ran for four yards on the first play. Seldon ran again for seven yards and a first down. Sween had a lot of room on the next play and so did receiver Tyler Holden. Sween hit Holden for a 25-yard gain to give the Cowboys a first down at the UNM 28.

Seldon carried again for no gain. Sween pass near the goal line was incomplete, but there was a flag on the play. It was pass intereference on DeAndre Wright, giving the Cowboys a first down at the UNM 18. Seldon ran again for a three yard gain. Sween passed to Kyle Jacobo for a three-yard gain. The Cowboys faced third-and-four at the UNM 12. Sween dropped back and hit Hoost Marsh for a 12-yard touchdown pass. The Cowboys hit the extra point.

The Lobos lead Wyoming 10-0 with 8:01 left in the third quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 07:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DeAndre Wright ran back the kickoff to the UNM 23.

Chris Nelson is back at quaterback. Rodney Ferguson ran for six yards on the first play. He carried again on the next play for one yard. Nelson passed to Marcus Smith for a first down, but the play did not count due to a penalty. It brought up second-and-11 at the 22. Nelson held the ball searching for a receiver, then threw it out of bounds. Wyoming hit Nelson after the pass and was called for roughing the passer, giving UNM a first down at the 37.

Ferguson ran on the next play for a gain of five. Nelson threw the ball toward Clayton Cardenas under more pressure and was lucky it fell incomplete instead of getting picked off. Nelson fell to two-of-six passing on the night. Nelson was sacked on the next play for a loss of seven.

The Lobos punted. Hoost Marsh returned it 11 yards to the Wyoming 35.

Posted by ilimon at 07:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Linz slipped out to go catch the Cibola-Clovis game down the street at old Milne Stadium. While he was hanging around the press box, he was surprised by how bad Wyoming's offense looked.

Without a talking head around again at the half, I'll share my thoughts.

Continue reading "The Linz sneaks out" »

Posted by ilimon at 07:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Cowboys used a pair of running plays to get a first down and move the ball to 16-yard line. Joseph Harris carried on the next play for three yards, but the Cowboys are running low on time with 1:23 left in the half.

Karsten Sween passed to Michael Ford for a 10-yard gain and first down at the Wyoming 29. Sween threw again to Ford for a six yard gain with 1:06 left. Sween took a hard hit from Zach Arnett on his way out of bounds for a four-yard gain and first down with 59 seconds left.

Sween connected on a great pass across the middle to Kyle Jacobo, but he dropped it after being hit by OJ Swift and the pass was ruled incomplete. Fans wanted a fumble since Quincy Black recovered the ball.

On the next play Sween was sacked, but there was a flag on the play. The penalty was on Wyoming and the Lobos took the six-yard loss on the sack. Wyoming called a timeout to stop the clock with 44 seconds left in the half. The Cowboys face third-and-16 at te 33. Sween completed a screen pass to Devin Moore under pressure for a gain of eight yards. New Mexico called a timeout to stop the clock with 33 seconds left. The Cowboys face fourth-and-16 on their own 33.

The Cowboys punted into the endzone and the Lobos took over with 26 seconds left.

Nelson came back in for the drive and handed off to Rodney Ferguson. He ran for four yards, then fumbled on the play and Wyoming recovered with one second left at the Lobos' 24-yard line. Wyoming's Aric Goodman attempted a 41-yard field goal for the Cowboys, but he missed. Luck smiled on the Lobos and they retain a 10-0 lead at halftime.

Posted by ilimon at 07:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

They just made an announcement in the press box that Michael Tuohy would not play tonight because of a violation of team policy. No further details were shared. I'll try to get more information after the game.

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

Donovan Porterie is back for his second series. He led the Lobos to a field goal the first time, but his passing was not pretty.

Rodney Ferguson ran for a three-yard gain on the firsts play. Ferguson ran for five yards on the next play. Porterie's passed on the next play to rarely-used-but-always-open John Mulchrone for a gain of six and first down.

Porterie rolled out under heavy pressure then managed to connect with Matt Quillen for an 11-yard gain and first down. That was impressive. Porterie passed on the next play to Mulchrone for a six-yard gain. Porterie's next pass intended for Travis Brown was a little high and incomplete. The Lobos faced third-and-three a their 48 with 2:40 left in the half. His next pass intended for Marcus Smith was incomplete, although it looked like there could have been interference on the play.

The Lobos punted and downed the ball at the Wyoming three-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 06:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd earned another touchback on the kickoff.

Wynel Seldon ran for three yards on the first play of the drive. Seldon ran again for another three-yard gain. Karsten Sween's next pass was complete to Hoost Marsh for a five-yard gain and a first down.

Sween appeared to fumble on the next snap, but there was a flag on the play. It was offsides on the Lobos, so Wyoming got bailed out with first-and-five at the 36. The Cowboys ran again for a six-yard gain and first down. It appears they are much better on the ground than with the ball in Sween's hands. Sween threw on the next play and the ball sailed over the head of Tyler Holden, bringing up second and 10 at the 42. Sween then completed his a screen pass to Devin Moore for a 14-yard gain to the UNM 44.

Sween passed to Hoost Marsh, who was open on a nice run, but the ball was just out of reach. Seldon carried on the next play for a five-yard gain, which brought up third-and-five at the UNM 39. Sween stepped back to pass but missed receiver Derrick Levy.

Wyoming stepped back to punt and the ball rolled into the endzone, giving the Lobos a first down at the UNM 20.

Posted by ilimon at 06:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie came in for his first series and the Lobos used a series of run plays to gain six yards. On third-and-four, the he completed a pass to Travis Brown for three yards. He stayed in as the Lobos went for it on fourth-and-one at the Wyoming 29.

Rodney Ferguson carried on fourth down and gained three yards, good enough for the first down at the Wyoming 26.

Ferguson ran again on the next play for a gain of four yards. He looked a little slow hitting the hole and could have gotten a bigger gain if he plowed forward instead of stuttering. Porterie's next pass was incomplete and looked like a pretty awkward pass. On third-and-five, Porterie was under pressure and threw an awkward screen pass to Matt Quillen for a loss of six.

Kenny Byard then stepped up and hit a 45-yard field goal to push the Lobos up 10-0.

Posted by ilimon at 06:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chris Nelson was hit hard on a botched running play and the Lobos punted and no on returned it, so Wyoming took over at the 45-yard line.

The Cowboys ran for three yards, then Karsten Sween missed on a screen pass that could have been picked off by the Lobos but they didn't get it. On the next play, Sween pass intended for Hoost Marsh was picked off by Quicy Black and returned 35 yards to the Wyoming 38.

Posted by ilimon at 06:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wyoming had a strange fake punt and was able to stumble out of its endzone for a firsts down. But their drive ended quickly when Cowboy quarterback Karsten Sween couldn't get rid of the ball under pressure and it was easy enough for the Lobos to focus on the running game.

The Lobos did not field the punt and Wyoming downed it at the UNM 3-yard line. The Lobos ran out of danger, but will start the second quarter facing a third-and-nine at UNM's 18-yard line.

At the end of the first, the Lobos lead 7-0.

Posted by ilimon at 06:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chris Nelson threw out of bounds for an incomplete pass, then Martelius Epps ran for two yards. Nelson was about to be sacked when he connected with Travis Brown for a 21-yard reception. Rodney Ferguson carried on the next play, running for a three-yard gain. The Lobos ran a reverse to Marcus Smith, who gained another three yards, but there was a flag on the play that negated the run. It was offsides on Wyoming, so the Lobos have second-and-goal at the two. Ferguson jumped over the top on the carry but only got one yard. It brought up third and goal at the one-yard line. Ferguson ran up the middle again for the touchdown with 6:21 remaining in the first quarter.

It was Ferguson's first rushing touchdown of the year. Kenny Byrd hit the extra point, to give UNM a 7-0 lead.

Posted by ilimon at 06:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Karsten Sween was sacked by Herbert Felder and Tyler Donaldson and fumbled. Tyson Ditmore recovered the fumble and at the Wyoming 23.

Posted by ilimon at 06:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chris Nelson started at quarterback and handed off to Rodney Ferguson for a two-yard loss. Martelius Epps took the next handoff and ran for seven yards. Nelson ran on the next play, for a gain of two to bring up fourth-and-three.

The Lobos punted, with Jordan Scott booting the ball well but Hoost Marsh returned it for 19 yards to the Wyoming 27.

Posted by ilimon at 06:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was a touchback. Wyoming was dropped on the opening run, then gained nine yards on a pass. The next running play was stopped due to a flag. It was false start on Wyoming, pushing the Cowboys back to third-and-six at the 24. Redshirt freshman Karsten Sween completed a 10-yard pass to Michael Ford for the first down.

Sween completed his next pass to Ford, who scrambled for a 28-yard gain. Ford dodged several tackles before Major Mosley wrapped him up. Sween threw a screen pass under heavy pressure to Devin Moore for a gain of one yard gain. Wynel Seldon ran on the next play for 12 yards to the 25.

The UNM defense looked shaky, but Sween's next pass was intercepted by DeAndre Wright in the endzone. The Lobos take over on their own 20.

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

And will defer until the second half.

Posted by ilimon at 06:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm settled in here in the University Stadium press box. The band is playing the fight song, and are starting to leave the tailgate lots to find their seats inside. It's overcast and supposed to rain later tonight, but it doesn't look too bad. Most fans already seated brought blankets and jackets just in case.

The Aggies aren't looking so good. New Mexico State is down 28-20 to Idaho with 2:09 left in the fourth quarter. It extends one of the stats Lobo fans love to mention any time Aggie fans say about negative about the UNM -- New Mexico State has not beaten a Division I-A opponent in two years. Eventually it will happen. And I'm pretty sure it will happen this season, just not today.

Colorado State is up 21-7 on UNLV. I'm not sure if it's so good that the Rebels will likely be 1-4 overall and 0-3 in conference when the Lobos visit next week. They could be hungry for a win or demoralized by their poor start. UNLV has a bunch of transfers from big Division I programs and seem to always give New Mexico a scare, especially in Las Vegas. When I talked to UNM coach Rocky Long before the season started, he said it's always tough to keep players focused because of the bright lights of Sin City. I would guess it's also got to be hard to play football in a stadium that is rarely full.

Posted by ilimon at 05:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have to think BYU has emerged as the front-runner for the conference championship, with Utah not far behind. The Cougars didn't let up after upsetting TCU last week, earning a 47-17 win over San Diego State Saturday. BYU put together an incredible first half, jumping ahead 40-3.

Air Force was another hot team, but the Falcons fell 24-17 to Navy in the option vs. option war and lost the first leg of the Commander-in-chief's trophy. I said earlier this week the trophy would be settled by the Air Force-Navy game, but Army beat the Virginia Military Institute 62-7 and isn't the pushover it has been the past few years. Army is 3-3 and might not be such a longshot for the Poinsettia Bowl after all. The Black Knights already have been invited to play a Mountain West team in the bowl game, but they have pick up at least six wins.

Let's see how the Lobos do tonight. If they pick up a win, they jump into the middle of the Mountain West Conference pack and ahead of former favorite TCU.

Posted by ilimon at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Holy Smokes! BYU is rolling.

Most teams overlook San Diego State, and let the Aztecs stick around for a little while. Not BYU. The Cougars own a 40-3 halftime lead over San Diego State in Provo, Utah.

BYU Coach Bronco Mendenhall kept the same stiff jaw his old mentor Rocky Long usually uses when interviewed at halftime by the Mountain TV crews. When asked how he would keep his team motivated in the second half, Mendenhall said, "I want them to play a complete game."

Pity the Aztecs if Cougars heed Mendenhall's advice.

Posted by ilimon at 01:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I don't want to stir up conspiracy theories since most New Mexico fans have a major grudge against BYU, but its pretty clear the Mountain loves the Cougars.

The Mountain is the new regional network launched by CSTV to cover Mountain West Conference athletics. BYU is a dream team for the new network because it has such a huge fan base and a rich football tradition. The network can now justify rolling tons of historic BYU footage, including its national championship run, to fill time and delight fans.

I'm not saying the Mountain is ignoring any other team, but from day one it was heavy on BYU coverage. We'll see if BYU holds up its end of the bargain and keeps winning. It ought to be relatively easy today against visiting San Diego State.

Posted by ilimon at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our Web story will be posted shortly at Lobo Zone.

This certainly wasn't a pretty outing for the Lobos. Their defense controlled Air Force much of the game, but there is only so much you can do when the offense keeps shooting itself in the foot.

After the game, UNM football coach Rocky Long called senior quarterback Chris Nelson's performance average. That might be a little generous.

The Lobos were stewing after the loss, which is a good sign. A team should expect to win and be furious when its mistakes lead to a loss. The team should be pretty fired up for the Wyoming game, although it's quite possible the Cowboys have had an even more frustrating run. They lost 40-34 to Syracuse in overtime today, falling to 1-4 despite some really close games.

Before I hit the road for Albuquerque, I'll hit you with a few questions.

What do the Lobos need to do to get back on track?
Do you want to see a little more of Donovan Porterie?
Do fans just need to be patient?

Post your thoughts in the comments section and check back for an update Sunday afternoon.

Posted by ilimon at 04:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Chris Nelson's pass intended for Rodney Ferguson was short again and broken up by Air Force. Nelson's next pass to Matt Quillen was complete for seven yards. The next pass was complete to Travis Brown, who gained two yards on the play to bring up fourth and one.

I'm heading down at the five-minute mark to interview the Lobos after the game. Check back soon for a post-game story. The Linz also promises to file his own report on his blog.

Posted by ilimon at 02:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Scott Peeples carried for no gain, bringing up second-and-10 at the Air Force 12. Peeples carried again for no gain, bringing up third down. The Falcons gained eight on the next play and punted on fourth down.

Thomas Wilson caught it and returned the punt 12 yards to the UNM 49.

Posted by ilimon at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson carried for seven yards for a first down. Chris Nelson threw across the middle to Marcus Smith, but it was broken up by Air Force. Nelson's next pass to Travis Brown was nearly intercepted and incomplete, bringing up third-and-10. Nelson passed to Ferguson, who gave a good effort to gain seven on the play.

Jordan Scott punted for the Lobos, and it bounced to 12-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Air Force earned a touchback this time around and the Lobos start at their 20.

At this point, New Mexico needs to at least put together a good drive on offense to walk away with something good from this game. It seems like a longshot that the Lobos will come back from a 24-7 deficit.

Marcus Smith carried on the first play for a gain of seven. Rodney Ferguson carried for two yards to the 29, bringing up third and one. Air Force called a timeout with 10:26 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 02:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos were charged with holding on the first play of Air Force's drive, setting up first and goal at the nine yard line. Ryan Williams carried the ball to the UNM two-yard line. The Falcons went to Williams again, who leaped into the endzone for a two-yard touchdown.

Air Force hit the extra point, pushing Air Force up 24-7 with 11:59 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 02:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The kickoff was fumbled by Glover Quin and recovered by the Falcons at UNM's 20. It was a huge turnover that hurts the chances of a UNM comeback.

Posted by ilimon at 02:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ryan Williams carried for a gain of one yard. Williams carried again for a gain of four to the UNM 28. DeAndre Wright stopped the option toss for a loss of three, setting up a 48-yard field goal attempt by Zach Sasser. It was a career-long kick for Sasser. The kick was good and the Falcons jump ahead 17-7 with 12:53 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 02:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ryan Williams ran for three yards to start the Air Force drive. Shaun Carney kept the ball on the next play, for a four-yard gain to bring up third-and-three at the Air Force 47. Chad Hall took the option pitch and cut back for a five-yard gain and first down.

Williams carried for two yards on the next play. Williams carried again for a seven-yard gain, bringing up third-and-one at the UNM 39. Williams ran up the middle for a six-yard gain to the 33-yard line.

It's the end of the third quarter, and Air Force leads 14-7.

Posted by ilimon at 02:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chris Nelson completed a pass to Marcus Smith for a six-yard gain. Nelson faked a handoff to Rodney Ferguson, then gave it to Travis Brown for a seven-yard run and first down at the 50-yard line.

Nelson threw outside of Smith, who already was hugging the left sideline on the next play. Smith carried on the next play for nine yards, to bring up third and one at the Air Force 41. Matt Quillen carried on the next play, but the Lobos were stopped for no gain. The chain gang measured, but it was still short.

The Lobos decided to go for it on fourth and one at the Air Force 41. Nelson kept the ball and appeared to get the first down with the push from his backfield. The chain gang came out and ruled it was just short of the first down and Air Force takes over on downs.

Then the officials reviewed the play, but it doesn't appear there was enough evidence to overturn the officials' spot of the ball. The spot after third down seemed generous and the spot after fourth down seemed pretty bad.

After video review, officials ruled the call stands.

Posted by ilimon at 01:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ryan Willaims ran for a one-yard gain, then Shaun Carney carried for a loss of four. The Lobos definitely are sniffing out the run much better this time around. Williams carried again for a gain of four. The Falcons are punting deep in their territory.

Thomas Wilson caught the ball after a bounce and held onto it when he was hit quickly. The Lobos will start at the 37-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chris Nelson completed a pass under pressure to John Mulchrone, finally getting rid of the ball to avoid a sack and making a big play. Nelson moved the ball to the 30, then gain another eight yards on a pass to Mulchrone. Rodney Ferguson jumped over some Falcons to gain three yards and a first down at the UNM 41.

Paul Baker was stopped on the next carry for no gain. Baker carried again, this time earning three yards to bring up third-and-seven for the Lobos at the UNM 43.

Nelson's pass was complete to Travis Brown, who gained five but ended up two yards short of what could have been a big first down.

Jordan Scott punted into the endzone for a touchback.

Posted by ilimon at 01:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ryan Williams gained four yards on the opening play for Air Force. Then he carried again for 11 yards and a first down. Williams got the ball again and picked up another nine yards. Williams took the ball again for an 11-yard run. Williams ran again, but this time Herbert Felder stopped after a gain of two yards to bring up second and eight at the UNM 47.

Shaun Carney kept the ball on the next play for a gain of six. Williams carried again and was tackled by Billy Brittain. The chain gang measured the drive, then awarded Air Force a two-yard gain and first down.

Carney handed off to Chad Hall, who attempted a halfback pass to Victor Thompson, but Blake Ligon picked it off at the eight-yard line. Ligon got burned earlier but came up huge this time to stop the Falcons really efficient drive.

Posted by ilimon at 01:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd earned a touchback on the kickoff to open the third quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 01:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Linz is out trying to catch the game at an Albuquerque sports bar and I can't seem to reach Richard Stevens.

Something tells me they're both getting into a lot of trouble. The Linz promised he would update his blog after the game, so we'll see what kind of story he has to spin later.

Since Stevens has no halftime insight, I'll add mine. The Lobos are doing well on defense. Obviously they have to cut down on turnovers on offense. But it's also time for Chris Nelson to step up. The offensive line has been giving him time, but he has been holding onto the ball for too long and earned those sacks by himself. He has shown he can connect on passes, but he's been too erratic to help New Mexico. If the Lobos are going to win, he has to have a better second half.

Posted by ilimon at 01:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Air Force punted for a touchback with 58 seconds left.

Chris Nelson passed for eight yards to Travis Brown. Nelson stayed in the pocket and was sacked by Julian Madrid to end the first half.

Air Force leads 14-7.

Posted by ilimon at 01:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Stephen Hutchinson flew at Shaun Carney and sacked him for a 10-yard loss. The play brought up fourth down and 14 at the 50-yard line. UNM called timeout with 1:05 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 01:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shaun Carney's pass intended for Victor Thompson was incomplete and nearly intercepted. It brought up third-and-eight for the Falcons at their 48. Chad Hall carried on the next play for 11 yards before he was stopped by Major Mosley.

Hall carried again for one yard to the UNM 45-yard line. Carney carried for five yards, bringing up third down and four at the UNM 40. The Falcons called timeout to preserve the drive with 1:12 left in the half.

Posted by ilimon at 01:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Air Force used a pair of run plays to earn nine yards. Scott Peeples then carried for a gainof five and the first down. Shaun Carney carried on the next play and Lobo George Carter dropped him for a loss of one yard. Carney carried again and rushed for six yards, bringing up third and five at the Air Force 35.

Peeples carried it straight up the middle for a six-yard gain and first down. Peeples carried for two-yard gain to the 43. It brought up second-down-eight at the Air Force 48.

The Falcons called timeout with 1:40 left in the half.

Posted by ilimon at 01:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Facing third-and-two, Nelson threw over Travis Brown's head to end the drive. Jordan Scott punted again, and Air Force took a fair catch at the Falcons' 11-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 01:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chris Nelson overthrew Travis Brown, who was streaking across the field and would have scored if he had been in a position to catch the ball around the 10-yard line. Rodney Ferguson carried on the next play for a gain of eight yards. It brought up third-and-two at the 48. UNM called timeout with 5:13 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 01:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd kicked the ball way out of the endzone for a touchback.

Air Force quarterback Shaun Carney carried for six yards to the 26-yard line. Carney passed to Mark Root for a gain of two. Carney sold the option and carried for five yards and a first down. Carney was under pressure and rolled way out of the pocket, but he completed a 14-yard pass to Chad Hall, pushing ahead to the Air Force 47. Ryan Williams ran for seven-yard gain on the next play to the New Mexico 46. Carney carried for five yards and a firsst down.

Victor Thompson carried next for the Falcons for a nine-yard gain. Williams carried for three yards and another first down.

Williams carried again, but there was a flag on the play. Zach Arnett was charged with jumping offsides, pushing the ball to the UNM 25. Carney carried for what appeared to be a five-yard gain but there was another flag on the play. This time Air Force was charged with holding and was pushed back 10 yards.

Carney was about to do an option pitch, but Arnett dropped him for no gain to bring up second-and-14 at the UNM 34. Carney attempted a pass to Thompson, but it was brokenup by Glover Quin to bring up third-and-14. Carney tried to sell another pitch and carry, but Herbert Felder sniffed it out and dropped him for a loss of two. Air Force appeared too be ready to go for it on fourth-and-16, but then the Falcons took a delay-of-game penalty and a five-yard loss.

It appeared to be a touchback the officials downed it near the goal line. Then there was a flag on the play and officials moved it over to the 20-yard line for a touchback. It appeared Air Force was guilty of a personal foul, so the Lobos could start at their 35.

The officials then reviewed the play. upholding the touchback and penalty. The Lobos start at their 35.

Posted by ilimon at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Glover Quin returned the kickoff 17 yards to the UNM 27 yard-line.

Chris Nelson handed off to Rodney Ferguson, who was dropped for no gain. Nelson stepped back and completed a 12-yard pass to Travis Brown. Ferguson carried on the next play for a gain of three yards. Nelson was in trouble but got off a screen pass to Nelson for a 58-yard touchdown pass. It was an impressive run by Ferguson, who had to shake off several Air Force tackles to get to the endzone.

Kenny Byrd hit the extra point and the Lobos trail Air Force 14-7 with 12:36 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ryan Williams carried for a gain of five yards and a big first down at the New Mexico 38. Shaun Carney then pitched to Chad Hall, who ran it for a 38-yard touchdown. He cut back to dodge Blake Ligon on the run. The extra point was good and the Falcons took a 14-0 lead with 14:26 left in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Quarterback Shaun Carney gained three yards on the first play, then Jacobe Kendrick ran for 25 yards on the next play and nearly broke free toward with an open path to the endzone.

Carney rushed on the next play for six yards, pushing into UNM territory and the Lobos' 44-yard-line. Ryan Williams carried on the next play for a one-yard gain to bring up third-and-three at the end of the first quarter.

The Lobos are fortunate to only be trailing 7-0 with so many fumbles on offense.

Posted by ilimon at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos faked a handoff and Paul Baker ran up the middle for eight yards to open UNM's drive. Baker carried again, for a gain of one yard. The chain gang came out to make sure, but it was just short of the first down. Chris Nelson kept the ball on the next play and gained three yards for a first down at the UNM 39.

Nelson completed his next pass to John Mulchrone for a 20-yard gain. When Nelson doesn't hesitate, he can pull off these big gains. Baker ran around a few tackles on the next play and gained six yards. The Lobos handed off to Marcus Smith sweep style, but Air Force stopped it after a 1-yard gain to bring up third-and-three at the Air Force 33.

Nelson threw the world's worst option pass and Baker saved the Lobos by falling on the ball at the Air Force 48-yard line.

Jordan Scott was back on to punt. Air Force took a fair catch at its 23-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The UNM defense countered by sacking Shaun Carney. Herbert Felder was credited with dropping Carney for a loss of five. Carney then handed off to Chad Hall, who gained two yards on the play, bringing up third-and-13. Carney kept the ball on the next play and was tripped up by OJ Swift after a gain of seven. It brought up fourth-and-sixth at the Air Force 27.

The Falcons punted and Thomas Wilson was deep for the return. He took a fair catch at the UNM 27-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chris Nelson and Rodney Ferguson had an awkward handoff, but Ferguson still managed to shake and bake for a gain of three on the play.

Nelson held onto the ball for a long time on the next play looking for a receiver and was sacked by Kevin Quinn for a loss of four yards. It brought up third-and-11. Nelson was sacked again on the next play Julian Madrid for a loss of two.

Jordan Scott punted for the Lobos, and Air Force took a fair catch at the 23-yard line. It was a 34-yard punt.

Posted by ilimon at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Air Force earned a touchback on the kickoff and the Lobos started at their own 20.

Chris Nelson stepped back to pass and it was knocked down by Jake Paulson. He nearly got the interception but dropped the ball as he was falling down.

The Lobos went to Rodney Ferguson next, and ran for two yards to bring up third-and-eight. Nelson completed a 10-yard pass to Thomas Wilson to the UNM 32-yard line. Ferguson carried again for a gain of two yards.

Nelson completed his next pass to Travis Brown for a 12-yard gain and first down. The Falcons are stacking up against the run, but Nelson is doing well so far taking advantage of the passing options.

Play stopped at 10:07 because an Air Force player is down.

Posted by ilimon at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Falcons pushed forward on running plays, bringing up second and third at the UNM eight. New Mexico was called for offsides, setting up first and goal at the four-yard line.

Falcon Brian Williams carried on the next play, but Michael Tuohy held him to a one-yard gain. Shaun Carney carried on the next play and picked up a three-yard touchdown with 12:18 left in the first quarter. The Falcons got the extra point and are now up 7-0 on the Lobos.

Posted by ilimon at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DeAndre Wright didn't get much on the return and the Lobos started at their own 13-yard line.

Rodney Ferguson carried on the first play for a gain of four yards. Ferguson carried again but fumbled.The play was forced by Air Force's Julian Madrid and it was recovered by Falcon Chris Sutton at the 15-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The jets flew over and seven airmen parachuted onto the field. One collided with a photographer the on sideline while landing, but it appears no one was hurt. It was just good for a laugh.

The Lobos will receive.

The current conditions are clear skies with the temperature at 71 degrees. Winds are coming from the Southeast at 10 miles per hour and the average humidity is 27 percent. At 2 p.m., the forecast calls for clear skies, a temperature of 79 degrees, Southeast winds at 12 miles per hour and average humidity of 25 percent.

Posted by ilimon at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's a beautiful clear day here in Colorado Springs, Colo. There are some empty seats in Falcon Stadium, but there's a pretty big crowd still in the parking lot. The cadets, who Lobos hope to keep from doing celebration pushups after an Air Force score, are marching in as the pre-game festivities begin.

Stay tuned for full game coverage.

Posted by ilimon at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, it was a good night for the Lobos.

I posted a game story and photo, and the Linz was actually a little sweet in post-game blog entry. You have to read it to believe it.

I love the early kickoff. My dad is hanging out with me, watching some great football games. He's a UTEP alum and nursing his wounds, but he gives the Lobos credit for playing with more heart and fire than the Miners.

That's all for tonight, but check back Sunday afternoon for coach Rocky Long's take on the game after he' seen the tape and a little preview of Air Force.

Posted by ilimon at 08:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It's Rodney Ferguson's day. He carried for a nine-yard play to open the drive. He's up to 132 yards on 26 carries. Ferguson pounded ahead for a first down.

The Lobos went back to the same well and Ferguson ran for another six yards.

New Mexico appears to be in control with a 26-13 lead and 5:56 remaining, so I'm heading down to the locker room for reaction.

Check Lobo Zone soon for a full game report with photos. The Linz will also offer his take on the game. You know, he's actually been biting his tongue, so get ready for him to unload.

Posted by ilimon at 05:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jordan Palmer opened the drive with a pass for a seven-yard gain. A flag was throw on Palmer's next play, an incomplete pass. It was holding on UTEP, pushing the Miners back to second and nine at the UTEP seven.

The ball was hiked to Lorne Sam, who carried for a five-yard gain. It brought up a huge third-and-four, with Palmer completing a pass to Marcus Thomas for a seven-yard gain. Palmer passed to Daniel Robinson for a 12-yard gain and the Miners are moving again with less than nine minutes left in the game.

Palmer was being chased and dumped the ball, but Brett Madsen was called for roughing the passer. It was a close call and seemed unfair to the Lobos since you never know if that was going to be a fake pass or not. Madsen hit him as Palmer threw the ball.

Palmer hit Johnnie Lee Higgins for three yards, bringing up second and seven at the UNM 49. The next pass was incomplete to force another huge third down at the eight minnute mark. Palmer's next pass was incomplete and ahead of his receiver.

UTEP is punting with 7:57 left, pretty much putting the Miners out of reach if they don't get a quick stop. And I mean real quick.

Posted by ilimon at 05:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Matt Quillen returned the ball eight yards to give the Lobos a first and 10 at their 29.

Rodney Ferguson ran for seven yards on the first play. UTEP just doesn't have an answer for Ferguson. Well sometimes the Miners do. He took a toss in the backfield and lost one yard on the play. Chris Nelson completed a pass to John Mulchrone, who gained six yards and worked to get a first down. It was a big play to gain field position and take more time off the clock.

Nelson wound up to pass on the next play but threw it way past Travis Brown down field. It's secnd and 10 for New Mexico on the Lobos' 41. Ferguson ran for three yards on the next play, bringing up another big third down.

Nelson threw behind Marcus Smith, dove for the catch for five yards but fell two short of the first down. The Lobos are punting, giving UTEP hope with 11:14 left in the game.

Jordan Scott's punt was downed by Ian Clark inside the 10-yard line, giving the Lobo D a little help.

Posted by ilimon at 05:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UTEP kicker Reagan Schneider hit a 49-yard attempt, and the Lobos now lead 26-13 with 14:55 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 05:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lorne Sam opened the UTEP drive with a 12-yard gain.

Here come the Miners. They looked fired up and the Lobos can't afford to let up.

Jordan Palmer completed a screen pass to Jason Williams for a four-yard gain. Palmer completed another pass to Chris Marrow for a first down. Then Palmer hit Daniel Robinson for a 21-yard gain. The Miners quickly jumped to first-and-10 at the UNM 12.

Palmer scrambled but was sacked by Kendall Briscoe and Brett Madsen for a one-yard loss. Then Palmer was sacked again by Madsen. Palmer fumbled and recovered his own drop on the play, ending with a loss of eight. It brought up third-and-19. Palmer was sacked by Major Mosley, and lost another 11 yards.

Reagan Schneider stepped up to attempt a 49-yard punt but the third quarter ended before his kick.

Posted by ilimon at 05:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Matt Quillen took a fair catch on the kickoff on the UNM 21-yard line.

Rodney Ferguson ran for five yards to open the drive. Ferguson was tripped in the backfield but fell forward for no gain on the play.

Chris Nelson forced another pass to Travis Brown and it was nearly intercepted by UTEP.

Jordan Scott punted, and Johnnie Lee Higgins returned it to the UTEP 44-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 05:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd earned a touchback, then Jordan Palmer passed for a 12-yard gain.

Marcus Thomas ran for three yards on the next play, bringing up second and seven at the UTEP 35. Palmer completed his next pass to Chris Marrow for 17-yards. It brought up first down at the UNM 48.

The UTEP offense is showing signs of life on a drive where it desperately needs to score a touchdown.

Smith carried for four yards. Palmer's next pass was complete to Jamar Hunt for five yards, bringing up third-and-one at the UNM 38.Palmer pulled off the quarterback sneak for his third first down of the game. He gained two yards, making it first and 10 at the 37.

Palmer's next pass was complete to Marrow for one yard. Palmer's next pass was complete to Jake Sears for a gain of four. It brought up third-and-five at the New Mexico 32. The crowd roared but Palmer hit Johnnie Lee Higgins for a seven-yard gain.

Palmer's next pass was complete to Daniel Robinson for a 32-yard touchdown. UTEP converted the extra point, and hte score is 26-10 with 5:32 left in third quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DeAndre Wright returned the kickoff for 20 yards, bringing up first down at the UNM 31.

Rodney Ferguson carried on the first play, falling back for a one-yard loss. Ferguson took a lateral toss for 12 yards and a first down.

Chris Nelson aired it out and nealry completed a pass to Travis Brown.The officials called pass interference on the UTEP defender Josh Ferguson. The Lobos picked a first dwon at the UTEP 38.

Ferguson carried again for two yards. Ferguson ran againd and found more daylight for a 10-yard gain. Ferguson showed good balance on the next play, proving it's not just the holes the offensive line opened, and gain another 10 yards on the next play. He has 105 yards so far today.

UNM called timeout wiht first-and-10 at the UTEP 16. The Lobos still appear to be very much in control of this game.

Paul Baker took a toss in the backfield from Nelson and gained three yards, pushing it second and seven for the Lobos. Nelson then connected with Travis Brown for an eight-yard gain and first and goal at the UTEP 5.

Ferguson ran for three yards after stopping. He probably would have fared better without a long pause/fake. Ferguson ran to the 1-yard line and was marked just short of the touchdown, bringing up third down on the one.

Nelson kept the ball for a one yard touchdown run. It was the Lobos' first rushing touchdown of the year.

Kenny Byrd converted an extra point, to push the Lobos ahead 26-3.

Posted by ilimon at 04:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Linz / Richard Stevens is off taking out boosters and schmoozing with coaches from other sports, so I'll just give my halftime take.

Umm ... wow. I haven't seen the Lobos play this well or fight this hard in a very long time. I give New Mexico credit for a great half, but it must be noted UTEP is underachieving tremendously.

The Lobos have 11 first downs to the Miners four. Rodney Ferguson is having stellar game, with 67 yards on 13 carries and five yards receiving for one touchdown. New Mexico is up to 87 yards rushing and 77 yards passing, giving the Lobosa healthier total offense than they had all season.

UTEP has 24 rushing yards on 15 carries and 59 yards passing. The Miners also have two turnovers to one by the Lobos.

The Lobos have to come out strong in the second half, but they clearly in the driver's seat.

Posted by ilimon at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nelson was sacked for a loss of four, after staying in the pocket way too long. The Lobos called another timeout.
A lot of us in the press box think they should just air it out and go long. Why not?
Nelson had some time, but he way overthrew Travis Brown.
Rodney Ferguson ran for 21 yards on the next play. Ferguson ran out the clock to end the half.
I think they should have gone long or let Kenny Byrd attempt a long kick.Looked like the clock ran out, but the Lobos got a timeout in time and will get one last play. Byrd is set for a 46-yard attempt with one second left, but the kick was no good and time finally ran out.

UNM leads 19-3 at the half.

Posted by ilimon at 04:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DeAndre Wright is have a good return day and ran the ball 27 yards, bringing up first and 10 at the UNM 32.

Rodney Ferguson keeps finding daylight and ran for a gain of five yards on the first play of the drive. Nelson scrambled and got off a pass to John Mulchrone for a six-yard gain and first down. New Mexico called timeout with 39 seconds left in the half.

Posted by ilimon at 04:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Tuohy got away with what could have been a late hit, smacking Jordan Palmer as he threw the ball away.

Palmer then completed his next pass to Chris Marrow, gaining six yards on the play. Palmer's next pass was incomplete and knocked down by Tyson Ditmore. The Miners now face fourth-and-four at the 19. UTEP had to go for the field goal this tiem around.

Reagan Schneider's 36-yard attempt was good, making the score 19-3 UNM with 1:51 left in half.

Posted by ilimon at 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson ran for three yards, then Chris Nelson passed to Marcus Smith for a 14-yard gain.

Then Nelson tried to throw the pass into traffic and was picked off by Bryant Tisdale. He returned it nine yards before Ferguson tackled him.

UTEP now hass a first-and-10 at the UNM 25 with three minutes left in the half.

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

The Lobos fired up the crowd, but Jordan Palmer held for a quarterback sneak and gain of two yards. It's the Miners' first first down of the game with a litttle more than 10 minutes left in the half.

Palmer gained three yards on the next pass play. Marcus Thomas plowed ahead for six yards on a run to bring up another third and one, this time at the UTEP 41.

Palmer ran another quarterback sneak for two yards, but he does keep getting hit on those first downs.

Marcus Thomas carried for three yards on the next play. The Lobos are really playing scrappy football on defense. Palmer threw a lateral pass to Thomas, who ran for four yards on the next play. Palmer completed a pass to Johnnie Lee Higgins for an eight-yard gain.

Thomas carried on the next play, but he was dropped for no gain.

Palmer is coming to life, hitting Daniel Robinson for 23-yard pass. UTEP is in scoring territory, with first and 10 at the UNM 20.

The Miners ran on the next two plays for no gain. Then Palmer's pass was complete to Jamar Hunt for a five-yard gain, bringing up third and five. Palmer's pass to Robinson was complete. It was a really nice catch by Robinson, but brought up fourth and one at the 11.

Hunt carried on the play, but the Lobos' defense stopped UTEP and took over on downs.

That was a huge play for New Mexico and shut UTEP out of what should have been a touchdown or field goal drive.

Posted by ilimon at 03:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd kicked the ball waaay out of the endzone again.

The Miners start near their own fans at their own 20 and desperately need a good drive to stay in the game.

Jordan Palmer's pass was complete to David Sutton for a gain of three. Palmer's next pass was complete to Chris Marrow for a gain of six.

UTEP called timeout on third-and-one. The Miners still haven't gotten a first down in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 03:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DeAndre Wright returned the kick for a huge gain, and the Lobos started the next drive at the UTEP 18. Chris Nelson is back at quarterback and completed a pass for two yards. Then Paul Baker ran for a 10-yard gain. Rodney Ferguson carried on the next play for a one-yard gain to bring up second and goal on the five-yard line.

Nelson then threw to Marcus Smith in the endzone, but a flag was thrown for ineligible receiver down the field on the Lobos. It was a five-yard penalty to bring up second and goal at the 10. Good play by Nelson to wait under pressure, just a mistake by the Lobos.

His next pass, however, was ugly. It was intended for Marcus Smith and easily could have been picked off. It looked a little like a panicked throw. Nelson held onto the ball too log and was dropped for an eight-yard loss.

Kenny Byrd stepped up to attempt a 35-yard field goal. He hit it, pushing the Lobos up 19-0 with 12:14 left in the half.

Posted by ilimon at 03:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Palmer tried to get rid of the ball but was called for intentional grounding. As a result, Lobo Tyler Donaldson earned a safety on the play. It's now 16-0 Lobos.

Posted by ilimon at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UTEP was offsides on the first play, for a loss of half a yard. Then the Miners managed a two-yard gain on a run. It brought up second-and-eight. The Lobos' defense swarmed again as Marcus Thomas carried the ball for no gain.

It's the end of the first quarter and the Lobos are dominating 14-0. The Miners are slow starters this year and have not scored in the first quarter all season.

Posted by ilimon at 03:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie handed off to Rodney Ferguson for a five-yard gain. Then Paul Baker took the next handoff for no gain. Porterie rolled out and completed a pass to Marcus Smith for a first down and 16-yard gain. It was a little dangerous to throw under a lot of pressure and into traffic but he did well.

Porterie's next pass looked smooth and was complete to Travis Brown. The Lobos gained 18 yards on the play.

The Lobos lost four yards on the next running play, then Porterie's next pass was tipped by UTEP's Alfonso Auelua. It brought up third and 14. Porterie was sacked at the UTEP 40-yard line by Miner Justin Watson.

Jordan Scott stepped up to punt and got a hand from Marcus Smith, who downed it at the UTEP one-yard line. They went from a dangerous situation with UTEP returners to perfect field position on defense.

Posted by ilimon at 03:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donovan Porterie is in at quarterback to start the drive.

Posted by ilimon at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd kicked the ball out of the endzone, setting UTEP up to start at its 20.

Marcus Thomas ran for nine yards on the first play, setting up second-and-one for the Miners.

Lorne Sam threw the ball on a trick play, but it was incomplete in heavy Lobo traffic.

Thomas carried on the next play, but he was stopped by Michael Tuohy and Quincy Black. The Miners didn't get a first down and will punt again.

The Lobos took a fair catch and will start at their 30.

This has been a huge showing by the Lobo defense and really poor performance by the Miners, who are a much more competitve team.

Posted by ilimon at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos went to Rodney Ferguson again, who ran for six yards on the opening play of the Lobo drive. Then Ferguson carried again for four yards and a first down.

Chris Nelson then attemped at a pass to Thomas Wilson, but it was incomplete and thrown behind Wilson. Ferguson carried on the next play for two yards. Nelson kept the ball and broke off a 27-yard run. He was going to settle for a first down, he did a spin move and got a nice gain without a hard hit. It was a smart play, but not necessarily especially athletic.

Nelson passed to Ferguson on a screen, but Ferguson was dropped for a five-yard loss. Then there was a flag on second down, with UTEP jumping offsides. The Lobos went back to second-and-10. The ball was fumbled on the snap, but Nelson recovered him own drop. It brought up third-and-10.

Nelson's next pass was to Marcus Smith was complete for a 18-yard touchdown.

Kenny Byrd converted the extra point, pushing UNM ahead 14-0.

Richard Stevens says it looks like the Miners didn't bother to show up.

Posted by ilimon at 03:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UTEP ran the ball on it's first play of the drive for a gain of three. Then Jordan Palmer passed to Marcus Thomas for a one-yard gain. The defense is really flying around again this game, and the crowd is fired up for both sides.

Palmer to Johnnie Lee Higgins was a bullet and incomplete, with Quincy Black getting a hand on the ball.

Now Thomas Wilson is back to receive a UTEP punt. It was a fair catch at the Lobo 43.

Posted by ilimon at 03:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd kicked the ball out of the endzone for a touchback, but the Lobos were offsides and UNM had to kick it again from the 30-yard line.

Byrd still got it to the endzone, and Johnnie Lee Higgins ran it back for 16 yards. First-and-10 from the UTEP 16.

Posted by ilimon at 03:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos went three straight to Rodney Ferguson, getting big gains in the first two. They moved the ball to second-and-goal on the eight-yard line.

Quarterback Chris Nelson was chased out of the pocket and threw the ball away, which was better than a sack he might of picked up in the same situation last week. Nelson completed his next pass to Ferguson across the middle, good for a touchdown. It was a good catch for Ferguson because it was a bullet by Nelson. Kenny Byrd converted the extra point and the score is now 7-0 New Mexico with 12:31 remaining.

Posted by ilimon at 03:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UTEP's Johnny Lee Higgins returned the kick for 22 yards, bringing up first and 10 at the UTEP 25.

Jordan Palmer's first pass was incomplete. Palmer nearly completed his second pass to Higgins, but Higgins was bumped on coverage by OJ Swift. Palmer was sacked looking for a receiver, then UTEP llinemen just looked around. Herbert Felder sacked Palmer, and Major Mosley recovered it at the UTEP 21-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 03:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

And elected to defer.

Posted by ilimon at 03:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's a sea of orange and red, with the Lobo fans out-numbering the UTEP fans at kickoff. It's a good size crowd and there's definitely a lot of energy in the stadium. It's much better than the past two home games this season.

Posted by ilimon at 02:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tony Temple carried for five yards, then carried again for another three. Earl Goldsmith carried on the next play for eight yards.

Chase Daniel kept the ball on the next play for three yards.

The clock is now seriously working against the Lobos with 6:02 left and a 10-point deficit.

Chase Daniel picked up a big first down off a nine-yard pass to Chase Coffman.

Daniel then carried for four yards, and the Tigers effectively shaved more time off the clock with their drive.

Temple carried for three yards, setting up third-and-three at the UNM 35.

Daniel carried again for a first down, for a gain of six and first down that should kill any chance of a comeback. The clock is at 2:53 and running.

Temple broke off a 27-yard run to the two-yard line, Temple carried for no gain, but the Tigers should score and cover the almighty 14-point spread. Goldsmith carried for a two-yard touchdown and the Tigers hit the extra point, to push ahead 27-10.

I'm heading down to the locker room to get reaction now. Check Lobo Zone for more updates after the game.

Posted by ilimon at 08:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DeAndre Wright earned the biggest return of the season, netting a 44-yard return.

The Lobos start at the Missouri 43.

Chris Nelson waited in the pocked and connected with Marcus Smith for a three-yard gain. Nelson's next pass intended for Travis Brown was broken up my Missouri's menacing defensive end Brian Smith.

Nelson hasn't been rattled enough to stop waiting in the pocket. He paused for awhile before finding Brown for a first down by a nose. It was a seven yard gain that required a chain gang ruling to make sure he got the first down.

Nelson's next pass attempt to Yimin Bauman was incomplete, with Nelson under heavy pressure and Bauman falling down.

He underthrew his next pass to Marcus Smith slightly and it was incomplete, bringing up a huge third-and-10 for the Lobos at the Missouri 33.

Nelson pass to Travis Brown was complete, but it was only good for six yards.

The Lobos brought out Kenny Byrd for a 45-yard field-goal attempt.The punt was blocked badly, and Missouri will take over at the Tigers' 28-yard line with 8:21 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 08:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tony Temple has broken off two straight strong runs, giving the Tigers two first downs in a row.

Missouri moved quickly to a first-and-10 on the 50.

Chase Daniel's pass was complete to Jason Ray for four yards.

This time the Lobos sniffed out Marcus Woods' carry, dropping him for a four-yard loss. Fans wanted a bigger loss, but the officials called it at hte 50 on forward progress.

Daniel's pass was complete to Will Franklin for a 16-yard gain. It's startling how quickly the Missouri offense can make up yards.

Daniel was hit as completed his pass to Jared Perry for a three-yard gain. The Lobos are getting to Daniel a lot on pass rush. Daniel kept the ball, faking a handoff, and gaining one yard on the play. The Lobos now face third-and-six at the UNM 30.

Daniel completed his next pass to Martin Rucker, who was tackled by OJ Swift. Rucker got 14 yards on the play.

Temple earned another big gain, plowing to the right for eight yards.

Daniel kept the ball on the next play, running untouched for an eight-yard touchdown. It was a good call after selling the handoff to the running back.

Missouri's Jeff Wolfert connected on the extra point, pushing the score to 20-10 Missouri with 10:52 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd kicked the ball out of the endzone to help the Lobo defense again.

Chase Danie's pass to Chase Coffman was complete for a nine-yard gain. The small but loud crowd is rallying behind the Lobos.

It's the end of the third quarter, with the score much closer than I ever imagined possible.

Missouri 13, Lobos 10.

Posted by ilimon at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson carried twice for the Lobos, bringing up third-and-three on the Lobos' 27. Chris Nelson made a good pass under pressure, threading the ball to John Mulchrone for seven yards and a first down.

Nelson was hit as he threw the ball away. The Lobos didn't turn the ball over or suffer a loss of yards, but his head has got to be hurting now.

Ferguson found a big hole and rushed for nine yards to the UNM 43. Ferguson now has 90 yards on the night.The chain gang came out to measure, but it was pretty obvious Ferguson was one yard short.

There was a flag on Missouri for jumping offsides, giving the Lobos a first down at Tigers 49.

Nelson's pass was complete to Thomas Wilson, but he worked hard to get back to the line of scrimmage for no gain.

Nelson found the most open Lobo, John Mulchrone, for a 25-yard gain. The Lobos jumped quickly to a first down on the Missouri 26.

Nelson looked off an open Marcus Smith midfield and tried to throw to Mulchrone in the endzone. It was over his head and incomplete.

Mike Love got the next carry, but he was dropped for a two-yard loss.

I don't think Paul Baker has even gotten into this game.

Chris Nelson was hit quickly on the next play and sacked for a seven-yard loss.

Kenny Byrd was up next to attempt a 52-yard field goal. Byrd got it, connecting on the longest field goal of his career.

Missouri now leads 13-10 with 31 seconds left.

Posted by ilimon at 08:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Tigers sputtered on the first two plays, then Chase Daniel hit Chase Coffman for nine yards.

Missouri went for it on fourth-and-one. Daniel gave the option pitch to Tony Temple for a gain of 12 yards. The Lobos were banking on a run up the middle.

Daniel completed his next pass to Will Franklin for four yards. Temple then carried on the next play for a three-yard gain. Temple looked like he was off for a big run, but he fumbled into the endzone and the Lobos recovered for a touchback. Frankie Solomon was behind the big tackle and Phillip Harrison recovered it.

Richard Stevens says Missouri is choking big time.

Posted by ilimon at 07:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's another relatively small crowd at 27,806. We all figured the Lobos would draw at least 30,000.

Posted by ilimon at 07:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wow. Chris Nelson was sacked on the opening play.

Missouri's Brian Smith was on him instantly, dropping Nelson for a 12-yard loss and a nearly safety.

It's second-and-22 at the UNM 5.

Marcus Smith bobbled Nelson's pass to him, setting up third-and-22 at the 5.

Now the Lobos would do well to just get out of safety and blocked punt danger.

Nelson lateraled the ball forward before being taken down, getting rid of the ball the way we hink he planned to do on his last turnover. It was ugly, but at least it wasn't a safety.

Jordan Scott was tested again but punted 34 yards to the UNM 39-yard line. It was a fair catch by Missouri's Marcus Woods.

Posted by ilimon at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DeAndrew Wright broke up a big pass play, but then Tony Temple ran for 18 yards and a first down on the second play of Missouri's drive.

Chase Daniel then hit Martin Rucker across the middle for a 12-yard pass.

Temple ran again, this time gaining six yards.

This is starting to resemble Missouri's first really efficient drive.

Daniel completed his next pass to Jared Perry for a seven-yard gain and first down. Daniel attempted an option play but it turned into an awkward carry by Danario Alexander and was tackled for a two yard loss by Jake Bowe. The next pass to Will Franklin was incomplete and broken up by Glover Quin, setting up third-and-12 at the UNM 33.

Daniel had some time to throw, but he was nearly picked up off by DeAndre Wright on another attempt to Will Franklin.

Missouri punted, with the ball going straight up and bouncing for a 16-yard gain.

The Lobos start at their own 17.

Posted by ilimon at 07:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's a touchback on the kickoff, with the Lobos starting at their 20.

Chris Nelson is back in the game, handing off to Rodney Ferguson for a four-yard gain. Ferguson carried again and ended up just short of a first down, bringing up third-and-one at the UNM 29.

Nelson carried for a gain of two and the first down.

Then Nelson overthrew Matt Quillen, setting up second-and-10.

Nelson was sacked on the next play, but it wasn't his fault. No one even touched Brian Smith, who dropped Nelson for a loss of five. New Mexico faced third-and-15 at the 25.

This time Nelson hit Quillen, but he only gained seven yards on the play and the Lobos were forced to punt.

Special teams is having a good night. This time, Marcus Woods got hit hard but recovered his own fumble for no gain off the punt return.

Missouri will start with first down and 10 on its 26.

Posted by ilimon at 07:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Missouri's Evander "Ziggy" Hood, a starting defensive tackle is doubtful to return in the second half with a foot injury.

Posted by ilimon at 07:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Richard Stevens is taking over my blog for his halftime take on the Lobos. He had his computer started up, but closed it and is just fine with dictating to me. Here's what he had to say:

It's obvious that this might be the best defense Missouri has faced. It might be surprising based on how many yards the Aggies got against the Lobos, but Missouri hasn't been able to run and their passing hasn't been phenoemenal. This might be the best half the Lobo secondary has played because there hasn't been a whole lot of pressure on Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel, but his receivers aren't getting open.

The Missouri defense doesn't look like it's number two in the nation. However, the Lobo offense hasn't given any indication it's going to score a touchdown this game. The Lobos might have scored the only way they could have on defense.

Missouri probably figures Daniel should complete more passes in the second half based on how much time he has had to throw.

Right now UNM quarterback Chris Nelson has been responsible for three points -- and they went to Missouri. His fumble wasn't forced, it was a mental error. I'm not sure if there's any adjustments the Lobos can make in the second half to score with the exception of bringing in backup Donovan Porterie.

The third quarter is key because if the Lobos can stay close going into the fourth quarter, Missouri might start doubting itself.

New Mexico needs to get the ball to Marcus Smith more because he can make some big plays.

Now Stevens is steaming because one of the UNM fat cats threw him an elbow in the buffet line. But it can't be all bad because his mouth is full and he's done talking. He told me not to rude and not type that, but I just write what I see.

Posted by ilimon at 07:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Missouri kicked it and earned a touchback. It's first-and-10 on the 20 with 18 seconds left, but the Lobos wisely didn't run a play. Why put Nelson at risk?

It was a rough start for the UNM offense, but the Lobo D has made some big plays to keep the score 13-7 Missouri at the half.

Posted by ilimon at 07:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chase Daniel pass intended for Brad Ekwerekwu was incomplete and nearly picked off by Glover Quin.

This time Missouri went for a field goal, with Jeff Wolfert connecting for a 36-yard field goal.

The score is 13-7 Missouri with 23 seconds left in the half.

Posted by ilimon at 07:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chase Daniel overthrew Will Franklin in the endzone, then he hit Franklin for a one-yard gain. Missouri then called timeout to stop the clock with 33 seconds left in the half.

It's second-and-9 at the UNM 18.

Posted by ilimon at 07:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Missouri nose tackle Jamar Smith was helped off the field and play continues.

It appeared Chris Nelson was trying to down the ball by pitching it forward, but he fumbled oddly and Missouri took over at the UNM 19.

Ouch, Very bad play.

Posted by ilimon at 07:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson ran for eight yards on the first play, taking the Lobos out of automatic safety danger.

The Missouri defense was offsides and Chris Nelson had a free shot on the play, but he downed it. I guess better safe than sorry.

Now it's first-and-10 on the UNM 18. Nelson kept the ball and awkwardly ran out of bounds after gaining 11 yards.

It's first-and-10 at the UNM 29 with 1:03 left in the half.

A Missouri player is down, stopping the game for now.

Posted by ilimon at 07:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chase Daniel completed a pass to Will Franklin for a six-yard gain, then Michael Tuohy tackled him with a fierce hit. Daniel then hit Jason Ray to bring up first and 10 on the 14. Daniel went to the air again for a gain of eight. He went to Franklin again, but Glover Quin broke up the pass to bring up third-and-two on the seven.

The Lobos stopped Daniel on a quarterback keeper. He gained one yard to bring up fourth-and-one at the 10.

The Tigers went for it on a Daniel carry, but they were stuffed and the ball was turned over on downs.

New Mexico's D obviously was elated to pick up another big stop.

Posted by ilimon at 07:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson broke off his biggest run of the game, gaining 19 yards on the opening play of UNM's drive. Then Mike Love carried for four yards.

The Lobo running game is off to surprisingly good start given Missouri's size advantage.

Ferguson carried again for a gain of five, setting up third-and-one.

Then it appears UNM went to Ferguson one too many times. He was dropped for what appears to be a five yard loss, then fumbled, Marcus Bacon recovered for the Tigers.

Posted by ilimon at 07:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tony Temple rumbled for a first down, but the Lobos did hit Chase Daniel again. Major Mosley is having a hard time wrapping up Temple.

On the next play, Daniel scrambled and looked to run but was dropped for a loss of eight. OJ Swift and Quincy Black were responsible for the tackle.

Daniel then hit Chase Coffman for six, to bring up third and 12. Daniel got great protection on the next play, but OJ Swift appeared to break up his pass to Martin Rucker.

Missouri was forced to punt again but was able to pin the Lobos at their own seven-yard line to start the next drive.

Posted by ilimon at 06:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson carried on the opening play of the drive for eight yards. It looked like he was tugged back by what could have been a facemask, but no call was made. Still a good gain for the Lobos, with Ferguson proving he can shake off tackles.

Chris Nelson then completed a pass to Marcus Smith for yards a six-yard gain and a first down.

Nelson was late on his throw to John Mulchrone, who has got to be the most frustrated Lobo receiver who is always open but never catches much. The pass was intercepted by Del Howard, ending a promising New Mexico drive before it had much time to get started.

Posted by ilimon at 06:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Missouri gained one on its first carry, then Chase Daniel's pass to William Franklin led to another one-yard gain. It looks like UNM's defense is getting some confidence. Daniel's pass intended to Martin Rucker was incomplete, but there was a flag on the play.

It was against Missouri, and the Tigers are set to punt.

Thomas Wilson returned the punt for five yards and the Lobos will start at their 35 and inches.

Posted by ilimon at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd kick the ball into the endzone, setting up the start of Missouri's drive on its 20.

Posted by ilimon at 06:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This could be the best chance for the Lobo D to make a big play.

I swear I typed that right before Michael Tuohy intercepted Chase Daniel's pass and returned it for a touchdown. Kenny Byrd converted the extra point and the score is now 10-7 Missouri.

Posted by ilimon at 06:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another trick play didn't' fare so well, with Marcus Smith dropping for a one-yard loss on a reverse pitch. Chris Nelson completed his next pass to Travis Brown, who seems to be having a pretty good receiving night. The Lobos faced third-and-2 on their 49. Nelson kept the ball, faking the option, gaining five yards and a first down.

Rodney Ferguson carried for four yards and shook off a few tackles before he was brought down.

Nelson was in trouble again on second-and-seven, but this time he did get rid of the ball before being whalloped. He rolled out on the next play and passed up his chance to dump it again. Missouri sacked Nelson for a loss of eight and killed the Lobos' drive.

Jordan Scott punted well again, forcing the Tigers to start their drive at their own 9-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 06:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

But the Tigers got a friendly bounce, and New Mexico will start at UNM 41-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 06:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobo D held in to force third-and-four at the Tigers' 16, then Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel rushed for three yards. The Tigers have some time to talk over their strategy for fourth and one since the clock ran out and it is the end of the first quarter.

This could be a good break for the Lobos or a back breaker if Missouri converts on this play.

We're all marveling at the TCU-Texas Tech score too. Who knew it would be a low scoring game, with TCU holding a 12-3 lead in the fourth quarter?

Posted by ilimon at 06:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Glover Quin returned the Missouri kick to bring up first and 10 at the Lobos' 21-yard line.

Nelson completed his first pass of the day to Travis Brown. He gained five yards on the play. Nelson then completed another pass to Brown for a 15-yard gain and a first down at the 41-yard line.

Brown then carried on a reverse, but the Lobos only gained one yard on the play. The Lobos will probably need more trickery to survive this game.

Nelson was searching for an open receiver down field and got sacked again. He was dropped for a five-yard loss, bringing up third-and-14 at the 36. Nelson completed another pass to Brown, but he gained 12 yards and came up two short of a first down.

The Lobos opted to punt. Jordan Scott came up with a strong punt, and Ian Clark downed it at the Missouri 10-yard line.

Nelson isn't getting a ton of help, but he also isn't proving to be very adept at getting rid of the ball to protect himself.

Posted by ilimon at 06:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chase Daniel carried on the first play of the drive, scrambling for four yards and bringing up second and six. Daniel then passed to Martin Rucker for a six yards and a first down.

Tony Temple danced and evaded tackles on his next carry, breaking away for a 39-yard-gain. Ian Clark and Major Mosley both missed tackles on the play. Fans were calling for a fumble, but Temple was down before he coughed up the ball.

Temple carried on the next play for no gain. It's second and goal on the six. Daniel found Martin Rucker for a six-yard touchdown pass. Missouri Jeff Wolfert hit the extra point, putting Missouri ahead 10-0 with 5:13 left in the first quarter.

The outlook is bleak for the Lobos, who fared even worse on the Tigers' second drive of the game. Missouri scored on five plays and moved the ball up the field with brutal efficiency.

Posted by ilimon at 06:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson carried for six yards on the second play of UNM's opening drive, then a penalty bounced the Lobos back five yards. New Mexico was charged with illegal participation, with a player heading into the game too late.

Then Nelson was sacked again for a loss of four yards, bringing up fourth down and 17.

Needless to say, the Lobos' first appearance on offense wasn't pretty. Two sacks, one penalty and a punt.

Jordan Scott's punt went out at the Missouri 44-yard line, where the Tigers will start their next drive.

Posted by ilimon at 06:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Turns out Paul Baker isn't the only one with hands trouble. DeAndre Wright bobbled the ball before returning it for seven yards to bring up first and 10 at the 20.

Chris Nelson's first play didn't go well either. He was sacked for a loss of four yards but did hang onto the ball.

Posted by ilimon at 06:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tony Temple rushed for eight yards on the next play, then the Lobos nearly sacked Chase Daniel. He managed to complete a pass to Franklin for five years and a first down but did take a hard hit.

Temple rushed again, this timee for three yards before he was stopped by Cody Kase and Jake Bowe. Temple carried again, but the UNM defense converged and dropped him for a loss of three. It brought up third-and-three, but Chase sat back and found Martin Rucker for a 12-yard pass and another first down.

Daniel then completed a pass to Will Franklin, who rumbled for 21 yards. The only good news for the Lobos was Daniel got hit hard again.

Marcus Woods carried on the next play for loss of one. Major Mosley stepped in again and earned the tackle for a loss. Jared Perry bobbled a pass from Daniel but hung on for a four-yard gain. It brought up third-and-seven. Daniel had Danario Alexander wide open across the middle, but Alexander dropped the ball.

Missouri's Jeff Wolfert converted a 37-yard field goal, to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead. Missouri's offense obviously is potent, with Daniel going 6-of-7 passing on the opening drive.

Posted by ilimon at 06:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd earned a touchback, and the Tigers begin on their own 20.

Chase Daniel's first pass was complete to Martin Rucker for five yards. Then Daniel handed off to Tony Temple, who was stuffed by Major Mosley for a seven-yard loss. It brought up third-and-12, and fired up the small UNM crowd. Daniel then proved why the Missouri offense is so efficient, hitting William Franklin for an 14-yard gain and a first down.

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

It's still pretty empty, but they're gonna play a football game anyway.

Good news. The Linz has managed to set up his laptop. This is tremendous progress for The Great One, also known as The Technology Challenged One.

Senior Kole McKamey is wearing his game jersey and is on crutches, but he still went out with the captains for the coin toss. Missouri won the toss and will receive. The Lobos will be defending the north goal.

Posted by ilimon at 05:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm settled in at University Stadium, and the crowd looks really thin. I'm not just talking about a crowd slow coming in from the tailgate lot. There's a whole lot more parking spots available around University Stadium than usual. More empty spaces than when the Lobos drew a remarkably small crowd of 27,535 against Portland State. We'll see if more people slip in soon.

I see two big keys for the game today. The first will be the performance of the offensive line. The line has to perform better to protect new quarterback Chris Nelson and finally get the running game started. The other will be whether New Mexico's defensive game plan works for a second year in a row. Coach Rocky Long will be throwing as many players into the game as possible on defense and will blitz the quarterback like crazy. I wrote a story for today's Trib about two rookies who will be joining the defensive lineup this week.

And to recap, here are the Trib's picks for tonight's game. We could all be wrong, but we picked against the Lobos.

Posted by ilimon at 05:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm settled back in at my parents' house in El Paso, where I'll spend the night before making the morning trek back to Albuquerque. One obvious but major correct to my Game Day blogging. Safety Blake Ligon, not DeAndre Wright, is the Lobo who likely broke his arm during the game.

The Lobos junior varsity will be playing a game Sunday at 1 p.m. that will be open to the public. i believe it will be played in University Stadium and will get more details up as soon as possible. UNM players who have not played in the first two games but are not redshirting are eligible for the game.

I'm spent for now. We've got a full story posted and the Linz apparently is somewhere in Juarez partying up a storm. Check back for a photo slideshow, audio and blog updates on Sunday afternoon on Lobo Zone.

Good night and good luck. (Hey, it's worked for a lot of other people. There are worse ways to sign off.)

Posted by ilimon at 01:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I'm heading down to the locker room for reaction. Check back soon for a postgame story and the Linz's take at www.lobozone.com.

Posted by ilimon at 09:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chase Holbrook got off one pass for four yards, then Holbrook was sacked for the sixth time, setting up third-and-five. Holbrook hit Jeremiah Williams for a first down that stops the clock at 42 seconds.

Holbrook's next pass to Derek Dubois was on the mark, but he dropped it for what we think in the press box was the third Aggie drop of the game. Holbrook then overthrew Tim Tolbert to set up a third and 10. Holbrook's next pass was intended for AJ Harris, but it was broken up by Lobo Major Mosley.

The Aggies picked up an a false start, with 25 seconds left to set up fourth and 15 at the Aggie 28. It was Hail Mary time, but Dubois dropped another pass and the Lobos prayers were answered.

UNM took over downs and emerges with a win.

Posted by ilimon at 09:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson rushed for three yards for fourth down and five on the Aggie 37. NMSU coach Hal Mumme burned his third and final timeout with 1:51 left in the game.

The Lobos punted and it bounced into the endzone, setting up a touchback with 1:44 left.

Should they have gone for it? We'll find out.

Posted by ilimon at 09:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nelson threw to Travis Brown for no gain. The Aggies had to call another timeout with 1:56 left in the game. The last play set up third-and-eight on the Aggie 40.

Posted by ilimon at 09:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Aggies used a standard punt and Paul Baker held onto it for a return to the UNM 24-yard line.

New Mexico takes over with 4:31 left in the game and a six-point lead.

Rodney Ferguson carried the ball for a 12 yards to the Aggie 26. The Lobos rushed for two yards on the next play. Then Ferguson ended up losing one yard on the next carry.

The Lobos faced third-and-nine with 3:11 left.

Nelson came up huge with a pass to Marcus Smith, who gained 21 yards on the play. Ferguson ran for two yards and the Aggies had to call a timeout with 2:05 left in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 09:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chase Holbrook led a quick charge down the field, collecting three straight first downs, then got lucky when a bad snap and quick pass nearly turned the ball over. The Aggies were facing third-and-one on the Lobos' 22. He threw into traffic and hit Jeremiah Williams, but he dropped it. So it's a huge fourth-and-one with 5:03 remaining in the game. Holbrook kept the ball and rumbled to the UNM 17 for nine yards and a first down. He hit Derek Dubois in the corner of the endzone, but he bobbled the ball. He then hit Dubois again in the endzone, and this time he caught it. The extra point was good, so now the Lobos lead 34-28 with 4:43 left.

New Mexico needs to run the clock to hold onto this game. The remaining crowd is getting fired up and it could be a crazy night.

Posted by ilimon at 09:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM's Paul Baker showed he still doesn't have the surest hands, bobbling the ball and sticking the Lobos at their own three-yard line. The Lobos were saddled with a one-yard loss on the next run play. Rodney Ferguson then rushed for about two yards. Chris Nelson was hit as he threw the ball high over Travis Brown's head and out of bounds. Jordan Scott was left to punt out of his own end zone. Scott punted it to the UNM 46-yard line.

It was an ugly drive, but at least the bad return hasn't cost the Lobos any points yet.

Posted by ilimon at 09:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd booted the ball for another touchback, and the Lobos are in the driver's seat.

Chris Williams tied his personal best in receptions with seven, picking up a five-yard gain on a pass from Chase Holbrook. But Williams, a Rio Rancho star, isn't destined for a happy ending tonight. Jeremiah Williams then collected an eight-yard gain for a first down at the NMSU 37.

Holbrook then hit Nick Cleaver for a 60-yard touchdown pass. The Aggies scored the extra point. The Lobos now lead 34-21 with 8:45 left in the game, but this just shows how quickly NMSU can score. I still think UNM is in the driver's seat, but they can't afford to stop now.

Posted by ilimon at 08:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chris Nelson was facing a tough third-and-nine, but he connected to Marcus Smith for a 61-yard touchdown. He had a nice curl move on the pass and made it all the way to the end zone. Kenn Byrd connected on the extra point to push the Lobos up 34-14 with 10:44 left and pretty much put the game out of reach.

That was, by far, the prettiest play of the game. It wasn't exactly poor defense, just a nicely threaded pass and great route run by Smith. And his speed paid off in all the right ways.

Posted by ilimon at 08:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Aggies seem to be in even more of a hurry-up offense mode than usual. Jeremiah Williams broke off a couple of strong runs to earn a first down at the NMSU 42-yard-line with 12:47 remaining.

Holbrook then threw for a quick first down, followed by a run by Chris Nwoko. He fumbled for the second time on the night. It was forced by Quincy Black. Glover Quin recovered the ball.

The Aggies now have five turnovers and waning hope of a comeback.

Posted by ilimon at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson collected a three yard gain, then ran into traffic on the next drive but the Lobos were called for holding to force second-and-17. Chris Nelson was hit hard on a pass attempt to Marcus Smith that sailed high. Then Nelson's pass to Yimin Bauman was just out of reach. Kenny Byrd preserved the scoring drive with a 38-yard field goal to give the Lobos a 27-14 lead.

The Lobos strong drive to end the fourth quarter only ended with three points, but it should be enough if the UNM defense still has strong legs.

Posted by ilimon at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Love picked up an seven yard gain, followed by a four-yard run by Paul Baker. Tim McManigal then sacked Chris Nelson. Nelson bounced back by hitting John Mulchrone for a 48-yard gain to end the third quarter.

Tonight's attendance was 29,095. It's the Aggies' biggest crowd of the young season and 11th highest in Aggie Memorial history. It also happens to top the Lobos' attendance last week.

The injuries, by the way, are piling up for the Lobos. McKamey is watching the game on crutches and DeAndre Wright has his right arm in a cast and is standing on the sidelines in street clothes.

Posted by ilimon at 08:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Justine Burries got his biggest run of the night for six yards, but Chase Holbrook's next pass on the mark to Chris Williams was dropped. Holbrook then scrambled for a first down, getting the ball to the Aggie 19.

The Aggies ran the ball again, with Burries gaining four yards. Holbrook then hit AJ Harris for a 10-yard gain. NMSU's runs are really designed to gain some yardage but lull the pass defense into a false sense of security. Holbrook passed again, this time to Nick Cleaver for seven yards. Holbrook passed to Burries, but the NMSU running backs are cursed and the Lobos forced a two-yard loss on the play.

Once again, Holbrook passed when the Aggies needed a first down and hit Chris Williams for a first-and-10 on their 45. Burries actually got some traction on the next carry for an eight-yard run. Holbrook's attempt to a relatively open Williams but he overthrew him. The hole for Burries on the next play collapses fast, with OJ Swift smothering him for a one-yard loss. Burries also was injured on the play.

The Aggies went for it on fourth-and-two and earned the first down off a Chris Nwoko carry.

NMSU collected another first down off a pass play, clawing to the UNM 28-yard line. Holbrook went for the corner of the endzone, but he overthrew the receiver. The quarterbacks aren't giving receivers good shots at jump balls in the endzone tonight.

Holbrook's next pass was complete to Tim Tolbert for a five-yard gain to the UNM 23-yard-line. Holbrook completed a pass to Chris Buckner, but there was a flag on the play and the Aggies

Aggie David Romaka, who replaced Burries, fumbled as he was nearly in the endzone. Glover Quin forced a fumble and Major Mosley recovered, taking the ball back to the UNM 35. The play was reviewed by the officials, but it was upheld.

This was the longest drive of the game with 18 plays on the drive, but it actually hurt the Aggies to burn so much clock.

Posted by ilimon at 08:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Opps. The Lobo offense got called for a 10-yard offsides penalty. Rodney Ferguson helped the cause with a 10-yard gain to make it second-and-10 at the UNM 33. Then Ferguson drove up the field again for seven yards, to set up a third-and-three on the UNM 40.

I predicted a pass to tight end, and Chris Nelson managed a pass under pressure to John Mulchrone for first-and-10 at the Aggie 40. Nelson looked for his receivers long on the next three plays, but he really overthrew them on all three plays. Lobos punted and Aggies start the next drive on their own nine.

By the way, Tennesse picked up a 31-30 win over Air Force in Knoxville. The Falcons failed on a two-point conversion that could have won the game. That'll be controversial later but shows Air Force has some muscle and is no pushover.

Posted by ilimon at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd kicked off and earned a touchback to open the third quarter.

Justine Burries is having a rough night compared to what he earned against Southeastern Louisiana. The Aggies finished with -3 yards at the half and don't look much better now. The Aggies gained four before the Lobo Major Mosley sacked Chase Holbrook for a nine-yard loss and forced NMSU to quickly punt. That gives the Lobos five sacks on the night.

A flag was thrown on the punt, with NMSU charged with a false start. The Aggies will punt from their own endzone. Another flag was thrown on the repeat punt, but it was offsides on New Mexico and the penalty was declined.

So the messiness all ends up with first-and-10 at the UNM 33.

Posted by ilimon at 08:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think the biggest news so far is the Lobos' offensive line has improved dramatically. As in, it showed up in Las Cruces tonight. Perhaps it was the shock of seeing Kole McKamey go down with what appears to be a pretty serious injury that finally woke the group up because the Hitmen didn't exactly start out on fire.

While Chris Nelson has moved the ball well (he was six-of-15 for 134 yards and two touchdowns) he nearly got picked off several times. He won't be that lucky all the time and needs to get his passing under control. It would be good to give Donovan Porterie more reps considering his only play was a 34-yard touchdown pass, but I know from practice that he is learning the offense and often throws interceptions when pressured.

I think they should play Mike Love a lot since they burned his redshirt year. Why else would you yank it? I'm not saying play him more than anyone else, just give him plenty of time in the rotation.

We have met both Bob Toledo's offense and Rocky Long's defense during the first half. The Lobo D forced three big turnovers and put the kind of pressure on Aggie quarterback Chase Holbrook that is essential to disrupt the NMSU offense.

Looks good for the Lobos, but the night isn't over yet. Let's see if they win one for the Gipper. (That, unfortunately, would be McKamey.)

Posted by ilimon at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Once again, Richard Stevens takes over my laptop for his halftime analysis.

This time Stevens had his computer on, but the Aggies have a shortage of ports for high-speed Internet connections. Here's his thoughts:

The defense is finalling doing some good things to help the Lobos offense. The three turnovers they forced have made a big difference this game.

It looks like the Lobos were fortunate to pick up 24 points, with at least one of the touchdowns slipping right through an Aggie defender's hands.

And Stevens says he's curious why backup Chris Nelson seems to know the Lobos' offense better than the starting quarterback, although it could be the opponent. The offensive line also has been playing a lot better than last week, helping Nelson along.

Miss the Linz? He'll have postgame commentary on his blog after the game. By then, we should have all this Internet access fun sorted out. And maybe we can convince the state Legislature the Aggies deserve air conditioning and wireless Internet in the press box. Please ....

Posted by ilimon at 07:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Aggies seem to live in hurry-up offense, but they seemed a rattled early in the drive.

But NMSU can comeback fast. Chase Holbrook hit A.J. Harris for 21 yards and Derek Dubois for 11 yards to quickly make up ground with 29 seconds left in the half.

Holbrook then hit Chris Williams for five yards under pressure. The clock quickly ticked down, and the Aggies called timeout with nine seconds left.

NMSU set up to kick a 52-yard attempt, but it seems like it could be a fake. It turns out to be a really ugly kick that was blocked by Stephen Hutchinson and dropped around the 15-yard line. And that's the end of the first half.

Posted by ilimon at 07:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The replay official decided the play stands as called, and it is New Mexico ball.

It may be awhile before the Aggies put the back in running back Chris Nwoko's hands after that play.

The Lobos nearly connected to Marcus Smith, but it was broken up by Alex Bernard. Bernard was hit hard on the play and was slow getting up but stayed in the game.

Nelson scrambled for eight yards, getting a nice assist from a Lobo I just missed identifying.

Nelson then hit Luke Walters across the midde. They are using the tight end! It was a 14-yard gain for first down at the Aggie 28. Nelson tossed a pass way over Travis Brown's head in the right corner of the end zone. Nelson made a dangerous dump under pressure, but it was down with no trouble to set up third-and-10 at the Aggie 28. The Lobos called a timeout with 1:28 left in the first half. Nelson had plenty of time to prepare but nearly got picked off throwing quickly across the middle to Thomas Wilson. It was incomplete.

Kenny Byrd missed his first attempt of the year, going wide right on his 40-yard attempt.

It's Aggie ball on their 28 with 1:08 left.

Posted by ilimon at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Chase Holbrook almost gave the Aggies a quick lift in a pass that narrowly was out of Chris Williams reach. It woulda been a huge gain.

Kole McKamey is back on the sidelines, but he's still on the cart. He is in street clothes and being helped onto the sidelines to cheer on his team.

Meanwhile, Lobo Michael Tuohy sacked Chase Holbrook again, this time for an eight-yard loss.

Holbrook hit Dubois on the next play and was tackled by Major Mosley. It would have been three yards short of a first down, then Mosley was charged with a late hit. The play set up first-and-10 for the Aggies.

UNM's Ian Clark then responded in a huge way, recovering an Aggie carry. Tyler Donaldson forced the fumble again. The play, however, is being reviewed by officials. If it stands, it's a first-and-10 on the 50-yard line.

The Lobos could pick up an interception and two fumbles if this play stands.

Posted by ilimon at 07:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Aggies are trying to fire up the crowd on the kickoff and fans are responding. The Lobos took a fair catch for a touchback. There's been a little trash talk among the players on the field. I can't hear from the press box, obviously, but they're getting in each other's faces.

Chris Nelson completed a pass to Travis Brown I would have sworn was either about to be an interception or perhaps not even a fair catch. But it was called good and set up a first down on the 50.

Rodney Ferguson finally flashed his running skills, rumbling for 30 yards.

Nelson connected with Marcus Smith for a Hank Baskett-esque touchdown pass. Byrd connected on the extra point. The Lobos lead 24-14 on a three-play scoring drive. It was 80 yards in 1:27.

This, obviously, is the debut of Bob Toledo's offense. Glad it could finally join us this season.

Posted by ilimon at 07:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd didn't net a touchback, and ended up handing the Aggies a first-and-10 on the NMSU 35 since he kicked it out of bounds.

Chase Holbrook scrambled to get Derek Dubois for a 44-yard gain. Quincy Black was in the neighborhood but turned back toward too soon.

Holbrook then hit Chris Williams for 16 yards and a first down at the UNM 15. After an incomplete pass, Holbrook hit to Brandon Allen for a 15-yard touchdown. There was no one in the area on defense, but the Lobos still eanred a flag for defensive holding on the other side of the field. A flag was thrown on the extra point. It was offsides on the UNM defense, and the extra point was good. The Lobos now lead 17-14 with 5:32 left.

This developing into quite a shootout. The good news for Lobo fans is UNM actually is keeping up with the pace following the Portland State debacle.

Posted by ilimon at 07:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The play stands as called, the Aggies just burned their challenge and a timeout. Not so good in what could be quite a battle.

Mike Love had a much better second career carry, rumbling for nine yards to the Aggie 23. It makes him the leading rusher on either team. It's been all passing. Matt Quillen ran for four yards to get the first down. Chris Nelson, who was back on this drive, was nearly picked off on a pass intended to Travis Brown. It was a lucky situation since the Aggie in position to grab it had an open lane back.

The reverse to Marcus Smith was briefly open, but he only gained two yards. It set up third-and-eight. A flag was called on Marcus Smith for encroachment into the neutral zone. Fancy way of saying offsides. It was a five-yard penalty, setting up third-and-13. Nelson put up a bad pass to Paul Baker, but he couldn't get to it.

Kenny Byrd connected on a 38-yard field goal to give the Lobos a 17-7 lead with 6:43 remaining.

It was just one play, but Porterie looks like the Lobos' best quarterback right now. Is it time for the Porterie era to begin?

Posted by ilimon at 07:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kenny Byrd is steady again this week, kicking off for a touchback on his latest assignment.

The Aggies sputtered, and Tyler Donaldson forced and recovered a fumble. His play cemented what has been a monster game for the Lobo defense. It set up a first-and-10 at the Lobos at 9:02, but Aggie coach Hal Mumme is challenging the fumble. Interesting choice to burn his sole challenge in the second quarter. It's the first coaches challenge in a UNM game this season. Last week, there was one official review.

Posted by ilimon at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chase Holbrooks pass intended to Derek Dubois was intercepted by OJ Swift. A strong Aggie drive instantly became a first down on the Aggie 35.

Then redshirt freshman Donovan Porterie stepped up and connected with Marcus Smith for a 34-yard touchdown pass and the extra point was good. That was Porterie's debut and it obviously was a really nice way to start your college career. The Lobos are up 14-7 with 10:03 left in the half.

The word we got simultaneously in the press box is Kole McKamey injured his left knee and will not return. We're being told we'll have to wait until postgame to learn more about the injury.

Posted by ilimon at 06:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chase Holbrooks pass intended to Derek Dubois was intercepted by OJ Swift. A strong Aggie drive instantly became a first down on the Aggie 35.

Then redshirt freshman Donovan Porterie stepped up and connected with Marcus Smith for a 34-yard touchdown pass and the extra point was good. That was Porterie's debut and it obviously was a really nice way to start your college career. The Lobos are up 14-7 with 10:03 left in the half.

The word we got simultaneously in the press box is Kole McKamey injured his left knee and will not return. We're being told we'll have to wait until postgame to learn more about the injury.

Posted by ilimon at 06:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ooh, the Lobos flashed a little option with Chris Nelson carrying it for six yards, to set up third-and-fourth on the UNM 36. Then Aggie Nathan Nuttall blind-sided Nelson as he attempted to hit Rodney Ferguson. It set up a Lobo punt. The good news is Nelson looks fine.

The Aggies took a fair catch and will start at their 26-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Freshman running back Mike Love just lost his redshirt on a run for no gain on the last play of the first quarter. I'm not sure why Rocky Long did it, but I guess they were looking for someone with a lot of speed to help them pick up some big plays.

It's the end of the first quarter, and it looks like it could shape up to be a great game. The Lobos' offense has shown potential to actually keep up with the Aggie air attack after a lackluster start this season, and the defense is flexing its muscle. You know the Lobos have the edge in the kicking game. Stay tuned for what could be a wild night.

Posted by ilimon at 06:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Aggies are picking up all the penalties New Mexico had last week.

They gained footing early, but fell back to first-and-15 at their 31-yard-line. So far, the UNM defense has done a good job containing the New Mexico State running game. Chase Holbrook, however, connected with Christopher Buckner for a 16-yard gain. Buckner held on to the ball despite a harsh hit. It was impressive.

New Mexico earned its first sack of the year for a four-yard loss. The front line of the UNM defense really is performing much better today. And to back up my thought there, the Lobos sacked Holbrook again for a nine-yard loss. The Aggies were suck on third-and-22. Lobo Glover Quin and Quincy Black nearly picked off a long pass to Chris Williams. It was incomplete and the Aggies were forced to punt.

Thomas Wilson returned the ball to the UNM 30-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 06:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lobo Chris Nelson gave the Lobos a huge lift by connecting with Marcus Smith for a 33-yard gain, setting up first-and-10 on the Aggie 17.

Nelson hit John Mulchrone for a 17-yard touchdown. A flag was thrown, but it was on defense and the score was good. Kenny Byrd connected on the extra point to tie the game at 7-7 with 4:07 left.

This is the best the UNM offense has looked this season, moving the ball quickly and giving Nelson time to work. The scoring drive lasted just four plays, 72 yards and 1:37. There could be a quarterback controversy brewing if Nelson comes up big this game, but it's really early.

Posted by ilimon at 06:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lobo Chris Nelson gave the Lobos a huge lift by connecting with Marcus Smith for a 33-yard gain, setting up first-and-10 on the Aggie 17.

Nelson hit John Mulchrone for a 17-yard touchdown. A flag was thrown, but it was on defense and the score was good. Kenny Byrd connected on the extra point to tie the game at 7-7 with 4:07 left.

This is the best the UNM offense has looked this season, moving the ball quickly and giving Nelson time to work. The scoring drive lasted just four plays, 72 yards and 1:37. There could be a quarterback controversy brewing if Nelson comes up big this game, but it's really early.

Posted by ilimon at 06:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Aggies got some short yardage on carries to bring up fourth-and-five, and Hal Mumme decided to go for it. Quarterback Chase Holbrook completed a pass to Christopher Buckne for a seven-yard gain and first down.

New Mexico state was charged with illegal shift, setting up first-and-15 on the 30-yard-line with 6:15 left in the first quarter. Then Aggie Chase Holbrook's pass was incomplete and looked he was just dumping out of bounds.

The Lobos pounced on the ball after an incomplete pass and a flag was thrown on what looked like a late New Mexico hit, but the officials picked it up and called it off. Could be a gift and make up for the fumble play.

Holbrook looked like he was in trouble on third-and-15, but sat back and connected to Chris Williams for a first down on the Lobo 13-yard-line.

Holbrook closed out the drive witha quick 13-yard pass to Nick Cleaver for a touchdown. The Aggies converted the extra point, setting up a 7-0 Aggie lead at 5:53. It's Cleaver's third career touchdown reception.

This Aggie march down the field doesn't bode well for the Lobos. New Mexico State is moving with confidence and authority the Lobos have lacked on offense so far this season.

Posted by ilimon at 06:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Aggies took over their own 22-yard-line.

Kole McKamey left the field on the cart. It appeared to be a serious left knee injury, but no official word yet in the press box.

New Mexico State opened with a nice reverse to Chris Williams for a seven-yard gain. It's a lot like the fly sweep gains the Lobos used to count on last season. Then Aggie Chase Holbrook it Derek Dubois for a 15-yard gain and the first big pass of the day. Dubois was wide open up the sideline.

Then Holbrook hit Nick Cleaver across the middle for a 19-yard gain. After some weak running plays, the Aggies air attack is taking hold.

The Lobos stuffed Aggie Jeremiah Williams' carry. Quincy Black and Tyler Donaldson combined on the tackle and Donaldson forced a fumble, but New Mexico State recovered the ball. It seemed pretty borderline, but the Lobos opted not to challenge ...

Posted by ilimon at 06:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thomas Wilson returned the Aggies punt for first-and-10 at the 37-yard line. It's nicest field position the Lobos have had in awhile.

Backup Chris Nelson handed off to Rodney Ferguson for a two-yard gain. Nelson's pass intended to John Mulchrone was incomplete. The Lobos closed out the drive with an incomplete pass to Travis Brown and was hit as he was throwing.

The offensive line hasn't exactly redeemed itself yet.

Posted by ilimon at 06:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lobo quarterback Kole McKamey appears to be in serious pain on the sideline. I'd be surprised if we see him again tonight. His parents and grandparents just lined up on the sidelines to check on him.

Meanwhile, the Aggies sputtered in their opening drive. It was third-and-10 with 11:37 left when the Aggies called timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty.

Trainers are wrapping McKamey's knee.

Posted by ilimon at 06:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lobo quarterback Kole McKamey appears to be in serious pain on the sideline. I'd be surprised if we see him again tonight. His parents and grandparents just lined up on the sidelines to check on him.

Meanwhile, the Aggies sputtered in their opening drive. It was third-and-10 with 11:37 left when the Aggies called timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty.

Trainers are wrapping McKamey's knee.

Posted by ilimon at 06:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After two mediocre run plays, quarterback Kole McKamey pass to Marcus Smith was broken up. Then McKamey crumbled. It appears his left leg was injured and he is being helped off the field. Senior backup Chris Nelson is warming up, while the Lobos punted. The punt was downed at the Aggies own 25-yard-line.

Trainers are examining McKamey's left knee.

Posted by ilimon at 06:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Paul Baker returned the kickoff for 25 yards.

Posted by ilimon at 06:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It breaks Lobo tradition to receive. I guess they want to build up confidence early ...

Posted by ilimon at 06:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Who says the Trib isn't full of homers?

Here's our pregame predictions:

Iliana Limon - 27-21 Lobos
Richard Stevens - 28-24 Lobos
Van Tate - 27-24 Lobos

Maybe we're crazy, but we think the Lobos' talent and depth should win this game. We'll find out in a few minutes.

If we're wrong, it could be a long year for the Lobos. Colorado State just upset Colorado, Wyoming lost by one point in overtime. And Air Force is up on Tennessee.

Posted by ilimon at 06:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Remember the erratic Missouri football team that could be play great or terrible on the drop of a dime last season? Well, it sure would help the Lobos if that team came back this season. Instead, the Tigers are looking pretty good on TV right now. Missouri is beating Mississippi 17-7 at the half.

If you can't make it down to Las Cruces today, this has got to a football fan's dream couch potato day. Here's what I would be doing if I didn't have this job and all:

Check out a few early games. They matchups aren't particularly exciting, but it's a good chance to size up Missouri.

Then you've got a great lunch special with Penn State visiting Notre Dame on NBC.

Then it's time to work your remote control. Come 6 p.m., I'd check out the Lobo game on KRQE-News 13 and take advantage of my digital recorder to make sure I'd miss anything big. I'd also pop into Lobo Zone, to see if Richard Stevens is taking a leap off the Aggie press box. Granted, it's not that high but he could still do some damage.

Then I'd flip over to the monster Texas-Ohio State game also kicking off at 6 p.m. At 7 p.m., it gets tricky because I curious how UTEP will handle visiting Texas Tech. So again, lots of flipping back and forth. The great thing is, if one game gets bad, you move on to the next.

End the night with some Sportscenter, although ESPN News might be a better bet. More highlights, less shouting analysts and bad jokes.

Alas, this isn't my day since I'll be in Cruces regardless of whether it gets ugly, but it could be yours ....

Posted by ilimon at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I talked with New Mexico State officials today, and they had about 9,000 tickets remaining for Saturday night's Aggie-Lobo showdown in Las Cruces. Part of the Pan-American Center (Aggies basketball arena north of the stadium) is under construction but the parking options are still the same.

With such a large projected crowd, I would plan on getting there early. The university exit off of Interstate 10 gets really backed up leading up to game time. Tailgate lots open at 6 p.m. If you think you might need a hotel room after the game and haven't booked it yet, start hunting know or pack a few extra dollars for coffee on the drive home. There aren't that many hotels in Las Cruces, so many of them are already booked. And the UTEP-Texas Tech game already is a sellout, with a lot of Red Raiders fans making the trip west.

New Mexico State's marketing department is taking its cues from the Miami Heat and is asking Aggie fans to wear white to the game.

We've got several Lobo football stories in today's Tribune, including a very interesting column from Richard Stevens. I think it's worth reading, regardless of whether you agree with him. I wrote a story about the play pen, a pretty interesting program UNM has developed to help players with rehab. The headline asks whether it's worth the pain. I think you can tell from Cody Kase thinks it is since it might make the difference between playing or sitting out longer. We also have our weekly pregame podcast up on Lobo Zone.

Check back here near kickoff for tons of game updates. We'll also have a postgame story with photos and, of course, the Linz's take.

Posted by ilimon at 07:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just got back from a pretty tasty late dinner, but it didn't make that game seem any prettier. If the Lobos don't improve significantly, it could be a really ugly season. The good news is, based on what I've seen in practice, the players really didn't live up to their potential. There certainly are problems, but I doubt New Mexico really is as bad as it looked tonight.

We've posted a full recap complete with players' and coaches' comments, along with awesome photos by Trib photographer Craig Fritz. And the Linz has thrown in his commentary. I don't think he was too harsh given the circumstances.

Check back, umm, later today I guess (shesh it got late fast) for more updates. We'll have coach Rocky Long's full postgame remarks and a photo slideshow on Lobo Zone. I'll also catch up with Long and offensive coordinator Bob Toledo and post blog updates Sunday.

That's all for now ... zzzzzzzzzzz.

Posted by ilimon at 12:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The UNM defense kept the pressure on and forced a turnover on downs, but time has run out on New Mexico. I'm heading down to the locker room to get reaction from players and coaches. Check back for my recap, complete with lots of quotes, and the Linz's take on his blog. The Linz promises not to be too harsh. Even he's surprised by this performance, but now he'll have to favor the Aggies next week.

Back in a few ...

Posted by ilimon at 09:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kole McKamey tossed the ball to Travis Brown under presure for a quick 10-yard gain. McKamey's next pass incomplete to Matt Quillen and it seems doubtful the Lobos will even get a shot at another score. The energy just isn't there.

And McKamey backed me up. His next pass was intercepted by Charles Manigo, and he returned it for 22 yards. Now it's first and 10 at the UNM 41-yard line. And that should do it with 3:29 remaining in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 09:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos applied good quarterback pressure again on defense for two downs, but Sawyer Smith completed a 11-yard pass to Kenneth Mackins for a Portland State first down. Now the clock is squarely working agains the Lobos and the life seems to have been sucked out of the team.

The defense slowed a run by Kelena Ho'okano for one yard and nailed Mackins for no gain. This third down and nine was big and Smith showed it by fumbling the snap. He recovered it, setting up a Portland State punt. But there's only 4:36 left in the game and Paul Baker nearly turned the ball over agian. He fumbled, but it was recovered by Ian Clark.

The Lobos last shot, most likely, starts with first-and-10 at the UNM 31-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Kole McKamey got sacked and now the Lobos are moving backward. He failed to complete a pass to Marcus Smith, setting up third down and 28 on the Portland State 42-yard line. And he overthrew his next pass to Thomas Wilson.

I like what appears to be a hurry-up offense by Bob Toledo, but McKamey isn't handling the nerves very well.

Now New Mexico is punting, ending up with a touch back. The outlook is bleak with 8:25 remaining in the game.

Kase has an injured hamstring and will not return this game. At least it doesn't sound like he'll miss more action this season, just the rest of this ugliness.

Posted by ilimon at 09:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kole McKamey converted a pass to Travis Brown for a huge 52-yard gain. Now it's first and 10 at the Portland State 24.

Ferguson carried for two yards, but there was another holding flag on the Lobos for a loss of 10 yards.

Richard Stevens says if they score, they should go for two because he doubts the Lobos could rattle off three scoring drives. Let's see if they get this one.

Posted by ilimon at 09:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's looking reaal bad for the Lobos.

The Lobos picked up another offsides penalty and Vikings quarterback Sawyer Smith scrambled to the four-yard line, but a personal call foul on Portland State pushed the Vikings back to first and 10 at the 19-yard line. Kelena Ho'okano picked up about five yards, but then Portland State picked up another penalty setting up first and 15 on the 24. Smith then fumbled, but he recovered it for a two-yard loss for second-and-17 at the 26.

That personal foul during Smith's scramble looked huge until Smith connected to Tremayne Kirkland for a 26-yard touchdown. Worse yet, Cody Kase went down with an injury and is being helped off the field.

Portland State converted the extra point and is up 17-6 with 10:51 remaining in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 08:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The UNM D has responded and quickly forced third down and seven on the Vikings 32nd yard lane. Then Portland State was called for illegal procedure, but then the Lobos jumped offsides. So the penalty math it ended up third-down and six. Sawyer Smith connected with Tremayne Kirkland, but it was short of a first down. O.J. Smith made the tackle for the Lobos to force forth-and-one and a Portland State punt.

Lobo Paul Baker promptly fumbled the punt and it was recovered by Kelena Ho'okano on the Lobos' 23-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 08:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson broke a big 10-yard run, but Kole McKamey's next pass to Smith was incomplete. The Lobos went back to Ferguson and he only gained two yards.. The Lobos can't get anything going on offense and the Vikings defensive front is tough.

McKamey's final pass of the drive was incomplete to Smith and nearly was intercepted. Jordan Scott is back to punt, and it was a Portland State fair catch. Now it's first and 10 on the Vikings 28-yard line.

Sawyer Smith completed one pas for four yards before the end of the third quarter. It's strange but it appears the pressure is back on the UNM defense again to make something happen.

Posted by ilimon at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

That was huge for the Lobos. I'm surprised, but New Mexico really needed that lift. It turns out Martelius Epps got a nine-yard gain and first down. Crazy.

Posted by ilimon at 08:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ouch. The Lobos had an illegal block on the return. The Lobos start at first-and-10 at their own 10-yard line.

Martelius Epps fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by Portland State. Now it appears the call is being challenged, and it's really close. The press box is divided on this one, with several saying he's down and others not. That's bad because it could be deemed inconclusive evidence and would cost the Lobos a timeout.

For the record, Richard Stevens suggested they put Epps in instead of Rodney Ferguson. Now he says, he knew he was going to make some kind of a play. He didn't promise it would be a good one.

Posted by ilimon at 08:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Portland State is starting strong, with a screen pass to running back Kelena Ho'okano for a first down. Ho'okano rumbed for four yards then appeared to fumble but was down. The Vikings back with an unpronouncable name got two yards on the play. The Lobos closed down well on the next play, but Major Mosley was charged with a face mask on the Portland State quarterback.

So penalities bail out the Vikings again. Quarterback Sawyer Smith connected to Kenneth Mackins for seven yards. Then Smith scrambled well out of pressure for two yards when he easily could have been sacked if he didn't run well. Ho'okano ran for four yards. The Lobos needed a big stop there, but they couldn't stop the run.

Smith failed to complete the next three passes, giving the defense a little life. The Vikings went for a field goal, with Eric Azorr connecting from the 42-yard line. The score is now Portland State 10, Lobos 6 with 3:08 remaining in the third quarter.

New Mexico needs to snap out of its malaise quick or they'll join Colorado with an ugly loss to a Division I-AA opponent.

Tonight's attendance, by the way, was just announced in the press box and is 27,535.

Posted by ilimon at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now the pressure is on the Lobos starting with a touchback.

Rodney Ferguson started another drive well with a nine-yard gain. Ferguson got a generous spot for three yards and a first down.

Richard Stevens says he'd bench Ferguson and throw Epps out there.

I'm not so sure. I think they're going to the running backs too much or too many times in a row. Shades of Dan Dodd? I dunno, it's just not working.

John Mulchrone just caught his first pass from Kole McKamey for a mere two yards. Then McKamey was sacked for a two-yard loss. And the Lobos are punting. This defiitely was not the drive they needed after the Portland State touchdown.

It's the Vikings ball, first down on Portland State's 40-yard line with 7:05 left in the third quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 08:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sawyer Smith completed a pass to Brendan Ferrigno for 39 yards and a touchdown. New Mexico had looked strong on defense, but the pass was thrown right across the middle. The extra point was good, vaulting Portland State up 7-6 with 10:14 left in the third quarter.

I couldn't tell exactly who got burned, but it looked like the right Lobo.

This is where it really hurts to have settled for field goals instead of touchdowns.

Posted by ilimon at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The running game got back on track fast. Rodney Ferguson started with a 21-yard run, followed by Martelius Epps with a nine-yard run. Not a bad start, but Ferguson couldn't pick up the one yard for a first down on the next play. He was stopped for no gain. He inched closer on the next play but was stopped within inches of the first down. It's officially no gain, but it looked a little like a gain. The Lobos went for it for the first time on fourth down. It was quarterback keeper, but it wasn't enough for a first down and Kole McKamey was stopped for no gain.

Good start, bad finish.

Posted by ilimon at 08:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was kind of boring.

Aside from rapid-fire updating my blog, there wasn't as much excitement as I expected from the Bob Toledo era.

The receivers seemed to respond well, but it appeared Kole McKamey was a llittle rattled. He overthrew a bunch of passes.

I'll have more analysis for the end of the game because the Lobos are already back on the field.

Posted by ilimon at 08:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm letting Richard Stevens take over my blog instead of making the old guy start up his computer.

He said he didn't think the Lobos showed a whole lot of team speed on offense. They don't look like a fast team on offense at the moment. If you're gonna be big, you don't want to be big and slow. Kole McKamey was efficient but didn't wow you. The running backs looked fine when there were holes, but they didn't create anything. The Portland State defensive line is holding up pretty well.

Both teams looked like they didn't have a stud runner coming back.

The UNM defense did fine. They didn't make too many mistakes, but they're not the type of team that needs to be helping teams.

"It's early and you can't be too harsh the first game of the season," Stevens said. I swear he totally said it.

He said the Lobos applied pretty good pressure on Portland State and proved he can't roll out quite as much.

Nothing stood out to him for the special teams, although the group could use fewer penalties.

Now the Linz checks in:
"I thought it was nice of Bob Toledo to let Dan Dodd call the plays in the first half," he said. "One of the reasons Dodd was really conservative was because of the personnel they had. Now you can see that with Toledo running the offense there isn't much difference because of the guys they have here."

Posted by ilimon at 07:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The passing game is heating up, with Kole McKamey connecting big again with Marcus Smith. John Mulchrone has had a rough night though. McKamey keeps overthrowing him, and Mulchrone hasn't exactly hustled to get some in his neighborhood.

McKamey connected with Smith again and got a generous spot for seven yards. Then McKamey passed to Rodney Ferguson for five yards and the first down at the Portland State 43-yard line.

McKamey overthrew a tight pass to Brown, who would have had trouble getting to it before going out of bounds even if it had been on target. Then he overthrew Brown across the middle. That left the Lobos are facing third-and-10 at the 43 with 38 seconds remaining in the half.

McKamey fumbled under pressure, but it was recovered by Lobo Robert Turner. It's also ruled a sack, credited to Portland State's Adam Hayward, and caused a loss of 14 yards. Now the Lobos will be punting with 28 seconds left in the half.

Portland State took a fair catch at the 22-yard line with 18 seconds left. Viking Sawyer Smith completed a pass to Kenneth Mackins for 32 yards. On the final play of the half, DeAndre Wright intercepted a Smith pass.

The Lobos end the first half up 6-0.

Posted by ilimon at 07:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The defense definitely has found its footing now. The Lobos held Portland State to a one-yard rushing gain, then forced a two-yard loss on a screen pass. They ended the quick Vikings possession by pressuring an incomplete pass from Portland State's Sawyer Smith to Brendan Ferrigno.

Paul Baker has handled the punt returns. He hasn't bobbled the ball but also hasn't gained much. He returned this one for three yards, setting up a first-and-10 on the UNM 28-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 07:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kole McKamey opened strong with a 13-yard pass to Marcus Smith. Martelius Epps pulled off his first good run, gaining five yards. McKamey found Smith again, for 11 yards and another first down at the Portland State 28-yard line.

The holes seem to be closing up for Ferguson. He got a one-yard gain on the next play. Then the Lobos went to Ferguson again, and it looked like he sat down for no gain. They went to Ferguson again. He appeared to get five yards, then there was a flag on the Lobos for holding. No play, but I wonder why they went to Ferguson three times in a row. It was a 10-yard penalty, forcing third-and-19 on the 37-yard-line.

The Lobos succeeded with a little diversity in a McKamey 25-yard pass to Travis Brown. It was a Hank Baskett-esque catch and saved the UNM drive.

New Mexico went to Matt Quillen next, for another meek one--yard-gain. It seems like the air attack would be a much better option, but the Lobos are running an awful lot.

McKamey looked to throw on the next play, but ended up scrambling for a sack and three-yard loss. He connected with Smith for seven yards, but it set up a fourth-and-five on the seven yard line and the Lobos end up settling for another field goal.

Kenny Byrd converted on 24-yard field goal, pushing the Lobos up 6-0 with 4:06 remaining in the second quarter. The Lobos settled for a field goal when they should have gotten a touchdown for the second time this game.

Posted by ilimon at 07:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobo defense has put together a couple of good series now and seems to have found its footing. They had some good coverage on the latest drive and made Portland State go three-and-out. Of course, it doesn't hurt that quarterback Sawyer Smith has thrown some really bad passes.

Richard Stevens is sitting next to me and said, "This reminds me of the game I saw the other day at Milne Stadium." Kinda hard to argue when the Lobos' offense hasn't looked stellar.

Now the offense will get a chance to do something with good field position, starting on its 41st-yard-line.

Posted by ilimon at 07:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Quarterback Kole McKamey scrambled nine yards for a UNM first down after Paul Baker only gained two on a run and Matt Quillen dropped a wide open pass.

Rodney Ferguson was dropped for a loss, and it seems the Lobos may be going to him a little too much. McKamey completed a pass to Marcus Smith, then a last-second pass to Travis Brown. Now the team is stuck at fourth-and-five at the 44 yard line, so the Lobos are punting.

This offense isn't quite as exciting as it looked in practice. We're seeing flashes of good passes and runs, but it's not consistent. We'll see what happens as the game progresses.

Jordan Scott punted the ball for 20 yards, and it will be first-and-10 for Portland State on its 24-yard line. There's 11:26 remaining in the second quarter.

Posted by ilimon at 07:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos gave up a couple of decent runs, but they were able to hold Portland State on third-and-one. Portland State fumbled the ball on the snap, but quarterback Sawyer Smith recovered the ball for no loss or gain. The Vikings punted.

Now the Lobos called timeout with 11 seconds left in the first quarter. The Lobos are in position get great field position again to start the second quarter.

There was a flag on the punt return. It was an illegal block on New Mexico, so the ball will be spotted at the 26-yard line. The penalties are starting to pile up for the Lobos.

McKamey completed a pass to Marcus Smith for 11 yards, slipping in one last play with one second remaining in the first quarter. The Lobos will open the second quarter with a first-and-10 at the 40-yard-line.

So at the end of the first quarter, it's 3-0 Lobos.

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

This isn't last year's special teams unit. The Lobos were worst in the conference on kickoff return defense and were among the worst in the country as well.

The Lobos got down the field fast on the kickoff and Portland State picked up a penalty for an illegal block. Now the Vikings are stuck with first-and-10 at their own seven yard line.

Too bad the Lobos followed it up with back-to-back offsides penalties. I suppose you could chalk it up to nerves, but it's still not good.

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

Rodney Ferguson rumbled for 14 yards on the first play, then Kole McKamey completed a 19-yard pass to Travis Brown across the middle of the field. This looks a lot more like the diverse Bob Toledo offense I expected.

Matt Quillen carried the ball for three yards, then McKamey slightly overthrew John Mulchrone again. McKamey passed to Brown under pressure, which lef the Lobos three yards short of a first down. The Lobos had to settle for a 29-yard field goal by Kenny Byrd.

The Lobos score, but it looked like they could have done more with such good field position. The score is now 3-0 New Mexico over Portland State.

Posted by ilimon at 06:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos swarmed better on the second drive, shutting down a run, collapsing quickly on screen pass and pressuring the quarterback. The Vikings were forced to go three-and-out, punting from their own 19-yard-line.

Tyson Ditmore seemed to be in more action and responded better on this possession. The Lobos now get to start on their own 47-yard line.

Posted by ilimon at 06:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rodney Ferguson is making a good debut, running well and getting the Lobos a 12-yard gain off of a screen pass from quarterback Kole McKamey. He has, however, been dropped for two losses. Perhaps the Lobos shouldn't go to him on every play.

McKamey overthrew an open pass across the middle intended to John Mulchrone. Could have been a touchdown, but it was way over Mulchrone's head. He scrambled on the next play for one yard, brining up fourth-and-10. It didn't look like an especially flashy opening drive for the Bob Toledo offense, but we'll see what happens later in the game.

Posted by ilimon at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobo defense looked sloppy on the opening drive, over-pursuing Portland State and picking up a few penalties that bailed out the Vikings. Michael Tuohy had one near-interception and was in the neighborhood of another bad Sawyer Smith pass but couldn't convert. Portland State went for it on fourth-and-seven at the 29 yard line, but Smith overthrew the pass.

It's pretty clear wide receiver Brendan Ferrigno is Sawyer's favorite target.

Now let's see what New Mexico does. Rodney Ferguson got the first carry on offense, which he used for a six-yard gain.

Posted by ilimon at 06:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Running outta the tunnel. Crowd is slowly filling in the stadium and cheering. We just got a weather update. Forecast calls for 40 percent chance of rain.

Now for the coin toss. The Lobos won and deferred until the second half. The team is now kneeling for a huddle in the south end zone and heading toward the sideline.

Oddly enough, there's no UNM logo at midfield. Not sure why that's not there, but it's time for kickoff.

Check back for more updates ...

Posted by ilimon at 06:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's some amazing college football going on today.

How crazy is it to see Montana State knock off Colorado 19-10? I don't think that bodes well for Colorado State, which handled Weber State pretty easily. The Buffs are going to be pumped for that game after getting stunned in the opener. Give the Rams credit for not overlooking a Division I-AA opponent.

Tennessee also looks poised to knock off California, but Florida has come roaring back to take back control of its game against Southern Miss. It's nice to start the first week of college football with a little drama.

Posted by ilimon at 06:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm settled in here at University Stadium and the crowd is slooowly trickling into University Stadium for the Lobos' season opener against Portland State. New Mexico are notoriously late for games, lingering longer in tailgate lots then rushing the gates minutes before kickoff. And with the no re-entry policy, they may be getting all the food and drink they can get before they find their seats.

The field looks good and it's a beautiful day. Sunny with a nice breeze, but there are some gray clouds way off in the distance. The National Weather Service was predicting rain tonight, and lots of people brought rain coats just in case.

The UNM band just wrapped up the national anthem and the Lobos will be taking the field soon. Stay tuned for more updates.

Posted by ilimon at 06:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I wrote a story today about Shawn Tillman, a fascinating guy who walked on to the UNM football team. Tillman is a Del Norte grad who spent four years in Army, inclduing 14 months stationed in Iraq. Then he returned to Albuquerque and enrolled at UNM for the spring semester and walked on to the football team. He's a 24-year-old freshman who has overcome a lot of obstacles and is learning the Lobo position. He also plays a regular safety on the scout team.

Posted by ilimon at 02:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We had an error in today's Tribune. The Lobos matchup with Portland State will be broadcast on the Mountain, which is available on television via Comcast's digital classic tier. I have since corrected the error on our Web site, but I wanted to make sure print readers visiting my blog got the message.

It will, however, be tough to catch the game at sports bars because most of them don't have digital cable and it would cost the larger venues about $500 to add the service. Here's the story I wrote about the bars and restaurants adjusting to the Lobos' new TV deal.

I just confirmed with UNM officials that today's game will not be streamed on the Internet. CSTV games and games not picked up by either CSTV or the Mountain should be available in the future. Sorry for all the confusion, but here's a story I wrote earlier this week with some comments from Mountain West Conference Commissioner Craig Thompson about streaming games. His relevant remarks are at the end under the heading, Internet options.

Fans outside of the area can listen to the pregame, live game coverage and postgame for free at KKOB-AM (770). Click on the listen live link on the upper right side and enter some basic information about yourself to gain access. Mike Roberts and Greg Remington will be your eyes on the scene during the game. There's also an audio link at www.golobos.com, but the folks at KKOB told me their feed will be free of charge, so it seems like that might be the best way to go. You also can view it via a game tracker at CSTV's Web site. And finally, you can visit Lobo Zone for blog and scoreboard updates. And check back with us after the game for a postgame story and blog update from the Linz.

If you are in the Albuquerque area, you also can listen to The Red Menace's postgame show on KKNS-AM (1310). The show isn't streamed on the Internet, so you have to be within the regular radio listening range to catch it.

Posted by ilimon at 02:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today the Trib launched a Web site called Lobozone.com, a really exciting project we've been developing during the summer that is devoted to all things Lobos. We also have a print section, formerly known as Game Day, that runs every Friday before home football games and is packed with new features. It also will be called Lobo Zone.

So what exactly does Lobo Zone offer?

For football, we're providing stories, more frequently blog updates, stats and player profiles. We'll have podcasts twice a week from Richard Stevens and I breaking down games and another podcast featuring a question-and-answer session with a Lobo football player. One of my favorite new features is "Ask the coach," which allows fans to pose questions to any of the UNM football coaches. And it gets even better on game day. We'll have scoring updates, blog updates and postgame stories and, gulp, the Linz's postgame analysis.

The best part about this site is that it isn't limited to Lobo football. We'll have items on all things Lobos and plan to blowout your favorites -- men's and women's basketball -- just as big. Let us know what you think of Lobo Zone. We hope you enjoy this cool new project.

Posted by ilimon at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We're starting a new feature in Trib called, "Ask the coach." We're asking readers to pose any questions they have for any of the Lobo football coaches.

Is there something you want to ask Rocky Long, Bob Toledo or any of the other coaches? If so, post it in the comments section of my blog.

We'll publish the answers in our special pregame section of the Trib and online. We'll als o be sure to credit you when asking the coaches your questions. So, fire away.

Posted by ilimon at 01:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Below you'll find all the rules for attending Lobo football games. The biggest change is the no re-entry rule, which bars fans from entering, leaving and re-entering the stadium. You can read the story I wrote about the new rule back on August 19.

Continue reading "UNM announces game day policies" »

Posted by ilimon at 01:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lobos vs. Vikings starts Saturday September 2, 2006 6:30 p.m.

Check back here for Game Day coverage.

Posted by pmastio at 06:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)