NOT THIS TIME
Two years after stunning host Boise State, the Lobos fall to the Broncos on national TV
BOISE, Idaho — The defense deserved better, as did Coltin Gerhart. But the New Mexico Lobos couldn’t stop the Boise State Broncos from doing what they almost invariably do: win on the blue turf.
The Lobos (1-2) fell to the Broncos (2-1)
Thursday night 28-14 at Albertsons Stadium in the Mountain West Conference football opener for both teams.
New Mexico actually outgained BSU, something the Lobos didn’t do in their nowlegendary 31-24 victory here two years ago. But neither offense gained much traction.
The Lobos held Boise State to 264 yards total offense. But the Broncos scored touchdowns on drives of 46 and 17 yards, thanks to a fumble, a punt not fielded and a 21-yard Broncos punt return.
The Broncos also scored on drives of 90 and 58 yards.
“I think our defense played with a lot of heart, competed all night,” Lobos coach Bob Davie said.
Gerhart, a junior graduate transfer
from Arizona State, was called upon after starting quarterback Lamar Jordan took a big hit late in the second quarter with Boise State up 14-7.
Redshirt freshman Tevaka Tuioti, who had played impressively last week in relief of Jordan in UNM’s 30-28 loss to New Mexico State, did not make the trip to Boise after having taken a blow to the head late in that game.
“I was impressed with him,” Davie said of Gerhart, who hadn’t taken a snap at quarterback since he was a high school senior in 2013. “… He has a pretty unflappable demeanor, very calm. He did some good things.”
Gerhart finished with a teamhigh 49 yards rushing and was 7-for-13 passing for 67 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown throw to redshirt freshman wide receiver Anselem Umeh with 1:11 left in the game. He helped set up the late score with an 18-yard run.
He had one interception, when he was hit while trying to throw on a flea-flicker play early in the fourth quarter.
“It had its ups and downs,” Gerhart said of his performance. “I think we’ve got a lot of things to work on, me personally and as a team, to jell and smooth out. But we fought, and I think that’s the most important thing.”
If there was a key sequence, it came at the outset of the fourth quarter with the Lobos still trailing just 14-7.
After the UNM defense forced a Boise State punt from the BSU 36-yard line, senior Chris Davis opted not to field the kick. The Broncos downed the ball at the UNM 1.
After a Lobos three-and-out, Boise State’s Avery Williams returned a Corey Bojorquez punt to the UNM 17. Three plays later, Broncos tight end Jake Roh took a direct snap and scored from the 6.
Field position, Davie said, was a problem for the Lobos most of the night.
“We put our defense in some tough situations,” Davie said. “They hung in there and fought.”
The Lobos trailed by a touchdown after an interesting first half.
The Lobos rushed for 111 yards in the first quarter, including all 42 yards of a scoring drive that tied the game at 7. But they managed only 87 yards on the ground the rest of the way.
For the second straight game, the Lobos turned the ball over on the game’s first series. The Broncos took full advantage of a Richard McQuarley fumble, scoring on a 46-yard drive. Quarterback Montell Cozart got the touchdown from 28 yards out on a draw.
Two possessions later, after a defensive three-and-out and a poor Boise State punt, the Lobos drove 42 yards for the equalizer. Tyrone Owens got the score on an option pitch from 5 yards out.
A 48-yard Cozart-to-Cedrick Wilson pass, completed despite good coverage from UNM sophomore cornerback Elijah Lilly, highlighted a 90-yard Broncos scoring drive that made the score 14-7. Cozart hit Roh, wide open, for the touchdown.
Jordan’s injury occurred on a third-and-11 play from the UNM 18, when Broncos defensive end Chase Hatada blasted him to the turf after Jordan had thrown the ball away. Hatada was ejected for targeting.
After the 15-yard penalty was stepped off, Gerhart took the Lobos from the UNM 19-yard line to the Boise State 31. But after 5-yard delay-of-game penalty, Jason Sanders’ 53-yard field goal attempt was wide left as the half ended.
It was Sanders’ first missed field goal try after 13 consecutive makes, dating to the second game of the 2016 season.