SILVER LINING
The UNM defense had a great night in a losing cause Thursday at Boise State
The flip side of the New Mexico Lobos’ Thursday night game at Boise State is the nine days of recuperation and preparation they get before their next one.
They’ll need it — especially the defense, which turned in a fine performance Thursday in a 28-14 loss to Boise State.
Next up is the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, which ran more offensive plays in its first two games than any other team in the nation. It plays game No. 3 at Toledo today. At Boise State, the Lobos (1-2) held the Broncos to 127 yards on the ground. Through three quarters, that number was 68.
Running and passing, Boise State managed just 264 yards — that storied program’s fewest in a game since September 2012.
To score 28 points, the Broncos needed short fields (17 and 46 yards), courtesy of UNM’s offense and special teams.
Though clearly not pleased with the outcome, senior linebacker Austin Ocasio was proud of his unit.
“I feel like, defensively, we played a great
game,” Ocasio said. “We had ups and downs, but when our backs were against the wall we played well.
“We played on our toes, and people were triggering and flowing to the ball . ... I’m proud of our guys. I’m proud of the way we played.”
Boise State ran just 51 plays against the Lobos, partly due to those short fields but mostly due to the UNM defense getting the Broncos off the field. Boise State punted six times and turned the ball over on downs once. The Broncos were 4-of-11 on third down.
The Lobos’ next opponent, though, presents a different problem. Tulsa (1-1) ran a total of 180 plays in its games against Oklahoma State (a 59-24 loss) and Louisiana (a 66-42 win).
“Tulsa is tempo, tempo, tempo, fast, fast, fast,” UNM coach Bob Davie said.
Game time on Sept. 23 is 11:30 a.m. A high temperature of 86 degrees, with 67-percent humidity and possible rain showers, is forecast.
Ocasio, who led the Lobos with eight tackles at Boise State, welcomes the challenge.
“Every game, there’s always things you’ve got to work on,” he said. “But I feel our scheme’s gonna be great.
“Our coaches are gonna come up with a great game plan. I think we’ll be ready to go.”
JORDAN: Senior quarterback Lamar Jordan, who took a brutal hit from Boise State defensive end Chase Hatada late in the second quarter, tweeted Friday that he’s feeling good and eager to get back in the lineup.
“I’m okay & ready to get back on the field for my team very soon!” he tweeted.
Jordan took a blow just under his chin and banged the back of his head on the turf. He was still woozy when escorted to the locker room. TUIOTI: The delayed onset of concussion symptoms is a well-documented phenomenon. Apparently, Lobo redshirt freshman quarterback Tevaka Tuioti is a victim.
Davie said Tuioti, who led the Lobos’ furious fourth-quarter comeback in a 30-28 loss to New Mexico State last week, is in concussion protocol after taking a blow to the head during the NMSU game. Tuioti did not make the trip to Boise.
The only shot to the head he absorbed came on the second series of downs he played in the third quarter after relieving Jordan. Tuioti was hit by Aggies linebacker Dalton Herrington on the UNM sideline at the end of a 3-yard run.
In the days leading up to the Boise State game, Davie said, Tuioti didn’t feel well.
“We thought he was sick,” Davie said. “Like a lot of young guys, he wanted to play, so he said he was sick early on.
“The more we investigated it, we realized that he’d taken a hit in the game on the sidelines against New Mexico State.”
It is not known when Tuioti will be able to return.
GERHART: If by any chance neither Jordan nor Tuioti is available for the Tulsa game, Ocasio said he has full confidence in junior Coltin Gerhart, who saw his first action as a quarterback against Boise State after Jordan’s exit.
Gerhart finished with a teambest 49 yards rushing and was 7-for-13 passing for 67 yards.
He hit redshirt freshman wide receiver Anselem Umeh for a 14-yard touchdown with 1:11 left in the game. Gerhart helped set up the late score with an 18-yard run.
“We’re confident in Coltin,” Ocasio said. “I practiced against Coltin all spring and all camp. He’s a ballplayer.”