Bye week was a turning point
Lobos won three out of four games after open date to finish strong
Happy Halloween, Lobos. You’ve become a truly scary team. The New Mexico Lobos’ most important Saturday of the 2015 college football season, UNM coach Bob Davie has said, might have been Oct. 31. Who did the Lobos play that day? Nobody.
But after that open date, they became somebody.
New Mexico was 4-4 on the season entering the bye week, with excess baggage in the form of losses to Tulsa, Nevada and San Jose State. Looking ahead, there stood Utah State, Boise State, Colorado State and Air Force — teams that stood to be favored, by a little or a lot, when they took the field against UNM.
Late Saturday night, the Lobos left the field at University Stadium with a hardearned, 47-35 victory over Air Force. It was their third victory in four games against that so-called murderer’s row.
At 7-5, regardless of what happens in the bowl game they’re guaranteed to get, a winning season is assured.
It’s Davie’s first in four years at UNM and the program’s first — its first bowl game as well — since 2007.
After the game, Davie looked back at the bye week as a crucial turning point. During that week, he said, he and his assistants challenged their players to take a hard look at how they had played in those first eight games — and at how much better they
needed to be in the last four.
Trick or treat. Which would it be?
“I look back to that open date,” Davie said. “We’re sitting there looking at ... Utah State, Boise State, Colorado State, Air Force. We found another gear.
“We talked a lot about that, of finding another gear. We were able to do that, and it’s kind of propelled us through the end of the season. ... I’m pretty excited about our team right now.”
SENIOR NIGHT: Before the game, UNM’s 20 seniors — with many of their family members in attendance, — were honored.
During the game, the seniors contributed mightily.
Running back Jhurell Pressley rushed for a careerbest 170 yards and had touchdown runs of 57 and 75 yards.
“You come to colleges to have a winning season, win games and go to a bowl game,” Pressley said. “My senior year, we accomplished that.
“We’re going to a bowl game, and we won our last (regular-season) game. So I’m proud of my teammates, and I’m glad I’m here.”
Senior cornerbacks Cranston Jones and Donnie Duncan made interceptions; tight end Reece White had a 58-yard pass reception, setting up a touchdown, and made some key blocks.
Wide receiver Carlos Wiggins caught a 44-yard pass and returned two kickoffs for a total of 72 yards; linebacker Ryan Langford had seven tackles.
Center Eden Mahina, tackle Dillon Romine and guard Bryan Oldenkamp anchored an offensive line that did some of its best work of the season; Zack Rogers kicked a 41-yard field goal and punted four times for a 45-yard average.
“We wanted to go out there and honor our seniors on our home field,” Junior linebacker Dakota Cox said. “And that’s exactly what we did. The seniors stepped up.”
NO CAVEMEN: In the fourth quarter, after a 46-yard Rogers field-goal attempt glanced off the left upright, Air Force got the ball trailing by just five points. If the Lobos were going to blow this, here was their chance.
Instead, the UNM defense forced a three-and-out. The offense then launched a clock-eating, 78-yard touchdown drive that put the Lobos back up by two scores.
“I think that’s the thing I’m most proud of,” Davie said, “that this team’s never been in a situation all season of, ‘Oh no, here we go again’ — that we’re gonna cave, or we’re gonna crumble.
“I’ve never felt that one time all year, in any game. ... That’s the most encouraging thing to me.”
THE BOWL PICTURE: New Mexico generally is considered a lock to play on its home field Dec. 19 in the New Mexico Bowl, but the bowl picture is too murky to consider anything a lock.
There are 40 bowls, meaning 80 teams with the minimum total of six wins are required. After week 13, only 75 Football Bowl Subdivision teams have reached that goal. Three teams with five wins, Kansas State, South Alabama and Georgia State, have games this Saturday.
As for UNM’s opponent, should it play in the New Mexico Bowl as expected, that’s equally nebulous. Conference USA, contracted to provide half of the matchup, has seven bowl tie-ins but only five eligible teams.
It’s quite likely that the New Mexico Bowl visiting team will come from elsewhere. Sunday, the website SB Nation had Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference coming to Albuquerque. Campus Insiders has Arizona of the Pac-12 playing the Lobos.