New Mexico Football vs. Oklahoma: For the First Time, Lobos Beat the Lobos
“We’ve gotta do a better job on offense, ... that’s on me. I’ve got to do a better job of getting our offense rolling and being able to move the ball and score some points.”
The glass half-full outlook: When was the last time the University of New Mexico football team was actually disappointed not to win a game on the road against a ranked SEC school?
Tonight was definitely a first.
The glass half-empty outlook: What an opportunity squandered.
Once again, the Lobo defense and special teams turned in stellar performances, but the weak link offense did not hold its own in a 14-6 loss at No. 24 Oklahoma on Saturday night.
UNM (2-1) forced three first-half turnovers and had the ball in Sooners territory on eight – yes, eight – separate drives and came away with two field goals.
Two busted coverages on defense led to both touchdowns on John Mateer passes that were just enough for OU (2-1).
But the offense also had the ball on the Sooners 17 with 3:02 left in the game, vying for a potential game-tying score but came up short on a Scottre Humphrey run when OU took away the pass in UNM’s run-pass option play on fourth and 2.
The Lobos earned a lot of respect in last year’s season opener at nationally-ranked Michigan by keeping the score close.
There were no moral victories Saturday night vs. the Sooners. Former Lobo running back great and current radio play-by-play analyst DonTrell Moore went as far as saying UNM was the better team at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
“We truly had an entire locker room that truly believed that we were going to win this game,” Lobo safety Austin Brawley said during UNM’s postgame comments. “Last year (against Michigan), we might’ve had a couple of players that weren’t completely bought in, but this year, we came in here believing we were going to win this game, and it just didn’t work out for us in the end.”
Miscues on offense were the main culprit that kept UNM from a program-defining victory. Seven of the team’s eight penalties were on offense. Wide receiver Troy Omeire had a touchdown pass glance off his hands. He dropped another that would’ve made a first down in the first half. Referees nullified what would’ve been a great third-down catch for a first down in the fourth quarter when they said Omeire went out of bounds and did not reestablish himself in the field of play.
The Lobo QBs went 8-for-19 through the air for 116 yards and suffered six sacks. Two red zone chances produced field goals instead of touchdowns.
As an offense, we have to do a better job of counting by 7s instead of 3s when we get into the red zone,” said tight end Cade Keith – a bright spot with five receptions for 78 yards.
The one potential consolation is that Toa Fa’avae’s ability to scramble gave him more playing time in the second half.
“We’ve gotta do a better job on offense,” coach Jason Eck said during his postgame radio interview. “That’s on me. I’ve got to do a better job of getting our offense rolling and being able to move the ball and score some points.
“I thought Toa did a great job with his feet, gave us a little boost. We’ll (review) the tape to get more of the passing attack (issues). (The QBs) both had some plays you’d really like to have back and took a few too many sacks. Sometimes, throwing the ball away can be a great play.”
That’s where UNM’s offensive game plan failed the QBs and the offense. Eck acknowledged that the Sooners had a decided edge in one-on-one matchups vs. the Lobo offense. The plan didn’t appear to have many quick passes, and it didn’t have the QBs prepared to throw the ball away quickly if the initial reads weren’t available.
Eck said he wasn’t discouraged because UNM shouldn’t have as many unfavorable matchups on offense against the remaining nine opponents on its schedule.
“Hats off to Oklahoma; they’ve got an incredible defense,” Eck said. “Michigan didn’t move the ball very well against them (last week during the Wolverines 17-10 home win), either.”
Glass-is-half-full outlook.
Glass-is-half-empty outlook: the Lobos should be 3-0 and receiving heavy consideration for the Top 25.
Discover the top 5 takeaways from Week 3 of Mountain West college football. From North Dakota State’s dominant 4-0 run to New Mexico’s defensive stand against Oklahoma, see who impressed, who struggled, and what it means for the conference title race.