It might appear to some that the New Mexico football team waltzed through its season opener without much opposition, but things may not have been as easy as some might think.
Here is a breakdown of how the Lobos performed in all three facets of the game.
Offense:
Last year, UNM running back Teriyon Gipson started the game by bursting through the line on a 75-yard sprint to the end zone on his first carry. But Lobo fans had to wait a bit longer for the run game to get going on Saturday, and expectations still may have fallen short.
The vaunted New Mexico running attack, which was tops in the nation last year, ran for 189 less rushing yards than it did in last year’s season opener, tallying 279 yards on 40 carries.
Head coach Bob Davie said Abilene Christian had a nice scheme in the postgame press conference and indicated it may have taken the Lobos a while to find their footing.
Several articles have mentioned the Lobos commitment to pass against the Wildcats, focusing on the fact that senior quarterback Lamar Jordan threw for the most passing yards (213) during Davie’s tenure at UNM.
Jordan did a fine job distributing the ball — hitting seven different receivers — and taking what the defense was giving him.
But the passing statistics were actually very similar to that of week one last season. The team combined to throw for 187 yards and two touchdowns against South Dakota.
Overall, the Lobos still seemed to have a nice, balanced offensive attack — though Davie said the team probably passed the ball more than he would’ve liked.
The leading rusher, Romell Jordan, had 65 yards, while Daryl Chestnut finished close behind with 64. There were some big plays, but the ground attack seemed to lack its usual explosiveness.
The absence of offensive lineman Avery Jordan may have had something to do with that, as Davie said his lineman was sick and unable to play for much of the game.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
It remains to be seen whether the rushing attack, at least on the inside runs, was pretty much held in check due to a good defensive game plan or the inability of the offensive line to win the battle up front.
Defense:
Things did not get off to a great start after a low-stakes gamble to go for it on 4th and goal didn’t pan out on the Lobos’ opening drive. Abilene Christian took over on downs at its own 1-yard line and methodically drove down the field on a 15-play drive to take an early 7-0 lead.
Senior safety Jake Rothschiller called it “opening game jitters,” which could’ve been the case, considering the UNM defense essentially pitched a shutout afterward, with the exception of a late touchdown in which the Wildcats made New Mexico pay for a turnover on its side of the field.
The Lobo defense made several big stands throughout the game. Abilene Christian missed a field goal attempt on its second drive and its offense seemed to dry up. Their next nine possessions ended in six punts, two interception and a fumble.
Some of ACU’s woes were self-inflicted, like a 26-yard loss after it snapped the ball over the head of quarterback Dallas Sealey in the third quarter when it was driving with a chance to tie the game.
But on the Wildcats’ next possession, Rothschiller made a key play on third down, sacking Sealey and dislodging the ball. Linebacker Alex Hart recovered the fumble, which set up a UNM field goal and a three-possession lead.
Rothschiller was the recipient of Sealey’s second interception, taking a pass that was thrown directly in his path and returning it 91 yards for a touchdown. That score essentially put the game on ice, with UNM taking a 38-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.
The pick-six came moments after Abilene Christian had recovered a fumble on a punt return and set up shop at the New Mexico 6-yard line, so the defense really bailed out the special teams unit in that situation.
UNM held the Wildcats to just eight yards rushing, thanks in large part to those negative plays.
Special Teams:
UNM was only forced to punt one time during the game but seemed to have some issues returning them.
In addition to the fumbled punt return, the Lobos also missed out on a potential opportunity to start out with good field position.
Toward the end of the second quarter, New Mexico made Abilene Christian punt the ball again. But the returner allowed the ball to be kicked over his head and, by the time it was finished rolling, netted 69 yards on the punt.
New Mexico still drove into Wildcat territory on the ensuing possession but might’ve had a better chance to put points on the board if that aspect was handled better. The ACU punter was on his game though, planting five of his six punts inside the 20-yard line.
The Lobos will get a chance to clean things up and exact revenge for last year’s loss to New Mexico State on Saturday. The rivalry game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Dreamstyle Stadium.
Robert Maler is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers basketball, football and tennis. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @robert_maler.
