New Mexico football had some good things show up in the box score — more yardage, more first down, winning the time of possession battle — but lost the game and its starting quarterback on the way to a 28-14 loss.
The Lobos fell behind 7-0 after an early turnover and, although they briefly tied the game in the second quarter, it felt like UNM was playing catch-up for the rest of the game following the opening drive.
Head coach Bob Davie has repeatedly said how small the margin for error is for most teams, including the Lobos, to win football games. And being on the wrong end of some key plays may have been the difference on Thursday, especially after UNM lost its starting quarterback just before the half.
Here is how the offense, defense and special teams fared in week three.
Offense
Davie showed early on that the team would need to take some risks to keep Boise State’s offense on the sidelines. On its opening possession UNM’s Richard McQuarley picked up first down yardage when the Lobos went for it on fourth down but coughed up the ball and the Broncos were there to recover.
The ground attack seemed to be working — or at least working better — than it had in previous weeks. The Lobos still appeared to be lacking that extra gear in creating big plays, finishing with just 198 yards rushing but picked up 111 of them in the opening quarter.
New Mexico was dealt a big loss when quarterback Lamar Jordan was knocked out of the game on a jarring hit inflicted by defensive lineman Chase Hatada. Hatada was ejected for targeting after he lowered his helmet and appeared to launch himself into the chest of Jordan.
With the backup quarterback already out due to injury, third-stringer Coltin Gerhart entered the game to handle snaps. Gerhart was efficient, accounting for 116 combined yards of offense, but couldn’t get his team into the end zone until the team’s final drive when the game was pretty much already decided.
The option requires precision timing and delivering pitches in the right location. Gerhart did a fine job running the system considering he reportedly hadn’t taken a snap since his 2013 high school season, but sustained drives were hard to come by.
New Mexico had multiple opportunities to tie the game at 14-14, but couldn’t generate the offense needed to move the ball. One key moment occurred when the team was back up at its own 1-yard line.
Wide receiver Q’ Drennan got a step on his defender after executing a double move and may have been off to the races if the ball hit him in stride, but it was under thrown — instead the Broncos started to create separation after the ensuing punt.
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Gerhart also threw an interception when he was hit while throwing a pass on a flea flicker. Davie may have been trying to find a spark on offense, but running a trick play on his own side of the field with the third string quarterback may not have been the best recipe for success.
Ultimately, that turnover didn’t hurt the team, as the Lobo defense got the ball back without allowing any further damage despite Boise State starting the drive at the UNM 28-yard line.
Defense
The defense was forced to take the field a little earlier than it probably should’ve after the offense turned the ball over. Boise State struck quickly, scoring a touchdown in just over two minutes, on a pass to a wide-open tight end. There seemed to be some confusion with the defensive coverage as players could be seen pointing trying to figure out who missed their assignment.
After the Lobos tied the game, the defense allowed a methodical 81-yard drive that allowed the Broncos to reclaim the lead. The drive was aided by a 47-yard deep pass to Cedrick Wilson, though UNM defensive back Elijah Lily looked to have good coverage on the play.
New Mexico really stepped up on the defensive side of the ball after that touchdown though, doing its best to keep the team within striking distance.
Boise State started three drives in the second half on UNM’s side of the field, but the defense shut things down on two of those drives — the lone exception coming when the Broncos were able to set up shop at the UNM 17-yard line.
That drive culminated in a Boise State touchdown and delivered a serious blow to the chances of a Lobo comeback, making it a two-possession game.
The second half touchdowns allowed by the Lobos seemed to be a result of being put in one tough situation after another. But the defense gave its team plenty of chances — especially in the third quarter, when the longest Boise State drive was a mere 15 yards.
Not to take anything away from the effort, but it should be noted that the defense was playing against a quarterback, Montreal Cozart, that was making his first start with normal starting quarterback Brett Rypien still in the concussion protocol — a situation the Lobos may find themselves in their next game.
Special Teams
It probably isn’t fair to single out one play as a turning point in a game, but much of the narrative surrounded New Mexico punt returner Chris Davis Jr.‘s decision not to field a third-quarter punt.
A touchback probably wasn’t likely with Boise State punting from its own 36, but it was very close. Joel Velazquez pinned the Lobos at its own 1-yard line and flipped the field position the teams had been fighting to control up to that point.
When New Mexico wasn’t able to get any breathing room from its own goal line, the Broncos made the Lobos pay with a good return that allowed them to start the ensuing drive in the red zone. Winning that battle on special teams arguably gave Boise State the cushion it needed to win the game.
In the kicking game, Jason Saunders also missed a field goal at the end of the half, which could have cut the deficit to 14-10. The attempt ended up being 53 yards after New Mexico was flagged for delay of game. With 13 seconds remaining, Davie appeared to be having a discussion with one of the officials about how much time ran off the clock on the previous play and the play clock ran out before Gerhart was able to get a snap off.
Things will not get any easier for the Lobos, as they travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma on Sept. 23 to take on the Golden Hurricanes at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN 3. Tulsa is 1-2 on the season but hung 51 points on Toledo in a loss on Saturday.
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.
