Lobo fans suffered a painful case of deja vu this weekend.
University of New Mexico head coach Bob Davie said he hoped the Lobos would fare better Saturday against Fresno State than the last time they traveled there to play — they did not.
In 2013, UNM lost a game Davie described as “brutal,” 69-28 to Fresno State. This time, New Mexico (3-3, 1-2 MW) took it on the chin again as Fresno State (4-2, 3-0 MW) administered a 38-0 thumping to the Lobos.
Both offenses got off to a slow start on Saturday evening, failing to pick up a first down in either of the team’s first two possessions. But then the Bulldogs’ offense erupted for some big plays.
New Mexico drove into Bulldog territory before its third drive of the game stalled. The Lobos called on kicker Jason Sanders to attempt a 43-yard field goal, but the attempt went wide left, and the Bulldogs took over.
Fresno State quarterback Marcus McMaryion connected with Jamire Jordan for a 70-yard touchdown pass at the 4:30 mark of the first quarter to account for the first score.
After New Mexico was unable to answer, McMaryion went to work quickly again, hitting KeeSean Johnson for a 75-yard gain. The two hooked up again on the next play for a 12-yard touchdown pass to make the score 14-0.
The Lobos were forced to punt again, but looked like they might be able to flip field position. Fresno State was pinned deep in its own territory, facing a third and 17, when McMaryion was able to rattle off a 57-yard run to get out of trouble. The drive eventually ended in a touchdown, putting the home team firmly in control.
New Mexico was probably fortunate to trail by just three scores going into the half, since Fresno fumbled and ended a promising drive near the end of the second quarter. The Lobos were simply not able to sustain drives, going 0-for-8 on third down in the first half.
UNM had been pretty good this season at making second half adjustments but was plagued by some mistakes that turned the situation from bad to worse.
“We caved a little bit after they started running up the score,” Davie said in a release. “We just couldn’t get our offense going throughout the entire game.”
The Lobos fumbled on their first possession of the second half, a turnover that Fresno State converted into three points on the ensuing possession to increase the lead to 24-0.
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Although UNM quarterback Lamar Jordan started the game, freshman Tevaka Tuioti took the lion’s share of the snaps. He went 13-of-24 for 200 yards passing, but had a pass intercepted off a deflection about midway through the third quarter — ending what looked like a good scoring opportunity.
Davie gambled on fourth down later in the quarter from the UNM 35-yard line, but running back Romell Jordan was stuffed for a 3-yard loss and Fresno State immediately made the Lobos pay for it.
McMaryion threw his third touchdown pass on the game on the next play, delivering a knockout blow to put the Bulldogs up 31-0 with 2:35 left in the third quarter.
Fresno State tacked on another score in the fourth quarter and preserved the shutout by making a stand late in the game to keep UNM out of the end zone on another red zone fourth down attempt, making the final score 38-0.
It was the first shutout New Mexico has suffered since Sept. 8, 2012, when the Lobos lost 45-0 to the Texas Longhorns.
But things probably feel a lot different this time. The Texas loss was against a program with a rich pedigree, and it was just the second game for the Lobos under Davie. This loss was by a team the head coach had seemingly returned to respectability — and off a bye week at that.
“We didn’t see this coming. It was tough night all the way around, and we give them credit,” Davie said.
The Lobos will not have much time to lick their wounds, as the team will have a short week before UNM hosts Colorado State on Friday, Oct. 20 at 8:15 p.m.
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.
