The New Mexico football team needs three wins if it hopes to continue playing into the postseason, but the odds are stacked against the Lobos pulling off the feat as the team faces Texas A&M Saturday on the road.
Texas A&M (5-4, 3-3 SEC) will be playing with bowl eligibility on the line, failing to complete the task last week in each of the last two weeks. First the Aggies were upended by Mississippi State 35-14, then fell to Auburn by a score of 42-27—both losses taking place at home on Kyle Field.
The Aggies will likely want to handle business on Saturday against the Lobos, considering their next two games will be played on the road.
New Mexico (3-6, 1-5 MW) has been its own worst enemy for much of the year, turning the ball over at an alarming rate and playing undisciplined at times committing penalties or giving up big plays. While the Aggies have a two game losing streak, the Lobos are mired in a four-game skid.
The most two most recent losses have come with the Lobos giving the ball away a whopping 11 times. UNM committed seven turnovers on the way to a 42-3 drubbing against Wyoming and fumbled five times (losing four of them) in a 24-10 loss to Utah State.
Head coach Bob Davie said turnovers have been the narrative of the story so far this season, which has been atypical of the way things have gone in the past.
In previous seasons, the Lobos seemed to find a way to be on the "right" side of 50-50 plays, forcing turnovers and making or preventing a big play at the end to grind out a win.
One thing the head coach said might have been different going into this season was higher expectations. And as things didn't quite go according to plan or the way some may have hoped, perhaps it got to a point where the team was trying too hard or forcing things.
The head coach said one thing the Lobos can't afford to do against Texas A&M is turn the ball over. He said Kyle Field will be loud and boisterous, with roughly 100,000 fans squeezing into the seats for the game.
And Davie knows how difficult a venue that particular football field can be for opponents to pick up a win. He was a defensive coach and coordinator for the Aggies from 1985-1993.
"I owe a lot to Texas A&M. I owe a lot to R.C. Slocumb—made me a better coach; made me a better person," Davie said.
Slocumb was a defensive coordinator, who was later elevated to head coach for the Aggies during Davie's tenure at Texas A&M.
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The head coach shared the story about how his son, Clay, was born the night the Aggies defeated a Brett Favre quarterbacked Southern Mississippi team—arriving at the hospital just in time to see the birth of his son.
But the Davies' aren't the only ones going back to their own stomping grounds. Nine Lobo starters were born in Texas, and many seemed excited to have an opportunity to play on a big stage in front of friends and family.
Quarterback Lamar Jordan said several players feel like they have something to prove. Whether it was playing being passed on because they were too small or not athletic enough, Jordan and other Lobos will have a chance to showcase their talents and try to pull off a big upset.
The fifth-year senior quarterback said he has "100 percent confidence" in himself and his teammates that they can win the last three games of the regular season. The quest for the first win begins at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11, with the game being aired on ESPNU.
The Aggies have won all three meetings between the two schools—the most recent a 41-6 thumping of the Lobos in
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.
