Fireworks bombarded the sky after the UNM football game versus the Air Force Academy Saturday, but it was nothing compared to the impressive fireworks the Lobo offense supplied during the game in outscoring the Falcons 52-33 at University Stadium.
The Lobos (3-4, 2-2 in the Mountain West Conference) amassed a season-high 620 yards of total offense and scored the most points in head coach Rocky Long's four years.
UNM did whatever it wanted to against the flustered and confused Air Force (4-3, 2-2) defense. The Lobos rumbled through the Falcons for 296 yards rushing and glided through the air for 324 yards passing to produce the most yards in a game since 1989.
"We were just trying to take what the defense was giving us," sophomore quarterback Casey Kelly said. "I think it was evident at times we could throw the ball deep and at times we could run the ball. It was a complete offensive game."
Three players had career-highs in offensive categories to carry the team to the victory. Kelly threw for a career-high 324 yards and three touchdowns on 20-of-40 passing with two interceptions.
Most of his passes went into the hands of a usually wide-open Joe Manning. The junior caught eight balls for 135 yards and two touchdowns, which were all career-highs.
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"We had some good route running and good passing by Casey Kelly because he really came through for us," Manning said. "We were able to take advantage of the safeties and corners throughout the whole game."
And to top it all off, senior tailback Javier Hanson had a career-high 63 yards rushing on nine attempts.
The Lobos scored touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams to come back from two 10-point deficits in the first half. The defense recovered from a disastrous first half to shut down the vaunted Falcon rushing attack in the second half to seal the victory.
The game turned in UNM's favor late in the first half when senior cornerback Stephen Persley scooped up an errant toss by Falcon quarterback Keith Boyea and returned the fumble 25 yards for a touchdown with 48 seconds left. The touchdown gave the Lobos their first lead of the game at 31-27 heading into the half.
"That play gave us a lot of momentum and after that there was no looking back," Persley said. "That changed the whole game around."
With the momentum squarely in hand, the Lobos added to their lead nearly eight minutes into the third quarter. The UNM defense pinned the Falcons deep in their own territory and forced a punt. Senior running back Holmon Wiggins snatched a low, line drive punt on the run, cut down the right sideline and burst 47 yards into the end zone for a touchdown. It is Wiggins' first punt return for a touchdown in 63 career attempts.
"The punt return team set it all up; they put a wall up and all I had to do was go down the sideline," he said. "Usually when the punter kicks a low ball the coach tells me those are touchdown balls. I just got up under it and ran it and scored a touchdown."
Air Force tried to come back, scoring on a one yard plunge from Boyea just seven seconds into the final quarter. But the Lobos emphatically marched down the field on a season-high 16-play, 80-yard drive that covered 6 minutes, 21 seconds. Senior fullback Jarrod Baxter finished the drive by breaking a couple of tackles and hammering his way for a seven-yard touchdown run.
Baxter would get his second touchdown nearly five minutes later when he squirted through the middle from four yards out. The drive started when Persley recorded his fourth interception of the year at midfield.
The Lobos moved the ball a variety of ways, using quick strikes and methodically ramming the ball down the field. They had three scoring drives of 80 yards, but two of the drives took less than four minutes.
UNM ran more than twice as many plays as the Falcons on offense, 46 to 98, and dominated the time of possession, holding the ball for 19 minutes more than its opponent.
"We came out gunning, everything was working," Wiggins said. "Our offensive line was blocking, our receivers got open and Casey was getting the balls to their hands."
Things did not look good for the Lobos early on as Air Force took a 10-0 lead five minutes into the game, including a 65-yard scamper from Boyea on the first play from scrimmage.
The Lobos finally got on the scoreboard when Kelly found Manning open in the left corner of the end zone with 5:28 remaining in the first quarter.
Trailing 24-14 early in the second quarter, the Lobos outscored Air Force 17-3 in the period. Senior kicker Vladimir Borombozin made his 12th-straight field goal by kicking a 33-yarder, breaking the school record.
UNM brought the score within three at 27-24 five minutes later when Kelly hit sophomore wide receiver Dwight Counter open for an 18-yard touchdown.
The defense held the Falcons fourth ranked rushing attack in check. Air Force averaged 269 yards on the ground, but the Lobo defense smothered the Falcons to only 112 yards rushing for the game, 47 after the run by Boyea. UNM struggled early on defense against the play action passes, but adjusted in the second half, holding the Falcons to 278 total yards.
"In the first half, we had a whole lot of missed tackles and everybody was messing up on assignments," Persley said. "Then we just straightened our game out and played like we should have played at the beginning."
Freshman linebacker Nick Speegle corralled a career-high 13 tackles for the Lobos.
"I'm just so excited to get a win out of this game," Kelly said. "Our guys played their hearts out. We played so tough. It was a whole team effort."
The Lobos will hit the road to play their next game against San Diego State University Nov. 3.
