by Phil Parker
Daily Lobo
LUBBOCK, Texas - Despite putting up big numbers in the second half on Saturday, the Lobos couldn't dig themselves out of a 21-point hole and fell to Texas Tech 42-28.
The game's first half featured a series of low-lights for UNM that brought back memories of last year's 49-0 blowout loss the Lobos suffered against the Red Raiders.
Early in the first quarter, Lobo quarterback Casey Kelly threw a pass that was tipped and intercepted by Red Raiders' safety Ryan Aycock. Texas Tech's quarterback B.J. Symons completed four straight passes, the last one for a 12-yard touchdown.
Throughout the first half, Symons torched the Lobos. At the end of the second quarter, he had thrown 18-30 for 197 yards and three touchdowns.
Kelly, on the other hand, was 7-17 for 119 and two interceptions. His second pick was costly, coming in the end zone after he and tailback DonTrell Moore drove the Lobos from one end of the field to the Red Raiders' 11-yard line.
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"We made a lot of mistakes in the first half where our offense didn't score points," said Lobo head coach Rocky Long. "We moved the ball okay, but blew up on ourselves by turning the ball over."
Shortly after Kelly's second interception, Moore went down near the sideline and needed help off the field. He didn't return to the game.
"DonTrell is going to be all right," Long said. "They think it's just an ankle sprain."
In the second half, a suddenly much-improved Lobo squad took the field and gave the Red Raiders a game.
Moore's backup D.D. Cox was a star for the Lobos after halftime. In their first offensive series, Cox's hard rushing and some deep passes by Kelly put UNM two yards outside the end zone. Cox rushed in and the Lobos were finally on the board.
"D.D. showed a lot of people what he can do," Kelly said. "He stepped up and really gave our offense a boost."
The offense, however, could only watch as Symons continued his superb play. His deep touchdown pass to receiver Mickey Peters answered Cox's score, and after three quarters the Lobos were down 28-7.
Safety Sidney Wiley said it was a lack of defensive execution that enabled Symons to put up huge numbers. "The coaches had a good game plan," he said. "There were a lot of busted assignments and a lot of things went wrong out there."
Wiley was a major contributor on defense, intercepting his second pass in two games and getting a monster sack on Symons that forced a fumble in the third quarter.
On the offensive end, Cox continued to be a threat in the last frame. He carved up the Raider defense for big gains to start the fourth, and capped his strong running with a highlight-reel worthy touchdown run off a pitch from Kelly. Dodging tackles and stretching for the end zone, Cox scored from 26 yards away.
Symons would respond with another touchdown, but UNM scored the next two. Kelly hit tight end Zach Cresap for a 31-yard score, and Cox later had another rushing touchdown that closed the gap to just one touchdown, 35-28.
But Symons couldn't be stopped. He drove his team down the field on their next possession and took it in himself for a one-yard score, sealing the Texas Tech win. Symons finished the game with 418 yards and six touchdowns.
For UNM, Kelly had 349 yards and one touchdown. Cox ran 195 yards on 27 carries for three touchdowns. He caught four passes for an additional 69 yards.
This weekend Mountain West Conference rival BYU will come to University Stadium in sear1ch of a win over the Lobos. Kick off of the first conference game will take place at 6 p.m.
