Redshirt freshman Kole McKamey stepped into a leadership role and directed the Lobos in Saturday's 24-17 win over NMSU.
Senior starter Casey Kelly was not getting the job done for the Lobos. Kelly started off on the wrong foot, throwing his first interception on the third drive of the game. He was 7 of 15 for 66 total passing yards and was finished after getting picked off again late in the second quarter.
At the half, head coach Rocky Long decided to change things up and sent McKamey in to relieve the veteran quarterback.
"Casey was making some mistakes that could have turned the game in their favor," Long said. "I thought we'd put Kole in and be a little more conservative on offense and count on our defense to cause some turnovers."
McKamey started the second half and ran the offense the rest of the night. The back-up quarterback did not necessarily make spectacular plays, but more importantly, he did not make any spectacular errors - although he was sacked for a loss of eight yards in the third quarter.
"We called plays that made sure Kole didn't make any mistakes," Long said. "I was so upset with the mistakes we made in the first half."
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Early in the final quarter UNM led by only three and needed to pull ahead to establish a comfortable lead. McKamey stepped up and successfully hit wide receiver Hank Baskett in the end zone for an easy score.
"Me and Kole - we worked a lot over the summer," Baskett said. "We've been able to put some pass plays together, so we had a good connection."
McKamey said the win came from a team wide, burning desire to win. The Lobos set foot on the field Saturday evening, in front of the largest crowd ever at University Stadium, determined to get back on the right track after a three-game skid. The Lobos did just that in front of 44,075 fans.
McKamey said the victory was even sweeter because it was over the Aggies.
"We had to beat NMSU," he said. "We're expected to be the better team."
McKamey completed all three of his attempts, dishing them out to wide receivers Baskett, Dwight Counter and Adrian Boyd.
"Kole did a very good job," Baskett said. "He wasn't nervous at all the whole time. That's one thing about Kole. He's always ready to work and he came out to do his job and he was having fun the whole time."
Long said he was glad to get the win, however, he is not necessarily proud of it. Long said the offense played overly conservative, and he credited the defense for the victory.
"I thought our offense was playing not to lose instead of winning the game," he said. "We were fortunate to cause enough turnovers we were able to win the game, but it's better to win ugly than it is to lose looking good."
McKamey was thankful for the hard-nosed defensive effort.
"The defense took a lot of pressure off the offense," he said. "They did a great job getting us good field position."
Although McKamey proved he could handle the pressure and responsibilities of being the primary quarterback, Long said Kelly is still the team's starter.
