by Reid Wessels
Daily Lobo
Saturday night was a great night for a football game.
It was also one of the saddest anniversaries any of us will ever know.
Perhaps one of the biggest wins in the history of UNM football will forever be linked to the greatest tragedy in American history. On the third anniversary of Sept. 11, the New Mexico Lobos upset the Texas Tech Red Raiders 27-24 on a 43-yard last-second field goal. Even in the midst of one of his biggest Lobo wins, head coach Rocky Long showed the kind of integrity I admire by not forgetting what day his win fell on.
"Anytime you beat a team as good and as talented as Texas Tech, it's a big win," he said. "I don't want to overemphasize this win. We beat a very good football team, and we're pretty proud that we did, but there are a lot more important things that happened on this date. Our players know that, and I know that."
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I think part of our coping and healing process from the events of Sept. 11 is to continue with our everyday lives, but never to forget. Part of that everyday life for me is football, and to some extent, Lobo football.
That being said, the first thing they teach in journalism classes is to remain analytical and objective about the subject or people you are covering. In sports, this translates to not rooting for one team over another. You are cheering for the best story. In press boxes, they announce throughout a game that no cheering or booing will be tolerated.
For me, this is actually pretty easy to do in most cases. I realize these are the standards to adhere to in order to remain professional. The only team I had difficulty with when I first started writing was Lobo football. I am old enough to remember rooting for the team when I was a kid and they were bad - really bad. I remember watching a 1991 94-17 loss against Fresno State. The coach of the Lobos, Mike Sheppard, had a 9-50 career record at UNM.
I bring up these old games not as a knock against UNM football, but to show how far the team has come in 13 years - not only as a football team, but also as a program. Thirteen years ago, if you said the Lobos would play a Big 12 school at home in front of 38,746 fans and win, you would have been laughed at.
Which brings us back to Friday night's game against Texas Tech. Going into this game, UNM had lost 27 of 28 games against BCS schools and hadn't beaten Texas Tech since 1985. In fact, Texas Tech had a 33-5-2 historical record over UNM.
The dramatic last-second drive and 43-yard kick was only one of a dozen or so storylines that made this the most exciting Lobo football game I can recall.
Just a few of the highlights:
Texas Tech quarterback Sonny Combie broke the record for pass attempts and completions against a UNM team. He went 44-for-70 for 449 yards, but had two costly interceptions.
Hank Baskett continues to make athletic plays and is becoming a force at wide receiver. He finished with six catches for 99 yards.
Kole McKamey showed poise at quarterback, especially during the last drive.
DonTrell Moore was held to 47 yards on 15 carries for three quarters, but had 4 carries for 30 yards on the final drive of the game - becoming the all-time leading rusher in the Mountain West Conference.
And finally, Wes Zunker drills a game-winning, 43-yard kick, even though Tech tried to ice him by taking two timeouts prior to the kick.
Despite the win's importance to Lobo football, the significance of the day it fell on cannot be forgotten.
Perhaps this win represents the transition of UNM football into a team that can consistently compete with BCS schools and win. But then again, maybe not. One thing's certain - I don't think the Lobos will lose 94-17 anytime soon.
