by Daniel S. Archuleta
Daily Lobo
Despite a dominating 38-3 victory over rival NMSU, the Lobo football team may have suffered an important loss of its own.
In the third quarter, halfback DonTrell Moore sprained his MCL trying to field a punt. Moore did not return to the game and may be out a few weeks, including next week's game against No. 14 Utah.
"I hate to see DonTrell get hurt, but I also hate to see anyone get hurt," head coach Rocky Long said. "You put your best players out there to win, and that's what we did."
Moore finished with 92 yards on 17 carries.
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D.D. Cox picked up the slack for the Lobos, carrying the ball 25 times for 110 yards and three touchdowns.
"The offensive line made it easy for me to do what I needed to do, and the defense stepped up as well," Cox said.
Turnovers were key for the Lobos as they controlled the game in the second half.
After a Tyler Gaus punt was downed at the 3-yard line, Aggie quarterback Paul Dombrowski overthrew his receiver and safety Josh Bazinet was there to pick it off. The interception was Bazinet's first of the season.
Three plays later Cox added to his touchdown total with a 1-yard run, making the score 24-0.
After an Aggie fumble on the 3-yard line, quarterback Kole McKamey dove in to the end zone for a touchdown.
"The play was an option, and there was no way I was going to pitch it," he said.
McKamey had a good night rushing, gaining 54 yards on six carries. He also finished 6-of-12 passes for 79 yards with one interception.
A tough Lobo defense which only saw 48 plays didn't allow the Aggies to even get past midfield until the last play of the third quarter.
The Aggies finally got on the scoreboard with a 27-yard field goal by kicker Ryan Guardia.
Adrian Byrd added his second touchdown of the season on a 10-yard run, putting the final score at 38-3.
The Lobos' offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage, making way for running backs to run free.
Center Ryan Cook was one of the bulldozers plowing the way.
"It makes you feel good," he said. "The offensive coordinator, coach Dodd, has great confidence in us to get the job done."
The scoring started early for the Lobos when Cox blasted his way in to the end zone on a 10-yard run for his first touchdown, putting the Lobos up 7-0.
Another Cox touchdown and a Wes Zunker field goal made the score 17-0 at halftime.
Clock control was a big part of the Lobos win. They ran 75 plays for 409 yard and had a 37 minutes, 28 seconds time of possession.
The Aggie offense was held to just 124 total offensive yards.
The Lobos start their Mountain West Conference schedule this Friday against Utah at University Stadium.
