Staff Report
Starting quarterback Kole McKamey's concussion was one of the many offensive low-lights in the Lobo's 17-7 loss to Oregon State University on Saturday.
McKamey took hard hits all night, and was finally forced out of the game on his third sack of the first half. He was replaced by Tali Ena who completed just 3-of-18 passes.
Compared to the 55-14 loss to OSU last year in the Las Vegas Bowl, the 10-point loss showed improvement, especially against a Pac-10 opponent.
The Lobo defense carried the team in the game, but it was not enough to stop the OSU offense. UNM applied pressure to Beaver quarterback Derek Anderson and his key receivers, allowing Anderson to complete less than half of his pass attempts.
Anderson completed a touchdown pass in the second quarter, giving the Beavers a 7-point lead after the extra point. The Lobo defense helped along the 69-yard drive with two key penalties that allowed OSU to convert on otherwise failed third down attempts.
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Later in the second quarter, OSU passed its way into the end zone. An 11-yard pass was ruled a touchdown, though the replay disagreed with the officials. The slow motion replay showed the receiver down just outside of the end zone, but the official call stood.
OSU led 14-0 at the half.
The slick artificial turf and cold rain were minor challenges for the Lobos, compared to the Beaver defense knocking out every UNM offensive strength.
The quick OSU secondary defense stuck to Lobo receivers like glue, leaving quarterback Kole McKamey without any open targets downfield. As the pocket collapsed time and time again, McKamey was continuously forced to scramble before he could successfully pass the ball.
McKamey completed 4-of-12 pass attempts for a total of 10 yards before he suffered the concussion. His speed enabled him to scramble successfully twice, accumulating 25 rushing yards.
Ena had just the three completions, threw an interception and fumbled twice. Ena was ruled down by an official on one fumble, this time disagreeing with the replay in the Lobos' favor.
The OSU defense halted the UNM rushing game, allowing a total of 75 rushing yards. Though this is the lowest rushing yardage for UNM this season, it was an improvement from UNM's six offensive rushing yards in the Las Vegas Bowl.
The Lobo defense stepped up on a third quarter play, knocking the ball out of Anderson's hands and capitalizing on the fumble. UNM safety Josh Bazinet picked up the loose ball and ran 70 yards to score a touchdown. The defensive score gave the Lobos their only points in the contest.
The game's final points came as a 35-yard OSU field goal in the fourth quarter. OSU kicker Alex Serna replaced starter John Daily after Daily missed two field goals earlier in the game.
OSU and UNM are now both 1-2. The Lobos will look for their first win on the road Saturday against rival New Mexico State.
