by Daniel S. Archuleta
Daily Lobo
Poor execution by the offense and a couple of over-aggressive defensive calls led to a 28-7 rout of the New Mexico Lobos by the 14th-ranked Utah Utes.
In front of 40,182 fans, the Lobos (2-3, 0-1) were held offensively to only 157 yards by Utah (5-0, 1-0). D.D. Cox, who had over 100 yards in last week's game against New Mexico State, was held to 46 yards on 13 carries.
Cox said this could be a learning experience for the Lobos.
"Sometimes you can learn a lot more from a loss than you can a win," he said. "The way this team bounces back and responds, it will pay dividends."
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
DonTrell Moore was cleared to play Thursday and suited up for the game, but he did not see any action. When asked if that had any effect on the result of the game, head coach Rocky Long said, "It had no impact whatsoever."
Long said he is very concerned about his offense, which has been held scoreless in two of the last three games.
"Utah is a great team, and they just whooped us tonight," he said. "We gave up too many big plays on defense and our offense was pathetic."
Quarterback Kole McKamey had a bad night, as he spent most of the game running for his life. McKamey went two full quarters without completing a pass. His last completion came in the first quarter with 3:13 left on the game clock. His next completion did not come until 9:06 in the fourth quarter.
"I think it was a complete lack of execution," he said.
McKamey finished 7-for-22 for 83 yards with one interception and no touchdowns.
The Lobos' only points came when Utah quarterback Alex Smith fumbled the ball after being hit by defensive end Michael Tuohy. Gabriel Fulbright picked up the fumble and returned it 68 yards for the touchdown.
"It felt really good actually," Fulbright said. "I didn't know if it was a fumble or not, but I just picked it up and ran with it."
The Lobo defense allowed 466 yards for the game. The Utes' offense had everything going for them, including a handful of trick plays that included reverses and even a double pass that baffled the Lobos' defense. Smith finished 14-of-28 for 167 yards and one interception. He also ran for two touchdowns.
The only dent in Smith's armor came when Brandon Payne made his first interception of the year.
The two-headed running-back attack of Marty Johnson and Quinton Ganther gained 205 of the Utes' 278 total rushing yards.
Steve Savoy was Utah's leading receiver with 11 catches for 150 yards. He also rushed twice for 22 yards and a touchdown.
Rodney Ferguson saw his first action at running back for the Lobos. The Manzano graduate said he was ready to play.
"I was excited since this was my first time playing college ball," he said. "I was nervous at first, but that all goes away once you get in."
The Lobos travel to Air Force this Saturday to take on the Falcons (2-3 1-1). Kickoff is at 4:37 p.m.
