by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
For the UNM football team, Friday's game was a tale of two halves.
Unfortunately for the Lobos, the first half featured all the good, while the second half was nothing but bad and ugly.
After jumping out to a seemingly comfortable 25-12 lead in the first two quarters, UNM crumbled in all phases of the game.
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While two key turnovers in the fourth quarter is what ultimately led to the loss, the collapse started in the third quarter.
After forcing Colorado State to punt the ball on the opening drive of the second half, UNM fumbled the punt, giving the ball right back to the Rams.
The next time the Lobos got the ball they managed just three plays for a loss of 10 yards before having to punt.
That theme continued throughout the third quarter, as the last two times they had the ball in the period they were forced to punt after just three plays.
UNM had three drives in the third quarter that accounted for a loss of seven yards and a time of possession of just 3:18 - compared to the 11:22 that CSU held the ball.
Despite being on the field that long, the Lobo defense held the Rams to just two field goals, preserving a 25-18 lead.
Head coach Rocky Long said the defense kept UNM in the game after facing such a challenge in the third quarter.
"They could have won that game in the third quarter," he said. "They could have beat us by 50. They had the ball down there in the third quarter a bunch of times."
The fourth-quarter troubles were just too much to handle for the Lobos.
On the opening drive, quarterback Kole McKamey threw his second interception of the game, setting up the game-tying 23-yard touchdown run from CSU's Kyle Bell.
After DonTrell Moore had an uncharacteristic fumble, CSU was able to drive on the UNM defense - which had held for most of the game - and take a permanent lead on David Anderson's 15-yard touchdown reception.
Long said he was not pleased with the team's inability to move the ball in the second half.
"We played poorly, and they played better," he said.
The players did not say it was a lack of effort that cost them the game - rather, it was them making too many mistakes.
"I don't know whether it was intensity or just not executing," receiver Hank Baskett said. "That's what it comes down to. When we lose is when we don't execute."
The way the loss unfolded was similar to the Homecoming loss against Brigham Young University, and some of the players said they have to work harder on finishing games rather than just playing well in the first half.
"We haven't put together a complete game yet," Lobo safety Blake Ligon said. "For us to come out here and be successful, we're going to have to play all four quarters."
Lobo cornerback Gabriel Fulbright said in order to have a successful finish, they simply have to play the second halves as well as they have in first halves this season.
"We just weren't focused enough," Fulbright said. "We weren't making plays. We just got to come back focused. We have not shown our full potential as a four-quarter team."
