by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
It's a trend that is becoming all too familiar for the UNM football team.
The Lobos made plays on defense and did enough on offense to build a 10-0 lead - then the second half started.
Despite forcing three turnovers - two of which led to the 10 points - and keeping Wyoming off the scoreboard in the first half, UNM fell apart in the second half.
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The Lobo offense struggled to move the ball after intermission, and the defense allowed 14 points without forcing another turnover.
UNM cornerback DeAndre Wright, who had an interception in the end zone in the first quarter, said the Lobos need to learn how to finish games.
"You got to play like that the whole game," he said. "You just can't come out there, have a few turnovers, and then come out the second half and have none. We got to play like that for all four quarters. We didn't make enough plays on defense or offense."
This is not the first time the Lobos have gone into the locker room after the half with a lead, only to watch that lead slip away.
What may be surprising is that UNM continues to fall apart in home games. The Lobos have lost six of their last seven games at University Stadium.
In those games, UNM has been outscored 83-15 in the fourth quarter.
Junior wide receiver Marcus Smith said the Lobos have to play with the same passion in the second half as they do in the first.
"I just think that we need to come out with the same intensity that we start the game with, more than anything," he said. "We come into halftime with a lead, and I don't know if we get content or we get satisfied, but we just need to come out with a different
demeanor."
Long said UNM's collapse in the second half has nothing to do with preparation.
"You can't tell when it's that bad, but we made some adjustments at halftime that we thought we could take advantage of that would give us a better chance to move the ball in the second half," Long said. "You can have the best Xs and Os in the world, but if you don't make plays and don't execute, you're not going to play very well."
The Lobos know what they need to do in the second half, whether they have a lead or not,
Smith said.
It's just a matter of being focused and executing the plays that are called.
"We're coming into the locker room and coaches are telling us what we did right and what we did wrong," he said. "We just need to come out with the intensity that we had to start."
At 2-4, if the Lobos are going to make a run at a winning record, they need to turn things around in a hurry.
In the next four games, UNM will travel to UNLV, host Utah, travel to CSU and then host defending Mountain West Conference champion TCU.
Part of being ready for the challenge is to get over the second-half collapse to Wyoming, Wright said.
"We just got to come out there with a positive attitude," he said. "We got to put this one behind us and be ready for UNLV
next week."
