by Adrian Doerfler
Daily Lobo
In a shootout at University Stadium, the UNM football team extended its winning streak against NMSU to four games Saturday.
Quarterback Donovan Porterie and the Lobo offense got the best of the Aggies, pulling away for a 44-34 win.
Porterie said the team's concentration during the week helped the Lobos get the win.
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"We stayed focused all week, no matter how many distractions we had, and made the game about only us," Porterie said. "It felt really good to get the win."
Offensively, the Lobos were in a groove as they gained 496 yards, including 342 passing yards and two touchdowns from Porterie.
Porterie started the game off inconsistently, overthrowing his receivers in the first half. But he finished the game strong, connecting the last 14 of 15 passes. Junior tailback Rodney Ferguson contributed 118 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.
The Lobos have yet to commit a turnover this season.
UNM head coach Rocky Long said he was pleased with the offense's execution.
"Our offense played real well," Long said. "I thought Donovan controlled the game. He moved the offense."
With the score tied at 27 in the fourth quarter, receiver Marcus Smith had back-to-back catches for a total of 65 yards. Three plays later, Ferguson dove into the end zone to put the Lobos ahead.
On the following drive, Aggie quarterback Chase Holbrook connected with tight end Nick Cleaver, who was nailed by Clint McPeek.
The ball popped out and fell into the hands of safety Frankie Solomon. Lobo kicker John Sullivan then connected on a 21-yard field goal.
Sullivan struggled last week, going 2-for-4 in the loss to UTEP, but he connected on all three of his attempts against NMSU.
In the next drive, defensive end Tyler Donaldson stepped in front of a Holbrook pass and returned an interception for 17 yards.
After being stuffed on the first two plays after the pick, Porterie found tight end Chris Mark wide open in the flats. Mark then ran into the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown reception.
Nose tackle Wesley Beck said the Lobos kept up their intensity the entire game.
"I think the fourth quarter showed how our conditioning has improved," he said. "We were still going, and they were a little tired, but we were coming after them. Both the offense and defense in the fourth quarter we played exceptional."
Even though the offense dominated the game, the Lobos defense struggled to stop the Hal Mumme passing attack.
Long consistently changed his coverage schemes, but the defensive backs still struggled. Holbrook finished the game with 63 pass attempts and completed 47 of those for 473 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Chris Williams had 10 catches for 120 yards and three touchdowns.
Still, the pass coverage contributed to the largest momentum boosts.
Even though the defense gave up a lot of yards, Long said the big defensive plays late in the game helped key the win.
"We didn't play very well on defense," he said. "Some credit goes to their offense because they're very good. But the two biggest moment changes came from interceptions from the defense."
Football at
Arizona
Saturday, 8 p.m.
Tucson, Ariz.
