by Matthew Kappus
Daily Lobo
Lobo quarterback Donovan Porterie said he had to block out all the noise around Saturday's game - and he wasn't talking about crowd noise.
After the season-opening loss to UTEP - in which the Lobos failed to get the ball in the end zone - some criticized Porterie for being unable to convert in the red zone.
And going into Saturday, the sophomore quarterback said he just had to concentrate on the game and not the chatter about the hype that surrounds the NMSU
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rivalry.
"All through the week, we could have let everything that was talked about, things on the news, take our focus on the game," Porterie said.
He said head coach Rocky Long gave the team some key advice.
"One thing that coach said was that it wasn't about New Mexico State; it wasn't about the rivalry," he said. "It was about what we did as a team - executing."
And the team did execute.
The Lobo offense earned 496 total yards in its 44-34 victory over the Aggies - the most since a 2003 game against UNLV.
Porterie and the Lobo offense got off to a quick start, scoring touchdowns on their first two drives. A 36-yard reception to Josh Fussell was the first of two touchdown passes by Porterie.
The Lobos offense was productive on the ground, which Long said gave UNM better passing opportunities. Tailback Rodney Ferguson rumbled his way to 118 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Porterie said a balanced passing and running game was the key to loosening up NMSU's man-to-man coverage.
Porterie, who has yet to turnover the ball this season, was steady throughout the game. In the fourth quarter, he was nearly perfect.
With the game tied at 27 in the final period, Porterie completed 14 of 15 passes, including a
touchdown toss that put the game away.
He said the Lobos' focus in practice was finishing games strong.
"That is a real key thing because any team can come back," he said. "Last year, we came back in three games."
Porterie was at the helm of those three comeback wins, which included a huge upset victory
over Utah.
It was that game in 2006 where Porterie, still a freshman, solidified his role as the Lobo's starting quarterback after passing for a career-high 350 yards.
While Porterie didn't have that outstanding of a game Saturday, it was close - he earned 342 yards in arguably his second-best performance as a Lobo.
After the game, Porterie said he was able to block out the pressure.
"I felt really good," he said. "We stayed focused all week, no matter how many distractions there were and made the game about us and only us."
Long, who after Saturday's victory is 7-3 against NMSU, said his quarterback was in control of the game, directing the offense and making big plays.
"Last week, he got a lot of blame for not getting in the end zone," he said. "So we ought to give him a lot of credit for getting in the
end zone."
