by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
With UNM trailing 21-13 and less than three minutes remaining in the first half, the Lobos needed a spark to head into the locker room with momentum.
The special teams provided the boost, when Nicky Lawson forced a fumble on a kickoff, which was recovered by Tyson Ditmore at the Air Force 12-yard line.
On the next play, UNM quarterback Donovan Porterie hit tight end Chris Mark for a touchdown, followed by a two-point conversion
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to Mark.
The recovery was the first of two by the Lobo kicking unit, on a day the special teams played a huge role in UNM's 34-31 win against Air Force on Thursday at University Stadium.
On the first fumble, Ditmore said he knew he had to take advantage of the loose ball.
"It kind of bounced around a little bit and went through a couple guys' hands, and I just saw it and dove right on it," he said. "Next thing you know, there's a ton of our guys around it. We were all jumping around."
The special teams came up big again in the third quarter after the Falcons took a 24-21 lead on a Ryan Harrison field goal.
The Lobos punted from their own 45-yard line, and the ball bounced off the back of an Air Force player and was caught by UNM safety Ian Clark at the Air Force 12.
Four plays later, Rodney Ferguson took the ball from the three-yard line into the end zone.
Clark said the special teams unit was opportunistic and played an important part in the victory.
"I think special teams was a big contribution to our win today," he said. "Special teams can win the game for you. It can make you or break you, and tonight it played in our favor."
Another special teams player who gave UNM a big lift was kicker John Sullivan, who connected on his first four field goals of the game, helping the Lobos stay in the contest.
With his fourth field goal in the game, Sullivan set a school record for consecutive field goal conversions in a season, with 18. The previous record was 16, held by
Vladimir Borombozin.
Sullivan missed his fifth field goal attempt in the final minutes but had been one of the most accurate kickers in the nation before that.
Sullivan said he was happy to get the record but more excited that the Lobos pulled out the win.
"It means a lot, coming from being a walk-on to having a record," he said. "But I'm just a lot more happy that we won. The record doesn't mean anything without winning."
