by Matthew Kappus
Daily Lobo
Some called it an ugly victory.
But when Lobo kicker John Sullivan's winning field goal sailed through the uprights to give UNM a 26-23 win over Colorado State on Saturday, head coach Rocky Long saw it as picture-perfect.
"Any time you win, it's pretty," he said. "I don't care if you call it ugly. I think it was a big-time win."
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The Lobos needed all four of Sullivan's field goals to top the Rams.
In a game reminiscent of last year's duel with CSU, the Lobos again squeaked out a win on a last-second field goal.
Last year, Kenny Byrd's 33-yard boot lifted the Lobos to a 20-19 win.
This time around, it was Sullivan from 43 yards out.
Sullivan, who became UNM's all-time leader for most field goals in a season, said as soon as he kicked it, he knew the ball was going in.
He said the hard part was getting his nerves under control before the kick.
"I told myself, 'You've made a bunch of these. It's just another kick,'" Sullivan said.
However, it was neither just another kick for Sullivan nor just another win for his team.
The Lobo victory over the Rams at University Stadium put UNM back on track for another bowl-game appearance.
It also takes away some of the sting of last week's 37-0 loss at the hands of TCU, running back Rodney Ferguson said.
"Last week was a horrible loss for us, and we're not going to let that go until the end of the season," he said.
Ferguson had 110 yards Saturday, which put him over 1,000 total yards rushing for the second straight season.
CSU entered the game at 1-8.
Long said he knew the team was much better than their record indicated.
"I think Colorado State has the best coach in the league," Long said. "The fact that Colorado State came into the game . and still fought the Lobos to the end was a testament to how well the team was coached."
Although the Lobos led throughout the game, they could not put CSU away.
UNM got off to a quick start, scoring a field goal and a 28-yard touchdown pass from Donovan Porterie to Marcus Smith.
The Rams missed two scoring opportunities in the first half thanks to Lobo pressure on the quarterback. After two sacks by Lobo linebacker Zach Arnett, CSU settled for a punt and missed field goal.
Arnett said his sacks can be attributed to aggressive play calling by Lobo coaches.
"The defense that Coach called freed me up both times," Arnett said.
With the Lobos putting pressure on CSU quarterback Caleb Hanie, the Rams' wide receivers were able to find open space in the Lobo backfield. CSU's Johnny Walker had two touchdowns in the game, including one that tied the game 17-17 before halftime.
In the second half, it was more of the same for the Lobo defense. The team got to the quarterback five times, including sacks by Arnett, Tyler Donaldson, O.J. Swift, Michael Tuohy and Kevin Balogun.
Arnett said the Lobo defense had to regroup following the TCU loss, in which they allowed the Horned Frogs 417 total yards.
Up 23-17 in the fourth quarter, the Lobos held CSU to two field goals after the Rams got within 10 yards of the Lobo end zone, making the score 23-23.
With less than two minutes left in the game, the Lobo defense pinned the Rams at their own 16, pushing them back behind the line of scrimmage on three straight plays.
Swift returned a punt 18 yards to the Rams' 26-yard line with three seconds left in the game.
It was all Sullivan needed to safely kick the ball through the uprights.
