If the UNM football team wants to come out of Saturday's TCU game with a win, slowing down the Horned Frogs from the get-go will be key.
The last two times the teams met, TCU jumped out to leads of 28-0 and 24-0 and won both games despite rallies by the Lobos.
This time around, the Horned Frogs are coming off a bye week and will have had 16 days between Saturday and their last game.
UNM tight end Chris Mark said the Lobos must take advantage of any rust TCU may have.
"We do need to come out firing," he said. "First quarter, score on the first drive like we have been - really go ahead and put the pressure on their offense."
Even though it will be more than two weeks since TCU has played a game, UNM head coach Rocky Long said he's not counting on the Horned Frogs starting poorly.
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If anything, the time off helped get them to full strength, he said.
"Most of them have been back in the lineup on and off," Long said. "After watching all the films, we have a pretty good idea of their abilities when they are healthy. I'm sure they are all going to be healthy now, so we can expect their very best."
If the Lobos keep pace with TCU from the start, then the Lobos will have a better chance late in the game, especially considering the way they've finished lately.
In the last three games - all wins - the Lobos have outscored their opponents 16-0 in the fourth quarter.
The previous two games, UNM trailed in the fourth quarter but made big plays late to pull out wins.
Lobo defensive end Tyler Donaldson said the players have been eager to make things happen in the final period.
"We challenge ourselves to get a three-and-out or a turnover," he said. "And then we challenge the offense to make a big play and score a touchdown. Now we just got to get that into the whole game."
And even though the Lobos are taking a three-game winning streak against a team that is 1-3 in Mountain West Conference play, Donaldson said UNM is not taking TCU lightly - especially after the outcome of the two previous meetings.
"They're a good team," he said. "They've got a lot of good athletes. Their record doesn't really speak for where they are and for how good they are. They've lost a lot of tight games."
Football at TCU
Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Fort Worth, Texas
