Get your popcorn ready.
Saturday awaits. No more talk - time for UNM to lace up the Nikes, buckle up the chinstraps and try to do something it has accomplished only three times since 1991: beat TCU.
Easier said than done.
Since '91, TCU is 6-3 all-time against the Lobos, including last year's swift 37-0 dispatching, where the Horned Frogs led 20-0 by halftime.
"I don't want to make excuses," UNM offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin said. "They kicked our ass."
In every facet, the box score speaks to what Baldwin so candidly alluded to - UNM managed only 91 passing yards, 28 rushing yards, six first downs and a goose egg on the scoreboard.
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Worse, though, the Lobos have had to withstand a smorgasbord of lip service from TCU's players. And frankly - not to give TCU any more bulletin board material - UNM quarterback Donovan Porterie said he's tired of it.
"If we take care of business, the trash-talking will be limited," Porterie said. "But there's going to be some trash-talking (going) on out there. For us, though, as long as we maintain and compete at the highest level possible, then it'll be a totally different story out there."
One thing the Lobos do have to their advantage is they will play at home. UNM is 72-33-4 in home openers and 9-4 in its last 13.
But if football were about who plays where or how neatly pressed each team's uniforms are, nobody would take the field Saturday.
It's not. It's about having a game plan and executing it to perfection, Baldwin said.
"We'd like to get Rodney (Ferguson) going, get Paul Baker going," he said. "That's the strength of this football team."
However, if TCU sells out on the run and packs the line of scrimmage, Baldwin said he's not afraid to unleash weapons X, Y and Z: the receivers.
"We're not going to be stupid," he said. "If they put nine guys into the box, then we're going to throw the football."
Still, much of UNM's game plan hinges on whether the Lobos can remain competitive. Traditionally, TCU has started quick, jumping out to a 28-0 lead in the first quarter of 2005, a 24-0 halftime lead in 2006 and, of course, last year's 20-0 halftime margin.
If the Lobos fall behind big early, it will be hard to establish a ground attack while playing catch-up.
But Baldwin said he's most concerned about how the Lobos' offensive line - which gave up three sacks for minus 32 yards in the Lobos' last meeting - will handle the speed and athleticism of the 4-2-5 defensive scheme TCU employs.
"They have tremendous speed," he said. "But if we execute, we feel we can take care of anything. We've seen their schemes for a long time."
Last season, TCU mixed up its formations and forced the Lobos into two turnovers and eight penalties for 75 yards down in Fort Worth, Texas.
Porterie said avoiding such miscues will be crucial, especially since last year's turnovers enabled TCU to dominate the time of possession.
"We had a lot of turnovers," he said. "That gave them a chance to work with a short field quite a few times, and that's how they scored touchdowns."
While Porterie expects the defense to play solidly, he said it would benefit the Lobos to put some points on the board early.
"The type of offense we run is built for stretching the field," he said. "They're a pretty good defense, but we're a pretty good offense, also. But you know, it's football. You got to go out there and play."
