Are we forever doomed?

It was supposed to be different.

It was a fresh start, a new season and a second chance for a bewildered leader.

But 29 minutes and 45 seconds into the 2010 UNM football season, the Lobos found themselves down 59-0 to No. 11 Oregon Ducks. And it didn’t get any better, as the reigning Pac-10 Champions added another 13 more points in the second half for a 72-0 rout of the Lobos.
Either way you look at it, UNM head football coach Mike Locksley is 1-11 Remember the one-game suspension in 2009. By the end of this September, Locksley could I use could carefully add another three losses to his record.

Forget that the team might not win again this month, because remember, that is why they play the games. The Lobos still have to take the field for 11 more contests this season to prove the critics and cynics wrong.

But as a good friend and recent UNM alumnus pointed out at the conclusion of Saturday’s embarrassment: There was “seriously, nothing positive to take out of (that) game.”
And, sadly, he was right.

I personally don’t think the Lobos will look Oregon-bad again this season, but on Saturday against the Ducks, the Lobos mustered 107 total yards and, more importantly, zero points in Locksley’s no-huddle spread offense.

When he was introduced as UNM’s 18th head football coach, Locksley promised his offense would need a third digit on the scoreboard, because they would be putting up massive amounts of points.

In 12 games, the promised spread-the-defense-out-wide-and-use-every-inch-of-the-field offense has averaged 14.9 points per game. Out of 120 FBS schools (formerly Division I football), the Lobos’ offense ranked 103rd in the country last season and averaged 315.33 yards per game.
Because the Lobos continue to rack up numerous three-and-outs, it’s taken a heavy toll on the defense, and it’s why the Lobos have suffered.
UNM had five three-and-outs against a pesky Ducks defense — the Lobos’ shortest possession was 13 seconds (by the way, another three-and-out) in the fourth quarter, not to mention the five giveaways in the game.

It pains me to see great defensive players like Jonathan Rainey, Jaymar Latchison and Carmen Messina never getting off the field.
Through 11 games with Locksley as the head man, UNM has lost by a combined averaged score of 26.7 points. Worse, in 12 games last season, the Lobos gave up 418.67 yards per contest.

This is why we saw a collective failure at Autzen Stadium on Saturday. With no balance, Lobo football is frustrated and in turmoil.
I am not saying this year is over by a long shot, because teams only need to win six games to be bowl-eligible.

But best guess: Lobo fans don’t want to go through another season like 2009, and 2010 looks to be en route to similar results.