Down 24-14 in the fourth quarter, it finally looked like the Lobos had some life with fewer than nine minutes to play.
One problem: A holding penalty was called on the play, so instead of a 1st down, UNM faced 2nd and 22 from its 8-yard line.
It was that kind of night. UNM’s offense couldn’t get anything going; the Lobos gained just 263 total yards of offense in a 24-14 loss to San Diego State at University Stadium on Friday night.
Head coach Bob Davie said UNM (2-4, 0-2 Mountain West) prepared for SDSU’s blitzing 3-3-5 defense, but the Aztecs used a more traditional four-man front to stifle the Lobos.
“We just never had any kind of rhythm on offense. We could never get into sync with anything and actually had some opportunities, but we tried to be something that we’re not,” Davie said. “We tried to throw the ball around and create some plays, which is disappointing.”
UNM had more than enough chances to attempt a comeback in the fourth quarter as the defense forced four consecutive turnovers. The Lobos intercepted the Aztecs twice and recovered two fumbles.
With each new possession the offense seemed more hapless. UNM’s longest drive in the fourth quarter was 8 yards, and the team actually had -4 yards of total offense in the final 15 minutes.
SDSU (3-3, 2-1 MW) forced UNM away from its triple-option offense, making the team pass more than it is comfortable with. The Lobos’ inability to throw the ball was glaring as they completed just 11 of 24 passes for 111 yards. Jordan combined for 149 total yards of offense (97 passing, 52 rushing) on the night.
“It’s pretty frustrating as an offense to not be able to fully get into a rhythm,” junior running back David Anaya said. “I feel like we caught our rhythm in the second quarter and it kind of just slipped through our fingers.”
The score was still tight in the second half, even with UNM’s offensive troubles.
A gutsy 13-play, 75-yard drive by the Lobos cut the Aztecs’ lead to 17-14 in the third quarter. Sophomore tailback Teriyon Gipson capped the possession with a 1-yard touchdown run.
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On the ensuing kickoff, SDSU was called for a holding penalty and was back up to its own 7-yard line. Two plays later, running back Donnel Pumphrey broke through UNM’s defense for a 93-yard touchdown run for a 24-14 edge.
Pumphrey torched the Lobos for a career-high 246 yards on 20 carries — a 12.3 yard per carry average — and two scores. Halfback Chase Price also had his way with UNM, gaining 141 yards on 17 attempts with a touchdown. SDSU had 397 rushing yards as a team.
“We finished strong, but there were just too many missed tackles and penalties and it ultimately made us give up some big plays,” senior safety David Guthrie said.
The Aztecs looked poised for a convincing win early when Pumphrey gave them a 10-0 lead after a 59-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
UNM junior quarterback Cole Gautsche played the first three possessions of the game, but aside from a 31-yard run by Anaya, the offense didn’t move at all.
On the Lobos’ fourth possession, Davie inserted Jordan, who promptly led UNM down the field, scoring on a 45-yard pass to halfback Carlos Wiggins. The Lobos trailed 10-7 at halftime.
Gongbay out for season
On Saturday UNM running back Crusoe Gongbay tweeted that he will miss the remainder of the year due to a foot injury.
Gongbay had been the Lobos’ primary dive back before his injury.
Friday’s game against the Aztecs was the first the senior had missed all season.
“Missing Crusoe definitely hurt and made a big impact, but we need to be able to pick up his slack and make up for it,” Anaya said.
In Gongbay’s absence, the Lobos rushed for 152 yards against the Aztecs.
Thomas Romero-Salas is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at
sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @ThomasRomeroS.
