New Mexico’s defense still doesn’t have an answer for Colorado State.
For the third straight year, the Rams' offense overwhelmed the Lobos in a 28-21 loss at University Stadium Saturday in front of 21,642 fans.
CSU racked up 485 total yards of offense, didn’t punt once, and all but one of the Rams' drives ended in UNM territory.
“Probably more than that, though, we’ve really had a hard time with this team,” head coach Bob Davie said. “You look back at the past two years and what they’ve done to us with their offense. Not quite as bad tonight, but still really couldn’t get them stopped. We just had a time stopping them.”
With the loss, UNM’s chances of winning the Mountain Division and making the Mountain West Championship game were dashed. The Lobos (6-5, 4-3 Mountain West) needed to win their remaining two games in order to make the conference title game. The final home game for UNM is next Saturday against Air Force, which clinched the division crown after the Lobos’ loss.
“Everybody is a little disappointed. We went out and played hard. I don’t ever doubt our team’s effort,” tight end Reece White said. “I think everybody plays as hard as they can every play. I think we’re not being complacent with just a bowl game. I think that was something that we could see out there.”
Even with the defensive woes, UNM still had a chance to tie the game on its last possession. Quarterback Lamar Jordan kept the drive alive on 4th-and-5 when he dodged several Rams for a 9-yard scramble to CSU’s 40-yard line.
On the ensuing play, Jordan tried to scramble away from CSU’s Joe Kawulok, but was sacked for a 15-yard loss. Jordan attempted to make up for his mistake by throwing deep, but was intercepted by Kevin Pierre-Louis. CSU then ran out the clock to seal its 28-21 win.
That interception thrown by Jordan was his third of the day. Jordan finished the game just 4 of 9 passing for 58 yards, but did run for 97 yards and a touchdown. Davie said he didn’t consider going to Austin Apodaca at the end of the game. Apodaca only played a couple of snaps in the first half.
“I never really thought about going with Austin. I thought Lamar gave us the best option there,” Davie said. “We were still in a run-or-pass kind of mode. Particularly with him being able to run the ball.”
UNM’s only lead of the game came in the third quarter, when running back Jhurell Pressley went 36 yards untouched to the end zone. Pressley had a solid game, as he finished with just six carries for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
Aside from the turnovers, UNM’s offense performed well. The Lobos moved the ball frequently, only punted once and finished with 268 rushing yards.
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“I think it came down to just technique at the juncture point,” White said of the offense. “They’re a good team and a good team defensively, but we did a better job executing. I think we were able to sustain and get the ball around the edge.”
The Rams (6-5, 3-4 MW) used a balanced offensive attack to beat the Lobos. CSU ran for 221 rushing yards, while quarterback Nick Stevens hit 16 of 23 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown.
Running back Izzy Matthews ran for 89 yards on 15 attempts with a score; Deionte Gaines scored on a 30-yard reverse in the first quarter.
Thomas Romero-Salas is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @ThomasRomeroS.
