After trailing early in Thursday’s season opener at University Stadium, New Mexico hit its stride after making some big plays in all three phases of the game.
The Lobos registered plenty of explosive plays on both sides of the ball, but it was a pair of big plays on special teams that seemed to shift the game’s momentum.
The fans were still filing into the stadium, receiving Lobos spirit bands as part of the fan giveaway, picking up concessions, and settling into their seats when senior running back Teriyon Gipson found a hole and sprinted for a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the game.
South Dakota’s quarterback, Chris Streveler, answered with a 55-yard run on 3rd and 1 to tie things up 7-7.
The Lobos appeared to be in position to retake the lead on its second drive when South Dakota forced a red zone turnover. Richard McQuarley took a big hit at about the 6-yard line and fumbled the ball.
The Coyotes cashed in on that mistake when Streveler broke free for a second time, cruising for a 42-yard touchdown run to put the Coyotes up 14-7 at the 5:50 mark in the first quarter.
However, another couple of big plays put New Mexico right back on top 21-14. Gipson registered the longest run of his career (84 yards) to tie the game at 14-14. Less than a minute later, Matt Quarells snagged a 62-yard touchdown on a nifty grab early in the second quarter.
South Dakota still appeared to be in good shape, making a stop on the next Lobo offensive series. Trailing 21-14, the Coyotes pinned the Lobos deep in their own territory and forced UNM to punt from the back of the end zone.
That’s when New Mexico caught a big break. Austin Simmons muffed the punt, and New Mexico’s Steven Romero was able to secure the live ball to give the Lobos another shot.
The Lobos turned that error into points as McQuarley capped a seven-play drive with a four-yard touchdown run to put the Lobos up two scores, 28-14, with 5:19 left in the first half.
Trying to cut the deficit to a single score, the Coyotes faced a 4th and 1 at its own 34-yard line and elected to go for it rather than punt with 4:32 left.
South Dakota converted to extend the drive, but decided to kick it away when faced with another 4th and 3, with about two and a half minutes remaining.
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The Coyotes seemed content to try to pin the Lobos deep and head into halftime down 14 points, as they would receive the ball to start the third quarter.
However, Chris Davis, Jr. found a seam and returned the punt 31 yards to give the Lobos great field position with plenty of time to turn the game into a rout.
Apodaca found Q’ Drennan for a quick 26-yard strike with 10 seconds left to go in the half for a 35-14 lead.
Head coach Bob Davie said South Dakota seemed to outkick its coverage on that play, and it was good to see Davis make a good decision on the return. He said those two punt plays absolutely changed the complexion of the game.
“The way that game started out and the way we were having difficulty stopping them...it was setting up to be the perfect storm,” Davie said. “Those plays turned the game around — that fumbled punt was big.”
The score before the end of the half provided the Lobos with the cushion they needed to continue asserting itself on the ground on offense and turn the defense loose in the second half.
After the first two South Dakota drives, the only defensive lapse for New Mexico seemed to come when the team allowed a 41-yard screen in the third quarter.
That score pulled the Coyotes up to 38-21, but they were never able to threaten, as the team only managed 185 yards of total offense on its non-scoring plays.
New Mexico added a pair of field goals and converted another South Dakota turnover into points after Dakota Cox jumped in front of a pass for a diving interception.
Six plays later, McQuarley broke several tackles and found the end zone on a 14-yard run. The Lobos cruised to a 48-21 victory.
The offense racked up 615 yards of total offense, and the team converted three turnovers into 17 points, but those two plays on special teams appeared to come at just the right time.
New Mexico next (1-0) travels to Las Cruces, New Mexico, to face in-state rival New Mexico State (0-1) on Saturday.
Robert Maler is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers cross country, football, tennis and track and field. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @robert_maler.
