The Lobos (1-0) and Aggies (0-1) will meet for the 107th time Saturday as the teams square off in a rivalry that goes back longer than New Mexico has been a state.
Head coach Bob Davie’s mantra for the season opener was that the Lobos “just had to be the best team in the stadium that night.” He said the upcoming game is a big one since it is a rivalry game, but that the focus remains on improving with each matchup, no matter who the opponent.
One game does not necessarily have any bearing on the next. Despite the team’s big win over South Dakota on Thursday, the Aggies are likely to be a much more difficult challenge.
UNM opened its 2015 campaign by shutting out Mississippi Valley State 66-0, but followed it up with what Davie called the team’s worst game of the season when it lost 40-21 to Tulsa.
If the Lobos can notch a win on Saturday, the team would be 2-0 for the first time under Davie. The last time the program won the first two games of its season was in 2005.
Since New Mexico has won the last four head-to-head meetings against New Mexico State, it would also mark a clean sweep for the fifth year seniors as they’ve gone through the program.
Under Davie, the Lobos surrendered just 14 and 17 points in the first two games of the Rio Grande Rivalry, respectively, but the Aggies picked up the offense in the last two contests, while also getting more consistent in halting big plays by UNM.
“The last two years, particularly the defense...they’ve had their way with us,” he said.
New Mexico State’s running back, Larry Rose III, gave the Lobos major trouble in last season’s contest. He ran for 260 yards and found the end zone three times.
The Aggies dominated the first half of that matchup, holding a 29-14 advantage early in the third quarter, but New Mexico stormed back with 24 unanswered points to earn the win 38-29.
The Lobos picked up over 400 yards on the ground last time, but could only muster 45 yards in the pass game. The defense came up big in the second half, making timely plays to help spur the comeback.
This season, the Lobos will enter the game with two extra days of preparation time due to the Thursday opener. Davie said that time is only valuable if it is used wisely, and the team has tried to make the most of it.
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“I said nobody in this room will remember what you did on Labor Day...but you will definitely remember what happens on Saturday in this game,” Davie said.
The team could have its hands full with Aggies quarterback Tyler Rogers. The 6-foot-3-inch quarterback threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns against University of Texas El Paso, but also picked up 63 yards and another TD rushing the ball.
New Mexico gave up a couple of big quarterback runs early in its first game against South Dakota. Chris Streveler had touchdown runs of 42 and 55 yards in the first quarter before the defense made some adjustments and settled in.
Davie said he was happy to see some of the New Mexico wide receivers make plays last week, but admitted NMSU probably has a more talented group of receivers.
The head coach said the team has the tools it needs to take the next step. Whether or not that happens is in the hands of the players now, and they will get the chance to show off their skills 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.
