New Mexico (3-3, 2-1 MW) got back to the .500 mark by staving off a late comeback from Air Force (4-2, 1-2 MW) Saturday in a Texas shootout at the Cotton Bowl, escaping with a 45-40 victory.
It’s hard to praise a defense that surrendered 40 points to an opponent, but the Lobos managed to clamp down when it mattered. UNM’s defense got burned again by some big plays, but came up huge in the fourth quarter to preserve the win.
Head coach Bob Davie recalled all the different Cotton Bowl games he’d been a part of in the past, and said he talked to the team about creating memories.
“All the memories are provided by the players,” he said. “These guys provided me with another memory today.”
Both schools got off to hot starts. Both offenses appeared unstoppable, with each team scoring on five of six first-half possessions.
The Lobos came out of the gate running, scoring a touchdown just three plays into the game.
Richard McQuarley, who failed to score for the first time this season in last week’s 49-21 loss to Boise State, logged the first of his two 1-yard touchdown runs of the day to give UNM an early 7-0 advantage.
After holding Air Force to a field goal, New Mexico running back Teriyon Gipson galloped for a 60-yard touchdown run on another three-play drive to go up 14-3.
Gipson, who is from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, said it was a dream come true for a “Dallas kid” to play in the Cotton Bowl. He made it look easy, rushing for over 100 yards on his first two carries just minutes into the game.
Gipson said the running backs take pride in not allowing a player to take them down in a one-on-one situation, and the top-ranked rushing attack in the nation looked like it was firing on all cylinders.
Davie said he couldn’t recall a situation where the offense moved down the field the way the Lobos did on Saturday. Although the run game stalled late in the contest, he called it an offensive clinic against a very good defensive football team.
New Mexico wasn’t able to create separation, though. The Lobos’ recent trend of blowing leads and allowing opponents to capitalize on errors was present again in the neutral site game.
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Air Force reeled off two big runs of its own, culminating with a 43-yard run by Jacobi Owens after he took the option pitch and cruised untouched into the end zone. The score cut the Lobo lead to 14-10.
The Lobos had also been plagued by turnovers and penalties recently, but played a clean game in both facets on Saturday.
UNM senior wide receiver Dameon Gamblin appeared to score on a drive, but fumbled the ball when he reached for the pylon.
Fortunately for the Lobos, the ball was stripped and went out of bounds at the two-yard line. Redshirt sophomore running back Tyrone Owens capped the 12-play drive with a touchdown run to put the team up 28-10.
New Mexico avoided disaster later in the game after referees ruled Owens had fumbled when the Lobos were backed up deep in their own territory. The call was overturned as Owens’ knee was clearly down prior to the ball coming out.
In the second quarter, Air Force may have caught New Mexico off guard on its first drive, as quarterback Nate Romine put the ball in the air for the first time.
Instead of what should’ve been a harmless 12-yard completion, Jalen Robinette took advantage of a missed tackle and spun away for a 53-yard touchdown, making the score 21-17.
Lobo quarterback Lamar Jordan responded by completing his first pass of the game, connecting with Gipson for a 12-yard touchdown pass and extending the lead back to 11 points, 28-17.
The teams combined to score three times in the final two minutes of the half. Air Force answered the Lobos, marching down the field to cut the lead to four again.
But the Falcons, who appeared to be locked onto the running game, let Q’ Drennan run behind the secondary. Jordan lofted a pass to the wide open receiver for a 45-yard touchdown.
Air Force drove down to add a field goal to end the half, making the score 35-27.
The New Mexico defense, which has been playing markedly better in the second half of its games, opened the third quarter with a stop by sacking the quarterback on third down.
The UNM offense remained hot, picking up huge yardage on the ground on its way to the end zone. McQuarley’s second one-yard touchdown run gave the Lobos a commanding 42-27 lead midway through the third quarter.
But Romine kept Air Force within striking distance, converting two big third downs. He extended the drive on 3rd and 10 with a 44-yard pass, and then hit Ronald Cleveland for a 20-yard touchdown toss on 3rd and 17 to cut into the deficit.
After that New Mexico’s offense began to sputter, but Lobos kicker Jason Saunders was able to add a 49-yard field goal after a good kickoff return. The kick stretched the lead to 45-34 near the end of the third quarter.
Elijah Lilly had an excellent day on kickoff returns (four returns for 160 yards), and seemed to set his team up with great field position every time Air Force threatened.
Davie said Lilly is an excellent return man, the type of player that has an “extra gear” in terms of speed.
Quarterback Austin Apodaca returned from injury to make an appearance earlier in the game, but came on to replace Jordan for essentially the entire fourth quarter. The Lobos had been moving the ball almost at will, but failed to pick up a first down in the final frame.
The Falcons, after being stymied on their first two drives of the fourth quarter, took advantage of a short field when they started a drive on their own 46.
With 7:35 remaining, Romine locked onto his 6-foot-4-inch target, Robinette. Air Force drove down and scored off a 6-yard Timothy McVey run, but failed on the 2-point conversion, making the score 45-40.
The Falcons still had plenty of time and forced a three-and-out to get the ball back, giving the team a chance to take its first lead of the game.
However, a holding penalty wiped out a good pickup on first down, and Air Force eventually turned over the ball on downs at its own 36 yard line after throwing three straight incompletions.
The Lobos forced Air Force to take its remaining timeouts, but couldn’t move the chains. Davie elected to punt with two minutes remaining, rather than send in Saunders for a 50-yard field goal attempt, knowing that allowing a touchdown could mean a loss.
Another Air Force penalty on first down hurt the chances for a comeback, but the Falcons overcame the setback and completed back-to-back passes to move down to their own 40 yard line.
But New Mexico’s defense, battling injuries and a depleted secondary, stayed tough and made a stand, forcing four straight incompletions to effectively end the game. The Lobos were able to kneel out the clock to escape with a 45-40 victory.
New Mexico exceeded its game average to end the day with 373 rushing yards. The team only attempted eight passes, but Jordan found the end zone on two of them.
Air Force wide receiver Robinette picked up 182 yards on seven catches and a touchdown.
The defeat dealt Air Force its second consecutive conference loss, after losing to Wyoming last week, 35-26. The Lobos will look to earn consecutive victories for the first time this season when they return home to face Louisiana Monroe, Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Robert Maler is the sports editor 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.
