“If you were in that stadium at 1:10 a.m. on 11/5/16, my email is rdavie@unm.edu. You send me an email, send me your home address, give me a little story as to why you thought it was important that you stayed — and I will definitely commemorate the occasion.”
Head coach Bob Davie is normally not one to dwell on the past, and is typically steadfast in his stance that it isn’t his place to coach fans or tell them what to do.
But he took the time to reflect and deliver the above statement to start Tuesday’s press conference to show his appreciation for the Lobo fans that stayed throughout the entirety of Saturday’s affair, when the Lobos eventually beat Nevada after a lengthy rain delay to become bowl-eligible once again.
He said things would be on the honor system, which means his inbox should be pretty empty.
The gate attendance of 17,280 was reported to be tied for the lowest during the Davie era, and after rain and lightning drove away most people at halftime, only several hundred were on hand to witness the end of the 35-26 win.
The stadium was so quiet at times, it was almost eerie.
“One time I heard coach (Kevin) Cosgrove, our defensive coordinator, late in the game tell the DB’s to get back,” Davie said. “Then I heard a couple of people in the stands, ‘Get back, get back!’ They were coaching — they could hear it all.”
Davie said those that stayed had a major impact. He said there was a group of 10-15 “well-hydrated” college-aged men that had a lot of energy and hoped to hear back from them. The head coach also said the team planned to do something special for the band, which stayed pumped-up as well into the early, wet hours of Sunday morning.
New Mexico (6-3, 4-1 MW) won’t be concerned with attendance numbers for the next couple of weeks as the team faces a pair of road tests against opponents that have presented tough, physical challenges for the Lobos in the past.
The Lobos gave up a couple of plays that went for over 50 yards in last week’s contest. Linebacker Kimmie Carson said a lot of the defensive problems have been self-inflicted, rather than something offenses are exposing.
He said the defense has gotten better as the season has progressed and knows it has to continue to limit the big play to be successful.
The defense has stepped up late in several recent games to protect leads. Carson said it has been important for the team to find ways to win games on that side of the ball.
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The linebacker, standing right in front of the stanchion that displays the team motto (“Out-work, out-hit, out-discipline”) said the defense is ready to execute. If the team does that, success should follow.
“I don’t feel like they’re more talented than us, I don’t feel like they're more well-coached than us and I don’t think they’ve put more work in than us,” he said.
Utah State (3-6, 1-5 MW) enters Saturday’s game on a two-game losing skid, suffering losses to two of the conference’s top teams, San Diego State and Wyoming. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
If New Mexico is able to win out in its final three regular season games, it would guarantee at least a share of the Mountain Division title.
A victory on Saturday would be the team’s fifth straight, and the Lobos would also match their win total from last season.
Robert Maler is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers football and men’s and women’s tennis. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @robert_maler.
