New Mexico football is set to return to Dreamstyle Stadium for its Homecoming game against Air Force on Saturday.
Head coach Bob Davie said the team will also welcome back starting quarterback Lamar Jordan after he sat out last week as a precaution after suffering a concussion in the previous game against Boise State.
“Lamar is 100 percent and ready to go and excited to go,” Davie said.
New Mexico (2-2, 0-1 MW) won with Coltin Gerhart behind center against Tulsa, despite the Lobos committing three turnovers in the game.
With the game tied, kicker Jason Sanders broke the stalemate by booting a 53-yard field goal as time expired to lift UNM to a 16-13 road win.
Davie said a lot of people probably expected the team to be 2-2 at this point in the season with two winnable home games to start the season and two road games, he assumed the Lobos would be underdogs in conference play.
Although things didn’t shake out the way many may have expected, the win over Tulsa has put New Mexico back in a good position.
There will be a lot at stake during the game — one of the teams will fall to 0-2 in conference play, which would be a major obstacle to overcome despite being so early in the season.
Davie acknowledged it is a big week for both teams and each will know a lot more about themselves after the game. A Lobo win could provide some momentum heading into the bye week as the team continues to try to get healthy.
Air Force (1-2, 0-1 MW) will enter the game on the heels of back-to-back losses, falling on the road to Michigan and at home to San Diego State.
The Falcons hold a 21-13 advantage in the all-time series record, but the Lobos have fared well outside of Colorado Springs. The teams have played to a 9-9 record in Albuquerque, and UNM holds a 2-1 record in neutral site games.
The last meeting was a neutral site affair at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. Some have pointed to the game, a 45-40 win for UNM, as a turning point in the season for the Lobos.
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New Mexico’s defense got two big stops in the final four minutes to preserve the win, which was the first of a five-game winning streak that helped propel the Lobos to the top of the division standings.
Davie said both teams might have a problem simulating the other's team speed in practice. Despite shutting down the rushing attack of Tulsa last week, he said this week will be a different animal.
The head coach numbers might dictate that with a conventional offense, but with the triple option, numbers don’t matter — “You aren’t going to talk Air Force out of running.”
He said the only way UNM can make Air Force pass is to get ahead on the scoreboard and in down-and-distance situations — which is likely the same approach the Falcons have for the Lobos.
The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network with a projected start time of 5 p.m. and can be heard on Lobo Radio Network.
Robert Maler is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers basketball, football and tennis. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Robert_Maler.
