Lobo football hung with Boise State for much of Thursday night, but had their starting quarterback knocked out of the game and couldn't overcome some mistakes in key moments.
New Mexico (1-2, 0-1 MW) fumbled on its opening possession for the second game in a row after running back Richard McQuarley picked up enough yardage for a fourth down conversion, but had the ball dislodged before he was down.
Boise State (2-1, 1-0 MW) took advantage of the Lobo mistake and quarterback Montell Cozart knifed through the defense for a 28-yard touchdown run to take an early 7-0 lead.
The Lobos struggled to get to the outside when trying to execute the option and had their second drive stall, but the defense responded to make its first of many big stops, and after a short Bronco punt, the offense went to work.
Early in the second quarter, head coach Bob Davie gambled again, going for it on fourth down near the goal line. Quarterback Lamar Jordan drew in defenders and eventually pitched the ball to Tyrone Owens, who found the end zone and tied the game at 7-7.
Boise State answered right back, capping an eight-play, 81-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jake Roh to reclaim the lead at 14-7 with 9:47 left in the half.
The Lobos put the defensive clamps on the Broncos on the next several possessions, but New Mexico suffered a huge loss during its final drive of the second quarter.
Jordan was under pressure and scrambled trying to throw the ball away. He did, but Boise State's Chase Hatada lowered his helmet and delivered a shot on the UNM quarterback that knocked him out of the game.
Hatada was flagged and ejected for targeting, but the damage was done. Jordan was reportedly taken back to the locker room to get checked out, presumably for concussion testing.
The team was already without the services of backup quarterback Tevaka Tuioti, who apparently didn't make the trip due to injury, and turned to third-stringer Coltin Gerhart.
Gerhart helped the Lobos get into field goal range, but a delay of game penalty may have been costly as kicker Jason Sanders put the attempt wide left before half.
But UNM appeared to still be in good shape, especially after giving up seven points off the early turnover.
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Davie made a big roll of the dice, going for it on fourth down on his own side of the field. Owens was stuffed and the Lobos turned the ball over at their own 34-yard line, but the defense returned the favor by stopping Boise State on fourth down.
Momentum seemed to shift at the end of the third quarter, when New Mexico arguably wasted a timeout with two seconds left. Supposedly, UNM wanted to force Boise State to punt into the wind, but it was only third down.
Instead, the Broncos started the fourth quarter with that punt. UNM returner Chris Davis Jr. elected to let the ball go, likely thinking it would be a touchback—but the kick settled at the UNM 1-yard line.
Gerhart had an opportunity to get out from the shadows of his own goal line when receiver Q' Drennan made a double-move on his defender to get open. But the ball was under thrown and the Lobos were forced to punt out of its own end zone.
Boise State returned the punt all the way to the UNM 17-yard line. The cumulative effects may have worn on the defense, which finally relented after perhaps being subjected to one too many tough situations. Roh rumbled ahead for a 6-yard touchdown run to give Boise State a 21-7 advantage early in the fourth quarter.
Gerhart turned the ball over after the offense tried to execute a flea flicker and he was hit while throwing. Boise State picked off the pass and set up shop at the UNM 28.
But the defense got one final stop, knocking BSU out of field goal range and giving the offense 10:09 to try to mount a comeback.
But the Lobos weren't able to sustain a drive, and the Broncos went back on offense and essentially landed the knockout blow. Roh scored his third touchdown of the night on a 15-yard strike from Cozart with 3:11 remaining in the game to go on top 28-7.
New Mexico did notch a score late in the game after Gerhart found Anselem Umeh for a 14-yard touchdown pass to make the final score 28-14.
The Lobos will try to rebound and use the extra time between games to prepare for their next road game, a Sep. 23 date with Tulsa which will be televised on ESPN 3 at 11:30 a.m.
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.
