Last season, New Mexico and Wyoming met with the Mountain Division title on the line, but on Saturday the teams enter the matchup looking up in the standings.
New Mexico (3-4, 1-3 MW) lost a close game, 27-24, to Colorado State last Friday, Head coach Bob Davie said he received confirmation for the Mountain West that there were multiple missed calls toward the end of the game that could have affected the outcome.
But it will not change the result and the head coach doesn’t seem to be the type to dwell on the past or consider what-if scenarios. He has shifted his attention to a new challenge—trying to game plan for Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen.
Wyoming is 4-3 overall on the season, but still in the thick of things with a 2-1 conference record. The Cowboys have been solid playing on their home turf of Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium, with its lone blemish coming against Oregon.
Davie said Allen might seem like the biggest guy on the field, even at quarterback. Allen figures to be one of, if not the first, quarterback selected in the next NFL draft. But that doesn’t mean he will shy away from contact while he waits to make the league.
“Physically, he is unique,” Davie said. “When the game is on the line, or when they need it, he will run the football.
Allen did not have a particularly good game in his last outing against the Lobos, but neither did Wyoming. He was a pedestrian—by his standards—18-of-28 for 248 and no touchdowns.
New Mexico drubbed the Cowboys 56-35 in the regular season finale to earn a share of the Mountain Division crown, though Wyoming held the tiebreaker over UNM and Boise State to represent the division in the Mountain West Championship.
Although UNM quarterback Lamar Jordan made the most of his limited attempts, the majority of the damage came on the ground. Three different Lobos, including Jordan, rushed for over 100 yards.
Teriyon Gipson led the effort his 217 yards, but Richard McQuarley punched in three touchdowns as the Lobos ran for a whopping 585 rushing yards. With Wyoming having such difficulty stopping the option, New Mexico will likely have a similar approach on Saturday.
The head coach said UNM is facing an uphill challenge and discussed again how small the margin for error is for the Lobos, and how turnovers have played a major role in the team’s losses this season.
“The turnover margin is something that is critical as we get into these last five games,” he said. “We have to do better.”
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New Mexico and Wyoming have played each other pretty close over the years, with Wyoming holding a 35-34 overall head-to-head advantage—although UNM has taken the last three contests.
New Mexico will try its luck at getting back to .500 on the season when it takes on Wyoming on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 5:15 p.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.
