Developing off a dominant performance at UNLV last weekend, the University of New Mexico Lobos will hit the road again to take on the Colorado State Rams on Saturday afternoon.
UNM, however, has not defeated CSU since 2009.
The Lobos (3-2, 1-0 Mountain West), behind a stellar performance from junior QB Sheriron Jones and their defense, blew out the Rebels, 50-14, in what was the conference opener for both teams.
Jones threw for 250 yards and four touchdowns on 13-of-20 completions. It was the second straight game Jones had four touchdowns through the air, something no other New Mexico quarterback has done before.
New Mexico’s defense had a season-high five sacks, forced eight three-and-outs, and held UNLV to under 100 yards until midway through the fourth quarter.
In a well-balanced affair, the running game was there as the Lobos racked up 252 yards on the ground.
However, CSU (2-4, 1-1) is coming off a win after it defeated the San Jose State Spartans on the road last weekend.
The Rams, like the Lobos, got off to a dominating start against the Spartans. But even with a 28-0 halftime lead, CSU let SJSU sneak its way back into contention—and eventually gave up the lead, 30-28.
But the Rams prevailed and escaped with a 42-30 victory in the end.
CSU boasts a QB in K.J. Carta-Samuels who’s more known for being a pass-first quarterback than a runner. So far this season, he’s thrown for 1,623 yards and 15 touchdowns on 134 completions. But he also has six interceptions.
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It's the Rams’ receiving core that can cause some problems for the Lobos, though. They’re big and aggressive, as both of their top two receivers are over six-feet tall and 200 pounds.
Leading CSU in receiving is Preston Williams, a 6-3 redshirt junior, who has six touchdowns and 578 yards to his name so far this season.
The Rams also boast a bulky receiver in Olabisi Johnson, who has caught four touchdown passes and has 452 yards receiving so far this season.
New Mexico’s secondary has had an up-and-down year, giving up over 300 yards to both Liberty and University of the Incarnate Word. However, they’re very much capable of creating turnovers, as they racked up five interceptions against their rival New Mexico State.
Nonetheless, a successful UNM team has to focus on “technique” and “execution” over “mindset,” head coach Bob Davie said on Tuesday at his weekly press conference.
And although they had the mindset part down during the Liberty game, the technique and execution weren’t there necessarily, Davie added.
The game will be aired live on AT&T Sports Network, Saturday, Oct. 13 at 2 p.m.
Matthew Narvaiz is a sports beat reporter and senior writer for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers football, but also contributes content for other sports. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @matt_narvaiz.
