Football

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Football: Pivotal game for both New Mexico football programs as Aggies go for three in a row over Lobos

Robert Maler | September 15

Both college football teams are probably entering Saturday's Rio Grande Rivalry game exactly where most fans thought they might be. Saturday's matchup could mark a pivotal moment in both team's seasons and a lot might be riding on the line at Aggie Memorial Stadium. UNM head coach Bob Davie has often referred to not letting the air out of the balloon, making the analogy in several of the past season openers. The idea being that teams can sometimes let a pin poke that metaphorical balloon and things go flat before it even realizes what happened. Even though it is week three for UNM, not many things could let whatever is left in balloon that is Lobo fan support, than losing to its in-state rival for the third season in a row. A loss for the University of New Mexico football team could undo any momentum the program has started to regain and potentially thwart hopes of trying to bring in the casual fan to attend future home games — support a financially struggling athletic department could desperately use.

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Sports

Football: Wisconsin running back logs career high to help erase early Lobo lead

Cameron Goeldner | September 9

MADISON, Wis. -- The University of New Mexico defense was unable to slow down Wisconsin star Jonathan Taylor, who turned in a career day with career-high 253 yards as well as three touchdowns in a 45-14 victory on Saturday afternoon. The Lobos received the opening kickoff and immediately put together a long, methodical drive that lasted 17 plays and covered 87 yards — one that included four third-down conversions and took 7:38 off the clock. The drive culminated with an 11-yard pass from Tevaka Tuioti to Delane Hart-Johnson that gave UNM an early 7-0 lead and silenced a crowd of 77,003 at Camp Randall Stadium. “I really felt offensively we had a great rhythm early in the game,” head coach Bob Davie said. “I thought honestly schematically there were some things we could do. When (Tuioti) went out...we didn’t get much done after that.”

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Sports

Football: How a new offense helped the Lobos against UIW

Cameron Goeldner | September 2

In their season opener, the Lobos new offense put on a show against FCS opponent the University of the Incarnate Word in a 62-30 victory. Tevaka Tuioti looked the part of a starting quarterback, finishing with 327 yards, four passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. It was the highest point total for the Lobos since a 66-0 victory of Mississippi Valley State in 2015.

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Sports

Football: Head coach feels no pressure stemming from sports cuts, rather an urgency to reclaim lost momentum

Robert Maler | September 1

“We had great momentum as I stood here a year ago — well, we lost that momentum — and we have to go get it back.” Losing has a tendency to make fans and critics alike forget things, but University of New Mexico head football coach Bob Davie’s statement above is accurate — as good times weren’t all that long ago. It was August 27, 2017 and Davie stood in front of the media talking about the upcoming season.The program wasn’t just riding high, it was an all-time high. New Mexico had just put together the best two-year stretch in program history.

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Sports

Football: UNM adds 3 games to TV schedule for 2018 season

Matthew Narvaiz | August 17

The UNM Lobos football team added another three games to its TV schedule this season, putting a total of 10 of its 12 games on either a “major national or regional networks,” the Mountain West and UNM announced on Tuesday. The latest addition of televised games for the Lobos comes in the form of the televised AT&T SportsNet, with the earliest game on the network coming on Oct. 6 when the team faces UNLV on the road in Las Vegas. The Saturday after, on Oct. 13, the Lobos will also be featured on the very same network, however against Colorado State in Fort Collins.

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Sports

Football: UNM alum Urlacher inducted into Football Hall of Fame

Robert Maler | August 6

Former University of New Mexico football player Brian Urlacher was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on Saturday. Urlacher was part of eight inductees that comprised the 2018 Hall of Fame class. He was a first-ballot selection after having played his entire NFL career with the Chicago Bears, joining some elite company as one of just 318 total Hall of Fame members. But he also became the fourth Chicago Bear middle linebacker to join the ranks, rewriting the record book along the way as the team’s leading tackler — continuing the team’s impressive tradition of legendary players at that position to wreak havoc against opponents on the field.

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Sports

Football: Former Lobo picks up pair of Hall of Fame honors

Robert Maler | February 26

Former University of New Mexico football player Brian Urlacher has been busy lately, picking up Hall of Fame selections for his collegiate and professional playing careers. Urlacher was already a member of UNM's Ring of Honor, but joined the ranks of the College Football Hall of Fame in December of 2017. He was a versatile player for New Mexico, logging plays as a linebacker, safety and on special teams as well. During his time at UNM, he garnered All-American honors twice and amassed some impressive statistics.

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Sports

Football: Davie suspended, Cosgrove will serve as acting head coach

Robert Maler | February 18

The University of New Mexico Board of Regents voted against hearing head football coach Bob Davie's appeal — and it was announced Thursday that his suspension would soon begin. Interim President Chaouki Abdallah announced that Davie’s suspension would officially start Saturday, Feb. 17 and continue through March 18, without pay. News of the suspension might have been a surprise to some — perhaps even Davie. The head coach seemed to think his suspension would not interfere with spring practice, which began last Friday.

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Sports

Football: Davie files to appeal 30-day suspension

Robert Maler | February 12

The University of New Mexico announced last week that it would be suspending its head football coach, Bob Davie, for a period of 30 days — but Davie has quickly countered by filing an appeal. University of New Mexico Interim President Chaouki Abdallah released a statement on Thursday, detailing the finding and recommendations of some recent investigations — as well as news of the suspension and additional measures that were outlined. The following day, Davie released a statement saying he was appealing the decision. As the head coach pointed out, there was no specific reason given for his suspension. “None of these three investigations determined that I had violated any University policy,” he said in the statement. “I have appealed the suspension imposed by Interim President Abdallah to the Board of Regents.”

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Sports

Football: UNM announces 30-day suspension of head coach Bob Davie

Robert Maler | February 9

Recent investigations into the University of New Mexico football program and UNM Athletics could not definitively substantiate key allegations of wrongdoing, but the University is still taking action to address concerns in its findings. The University of New Mexico announced Thursday that it will be suspending head football coach Bob Davie for a period of 30 days without pay. In addition to the suspension, it was announced that the Athletics Department would be required to receive mandatory Title IX and sensitivity training as some of the recommendations being implemented by an investigation.

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Sports

Career Issue: Lobo alum went from pro football to mentoring youth

Sherri Barth | February 4

“Football kinda chose me.” That is what UNM alum and former New Mexico football running back DonTrell Moore said, stating his favorite sport wasn’t football, but basketball and then soccer. Moore said it was his mother who encouraged him to play football. A native of Roswell, New Mexico, Moore was able to efficiently balance playing a sport and achieving in the classroom. According to golobos.com, he had over 6,000 rushing yards during his high school years, all while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average. Moore played for the Lobos from 2002 to 2005 and was named Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year — the first Lobo rookie ever voted first team all-conference, according to the team’s website.

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Sports

Football: Calvin Magee named offensive coordinator

Cameron Goeldner | January 18

University of New Mexico head football coach Bob Davie has named Calvin Magee as his new offensive coordinator, according to a report from FootballScoop that was confirmed by multiple outlets. Magee comes to New Mexico from the University of Arizona, where he served as associate head coach, co-offensive coordinator, as well as tight ends and running backs coach under Rich Rodriguez, who was fired in early January after a university investigation into misconduct that included allegations of sexual harassment.

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Sports

Football: Tyre Brady's flu game performance leads Marshall to NM Bowl win

Cameron Goeldner | December 17

Marshall wideout and redshirt junior Tyre Brady won the game’s offensive MVP award after putting up 165 yards receiving and a touchdown on just six catches Saturday night in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl. The touchdown came on a 76-yard pass in the second quarter that opened the scoring. Brady missed the final three games of the regular season due to an injury and made his presence felt immediately in his first game back. A Miami transfer, he was The Herd’s leading receiver this season, racking up 777 yards and seven touchdowns in 10 regular season games, and he was glad to be back on the field.

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Sports

Football: Marshall holds off Colorado State to win New Mexico Bowl

Cameron Goeldner | December 16

The Marshall Thundering Herd (8-5, 4-4 C-USA) held off a fourth quarter comeback attempt from the Colorado State Rams (7-6, 5-3 MW) to secure their sixth straight bowl victory by a score of 31-28 in the 12th Annual Gildan New Mexico Bowl on Saturday afternoon at Dreamstyle Stadium. The first quarter was the controlled by the two defenses, as neither team was able to put points on the board or produce much offense at all. Marshall’s defense was able to stifle the Rams and held their potent attack to only 57 yards. CSU quarterback Nick Stevens struggled to find Biletnikoff finalist Michael Gallup, who only caught two passes in the first quarter. Things weren’t much better for The Herd, who produced 68 yards of total offense

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Sports

Football: Colorado State and Marshall to square off in 12th annual Gildan New Mexico Bowl

Cameron Goeldner | December 16

The Colorado State Rams (7-5, 5-3 Mountain West) take on the Marshall Thundering Herd (7-5, 4-4 C-USA) in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 2:30 p.m. at Dreamstyle Stadium. For Colorado State, this marks the team’s second trip of the year to Albuquerque, as they defeated New Mexico 27-24 on October 20. The Rams come in to the New Mexico Bowl touting an impressive offense that ranks in the top 10 nationally. The Rams are led by senior quarterback Nick Stevens and wide receiver Michael Gallup. Gallup is one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given annually to the top receiver in the nation. He leads the Mountain West in both receiving yards and receptions, in addition to being in the top four nationally in both categories.

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Sports

Football: Sheriron Jones commits to New Mexico

Cameron Goeldner | December 12

Sheriron Jones, a former Tennessee quarterback who played this past season at Mt. San Jacinto College, has committed to New Mexico, according to 24/7 Sports. Jones was listed as a four-star recruit by all four major recruiting sites coming out of Rancho Verde High School in Moreno, California. He joined the Volunteers in 2015 and redshirted his freshman season. Following his redshirt season, Jones transferred to Colorado. However, his stay at Colorado was short-lived, as less than two weeks later he returned to Tennessee.

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Sports

Football: Gildan festivities kick off with coaches luncheon

Aaron Cowan | December 11

Preparation for the 2017 New Mexico Bowl between Colorado State University and Marshall University officially kicked off this week with the Intralot press luncheon hosted at the Four Hills Country Club. Radio sportscaster and Gildan ESPN Executive Director Jeff Sembieda served as the master of ceremonies, introducing the coaches and athletics directors from each school. He spoke at length about the records that both of these Group of Five teams have achieved and what this bowl game means for New Mexico. “This is a great kickoff for our bowl community and for the media to meet these people and get excited,” Sembieda said. “I love bringing in this intraregional game with two of the most successful group of five teams in conference history”.

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Sports

Football: Davie must fill at least two coaching positions by 2018 season

Cameron Goeldner | December 4

Following the conclusion of a disappointing 3-9 season, New Mexico football coach Bob Davie announced in a press release that offensive coordinator Bob DeBesse and cornerbacks coach Al Simmons will not be retained. DeBesse, who became the offensive coordinator in 2012 when Davie took over as head coach, helped to put the triple option into effect and oversaw a resurgence in the Lobos’ offense leading the nation in rushing yards during the 2016 season. The Lobos set numerous school records, including for most rushing touchdowns with 48, scoring 477 points for a scoring average of 36.7 points per game and total offense with 5,939 yards.

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Sports

Football: Lobos end season with seventh-straight loss, suffering 35-10 defeat to San Diego State

Robert Maler | November 26

New Mexico football didn’t quite live up to expectations as last season’s No. 1 rushing team and as Mountain Division champion, seemed to take a major step back, suffering its seventh consecutive loss to end the season. For the fifth time in the last seven games, New Mexico (3-9, 1-7 MW) failed to score an offensive touchdown in the first half and found itself in the familiar position of playing from behind. The Lobos were never able to mount a serious comeback and succumbed to San Diego State by a score of 35-10. The offense showed glimpses during the season of what it was capable of — but Friday wasn’t one of them. UNM was held to a season-low 82 rushing yards — the lowest output during Bob Davie’s Lobo coaching tenure.

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Sports

Football: No happy ending for UNM on "senior night" as the Lobos fall again

Robert Maler and Cameron Goeldner | November 19

Senior quarterback Lamar Jordan looked to be in line to be the hero after he engineering a late go-ahead touchdown drive, but left too much time on the clock as UNLV crashed the party to snatch the victory on Friday night. New Mexico (3-8, 1-6 MW) was dealt its sixth consecutive loss, falling in its final home game of the season 38-35 to UNLV. UNLV scored on its first two possessions, taking a 10-0 lead about midway through the first quarter and it looked like the Lobos might be in trouble early.