Football

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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.

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Football: Lobos look to end five-game skid on "senior night" against UNLV

Robert Maler | November 17

There will be no postseason for Lobo football this season, but UNM can still play the role of spoiler and deny UNLV an opportunity to become bowl eligible. New Mexico (3-7, 1-5 MW) has had a rough go of things over the last month or so, going winless in its last five games. The team has played especially poor on the road, but Saturday the Lobo will host the Rebels in the friendly confines of Dreamstyle Stadium. The Lobos have fared better at home, where the team has gone 2-3 so far this season. Two of those losses came by a combined five points, but UNM looked lost during its last game at home, a 24-10 loss to Utah State on Nov. 4.

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Football: Losing streak hits five as Lobos were no match for Texas A&M

Robert Maler | November 12

When a smaller school plays a major program, it often receives a hefty paycheck for what is likely to be a one-sided affair. Sometimes the underdog pulls off a major upset—but that was not the case for New Mexico on Saturday. UNM football received $1.1M to play against the Texas A&M Aggies—but probably feel like the paycheck was a little bit light after getting roughed up on national television. The Lobos (3-7, 1-5 MW) dropped the contest 55-14, though the score probably could've been worse if the Aggies didn't take their foot off the gas in the second half.

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Football: Lobos travel to face Texas A&M with postseason hopes in the balance

Robert Maler | November 11

The New Mexico football team needs three wins if it hopes to continue playing into the postseason, but the odds are stacked against the Lobos pulling off the feat as the team faces Texas A&M Saturday on the road. Texas A&M (5-4, 3-3 SEC) will be playing with bowl eligibility on the line, failing to complete the task last week in each of the last two weeks. First the Aggies were upended by Mississippi State 35-14, then fell to Auburn by a score of 42-27—both losses taking place at home on Kyle Field. The Aggies will likely want to handle business on Saturday against the Lobos, considering their next two games will be played on the road.

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Football: "Hard-luck" Lobos lose again, drop game 24-10 to Utah State

Robert Maler | November 4

The UNM football team couldn’t have asked for a better opening play, better field position to start drives or better scoring opportunities—but not having better ball protection proved to be too much to overcome. New Mexico fell to 3-5 on the season and 1-4 in Mountain West conference play, succumbing to the Utah State Aggies 24-10. Utah State (5-5, 3-3 MW) didn’t have to do much, especially in the first half—as the Aggies were able to sit back and watch New Mexico play the role of its own worst enemy. The Lobos were able to drive into Aggie territory on all seven of their first-half possessions—four of which started on the Utah State side of the field. But four different UNM players coughed up the ball, twice in the red zone when it looked like the Lobos were about to score.

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Football: Lobos host Utah State in "must-win" conference matchup

Robert Maler | November 4

New Mexico football doesn't technically need to win against Utah State to keep its postseason hopes alive, but with some tough opponents remaining on the schedule, many are viewing Saturday's game as a must-win. The Lobos (3-5, 1-4 MW) have pretty much played their way out of a chance at winning the conference or even a division title, and find themselves in a situation where the team must win three of its final four games to become bowl eligible. That might be easier said than done, with Texas A&M and perennial Mountain West powerhouse San Diego State looming—both of which are on the road. Head coach Bob Davie acknowledged Saturday that the remaining schedule essentially means the team has to win against Utah State to keep hope alive, but the focus will be getting the team to play the best it can down the stretch.

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Football: Lobo team dealt embarrassing road loss at Wyoming

Robert Maler | October 29

New Mexico football had more turnovers that it did points on Saturday evening, getting thoroughly dominated by Wyoming in an embarrassing road loss. The Lobos (3-5, 1-4 MW) finally got on the board early in the fourth quarter with a Jason Sanders field goal, but all it did was prevent the team from getting shut out for the second consecutive time on the road. The University of New Mexico committed seven turnovers in the game, and the Cowboys cashed in on almost all of them, scoring five touchdowns off takeaways on the way to a 42-3 slaughter in Laramie, Wyoming.

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Football: New Mexico looking to even its season record in Wyoming

Robert Maler | October 28

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.

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Football: New Mexico looks to buck trend against rival Colorado State

Robert Maler | October 18

UNM football suffered a shutout at the hands of Fresno State over the weekend and things could be even more difficult as the team prepares to host Colorado State on a short week. New Mexico (3-3, 1-2 MW) had the same overall record at this point in the season last year—coming off an ugly 49-21 home loss to Boise State. The team responded to win five straight games to right the ship and salvage the season. But it was Colorado State that put an abrupt end to that win streak—a team that has won the last seven meetings over the Lobos. And although UNM gets to play the game at Dreamstyle Stadium this time around—that doesn’t mean things will be easy.