New Mexico safety Markel Byrd died Tuesday afternoon in a single car accident near Gallup, New Mexico, according to a UNM release.
UNM announced Tuesday afternoon that New Mexico Director of Operations for men’s basketball Cody Hopkins is currently on a leave of absence as the university undergoes an internal investigation for the use of his purchasing card. The New Mexico Athletic Department is working together with UNM Internal Auditing to review Hopkins’ P-card, in a statement released by UNM Athletics.
UNM baseball head coach Ray Birmingham has been well-endowed as a firm believer in helping out the state of New Mexico. The Land of Enchantment has honored the Hobbs native by electing Birmingham to the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday. He will be formally introduced as one of eight members inducted during a banquet on April 3, 2016.
New Mexico’s 52-47 loss to NMSU was defined by both head coaches as a game of toughness. For NMSU, a resilient effort in a physical game. For UNM, a complete mental collapse down the stretch in the final nonconference game of the season.
Trickery, fourth down conversions, and big-time plays fueled Arizona in a highly emotional 45-37 win over UNM in the 10th annual Gildan New Mexico Bowl on Saturday night. Having appeared in four straight bowl games at the helm of the Arizona football program, Rich Wright is no stranger to what it takes to win a bowl game. The head coach said he knew New Mexico was going to try to throw some new looks and some trick plays at his squad before the opening whistle sounded.
New Mexico now has its own Chris Webber moment. Holding a 17-point second-half edge, Saturday night at WisePies Arena UNM got sloppy and allowed Rice to surge back.
New Mexico had enough effort and resilience to mount a comeback against Arizona.
It’s fair to say New Mexico has grown comfortable in the underdog role. The Lobos past three wins against Utah State, Boise State and Air Force were all as double-digit underdogs.
Head coach Craig Neal over the last several weeks has discussed the team’s goal to win every game at New Mexico’s own WisePies Arena.
New Mexico head coach Yvonne Sanchez wouldn’t classify the two game series against NMSU as a traditional rivalry. Sanchez said there is a lot of mutual respect between the 225 miles that separate Las Cruces and Albuquerque. With that said, the head coach deemed the final in-state clash as an important indicator for her squad.
The Arizona Wildcats know exactly what will be coming at them defensively during the 10th annual Gildan New Mexico Bowl tomorrow afternoon. However, New Mexico’s triple option has proven to be difficult to contain for the entirety of a 60 minute ballgame. It takes just one mistake, one missed tackle, one missed assignment, and a Lobo may be prancing downfield toward the pylons.
New Mexico senior Kahdijah Shumpert propelled her team to a 72-53 road victory over the Minnesota Gophers on Wednesday night in Shumpert’s return to her home state.
The Rio Grande Rivalry continues to be a one-sided affair. New Mexico yet again swept the yearly home-and-home series with in-state foe New Mexico State Wednesday night at WisePies Arena, capturing a 79-61 victory over the Aggies. The win marks the 15th time in the last 18 meetings where the Lobos prevailed.
Sometimes it can be tougher to win the second Rio Grande Rivalry game against New Mexico State, especially after taking the first meeting. The challenge, UNM coach Neal said, stems some over-analysis and second-guessing on what to do differently in Game Two.
After a week off with Finals Week on campus, the New Mexico women’s basketball team beat Pepperdine 60-52 at WisePies Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Lobos (6-3) played an ugly game despite the win, shooting 17 of 34 from the free throw line as a team.
Under coach Craig Neal, New Mexico doesn’t start out in zone defense often. Only three times since he’s been here have the Lobos opened a game in zone. On Saturday against a potent Northern Iowa offense, the Lobos went zone early and found success. The defense in turn slowed the Panthers to 44 percent shooting in a 76-57 Lobo victory at WisePies Arena.
It took head coach Bob Davie four long years to lead New Mexico to its first postseason game in nearly a decade. At the Gildan New Mexico Bowl media luncheon on Wednesday, Davie talked about how big of an opportunity the bowl game against Arizona is for the program. UNM is in a position to finally be able to sustain some success, Davie said.
New Mexico has teamed up with a new partner and with it a new name for the university’s baseball field. Earlier today, UNM reached a ten-year agreement with Tamaya Enterprises to rename the Lobos’ home stadium Santa Ana Star Field.
A pair of New Mexico coaches were honored with the 2015 Regents’ Meritorious Service Award on Friday. The award presented to Joe Franklin and Bob Davie at the UNM Board of Regents meeting is to honor individuals contributing to the university community over numerous years. It also didn’t hurt that Franklin brought home a cross-country national championship and Davie brought the UNM to its first bowl game since 2007.
Two southwest teams sharing a boarder could not be in more different places in their respected programs. As the Arizona Wildcats and New Mexico Lobos gear up to play one another on Saturday, December 19, the postseason experience in the two programs is hard to overlook.
Solutions by The State News
