Despite the UNM football team's heartbreaking loss to 17th-ranked Brigham Young University Saturday, it seemed head coach Rocky Long was not willing to discuss the notion that his team had earned a moral victory.
Although the Lobo defense held the nation's number one offense to 24 points and more than 200 yards under its season average, and the Lobo offense taking another step up the proficiency ladder, he praised his players and expressed his disappointment with them.
"I thought our kids put everything they had on the line physically and mentally," Long said. "I thought they put their hearts out there too."
Long said he was disappointed with both the offensive and defensive squads - the defense, presumably for giving up a late touchdown and the offense for committing three turnovers, including a late interception that all but sealed the victory for BYU.
Still, members of the defense said they felt good about their performance.
Safety Scott Gerhardt had a solid game, netting seven tackles and seemed be in clutch positions at key moments of the game. But, he said he had to look hard to find a moral victory in the close loss.
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"You've got to," Gerhardt said. "It hurts right now, but you always try to pull positives from everything. I'm very proud of our team; nobody gave up. You could see it in their eyes."
With the Lobos leading 20-17 and less than four minutes to play, BYU quarterback Brandon Doman found Andrew Ord just inside the end zone with a wobbly pass, after it looked as if Doman would be sacked. It provided the final margin of victory for the Cougars, and Gerhardt took responsibility for giving up the points.
"I was disappointed in myself for that touchdown towards the end of the game," Gerhardt said. "I was fatigued a little bit and I should be able to fight through that."
Linebacker Mohammed Konte was not surprised that the UNM defense performed so well against the high-powered Cougar offense.
"Everybody was talking about how good their offense was," Konte said. "But at the same time, no one really gave us credit. It's not a shock to me that they didn't score 50 (points) on us. We had a lot of golden opportunities that we didn't take advantage of."
The Lobos were helped by the absence of star BYU running back Luke Staley because of eligibility issues. UNM held the BYU rushing attack to 107 yards, 153 below its average. The Lobos held BYU to three-of-14 third down conversions, and in a credit to the UNM offense, held an advantage in ball control, possessing the ball for more than seven minutes longer than the Cougars, which Gerhardt said contributed to the vitality of the defense.
"The offense did their job; they kept us off the field," Gerhardt said. "They put the points that needed to be on the board."
And he wasn't fully ready to slather on the praise for BYU's point scoring machine.
"We didn't get to see it all, what with Staley out," Gerhardt said. "But as far as them being the number one offense in the nation, it just didn't feel like that."
Gerhardt said it did feel like both teams were evenly matched on the field.
But on a day when the Lobos were one defensive play away from beating a ranked team, by surveying the dejected faces in the UNM locker room and the jubilant but drained BYU players, it seems there's a big difference in what it felt like and what it was - a close loss for what is becoming a competitive football team and a victory for a team with a little luck.
