The UNM football team made a spirited effort to almost pull out an upset victory over 17th-ranked Brigham Young University Saturday at University Stadium, but the Cougars made the big plays at the end to get the win 24-20.
The Lobos (2-4, 1-2 in the Mountain West Conference) used a ball control, clock-eating offense and a blitzing, ball-hawking defense to stifle the Cougars, but BYU (6-0, 2-0) made numerous key plays at the end of the game to stay undefeated.
"I was happy with the way the kids played until the end," head coach Rocky Long said. "Either they were better than us and they made some plays they weren't making in the first half or we didn't play as well in the second half."
Probably the biggest play of the game came in the fourth quarter with the Lobos clinging to a 20-17 lead. With BYU driving, the Lobo defense held tough and forced the Cougars into a fourth-down-and-11 at the UNM 36-yard line. Then, BYU ran a quarterback draw that shocked the Lobos and the entire 29,036 audience in attendance. The Lobos blitzed on the outside, leaving a big hole down the middle for Cougar quarterback Brandon Doman to squirm through. He found a few blocks downfield and scampered his way to a 14-yard gain and a first down.
"They surprised me; I didn't expect that play at all," safety Scott Gerhardt said. "You have to give credit to the QB; he is very elusive."
Two plays later, Doman found wide receiver Andrew Ord open in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown pass and a 24-20 BYU lead with 3:33 left.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
UNM tried to answer the score with one of their own, but sophomore quarterback Casey Kelly threw his third interception of the game. The Lobo defense pushed the Cougars back, nearly creating two turnovers. UNM forced two fumbles, one on a running play and one on a pass completion, but the Lobos could not corral either fumble. Kelly and the offense got the ball back after a punt with 1:06 left in the game, but were thwarted by the Cougar defense.
"It wasn't that our team quit, it's just about who makes the most plays," Gerhardt said. "They made the most plays and that's why they are undefeated."
UNM outgained the Cougar offense 378 to 365 and the defense held the number one ranked BYU offense 27 points below its average. Kelly led the team in rushing with 65 yards on 13 carries. He threw 33 times, completing 17 passes, with three interceptions.
The UNM gameplan worked superbly on offense and defense. The offense used a variety of different formations and plays to move the ball. The Lobos would get into a five wide receiver set and run a quarterback draw or they would run an option. Kelly and the passing game used short, conservative passing routes that moved the chains and the offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage.
The first drive of the game for the Lobos showed what the offense was going to be about as they used a 12-play, 48-yard drive that consumed more than five minutes. Although the drive ended with a Kelly interception, it showed the offense was able to move the ball.
"Our gameplan was the best all year, everything was working," senior running back Javier Hanson said. "We had open receivers, running backs had big holes and it was the best gameplan coach put together all year."
Trailing 3-0 after the first quarter, the Lobos dominated the second quarter, holding the ball for 11 minutes, 21 seconds. UNM put together an impressive 14-play, 80-yard drive to start the quarter, ending in the Lobos first touchdown of the game. Senior fullback Jarrod Baxter hammered his way into the endzone from one yard out. Senior running back Holmon Wiggins contributed heavily on the drive, rushing three times for 35 yards.
BYU answered the score with one of its own, finally breaking through a stingy Lobo defense. On fourth and three at the UNM 28, Doman rolled out to his right, bringing the entire defense with him, and hit wide receiver Rod Wilkerson with a screen pass on the left side. Wilkerson caught the pass and burst through the middle untouched for a 28-yard touchdown.
UNM would get the ensuing kickoff and drive the ball down to the Cougar seven yard line with 34 seconds left in the half. But three plays netted three yards and the Lobos settled for a 20-yard field goal by kicker Vladimir Borombozin to tie the score at 10 going into the half.
The third quarter saw both teams' defenses dominate, with the Lobo offense only amassing 47 total yards. However, the Lobo defense had Doman on his heels the whole quarter, constantly pressuring him. Although UNM did not have a sack all game long, thanks in large part to Doman's scrambling, the defense forced several bad throws. When Doman did have time to throw, the Lobo secondary had tight coverage.
The only points of the quarter were by Borombozin, who kicked a 23-yard field goal at the end of the third quarter.
BYU took the lead midway through the fourth quarter when Doman found wide receiver Mike Regall open, streaking down the right sideline for a 27-yard touchdown and a 17-13 lead.
The Lobos would not let up and answered the BYU touchdown with one of their own with six minutes left. UNM drove down to the 19-yard line and used a trick play to score the touchdown. Kelly handed off to wide receiver Dwight Counter, who then handed off to wide receiver Derrick Shepherd for a reverse. Shepherd stopped and threw a lob to a wide-open Hanson who had sneaked into the open at the three yard line.
"We practiced that play all week," Hanson said. "We watched film on them all week and we knew we were going to get the play."
The lead would be short lived as the Cougars drove down the field in only 2:24 on a 14-play 80-yard drive capped off by Ord's touchdown.
The Lobos are off next week before playing against the Air Force Academy Oct. 27 in their annual homecoming game.
