by Lee Cornell
Daily Lobo
It was a tale of two halves for the UNM defense in Saturday's football match-up with the University of Utah.
In the first half, the Lobos defense looked like a block of Swiss cheese.
On the Utes first offensive play, Utah receiver Josh Lyman went 73 yards untouched on a screen pass to the right side and all the way into the end zone for a quick 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. It looked like it would be a long game for UNM.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
On their second drive, the Utes once again exposed the Lobos secondary when quarterback Brett Elliott and Lyman hooked up for another big play. This time it was a 53-yard pass to the left on third and four. On the next play, Utah running back Branndon Warfield stormed into the end zone to put the Utes back on top 14-7. On their third drive, Utah did the same thing as Elliott found Paris Jackson for a 47-yard touchdown pass.
It seemed that the Lobos would never be able to stop Utah as they gave up one more touchdown before the end of the first half. Fortunately for UNM, the offense kept the team in the game scoring 21 points in the half and the Lobos trailed by only a touchdown, 28-21.
The second half could not have been any more different. for a defense that looked helpless through the first two quarters. The Utes got down inside the Lobos 10-yard line on their first drive of the third quarter but missed a short field goal and the momentum quickly shifted to UNM's D.
From that point on the Lobos defense physically shut down Utah. Sophomore linebacker Nick Speegle got UNM going when he caused a fumble. Junior Billy Strothers picked up the loose ball for the first turnover of the game.
"It was important because it's defensive turnovers and it gives our offense good field position," Strothers said. "It also gives us momentum and the team hype. It turns your volume up just a little bit."
Strothers came up big again later in the half when he picked up a loose ball after Warfield mishandled a handoff.
Later in the fourth, DonTrell Moore seemingly tied the game with a 30-yard touchdown run but was ruled to have fumbled as he was going into the end zone, giving the Utes the ball back on their own 20-yard line with less than five minutes to go in the game.
The Lobo defense held strong forcing Utah to punt after a quick three and out. The Lobos tied the game up on their next possesion to force the game into overtime.
In overtime, the defense forced the Utes into a third down but was beaten on a screenplay for a first down and subsequently gave up a touchdown.
After UNM forced the game into a second overtime and scored on its possession, the pressure shifted back to the defense that needed one more stop for a victory.
This time they were up to the challenge. Utah tried a trick play on first down going for the halfback pass. The play was read perfectly by the Lobos and cornerback David Crockett was in perfect position for an interception. However, the ball went right through his hands and the game went on. On the very next play, the Utes tried picking on Crockett again but he was in perfect position to knock down the ball in the end zone.
"If I would have had my head down and felt sorry for the last play, then they would have caught that next pass on me," Crockett said. "I just had to forget about what happened and keep playing."
The game was not over until junior safety Terrell Golden knocked down a pass on fourth down.
"We know that if we keep fighting as a team and play together as a team we can accomplish anything," Golden said.
