It takes more than one big win to change a team’s perception.
Even after a big upset of Utah State last weekend, New Mexico is considered a heavy underdog at Boise State on Saturday. The Broncos are a 30-point favorites over the Lobos in Boise, Idaho.
The implications of this game are huge for both teams. A win for UNM will give it bowl eligibility for the first time since 2007 and the team will be two wins away from a berth in the Mountain West Championship game. If the Broncos (7-2, 4-1 Mountain West) come out on top they’ll be in great position to return to the conference title matchup.
“You’re always watching because they’re a fun team. When you get a chance to play them you want to take down the top dog,” quarterback Lamar Jordan said. “We’re definitely going to be the underdog in this game. It’s like a little brother, big brother thing but it won’t always be big brother winning.”
Winning is something that UNM hasn’t been accustomed to recently. This is the latest the Lobos (5-4, 3-2 MW) have been over .500 since that very same 2007 season.
Head coach Bob Davie said UNM is right on the edge of turning things around.
“We have taken the next step of giving ourselves an opportunity to gain some more respect and obviously with Boise State coming up, people are going to want to see if it was a fluke,” Davie said. “We have the biggest test we could possibly have with them having an open date, playing up there at 8:15 at night. It’s as big a test as we can have, but we have put ourselves in a position to be in the hunt.”
The game will most likely to come down to whether or not UNM can stop Boise State’s potent passing attack. The Broncos rank first in the MW and 19th in the nation in passing yards per game, averaging 301.7 yards.
Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien is the key to the Broncos offense. Rypien’s passing efficiency ranks first in the MW and 20th overall in the country with a rating of 152.8. He also averages 286.1 yards of total offense by himself, which also ranks first in the conference.
“That’s the exact story of this game. We are a big blitz defense, we do attack,” Davie said. “We do come after people as much as anyone in the country. Teams have continually tried to run the ball against us. This team will come out and throw the ball on us.”
While Boise State’s offense has been thriving, UNM’s offense still hasn’t found its footing. The Lobos triple option offense hasn’t gashed opponents like it has in the past, with UNM averaging just 365.3 yards of offense per game (97th overall).
UNM’s offensive struggles will only help a stout Broncos defense. Boise State is seventh in the nation in total defense, allowing just 290.1 yards per game. Even more concerning is the fact that the Broncos give up 83.4 rushing yards per game.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
“Yeah, maybe we are sputtering a bit on offense. There is no hiding that. We are not quite what we have been,” Davie said. “We are not quite the same. We’re not as precise as we have been; we’re not as clean as we have been.”
Thomas Romero-Salas is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @ThomasRomeroS.
