LOBOS AWE AGGIES, 24-21
Monday, November 24, 1969
Football season is over now and for the first time in many years New Mexico fans will be looking forward to next season.
The Lobos took a thrilling 24-21 victory over arch-rival New Mexico State when the offensive unit demonstrated perfect execution of the all-important "two minute offense."
With the Lobos down by four points and the Aggies about to score an insurance touchdown, things looked bleak with only 1:30 left in the game. But an Aggie fumble and a costly penalty gave the Lobos a faint glimmer of hope.
Thirty-nine seconds later Sam Scarber crashed over the goal and the Lobos had won their fourth game of the season - a season which was predicted to be a total disaster.
Memorable Last Game
John Stewart played his last game of collegiate football and made it a memorable one. Stewart caught four Rocky Long passes good for 69 yards in the Lobos' final desperation drive.
Dave Bookert also had a fine performance with over 100 yards rushing.
Ron "Po" James, voted the outstanding player of the game near the conclusion, turned into the goat as he fumbled near the New Mexico goal to set up the winning drive. The Aggies took a seven point lead to the locker room at halftime and were not able to score after intermission.
It appeared their 21 points would hold up until Long and Stewart played their hero roles in the closing minutes.
Joe Hartshorne sliced the Aggie lead to four points in the third quarter with a booming 38-yard field goal. Hartshorne's boot and his three successful extra points gave him the school record for points scored by a kicker in a single season - 43.
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By beating the Aggies the Lobos will carry a two-game winning streak over to the fall. The young team will only lose six seniors and a winning season in 1970 will be the expectation of many former victory-starved football fans.
The Aggies saw their record dip to 4-5 and they will meet Colorado State next week to end their season.
The game's statistics were virtually even. The difference in the total yards category gave the Lobos a mere 15 yard advantage - 418 to 403.
Football: Lobos rally for 38-29 win
October 4, 2015
It didn’t look promising for New Mexico at the start of the second half.
The Lobos were trailing in-state rival New Mexico State 26-14, and wide receiver Carlos Wiggins fumbled the opening kickoff, giving the Aggies prime field position.
However, UNM rallied and monopolized the second half against NMSU, outscoring the Aggies 24-3 for a 38-29 victory at University Stadium, the team’s fourth-straight win in the Rio Grande Rivalry.
“First of all, I appreciate my players so much: They kept their composure,” head coach Bob Davie said. “It looked bleak there for a while. You think about the first half, some of the mistakes we made — we gave up some big plays, which always gets you back on your heels.”
This was the first time since 2012 that the Lobos won back-to-back games in a single season. UNM beat Wyoming 38-28 last weekend in Laramie, Wyoming.
UNM’s defense bounced back after a sluggish first half, in which it allowed NMSU’s Larry Rose III to rush for 238 yards and score three touchdowns. The Lobos held the Aggies to just 62 total yards in the second half.
NMSU quarterback Tyler Rogers left in the fourth quarter after breaking his left thumb. That injury neutered an offense that was already struggling to make plays.
“In the second half, we calmed down a little bit,” Davie said. “Certainly, when their quarterback went out of the game, for us that was a huge advantage.”
UNM trailed for a majority of the game and didn’t retake the lead until the fourth quarter. Running back Teriyon Gipson ran right up the middle of NMSU’s defense for a 36-yard score, giving the Lobos a 36-29 lead. That play was set up by a 42-yard run by quarterback Lamar Jordan.
Gipson finished the game with 142 yards on 19 carries with that lone score. Only Jordan, who finished with 165 yards on 16 attempts with a score, had more rushing yards than him.
“That was the best feeling in the world; it put us up,” Gipson said. “I just wanted to thank the O-line (offensive line) — they did a heck of a job. I just had to hit it and run. That was what they were telling me all game, that it was going to be there. I just had to trust it, and it was there.”
The Aggies (0-4) did have three more drives to try and tie the score, but their offense lacked cohesion. UNM (3-2) sealed the win with a safety by sacking NMSU backup quarterback Nick Jeanty in the Aggie-side endzone, which was worth two points. Lobo linebacker Maurice Daniels recorded the first safety for UNM since 2007, which gave UNM the final score of 38-29.
Rose III finished with 264 yards on 21 carries for a 12.4 yard per carry average. Rogers had trouble throwing the ball, completing just 12 of 24 passes for 108 yards. He also ran for 41 yards on 11 attempts.
“Everybody just came in and got a feel for the game,” said safety Lee Crosby, who scored on a fumble recovery — also a first for the Lobos since 2012. “We just came back out and did our job and played ball.”
Tailback Jhurell Pressley rushed 18 times for 99 yards and a touchdown. Running back Richard McQuarley added 14 yards on four attempts with a score. The Lobos finished with 446 yards of total offense.
