A loss by Boise State (10-2, 6-2 MW) in its final regular season game just made the season finale between the Lobos and Wyoming on Saturday a lot more interesting.
A win by Wyoming (8-3, 6-1 MW) would give the Cowboys the division crown outright, while New Mexico (7-4, 5-2) could force a three-way tie to earn co-champ honors.
A share of the division title would be the first for the Lobos since 1997, although Wyoming would get the nod to play in the Mountain West Championship by virtue of its better record within the division.
Wyoming leads the all-time series 35-33, but the Lobos have taken the last two rounds. Last season, New Mexico won 38-28 at Wyoming.
Head coach Bob Davie said Wyoming has been a great story this year and owes a lot of credit to its head coach, Craig Bohl. He said they have developed an identity, similar to the challenge New Mexico faced when he took over the team.
Bohl won three FCS national championships during his time at North Dakota State before taking the Wyoming coaching job, a release said.
“He’s matched his scheme and what he does, to where he is — to me, that’s coaching,” Davie said. “They are North Dakota State at Laramie…it fits and it works.”
The Lobos are coming off a 49-31 loss to Colorado State last week, while Wyoming ground out a 34-33 win over San Diego State.
Saturday’s game could be the last game played in Albuquerque for the seniors, unless the team returns to play in the New Mexico Bowl. Head coach Bob Davie said this group of seniors is going to be very hard for him to say goodbye to, considering the role they have played in the program’s turnaround with him at the helm.
Davie did not say who would be starting at quarterback against the Cowboys. Quarterback Austin Apodaca got the start last week, though Lamar Jordan had settled into that role in previous roles.
The Lobos have fallen behind 14-0 in each of the last two weeks, and the team can’t afford to fall behind regardless of who is behind center.
Colorado State got its lead by repeatedly getting to the second level of New Mexico’s defense, picking apart the secondary for big plays. Cornerback Daniel Henry said the team knows what happened in the last game and is ready to compete again in another tough test.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
“We didn’t come out and play the way we wanted to — I can’t speak for the offense, but on defense we didn’t execute the way we needed to,” Henry said. “We’re excited; we want to finish the regular season off on a great note.”
Wyoming will provide the team with another chance to show they can defend against a pro-style offense, this time at home. Henry said Davie talks about the “football gods” sometimes and he hopes they favor the Lobos this weekend.
The Lobos should be settling into a routine. Saturday’s game will be their third in a row that has an 8:15 p.m. start time that is carried on ESPN2.
Robert Maler is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers football and men’s and women’s tennis. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @robert_maler.
