Hope was in the air for the Lobos as things were looking good throughout the first three quarters. Unfortunately, that hope quickly diminished as the Lobos self-destructed in the fourth quarter, ultimately losing to Montana State University 35-31.
The University of New Mexico football team faced off against the Montana State Bobcats to kick off the new season. This was a highly anticipated game for many, as it was the coaching debut for Bronco Mendenhall, who was hired by UNM back in December.
In the first quarter, the Lobos had an uneventful drive on offense, but the defense jolted energy into the team midway through Montana State's first drive. Linebacker Jayden Wilson forced a fumble that safety Christian Ellis recovered and returned all the way for a scoop and score.
Later in the quarter, after another defensive stop, quarterback Devon Dampier was able to show off his arm as he connected on a 53-yard bomb to Luke Wysong. The drive only resulted in 3 points but the Lobo defense was able to hold off Montana State for the rest of the quarter.
When the second quarter rolled around, the Lobos made another offensive splash as Dampier connected with Trace Bruckler on a 12-yard touchdown pass to give the Lobos a 17-0 lead.
Montana State responded — not once, but twice — as it put together two touchdown drives, cutting the lead down to 3, which remained the case until the two-minute warning.
With less than two minutes left to go in the half, Dampier ran 24 yards into the end zone untouched to push the Lobo lead to 24-14. The Lobos rode that lead into halftime.
The Lobos’ defense came out with a statement play to start the third quarter on Montana State's first drive. Edge rusher Gabriel Lopez got to the quarterback and forced another fumble, which was picked up and brought all the way into the end zone by corner Noah Avinger for the second Lobo defensive touchdown.
Not much action happened after that; the Lobos missed a field goal to extend the lead by even more. Nonetheless, they led 31-14 through three quarters.
When the fourth quarter began, it seemed that all the momentum was in the Lobos’ favor. Montana State then went on a scoring drive, cutting the lead down to 10. It seemed like the Lobos would respond, but what resulted was another missed field goal by Luke Drzewiecki.
After that, Montana State’s offense took the field and made the Lobos pay for that miscue, as the Bobcats’ first play of the drive was a 93-yard touchdown. With the score at 31-28, it was anyone's game. The Lobos possessed the ball with less than three minutes left to go.
On a critical third down, Dampier threw to wide receiver Caleb Medford, who dropped the pass that could have resulted in the Lobos running out the clock and winning the game. Instead, the Lobos punted back to the Bobcats. Dampier and the offense could only watch from the sideline as the Montana State offense drove down the field and scored the game-winning touchdown, completing a 17-point fourth-quarter comeback.
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The Lobos’ offense got shut out in the second half. Despite having a good first half, just eight out of Dampier’s 26 passing attempts came in the second half.
“I have belief in my coaches. At the end of the day, what they believe (is) best for the team (is what) I'm going to do. It was the right call,” Dampier said.
Coach Mendenhall thinks that the offensive shut-out in the second half was due to both the lack of execution by the team and Montana State’s defense, he said.
“It’s both: Montana State played very well and we didn’t execute, especially on third down. We couldn’t get the chains moving,” Mendenhall said.
Avinger reflected on the game.
“The loss hurts, but at the end of the day, you got to move forward. That’s the biggest thing,” Avinger said.
The Lobos will look to turn it around next game as they travel to play against the Arizona Wildcats, currently ranked at 21 in college football, according to The Associated Press.
Rodney Prunty is a freelance press reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @rprunty05
