Turnovers, penalties and missed opportunities — all words that could describe how the University of New Mexico football team played offensively against the Colorado State University Rams on Saturday, Oct. 26. The Lobos lost 17-6.
Throughout the game, the defense did its part, holding Colorado State to only 10 points. Shockingly, it was a lackluster performance from the offense, only being able to muster 6 points throughout. It was baffling to see after they recently put up three straight 50-point games.
However, this can be attributed to the injuries on the offensive side of the ball. Nevertheless, with the lack of offensive production, the Lobos’ three-game winning streak came to end.
The first quarter was unusual for both teams. The Lobos’ defense got the team going by forcing Colorado State to kick a long 50-yard field goal, which resulted in a miss. The Lobos’ offense took the field and immediately started moving the ball down.
The Lobos had just gotten outside of the red zone. On a first-and-10, Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters was not able to haul in a pitch, which resulted in a fumble recovered by the Rams. The rest of the quarter was a defensive showcase from both sides, as the quarter ended with each team knotted up at 0.
The Lobos had possession of the ball to start the second quarter. The Lobos’ offense was able to get on the board first, as it settled for 3 on the drive. The Rams were able to strike right back at the Lobos, as in four plays, they were able to find the end zone to take a 7-3 lead.
The Lobos couldn’t move the ball much on their next drive and were forced to punt. On that punt, Colorado State returner Kobe Johnson was able to take 82 yards to the house to extend the Colorado State lead.
With time in the quarter running out, the Lobos were still unable to get anything going on offense. The defense was able to hold the Rams to 3 points before the quarter ended. The Lobos trailed 17-3 after two quarters.
The second half as a whole was a nightmare for the Lobos from an offensive perspective. To start the third, the Lobos’ offense was once again moving down the field as it was knocking on the door of the goal line. What seemed like a turnaround turned into a catastrophe as on third-and-goal, quarterback Devon Dampier fumbled, which was again recovered by Colorado State.
Despite the defense holding Colorado State scoreless in the second half, it wasn’t enough to kick the offense in gear. The offense got points on the board again in the form of a field goal.
For the rest of the game, however, Colorado State's defense was just too much to handle for the Lobos, as the rest of their offensive possessions went: missed field goal, punt, interception, punt, interception.
It was a tough loss for the Lobos, but they will look to bounce back next week as they come back home to University Stadium to face off against another Mountain West foe, the Wyoming Cowboys on Nov. 2.
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Rodney Prunty is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @rprunty05
