The Lobos trailed just 14-7
at half time but gave up two third quarter touchdowns, one sparked
by an
interception, to drop the game to the Aztecs.
"I thought our
effort
was pretty good, but we still have to cut down on mistakes like
penalties and
turnovers,” said interim head coach George Barlow after the
game. "Those
same things came back again in the third quarter," he said. "I
thought maybe we had gotten over the hump, but… We have to step
outside the box
that we have put ourselves in."
Neither team
did well in
their first two possessions, but after the Lobos’ second punt
San Diego State (5-3,
2-2) was able to get a 10-play, 66-yard drive capped by a
one-yard run by
Walter Kazee to take a 7-0 first quarter lead.
The Aztecs
added to the lead
at the 10:18 mark of the second quarter when Kazee scored his
second touchdown,
a six-yard scamper that capped a 11-play, 89-yard drive to give
SDSU a 14-0
lead.
Instead of
folding, the
Lobos responded with a long drive of their own.
Junior
quarterback B.R.
Holbrook marched the Lobos 80 yards in nine plays on to pull UNM
into a 14-7
deficit at the half. Freshman Crusoe Gongbay capped the drive
with a six-yard
run with 32 seconds left to play in the half.
"It was a
big-time
spark," said Barlow of that scoring drive. "I thought the kids
were
motivated , excited and focused. But we have to come out in the
third quarter and
do the same thing."
Instead the
Lobo offense
went 3-and-out on the first possession of the third quarter and
the Aztecs and
needed just six plays to drive 32 yards for their third
touchdown of the game
to give SDSU a 21-7 lead.
The Aztecs then
put the game
away. Aztec defensive back Leon McFadden went up high to
intercept a Holbrook
pass on the next possession and the Aztecs needed just four
plays to scored
again to make it 28-7 with a one-yard run by Ronnie Hillman.
SDSU scored its
final touchdown on its first possession of the fourth quarter,
taking the total
to 35-7.
Gongbay led the
Lobos with 73
yards on 15 carries. Holbrook finished with 10-of-20 passing for
88 yards and
two interceptions.
Senior Carmen Messina again
proved to be the bellweather for the defense, making 14 solo
tackles and 15
tackles overall and one sack. Senior Bubba Forrest had eight and
sophomore Dallas Bollema had seven. Forrest and Bollema each had five solo
tackles.
UNM falls to
0-9 for the
season and 0-4 in conference. The Lobos play their final home
game of the
season this Saturday, Nov. 12 versus UNLV at 8 p.m. The game
will be televised
by The Mtn. and broadcast on the Lobo Radio Network, including
flagship station
770 AM KKOB.