How frustrating you ask? Lobos offense 379 yard zero turnovers… UTEP 195
yards of offense 1 turnover, Donovan Porterie goes 25-39 for 190 yard, Rodney Ferguson goes for 134 yard and Paul Baker tacks on 54. The Lobos have the ball
for nearly seventeen more minutes and run 40 more offensive plays, but what will
haunt me about this game forever is the fact that not once did the Lobos run a
pass play for the end zone.
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Defensively the Lobos played well enough to win. Yes. I know that Lobo
fans have heard this for years, but there has to come a point where UNM’s
offense has to carry the day, and today was not that day. Now obviously fans
being fans want to find blame, and since I am still a fan, I have to ask the
questions…
With stout, physical, and tall receivers like Marcus Smith, Chris Hernandez, and Travis Brown to not throw one single pass into the end zone and
allow them to fight for the ball makes me sick, especially after one of their
starting cornerbacks went out with injury. The WR screens and 3-yard pass
patterns were okay, until there was 1:30 left in the game and UNM needed 80
yards!
That isn’t the only question I have about tonight’s offense. Now I’ll be
the first to admit I have the luxury of asking these questions from the safety
and comfort of Dom’s leather sofa and my computer desk, but how many times is
UNM going to line up in the shotgun formation with Rodney on the side and just
run a delay draw? At one point or another don’t you fake the draw, and pull back
and fire away?
I don’t want to overlook the defense as I thought the safeties and
corners were unbelievable tonight. In the first half Clint McPeek and OJ Swift
laid two of the biggest hits we have seen in a long time as they dislodged balls
from receivers. I found it very
interesting that the UTEP QB’s seemed to take plenty of shots at DeAndre Wright.
He is only one of the better corners in this area of the country and stepped up
in a huge way including an INT. I also felt that Tyson Ditmore and Blake Ligon
also had great nights.
Seriously, is there a negative that can be said about the UNM defense?
They gave up 10 points, and of those 10 the early field goal came on a nice kick
off return. They did give up the one big play (a 36 TD run by UTEP’s Terrell Jackson) but if you said that the defense would give up 10 points I say the
Lobos win decisively.
Special teams! The bugaboo this year… The game started off with UTEP
receiving the ball and quickly looked like they were going to score a touchdown
as Quintin Demps had his eye on the end zone… Kicker John Sullivan tackled him
saving the touchdown. I do want to give Sullivan credit for that tackle,
unfortunately, it was Sullivan going 2-4 on field goal attempts that will be
remembered and which ultimately will put him out of a job unless that average
changes quickly.
It wasn’t just Sullivan that didn’t play well as the Lobos entire special
teams wasn’t very special as the punt coverage on both sides was brutal. Frankie Solomon (punt returner) never had a shot as the UTEP gunners were all over him
on a regular basis. As a fan watching on television I had to ask. Is anyone
going to block those guys? Props to Solomon as he didn’t drop one punt even
though he caught the ball in heavy traffic, one time hit before the ball got to
him, and once was just crushed. Somebody has to block those gunners!
UTEP did not have that luxury, as their punt returner seemed to put the
ball on the carpet on a regular basis. Unfortunately, the Lobos were never able
to recover one of those fumbles. As far as the Lobos punting…A 28.5 net on 7
punts is not very good. The kicking game as a whole did not look good at all
this evening.
In the end, I have to hope that Coach Baldwin has more up his sleeve and
that this was just a miserable hiccup on the season. I do have to say one thing
and it is a negative, however, I have to say it.
I don’t watch a football game to see field goals. I want to see a defense
that holds the other team from scoring touchdowns, and I want to see my team
score touchdowns! I love aggressive football. That is why I love Rocky Long’s
defense! It is aggressive and delivers bone-jarring hits.
I did not care for tonight’s offense, and in my opinion if you’re going
to play for field goals, I’ll go watch a soccer match. However, if you are going
to run an offense that is predicated on field goals, you better make sure you
have a super field goal kicker that hits them all.
In the end, I will still be standing on seat 13 right behind the end zone
next Saturday night as my Lobos trounce the Aggies. I’m disappointed and ticked
off tonight, but I am a Lobo fan and will be there next Saturday. I sure hope
that the rest of the city joins as the season is not lost… Just ask
Michigan!