Raiders- Chiefs Game 15

 Why are we talking playoffs, if I wrote the Silver and Black off last week?  Because, The Raiders play in AFC West, and right now it's up for grabs.... again. Oakland was once in command and then came that bothersome three game losing streak. Denver took the reins behind the man who could do no wrong (Tim Tebow) but now they've suffered back to back blow outs. Both the Chargers and Chiefs are mathematically eliminated.

Here's the scenario for Sunday's action, The Raiders win, Denver loses and Oakland is in. The Raiders win and Denver wins, then the Broncos are in. If both lose, Denver still holds the tie breaker and they make the playoffs.  Even if Denver wins the divisional title, The Raiders could get a wild card if they win and The Bengals lose. If the Raiders, Broncos and Bengals lose, then the universe will implode and it won't fucking matter anyway. Just two weeks ago John Elway was a high fiving motherfucker in the owner's box, I wonder how he feels now?

New Orleans ran up the score on Atlanta (thus allowing Drew Brees to break Dan Marino's all time record for most passing yards in a season. There was a bit of controversy surrounding the blow out, with some calling Sean Peyton & Brees classless for making every effort to break the mark. It's all bullshit, if Atlanta had played better defense then Brees wouldn't have gone all Marino on them.

It was a weird Sunday, The Colts beat The Texans, New England needed a big rally to edge out Miami, Minnesota ran past Washington and lost Adrian Petersen in the process (serious knee injury) Buffalo romped over Denver (fourth quarter melt down by Tim Tebow) Green Bay got back on track against Chicago and The Raiders inexplicably found a way to win, 16-13 in overtime against a Kansas City squad that had just beat down previously undefeated Green Bay the week before.

I had The Raiders dead and buried, so of course the defense picked that moment to step up and keep an opponent under twenty points for the first time since their 24-17 win over San Diego on Nov. 10th. After the game Hue Jackson reminisced “The man told me, `Hue, we’ll win it in the end.’ I believe that,” said Jackson, referring to Al Davis,  “I don’t know how it’s going to happen. I don’t care how it’s going to happen.” 

This game had all tell tale signs of another lost opportunity for Oakland, leading 13-6 late in the fourth quarter, Kyle Orton took The Chiefs down the field for a score to tie the game with 1:02 left to play. The Raiders then failed, in typical Raider fashion to run out the clock or score, thus allowing Kansas City to attempt a field goal as the clock ran out. From 49 yards out, Ryan Succop had his try blocked by Richard Seymour (the second blocked field goal of the game for Oakland)

Fucking ironic! The Raiders who were crushed by a last second blocked field goal against Detroit now had life thanks to a blocked field goal. Oakland wasted little time in overtime, taking just over two minutes to score. Carson Palmer connected with Darrius Heyward-Bey down the left side for a 53 yard gain. Sebastian Janokowski then came out to attempt a 36 yard field goal, his kick was on the money. With Denver getting horse whipped at Buffalo, the Raiders found themselves back in the playoff picture. 

Raider Notes: 

Oakland committed 15 penalties for 92 yds., one wiped out a touchdown off a fake field goal that saw Shane Lechler feed a shovel pass to Brandon Myers, who ran untouched into the end zone. The Raider offense was only 3-11 on third down, which led Carson Palmer to say, “An ugly win is better than a pretty loss” You bet it is!, hell a K.C. forfeit would have been just fine considering how poorly Oakland had played coming into this game.

The first half featured a comedy of errors as they both clubs struggled to a 3-3 draw at the half. The Chiefs who had racked up 438 yds. on offense vs. Green Bay, had nothing going for them in front of a raucous home crowd. Kyle Orton threw  two interceptions, one into the end zone in the first half and the other as Kansas City was moving the ball down the field in the fourth quarter.

Carson Palmer was 16-26 passing for 237 yds. including a 61 yd. td. strike to Denarius Moore in the third quarter. Michael Bush ran for 70 yds. on 23 carries. The Raiders were outgained 435 yds. to 308 by Kansas City, Kyle Orton completed 21 passes for 300 yds. The Chiefs had twice as many first downs as Oakland  26 to 13.  

Highlights: Darrius Heyward-Bey's catch to set up the field goal and Richard Seymour blocking the field goal

Lowlights: Penalties and failure to convert third downs

The Otherside: Kyle Orton is a good fit for Kansas City

The Mouth That Roared:

"We had three penalties at halftime last week, then in crucial times at the end, we get penalties and lose the game," Jackson said. "This time, we went the other way. It's like Jekyll and Hyde."

"Sometimes it's not about the yards, it's about the attempts," Jackson said. "Sometimes you've just got to keep slamming it up there."

"Hell of a call from Hue," Heyward-Bey said. "He has a lot of guts. Carson threw a great ball, and I sold it perfectly. When we put it in last week, I knew we were going to call it, but I didn't think we were going to call it on the first play of overtime."

"Sometimes you keep a play in your pocket," Raiders coach Hue Jackson said. "We'd been running, running, running. We had a little motion, a little ghost fake, and Darrius kind of came up under control and then hit on a corner route. It was a great throw by Carson."

Raiders- Lions Game 14

Lip service is all we ever get from Hue Jackson. The Raiders are sitting at 7-7 with two games to go. "Right now I'm a .500 football coach and that's not who I am" said Jackson. If The Raiders can't win one of their last two games (and it's looking like they can't) Hue will be a losing coach and that might be closer to who he really is.  It's not from lack of effort that The Raiders keep losing. I think the operative word to describe their woes is focus, or better yet the lack of focus. 

Up 27-14 with 7:30 left to play in the game, Oakland had this one in the bag. The Broncos and Jets were both getting rolled and suddenly a chance at a playoff spot was right there before their eyes. Tommy Kelly had just stripped Matthew Stafford of the ball and Aaron Curry returned it six yards for a touchdown. At that point it seemed highly unlikely that Detroit would rally. Alas, the defense giveth and the defense taketh away, The Raider defensive unit simply couldn't make a stop. 

Matthew Stafford directed Detroit scoring drives of 71 & 98 yards (a drive that took less than two minutes) to take a 28-27 lead. To their credit The Raiders still had a chance at the end. Following a dropped pass by Darius Heyward-Bey at the 37 yd. line with 8 seconds left on the clock. Oakland lined up to attempt a 65 yard field goal, (had Heyward-Bey caught that pass it would have been a 54 yard try) 

It's a given that for most teams in the league it would be preposterous to even imagine such a thing. Except, the Raiders have Sebastian Janikowski, who bad hamstring and all is fully capable of scoring from that distance. He might have made it, but we'll never know because Ndamukong Suh got a thumb on the ball and knocked it off course.  For Suh, coming off a suspension for stomping on a Green Bay lineman's arm, it was a moment of sweet redemption.

Calvin Johnson's 214 receiving yards were the most against The Raiders since Don Maynard's 228 during the infamous Heidi Game vs. The Jets in 1968.  Oakland had no answer for "Megatron" At times the Raider pass coverage seemed frozen in their tracks, either with awe or fear as he took them to school. 

Carson Palmer completed 32 of 40 passes for 367 yds. and a td pass. Darrius Heyward-Bey had a career day with eight catches for 155 yards and one touchdown. Yet, when the Raiders needed a big play from Darrius (as has been the case his entire career) he couldn't get it done. Two dropped  passes and Suh's thumb made all the difference in the world.

Raider Notes:
For the Raiders it was a crushing and demoralizing blow, although the game never should have come down to that last field goal attempt. “Very demoralizing,” Carson Palmer said “We had chances to close them out and a chance to put them away there and just didn’t make enough plays when it came down to it.” The Raider's season has turned on an unexpected three game losing streak.

This was billed as a playoff push game, a win at all cost match-up with a Detroit squad that's barely playing .500 ball after starting the season 5-0. Playoff teams find a way to hold a two touchdown lead with seven minutes to go. To quote outspoken former NFL coach, Jim Mora "You guys shouldn't write about us being a playoff team and all that bullstuff, that's malarkey."

Allow me to quote Jim Mora again regarding the postseason, "What's that?.. Playoffs? you kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game." An 8-8 record would go a long way towards keeping the team on track and moving ahead. A .500 season could be seen as a success when you factor in the plague of injuries that derailed Oakland just as they were picking up steam.

The Raiders travel to Kansas City next week. The Chiefs shut out Oakland earlier in the season (Carson's first game) Since then they've picked up Kyle Orton from Denver and last week ended Green Bay's nineteen game winning streak. Both the Chiefs and Orton are playing with renewed vigor under interim coach Romeo Crennel.

On top of that, there's a revenge factor involved, seeing how Oakland romped over The Chiefs in last year's season finale. Chief's fans don't forget those things, Arrowhead will be hostile come Sunday. Oakland still has a mathematical chance at a playoff spot. If The Raiders win out and Denver loses both of its remaining games, they would edge out the Broncos for the AFC West title.


Highlights: Carson Palmer played well enough for Oakland to win, Darrius Heyward-Bey had a big day

Lowlights:  The defense collapsed, yet again. It's time to re-think our defensive schemes

The Other Side: Matthew Stafford is a stone cold killer and as much as I hate that stupid "Megatron" nickname, Calvin Johnson is a pass catching machine.

Talk To Me:
"As the pass fluttered down, there was linebacker Rolando McClain in pass coverage, trailing as one would expect. He failed to make the play. Safety Jerome Boyd, also in the area, watched as if in a trance. Two plays and 21 seconds later, Detroit had its victory." Oakland Tribune

"I thought we were going to make a play on it," Wimbley said, presuming McClain and Boyd would contain Johnson because, well, they were in position to do exactly that.

"You gotta make that play," coach Hue Jackson said. "The ball is laying up there in the air. You gotta make that play."

"We just knew we had to go out there and get the stop, and we didn't do it, As far as I'm concerned, we just didn't get the job done. If that's the best we've got, we have to get better.''  Aaron Curry

"I've got nothing to say," Chaz Schilens replied, when he was approached for comment on his third-down, off-the-fingers non-catch.

"You saw it," said Heyward-Bey, when asked about his dropped pass with 8 seconds left.

"Everybody is going through the motions.  Are you really only going through the motions? Lip service is all you'll ever get from me."       Elvis Costello

New Mexico Football Report

"This was a season that began with a glimmer of hope, and that ended with a glimmer of hope for all the wrong reasons"  

Mike Locksley did not have the best interest of UNM or the state of New Mexico in mind. He accepted the head coaching job because UNM was foolish enough to offer it to him. Two wins (George Barlow, the interim had one) in three seasons won't win you respect and admiration. Not from the fan base and certainly not from sports writers. Mike Locksley was hired at UNM due to his name association with The Big Ten, Illinois, Ron Zook, Maryland etc. Left to his own merits and accomplishments he was an unattractive candidate, but when tied in to those "Big Time" brand names he suddenly became a hot commodity.

Bob Davie was hired to replace Locksley for the same reasons (Notre Dame, Texas A & M, ESPN) Only the passing of time will tell if we're being played for an all day sucker again. In college athletics name recognition means everything.  Which is why college football coaches are in such a quandary, they need the media to build them up, yet they despise the intrusive presence of reporters. Build me up buttercup, but if you tear me down, I'll rip you a new asshole. To head coaches (football in particular) sports writers are the unruly and disobedient step children that they're forced to tolerate. 

The worst thing a football player can do is think for himself, Tim Tebow be damned that's not how things are done. This is football!, nobody gets to think for themselves other than the head coach. It was that thinking that led Brian Kelly (Notre Dame) to go against all conventional wisdom and continue with an outdoor practice during high winds. That obstinate decision directly resulted in the death of a young man videotaping from an elevated platform. In many ways that's also the mindset that allowed Jerry Sandusky to keep company with young boys and for Joe Paterno to sidestep the vile allegations made against his longtime assistant coach.  

There is something wrong with football coaches in this country. Mike Locksley is indicative of the thought process that affects (or infects) the football coaching process at every level. Coaches like Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Mike Gundy, Chip Miller etc. labor under the assumption that they are mandated or anointed by a higher power. These are men who imagine themselves at the head of an army, and conduct themselves like three star generals. Though, it's a given that not one of them has ever served in the military.

American football is a sport unlike any other in the entire world. One that was pushed and promoted as a rite of passage for young boys entering manhood. It is now ruled by men who's primary motivation is to quench their thirst for power, control or worse.

Something tells me that Bob Davie holds UNM, New Mexico and his players in higher regard than Mike Locksley did. For that reason alone, he's a good hire for UNM. Davie has already brought two coaches onboard, Jason Lenzmeier an offensive line coach from NMSU (a position he held at UNM under Rocky Long) and Coleman Hutzler a former Florida & Stanford assistant hired to coach linebackers. George Barlow will not be retained in any capacity by Bob Davie. Mike Locksley meanwhile has landed on his feet, having been named offensive coordinator at Maryland.

It also appears that Locksley's recruits were on their way out the door as soon as he was fired. Seven players left the program before Davie was hired. Qb. Ricardo Young, safety Carmeiris Stewart (a Rocky Long holdover) and WR Emmanuel McPhearson, quit the squad immediately after Locksley was fired. Four other players left the team after George Barlow took over, including former starting Qb. Tarean Austin (who played in at least one game after Locksley left) free safety Deshon Marman (he of the sagging pants incident) O-lineman Earl Johnson and WR/Qb. Detchauz Wray. KRQE later reported that that three Lobo freshmen, Rb. Crusoe Gongbay, WR Daniel Adams and safety Zach Dancel had requested releases from their scholarships.

Had The Lobos found a way to pull out a victory against Colorado St. in the season opener, this post would have taken a much different tone. The entire season truly turned on that, the very first game. 

That loss was the start of an avalanche of doubt, dissent and disgust that buried Mike Locksley. We now move forward with caution. UNM and the state of New Mexico can't afford to get sucked into the mad scramble that's consuming college football. For UNM to pour millions into football in hopes of earning a bid to a lower tier bowl game is absurd. The BSC by a process of exclusion, has already determined who we are and where we belong. 

Raiders- Packers Game 13

Another blowout, this time 46-16 at the hands of the defending Super Bowl champs and still undefeated Packers. There is no joy in Mudville, mighty Carson has struck out. Carson Palmer's four interceptions were key, not that Green Bay needed any help to dismantle a team that's suddenly not competitive. "I'm not going to let this team keep going backward." intoned Hue Jackson in that voice that no longer conveys confidence "The last two weeks we haven't come close to playing or looking like the football team we've been." 

During the pre-season I questioned Hue Jackson's competence. His ready answers for whatever ailed the Raiders struck me as spin doctoring... Huespeak, so to speak.  The Raider's defense was suspect then and it's beyond suspect now.  Hue's bully boy defense is just a pack of undisciplined gridiron thugs, totally incapable of stopping anyone running with a football. When the glaring deficiencies on defense were brought up during the exhibition season, Hue responded "We'll fix it as we go" 

Thirteen games into the season, we are going... going... gone, and the defense is not repaired. In fact it seems to be beyond repair. Now we have Denver, a team that was rotting in the grave, in first place and looking like they can run the table.  The Raiders are broken and there's nothing Hue can do to fix them. Jackson it turns out was pulling levers and puffing out smoke just like the Wizard of Oz, with the curtains pulled back the bully is exposed as a spaghetti armed weakling.  

Oakland must win at least one of its last three games to match last years record, and right now they can't compete much less win. The Raider faithful may ask themselves, "What went wrong" except, it didn't just go wrong, it's been wrong all along. The same factors and bad habits that reared their ugly heads in the pre-season are still killing drives on offense and extending drives (for opponents) on defense. In other words, under Hue Jackson the Raiders are no better now than they were when training camp opened. 

"Today we regressed" stated Jackson in a classic example of Huespeak. "That team (Green Bay) is a very good football team, that's what we aspire to be someday. But we're not there yet." No, The Raiders are not the Packers, nor are they The Chiefs, Chargers or Lions (the three remaining games on their schedule) It will take more than fucking lip service to light a fire under the wastrels of God given gridiron talent that form the Raider defensive unit. The players as much as the fans seem ready to turn off the volume on The Jackson Hype Machine, that same old song and dance is getting old.   

By now you may be asking "Hey Nut! what about the fucking game?" Aw! the Silver & Black.... gluttons for punishment and pain. What divides Raiders fans from all other fans, is that we know everyone hates us. We're not like Cowboys fans, who have deluded themselves into thinking that America loves them. No, we give our legion of haters the double deuce and go about our merry way. When we suck the shit gets piled on us and when we win.... the shit gets piled on us.  

Cue the manure truck... that's good right there. As I've already mentioned The Raiders were not competitive. They turned the ball over five times, four of which came on Carson Palmer interceptions, including one on The Raiders' first possession. Aaron Rodgers went all Aaron Rodgers on our asses and Jordy Nelson continues to be the greatest Jordy since that little French kid that sang "Dur dur d'être bébé !" ("It's Tough to Be a Baby") back in 1992.

Don't let the sixteen points Oakland scored fool you, just like last week at Miami, the points came after the opposing team had stopped trying. Michael Bush finished with 117 yds. on 29 carries, none when they counted. Carson Palmer was 24-42 for 245 yds. passing, making this the second game where he barely completed half of his attempts.  "The good part of this" said Palmer "Is that we're now forced to win the next three games." The repeated blows to the head have made Carson giddy and prone to say silly things.

The Raiders trailed 31-0 at the half and  probably ate, slept and shit during the break, because the coaching staff sure as hell didn't make any adjustments. And ultimately that's who this falls on, this two game streak of utter failure falls at Hue Jackson's feet. Right now offensive coordinator Al Saunders and defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan can't be feeling good about their job security.  These are the kind of results that get coaches fired.

Raider Notes: 

This team is not going to make the playoffs. In order to do that they would probably have to win out. And unlike Carson Palmer, I'm not feeling it.  Regardless, Denver would still have to lose twice and Timmy Tebow ain't having that. 

Kansas City fired head coach Todd Haley and promoted Romeo Crennel to interim head coach. The Raiders have a payback game coming up with The Chiefs on the road, it's too early to tell if this works against them or in their favor. The Detroit Lions are in town next week, they're coming off a close win over Minnesota and since Jim Schwartz's post game hissy fit after they lost to the 49'ers they've gone 3-5

Supposedly every single Raider that's out with an injury will be back next week, except Jason Campbell. Carson Palmer and Darren McFadden have yet to play together, in fact they've never even been on the practice field at the same time. It's easy to point the finger at Carson and say that Jason Campbell would have done any better. The Raider's offensive woes go beyond just Palmer, although his lack of familiarity with Oakland's system compounds the problem.

Highlights: The maid service at the hotel was outstanding!

Lowlights: Name your poison: play selection, poor tackling, penalties, lack of leadership from veterans, Carson's interceptions, inept coaching staff... etc.

The Otherside: Aaron Rodgers is so fucking good!

Cheap Talk:

"We've got to get better and smarter, bottom line" Lito Sheppard

"When we won three in a row, guys were making plays and stuff" Darius Heyward-Bey

"Talk is getting cheap for fast fading Oakland Raiders" Mark Purdy, Oakland Tribune

"I don't know what the problem is, I wish I did, we're just playing different than we did during the three game winning streak" Michael Huff

"It's hard to envision the postseason, for the Raiders have had back to back losses that rival anything from the Norv Turner, Art Shell, Lane Kiffin and Tom Cable regimes in terms of poor football over eight consecutive quarters" Jerry McDonald, Oakland Tribune

"What a tremendous challenge for me, what a tremendous challenge for those men in the room, what a tremendous challenge for the coaches, but we're going to get this thing fixed." Hue Jackson 

Raiders- Dolphins Game 12

This is not the stuff dreams are made of. Given the Raiders recent history playing on the East Coast, and worse their spotty record against the Miami Dolphins. I wasn't picking them to win, but Damn! what the hell was that?  Carson Palmer took a lot of flak for this loss, but it really is difficult to throw a football when you're being dragged down or flat on your back.  

Simply put, The Raider offensive line failed him, they were manhandled and it set the tone for the entire game.  I won't dump on the o-line, they've done an admirable job all season. No, this was just one of those Raider moments, they didn't just lay an egg, they laid the great speckled fucking egg.  They left their hearts in the Bay Area, but their pride was lost in Miami.

Inconsistency has long been a flaw in The Raider's quest for a return to the playoffs. They need to dump that chump and fast, because the way it looks  Denver may not lose another game this year.  Tim Tebow is now America's golden boy, his name probably gets mentioned as much as (John Lennon moment coming up) Jesus Christ on any given Sunday. 

Tebow's popularity doesn't come as a surprise.  His success on the field is also not surprising, when you consider that he's playing against many of the same guys he played against in college.  They rarely stopped him then, and the same holds true in the NFL.  That's what the Raiders are up against, a fucking locomotive with nothing but momentum behind it.

The Raiders have a way of making mediocre Quarterbacks and Running Backs look good. This Sunday it was Reggie Bush's turn, 22 carries for 100 yds. (only his third hundred yard NFL game) Miami out gained Oakland on the ground 209 yds. to 46, Michael Bush The Raider's primary runner had nothing on this day. 

Miami scored two touchdowns before the Raiders even picked up a first down. With The Raider running game shut down, Carson Palmer was a sitting duck. He was sacked twice and tossed to the ground on almost every play. Palmer and the entire offensive line were physically outplayed and beat up. 

Raider Notes:

Rolando McClain was arrested and charged with four misdemeanors  after a gun-related incident in his hometown of Decatur, Ala. He bonded out of jail and played in Sunday's game. Hue Jackson said he would address the situation, but that he was satisfied with Rolando's explanation.  Shit do happen, but what the hell was he doing hanging out with his homeboys in the first place?

On a sad note, defensive back Chris Johnson's sister was shot and killed and his mother wounded by the sister's former boyfriend. Johnson left the team to be with family in Ft. Worth, Tx. 

The Raiders and NFL Properties have filed a lawsuit in Federal Court against a San Francisco hamburger chain. Nation's Giant Hamburgers, which has 26 locations in the Bay Area is accused of infringing on the "Raider Nation" trademark. Nation's Giant Hamburgers introduced an ad campaign built around the slogan "When Hunger Hits, Raid a Nation's" 

Nation's slogan is "phonetically indistinguishable" from the Raider's trademarked slogan declared team lawyers. They also accused Nation's of altering their logo (a giant hamburger) by adding an eye patch similar to the one worn by The Raiders mascot. Silly Nation's what the hell were they thinking, you don't mess with an NFL team's logo. 

Highlights: breakfast was the only highlight in an otherwise dismal day

Lowlights: I hate to say the offensive line, but yeah it was the offensive line.  Oh! and the defense sucked every minute they were out on the field.

The Other Side: Reggie Bush, he was feeling it, after getting nailed by Aaron Curry he rolled over and started doing push-ups. That was cute, it reminded me of when he was with New Orleans and he crawled on all fours, puking on the field after getting hit on a kick return.

Lip Service:

"I wouldn't say it was shocking," linebacker Aaron Curry said. "It's embarrassing."

"They could point fingers, I suppose, but they would need to grow a few more digits" The Oakland Tribune

"There's no excuses," Jackson said. "It would be easy for me to say a lot of things. I'm not going to. This is the National Football League. We have good players ... and our good players have to play good every week. And we didn't do that today.

"After a loss like this there's really not much to say other than we got outplayed in every phase of the game," Palmer said. "We just got physically beat today, which is discouraging."

“We couldn’t run. We couldn’t stop the run. We didn’t pass very well,” Jackson said. “Just a bad day at the office.”

New Mexico Football Report

The outcome of the Boise St.- UNM football match-up was a foregone conclusion long before the game was played. Boise St. throttled The Lobos 45-0, and it wasn't even as close as the score would indicate. The Lobos did beat the spread (48) but that can't be attributed to Boise St.'s inability to pile it on. The Broncos were already screwed out of a BCS bid and running up the score was pointless.  The 2011 football season is over and we are finally free of Mike Locksley and his associated malfeasance. Let's just press reset and pretend that the last three seasons didn't happen... thank you! 

The Bob Davie era has already begun. Here'a a delightful quote from Yahoo Sports: "Bob Davie spent nearly a decade away from coaching, which is ironic because his predecessor at New Mexico, Mike Lockley, set the Lobos back about 10 years as well."  Bob Davie must introduce mental and physical toughness to the team and re-focus on recruiting in the Southwest & West Coast. Locksley's preferred recruiting areas were Washington D.C. and Illinois and to be certain, some key players like, RB. Crusoe Gongbay & WR Deon Long both hail from the D.C. area. However, overall Locksley's Cap City recruits have been less than outstanding.

Bob Davie can't be happy with what he saw from potential returning players as the season ran its course. George Barlow, the Lobo's interim coach and most of the assistants will also be shown the door. The Lobos need hard chargers, like Qb. recruit, Cole Gautsche of Cleveland Hs. in Rio Rancho. Gautsche had committed to The Aggies during the early signing period which led Yahoo Sports to trumpet: "Despite living in UNM's backyard, he chose NMSU over the Lobos showing that the recruiting tide in the state has shifted" Unbeknownst to Yahoo Sports, as soon as Locksley was fired the tide turned back in UNM's favor. Gautsche changed his mind, and declared he would play for The Lobos.

 And if that's a cold shot... babe, Davie further drove the dagger deeper into the Aggies' backs by luring NMSU offensive line coach Jason Lenzmeier back to UNM. Lenzmeier, a former Lobo (1st. team MWC offensive tackle) was UNM's offensive line coach under Rocky Long but joined DeWayne Walker's staff at NMSU when Mike Locksley was hired. Lenz is known for recruiting the Albuquerque area, which may have been a factor in Gautsche's decision. Expect to see an exodus of Locksley recruits from UNM (including former starting Qb. Tarean Austin) It's also rumored that freshman running back, Crusoe Gongbay will make a hasty exit. 

"The opponent was irrelevant Saturday afternoon at Bronco Stadium. And it probably would have been that way even if someone other than the woeful New Mexico Lobos had been on the other sideline."  The Idaho Statesman

UNM 0  Boise St. 45

As I previously mentioned, the outcome of this game was never in doubt. The Lobos had no intention of shocking the world or playing like there was something at stake. The trash talking Idaho Statesman observed that "The Lobos seemed more interested in holding the ball than scoring" I guess you could say that UNM went into the football equivalent of the four corner stall. Thus the season ended for The Lobos the same way it began, sans glory and victory. 

Kellen Moore was so precise and efficient in slicing up the Lobo's secondary that Chris Petersen was beside himself with orgasmic delight. “He was dead-on, and again I think the leader of the whole senior class sets the standard and sets the tone." He primed the pump some more “That’s about as clean as you can play, you talk about standards... he set the standard for quarterback play throughout the country for four years.”

Whatever! I'm not going to sit here and glorify Boise St., fuck them!  Today (Dec. 7th) The Big East Conference announced that both Boise St. and San Diego St. would join the Big East Conference (in football only) Boise St. will dump it's other programs (men's & women's) on the WAC, while San Diego St. will do the same to The Big West Conf. The Mountain West Conf. will now carry on with nine teams (for now Air Force is staying)

The MWC and Conf. USA (which is losing 3 schools to the Big East) are in the process of putting together a football "super" conference, which at the present time will be made up of nine teams from each league. It may be the only way for both to survive as independent entities. As for the MWC replacing Boise St. & San Diego St., the pickings are getting mighty slim. San Jose St. & Utah St. from the WAC and UTEP from Conf. USA are the only options left.  

Karma can be a bitch and football programs like BYU, Boise St. and TCU are running up an Obama sized deficit in their quest to run with the big dogs. BYU screwed the MWC, the WAC and dumb 'ol Utah St.  Boise St. screwed the WAC, the MWC & apparently bad mouthed Air Force out a Big East berth. TCU screwed the old WAC, C-USA, the MWC & The Big East before landing in the Big 12. Sooner or later what goes around will come around. Hasty, shortsighted decisions made while swooning at the sight and smell of big money are bad for business. 

NMSU 21  Utah St. 24

The Utags 24-21 victory over an Aggie team that had been run through a meat grinder was unimpressive. The win meant that Utah St. finished at 7-5  guaranting them a bowl invite. Pray tell it's not the New Mexico Bowl. If you think the NMSU Aggies are lame, then you haven't seen the Utah version. You don't want them in Albuquerque for a bowl game, not if you want to make money. They don't tip, smoke or drink and they'll sleep in their trucks before they'll rent a room. 

While they're not known for being generous, Utah St. did give up the ball twice inside the NMSU 10 yd. line. This kept NMSU in the game, until Kenny Turner ran in from 3 yds. out to give The Aggies a 21-17 lead. Alas, there was almost nine minutes left in the game and although the Aggies got the ball back, they could not sustain a drive and run out the clock. 

The Aggies were forced to punt (for the 8th time) The Utags took over at their own 17 yd. line with 5:04 left in the game. 10 consecutive rushing plays later, the drive appeared to stall out at the NMSU 14 yd. line. Facing a fourth and two, Utah St. ran the ball again. A keeper by Qb. Andy Kennedy to the right side picked up the first down. Matt Austin then pulled in an eight yard td. pass from Kennedy with :35 left on the clock to secure the win for Utah St. 

Oh! so close for NMSU, but no cigar. Matt Christian returned to action finishing with 17-40 passing, good for 252 yds. and 1 td. Kenny Turner rushed 13 times for 65 yds. in what could have been his final game as an Aggie. Taveon Rogers went out with 6 receptions for 73 yds. Both Christian & Rogers are Seniors, while Turner a Junior is 24 years old and may decide to try out for an NFL team.  

NMSU finishes the season at 4-9, except for UTEP & Utah St. all their losses were blow outs to one degree or another. There was a marked improvement from last year's team, but they're a long way from competing with the upper echelon of even a diminished WAC. The defense needs a desperate upgrade, they couldn't stop anyone late in the season. 

While a 4-9 record isn't a cause for celebration, it does offer hope for the future. DeWayne Walker is currently negotiating with NMSU for a contract extension, he'll be back for at least one more season. After that, The Aggies will have to cough up a few dollars more to keep him around. If 4-9 makes them so happy, just imagine how giddy they'll be when they're 6-6. 

Raiders - Bears Game 11

The Raiders are winning ugly, but they're winning. The defense is always on the verge of a total collapse, but somehow they hold it together. Injuries are adding up and yet they keep winning. Three in a row and counting, a 7-4 record and sole possesion of first place in the AFC West. They need to keep winning, seeing how Tim Tebow and the reborn Donkey crew is one game back and riding a four game winning streak (that began with a road win over the Raiders) 

Up next are the Miami Dolphins, who are not the same team that started out 0-7. Miami had a three game winning streak of their own going before losing to the Dallas Cowboys on a last second field goal on Thanksgiving Day. It turns out that Matt Moore is no better or worse than Chad Henne. Tony Sparano, who was lined up for a boot out the door has some life left in him yet. What I'm trying to say is that the Fins are dangerous. 

Oakland doesn't do well in the Eastern time zone and since moving back to Oakland, their record against Miami is spotty. (they've played eleven times since 1996 with Miami winning 8 times) With Denver playing at Minnesota on Sunday, it's not likely that Christian Ponder will pull one out of his ass (a victory, that is) So, The Raiders must win at Miami, if they want to avoid falling into a tie for first place. 

Last Sunday playing at home against the Chicago Bears (who were without starting Qb. Jay Cutler) the Raider offense had trouble finding the redzone and the endzone. Oakland is now 7-4, thanks to six... count 'em... six, Sebastian Janikowski field goals. Sebastian hit from 40, 47, 42, 19, 37 and 44 yards to set a new Raider record, that he shared with Jeff Jaeger. Those 18 points were almost enough to beat The Bears, but it took a touchdown from Michael Bush in the fourth quarter to seal the deal, 25-20.

Punter Shane Lechler also had an astounding day, booting an 80 yd. punt (from kick to paydirt, no roll) that set another Raider team record. Lechler's deep punts kept Chicago's dangerous kick returner, Devin Hester frustrated throughout the afternoon. Starting for the first in his career, Caleb Hanie struggled as he threw three interceptions. However, he did rally the Bears with a late fourth quarter td pass to Kellen Davis and burned Oakland several times with long runs. I think the word is out that The Raiders can't defend the Qb. draw. Tim Tebow, Christian Ponder and Caleb Hanie all ran effectively against Oakland. 

Hanie competed 18-35 passes for 254 yds. and two td. passes. His lack of game experience showed during the final seconds. With the Bears near mid-field and out of time outs, Hanie took two steps back and appeared to fake a pass before spiking the ball. This drew an intentional grounding call, which results in a ten second run-off (there were only 4 seconds left on the clock) ending the game.

Something the Raiders didn't do during the game earned them praise, they didn't draw their usual barrage of penalty flags. It shows that someone is listening, Oakland finished with 6 penalties for 44 yds. and no personal fouls. At least that bugaboo didn't plague them, however the Raiders inability to stop their opponents on third and long came back to bite them. Caleb Hanie connected with Johnny Knox on a third and long pass play that picked up 81yards and led to the Kellen Davis td.

With so many key offensive players out with injuries, Carson Palmer made do with what he had. His steady play and cool demeanor kept Oakland on course even though they repeatedly faltered once they got past mid-field. Chicago's stingy defense had something to do with that, as did Carson's lack of options.  Palmer was 21-37 for 301 yds. he was sacked four times and threw one interception. Michael Bush rushed 24 times for 69 yds. and scored The Raiders lone touchdown.

Chester McGlockton, R.I.P.

Raider Notes:

Former Raider All Pro defensive tackle Chester McGlockton died today (Nov. 30th) of an apparent heart attack, he was just 42 years old. McGlockton was selected 16th overall by The Raiders in the 1992 draft out of Clemson Univ. Chester was selected to the Pro Bowl four times during his playing days with the Raiders. He was a defensive anchor and a fan favorite, he will always be known as a Raider first and foremost. At the time of his passing he was a defensive assistant at Stanford Univ. 

Obviously, Sebastian Janikowski's hamstring is healing. Jarvis Moss, Darren McFadden, Jacoby Ford & Jason Campbell are still listed as out. Samson Satele, Richard Seymour, Denarius Moore, Taiwan Jones, Michael Huff, Lamarr Houston & Darrius Heyward-Bey are listed as questionable for the Miami game. The Raiders also signed cornerback Bryan McCann (who saw action against the Bears) and re-signed wide receiver Derek Hagan (who was cut when Oakland signed TJ Houshmandzadeh)

Michael Bush's touchdown was not only the game clincher, but it was the first fourth quarter score by The Raiders since Oct. 9th at Houston.  The six penalties for 44 yards accured by Oakland was not their season low, The Raiders had five penalties for 35 yards against the Cleveland Browns.  They still lead the NFL with 109 penalties for a total of 936 yards. We'll see if Hue Jackson's plea to league official for fairness pays off some more. 

Highlights: It's a no brainer... Sebastian Janikowski, six for six, a team record.. clutch kicks all!

Lowlights: The defense needs to do a better job of recognizing and stopping Qb. draws, third down lapses almost doomed The Raiders... again.

The Otherside: Johnny Knox 278 total yards of offense, 145 on four catches and 133 on kick returns... Devin who?

They Said It:

 “Those guys are game-changers, There’s not many punter-kicker combinations in the league … there can’t be a better one.”  Carson Palmer on Janikowski & Lechler's performance 

 “Our two kickers are fantastic,” coach Hue Jackson said. “There’s not another punter or kicker in the National Football League I would ever want to have on the football team. I said to the team when this was over, those were the two men who were here the last time this team was 7-4. Those guys have a lot to do with it. They did a tremendous job.”

“We knew coming into this game that he lacked experience but we knew that he could still make plays, as you saw in the Green Bay title game last year, We knew he still had the ability to make us look bad and come out of here with the W if we didn’t take care of business.”  Stanford Routt on preparing to face Caleb Hanie.

"I think our guys recognize that it's something that's hurt us and that we have to play with a little more focus and intelligence when it comes to doing things that could cost us" Hue Jackson on the topic of penalties.

"It's never fixed, I think Chicago was a start. It's a start for the new Raiders. I'm going to term it that way because I think it's very important down the stretch that we play as a very intelligent team."

Hue Jackson still on the topic of penalties.

New Mexico Football Report

With the Lobos sitting out a week before their season finale against Boise St., the Aggies get the spotlight this week.  NMSU's game with Louisiana Tech didn't go how Aggie nation had hoped. The game was played under a steady drizzle, that seemed to bog down the spirit and energy of both NMSU players and coaches.  The Aggies shortsighted scheduling errors finally caught up to them in a big way. The Aggies are the victims of a Catch-22, they can't finance their program without playing against schools that will physically abuse them. Yet, playing those schools kills any chance they have of competing against WAC schools 

For DeWayne Walker, the 44-0 pounding at the hands of newly crowned WAC champion, Louisiana Tech was puzzling. "I know Georgia's Georgia, BYU is a good football team, to come here and to lose like this, it is pretty frustrating," Walker said. Get real Coach!, when you're down to your third string Qb. and your defense hasn't held an opponent under 40 points since Oct. 15th. (a 31-24 win over the U. of Idaho.) what do you really expect?  I wouldn't blame Coach Walker if he's already looking to next year. "We got one left (next Saturday vs. Utah State) and we've got to find a way to finish up on a good note."  Note:*The dearth of game photos forced me to insert random football images

The new look BYU Cougars were not popular with the gals in Provo

The 2012 season will bring a new look WAC  and a chance for NMSU to compete against their conference brethren on a more level field.  For NMSU fans who haven't been following the twists and turns of college football's piranha like feeding frenzy here's a rundown. The WAC currently consists of  eight schools: Fresno St., U. of Hawai'i, U. of Idaho, U. of Nevada, NMSU, San Jose St., Louisiana Tech & Utah St.  Three current WAC schools will depart for the Mountain West Conf. starting in 2012. Fresno St., Hawai'i & Nevada will be replaced by UT-Arlington, UT-San Antonio & Texas St. Univ.- San Marcos. 

The three Texas schools compete in the FCS but are in the process of upgrading their programs to the FBS level. They will compete in all sports for both men and women.  The Univ. of Denver & Seattle Univ. will also join the WAC as basketball only schools. Conference football champ, Louisiana Tech will be the school to beat in the future. Sonny Dykes* has The Bulldogs on the right track, if they don't bolt to Conference USA, they should dominate the new WAC.  San Jose St., Utah St., NMSU & Idaho will head up the middle of the pack. All three Texas schools are wild cards, their success is contingent on how fast they get up to speed on the recruiting trail. (*Sonny Dykes was considered a candidate for the UNM head coaching job before Paul Krebs hired Mike Locksley)

In 2012 UNM and NMSU renewed their annual rivalry in throwback uniforms 

The Mountain West which includes UNM, Colorado St., Air Force, Boise St., Wyoming, San Diego St., UNLV & TCU, has become the target of Big East raiding parties. Boise St. and Air Force have held prelimary talks with that conference concerning membership. Boise St. is ready to go (Boise = The Big East, really?) but desires San Diego St. as a partner rather than Air Force. TCU had joined the Big East, but reneged and jumped to The Big 12 (the only goddamn thing that makes any sense in all this) If it all comes to pass, the MWC would have San Diego St., UNM, UNLV, Colorado St., Wyoming, Nevada, Fresno St. & Hawai'i (football only) as members.

There are far too many intangibles for Boise St. and Air Force to be hasty about moving to the Big East. Outside of  a football program that usually finishes at 7-5, Air Force would bring nothing to the Big East. Bosie St. football is just one coaching change away from returning to their Big Sky days.  Boise St.'s success on the football field has hinged on one man, Chris Petersen. It's a fucking miracle that he's still there, but it's time for big name schools to come calling. If some bug-eyed A.D. throws crazy Urban Meyer money at him, he will take the money and run. In the past decade we've seen some of college football's premier programs struggle mightily: Michigan, Notre Dame, Miami, Florida St. and that's with their advantage of big time television money and BCS tie-ins.  

By 2010, the Reserve Hs. uniforms were a bit outdated

I seem to have digressed from the NMSU Aggies' game report. La. Tech won 44-0, so you can assume that there wasn't much to say about the Aggies' effort. They stank up the stadium, and in Louisiana that's hard to do, because the entire state has an ever present stench of decay hanging in the air. Starting NMSU Qb. Matt Christian could not go at game time, so Travaughn Colwell was called upon to start. As you would expect a third stringer to do, Travaughn struggled the entire game. Simple things like taking the snap and hand-offs became troublesome, dooming the Aggies' every effort. The one bright spot on an otherwise deary day was Kenny Turner who carried the rock 29 times for 149 yds. One more game remains for NMSU against Mountain West reject Utah St., who is coming off a surprising win over Nevada. 

Plug 'em while they're warm!

Raiders- Vikings Game 10

This was an ugly win, but a win nonetheless. Once again the Raiders dominated in the first half, only to find themselves holding on for dear life in the second to beat Minnesota 27-21. The Raiders are known for their propensity to commit penalties.  This we know too well... but some of the penalties called on them raised serious doubts over whether officials are calling games fairly or not. After the game Hue Jackson stated emphatically: "I don't even know what football is right now" 

Sunday's officiating crew was not on top of its game. After a holding penalty on the Vikings, they forgot to reset the down causing a long delay as they corrected their error. Through their stumbling and bumbling, the officials basically killed the flow of the game, it was not a pretty sight. Hue Jackson who has stoically absorbed the onslaught of penalties incurred by Oakland. (103 and counting)  was fuming and edging closer to his breaking point. 

On Monday, Jackson met with league officials to plead his case and demand some answers. The Raiders were penalized 12 times on Sunday for 117 yds. This included 4 personal foul penalties. “I know everyone says we’re the most-penalized team in football and that’s a fact, and I’m not running from that,” Jackson said. “But there’s no way, some things that happened today on that football field, I question. I just do, and I have to, and I’m going to defend my team. It’s time that I do that.” 

The penalties kept several Viking drives alive and helped them rally back from a seemingly insurmontable 27-7 deficit. Some of the blame can be placed on the officials, they did a terrible job Sunday. However,  the other four fingers point right back at The Raiders, specifically the defensive unit. The stitches holding Jackson's bully defense together are starting to unravel. In every game this year (especially in the losses) the defense has lacked stamina, cohesion and  intelligence in the second half.

Minnesota got on the board first, thanks to an Adrian Peterson touchdown run, (he later went down with an ankle injury and was unable to return) This seemed to bolster the Raiders as they roared to a 20 point lead. The Raider defense kept the Vikings in check with the exception of Christian Ponder, who seemingly ran at will through Oakland defenders. That was a cause for consternation, but what the fuck! we're up by twenty and Peterson is gone.

It's never that easy. First came a scary injury to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, who was carted off the field with no movement in his extremities. Then the offense, after a dominating first half, ground to a halt. Christian Ponder connected with Percy Harvin for a 26 yd. td. pass to make the score 27-14. No need to panic... right? Following three consecutive Raider penalties (including a questionable personal foul called on Aaron Curry) The Vikings found themselves in the redzone, only to have their hopes dashed when Stanford Routt intercepted Ponder in the end zone.

The Raiders got the ball back and seemed to be in full control until Michael Bush fumbled in Vikings' territory allowing Minnesota to score a few plays later, now the score was 27-21 and it looked like the Raiders were fixing to choke it away. Unable to run the clock out, The Raiders gave the Vikings a final opportunity with three minutes left. But, for once the defense showed some backbone, snuffing out Minnesota's final drive. The highlight of their effort was Tyvon Branch breaking up a fourth down pass attempt to preserve the victory. 

Raider Notes:

Carson Palmer completed 17-23 pass attempts, but more importantly cashed in on a total of three Viking turnovers.  Michael Bush rushed for 109 yds. and a touchdown, however his fumble stopped what was shaping up as The Raiders' best second half drive. For the fifth consecutive game, Oakland has failed to score in the fourth quarter. After steamrolling Minnesota's defense in the first half, The Raiders were unable to sustain any of their drives in the second half.

Janikowski had a field goal blocked, he's still not right and it's starting to look like those long attempts early in the season have screwed up his form. Darrius Heyward-Bey had total movement in his limbs, but appears to have suffered a neck injury. It's highly doubtful he'll play against Chicago next week, thinning the Raiders' receiving corp even further. Oakland continues to suffer a rash of injuries, Taiwan Jones is hurt again, center Samson Satele got his bell rung (again!) Jarvis Moss injured a hamstring and Darren McFadden is still out along with Jacoby Ford.

At 6-4 Oakland still leads the AFC West division, and it's starting to shape up as a two team race with the Broncos. San Diego lost its fifth straight game and Kansas City (now without Matt Cassel) is sinking fast.  Chicago Qb. Jay Cutler suffered a season ending injury on Sunday, The Bears will start Caleb Hanie against Oakland.

Highlights: Carson Palmer continues to put 20+ points on the board everytime out, Michael Bush isn't making people forget McFadden, but he's one hell of a stand-in. Matt Giordano snagged his second crucial interception of the season, not bad for someone who was cut in training camp.

Lowlights: Defensive penalties in the second half are killing The Raiders, you can overcome them against bad teams, it'll be a different story against Chicago & Green Bay.

The Otherside: Adrian Peterson lost the shoe on his right foot as he was being tackled. This caused his ankle to roll violently, x-rays were negative.

For What it's Worth:

“We continue to battle and that’s what I really love about my football team is they won’t quit”   Hue Jackson

“It’s definitely scary, Our thoughts and prayers are with him and I know he has family watching the game. It’s a tough situation to be in.” Carson Palmer on the effect Darrius Heyward-Bey's injury had on the team.

“He’s going to be fine, I truly believe he’s going to be OK, but obviously we have to take all the precautionary measures to make sure he’s going to be OK.” Hue Jackson on Darrius Heyward-Bey's injury

 “Like Coach Jackson said, we haven’t played a complete football game yet, And it’s scary to think, when we do, what it’s going to look like.”  Carson Palmer on Raiders' potential

New Mexico Football Report

Nothing says high handed arrogance like "Do you know who I am?" a favorite of New Mexico scalawags and scoundrels. It's usually uttered when police pull them over for DUI or arrive at the scene of domestic disturbance call. Pushing your weight around is a time honored tradition in this state. Every local even remotely connected to a public figure or anyone holding elected office quickly picks up on it, including Meiko Locksley a sophomore on the UNM football squad once coached by his daddy.

The apple it seems, doesn't fall far from the tree. A security guard at the apartments where Locksley's girlfriend lives had reported hearing "yelling and slapping noises." APD officers were summoned and they arrived to find Meiko sitting in his SUV (the same one Joshua Butts drove) The vehicle smelled of marijuana smoke, although none was found in his possession. According to police officers, Locksley was "uncooperative & irate" he greeted them by yelling: "Do you know who I am?" having drawn a blank, he grew agitated and responded "I'm a Locksley, I'm a UNM football player."

Every officer on the scene who kept a straight face when Meiko said that should receive a commendation. Tossing out the Locksley name in this state won't curry much favor.  When questioned, Locksley's girlfriend stated that Meiko had not hit her and that the argument was her fault for "being mad at him" She refused to press charges because "she didn't want Locksley to get in trouble at UNM." No charges were filed and Locksley was not arrested.

That old saying comes to mind: "Good riddance to bad rubbish." The stench of arrogance and failure brought upon us by Mike Locksley still hangs heavy in the air.  Meiko Locksley has probably suited up for the last time as a Lobo, he won't be missed. Bob Davie will have his hands full when he takes over as head coach at UNM. First on the order of things: clear out losers like Meiko. In the future Lobo football won't coddle or tolerate dope smokers and woman beaters, unless they're potential All-Americans.

Bob Davie ushers in a new era for UNM football, he's a hardnosed disciplinarian with a strong work ethic. He will quickly weed out lazy, weak willed, ganja puffing slackers. "I'm taking this job for the right reasons, It is fragile here, losing takes a toll on everybody." said Davie, "I have to stabilize this program, I have to change this culture, we need to out-work and out-hustle everyone else."  In other words, get ready for the shit to hit the fan. New Mexico football is going to get a make-over like we haven't seen since the days of Dennis Franchione.  Davie plans to avoid going the juco route unlike Franchione. His plan calls for hitting the recruiting trail in New Mexico and Texas. Locksley recruited quite a few instate kids, but he came up short in Texas.

"This is a bigtime university and a bigtime city" said Davie "I love this state, it is a little different, a little quirky, it's not for everyone and that fires me up."  Davie was not on anyone's list of candidates for the UNM job, nor was anyone aware that he was seeking the position. So, after the names of Terry Bowden & Tommy Bowden had been mentioned as possible choices, his hiring caught many by surprise.  For the last ten years, Davie has been an analyst for ESPN. Since his firing at Notre Dame he had not sought out any other coaching jobs.

UNM  10    Wyoming  31

On the cold, blustry tundra of War Memorial Stadium, with game time temperatures of 27 degrees the Lobos gave new meaning to the very definition of halfhearted. One more brutal game and the Locksley/Barlow era will draw to a close. Personally, I can't slam the book shut on this nasty chapter of Lobo football fast enough. Coming off their first win of the year and only their third in three seasons, you would hope for more of an effort from UNM. Fuck it!, why go out fighting when whimpering suits you better?

This is an improved bunch of Cowboys. After Saturday's 31-10 win over UNM, they're now 7-3, and in Laramie folks are actually talking Mountain West title and bowl game... imagine that! Wyoming is the example for UNM to build on, last year after they lost to the Lobos (they would finish 3-9), their fans were ready to see Dave Christensen out on a rail. This was just one year removed from a New Mexico Bowl win over Fresno St.... Pay attention Lobo fans!, now their patience is paying off. 

When the season started Wyoming was without a quarterback. Two year starter Austyn Carta-Samuels had decided to transfer (he wound up at Vanderbilt)  His departure left Wyoming thin at quarterback, until  Freshman gem Brett Smith emerged.  Likewise The Lobos also found themselves without a quarterback after Stump Godfrey bolted for Hawai'i.  Tarean Austin was Locksley's starter, B.R. Holbrook took over when Barlow was appointed interim head coach, both quarterbacks have been less than effective. 

Against New Mexico Smith rushed 12 times for 140 yds, including one touchdown run of 69 yds. He also completed 23-38 passes for 212 yds. for a total of 352 total yards. How's that for a balanced attack? Wyoming had possession of the football for 33 minutes and was 11-17 on third down tries, not too shabby. Smith has already surpassed the Mountain West record for total offense by a freshman Qb. a record previously held by TCU's Andy Dalton (now with the Bengals)   

While New Mexico's blind man's bluff approach to defense allowed Wyoming's spread offense to run wild. UNM's offense was forced to punt five times and turned the ball over twice in the second half. The Lobos actually had the lead late in the second quarter, B.R. Holbrook capped off a touchdown drive with a five yard run, to put UNM up 10-7 (adding to a field goal by James Aho, who finally broke his streak of 5 straight misses) With 1:41 left in the first half, the Cowboys ran nine plays and scored to retake the lead at halftime.

George Barlow summed it up for UNM: “We went back to making mistakes we’ve been making, we weren’t moving the ball consistently enough to keep the defense off the field, and when the defense was on the field we didn’t tackle very well and didn’t play well on third downs.”  Which is George Barlow's way of saying that the defense amounts to nothing more than snail snot. 

NMSU 7   BYU 42

Here's the skinny: BYU's Jake Heaps made his first start since getting benched following a loss to Utah St. (Sept. 30th) Cougar starter Riley Nelson is out (presumably for the season) with broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung. Against NMSU it didn't matter, Heaps finished with 238 yds. passing and four touchdown passes as the Cougars blew out the Aggies 42-7. 

Matt Christian threw a touchdown pass to Austin Franklin for NMSU's only score, then true to form he left the game in the third quarter with an injury. Also, true to form, Travaughn Colwell came in and fumbled the ball away setting up a BYU score. It was that kind of game for the Aggies who were coming off an encouraging 48-45 win over Fresno St. (in which they racked up 500 yards of offense)  

BYU's defense is made of stronger and much older material than Fresno St. and it showed. It was Senior night in Provo, which meant that every 26 year old Zoob on the squad, herded his wifes and kids out onto the field at halftime, dragging things out and delaying the inevitable for the Aggies. Two things I noticed during this game, 1. Someone should tell the Lobos that clean living and laying off the marijuana does make you better football players. 2. I don't miss BYU in the Mountain West, they are insufferable asshats. 

Something tells me that meaningless games against Idaho, NMSU & Hawai'i in November won't help your standing in the BCS much. Being a football independent is the kiss of death (unless you're Notre Dame) Whereas BYU could once feed off their scrawny brethren in the MWC, now they're reduced to picking gristle off bleached bones. Sometimes being alone on an island just means that you're going to starve to death all by yourself.  Egads!