New Mexico Football Report

For those of you not familiar with college football and its classification system, Left Nut Sports, your authority on college football will give you a give rundown. 

A university is a college with a stadium seating over 40,000.  ~Leonard L. Levinson

In college football Division One (D1) is the top tier, this level is dominated by the BCS schools (Bowl Championship Series) which basically amounts to those schools that spend the most money, have the largest stadiums and the most attendance. D1 is divided into two groups, the FBS or Football Bowl Series has no playoff system other than the post season bowl games and is dependant on the BCS computer rating system, the Associated Press  and Coaches polls to determine a champion. (starting in 2014, a four team playoff will be implemented) All BCS schools are considered D1 FBS, but not all D1 FBS schools are in the BCS.  

NCAA D1, FCS, (Football Championship Series) is the second tier, made up of schools with smaller athletic budgets and lower average attendance. The FCS determines its national champion through a playoff system. There are currently no D1 FCS schools in New Mexico, though the Aggies seemed destined to play at that level. New Mexico's three small colleges play at the Div. II level. This is the third tier, Div. II schools must field a minimum of 10 sports, split between men & women. What these three tiers do have in common, is that member schools offer athletic scholarships to their athletes. 

At the FBS level attendance means everything, The UNM-NMSU game drew almost 26,000 fans. By BCS standards that's weak, UNM will average around 12,000 per games over the course of a season, while the Aggies will be lucky to break 10,000 per game. NMSU is on double secret probation with the NCAA because they've failed to stay above the minimum average of attendance which is something like 11,000 per game. Because of this at the end of the season the Aggies usually have a game where they have to draw 16,000-20,000 fans to avoid being dropped down to the FCS level. In a nutshell, Division 1 is the most intense and Division 3 the least. 

The fourth tier, known as NCAA Div. III is for non-scholarship schools. At this level all athletes are essentially walk-ons, there are no athletic scholarships offered. They play football for the love of the game and little else. The NAIA, is another college association, it has been around longer than the NCAA, but long ago lost ground and was relegated to a lower status. All three of New Mexico's small colleges were once members of the NAIA, in fact the entire Rocky Mountain Conference was once part of the NAIA before switching to the NCAA. The NAIA is the last refuge for players who run afoul of NCAA rules, the football played is comparable to that of NCAA Div.II.

ENMU Greyhounds  23      Tarleton St. Univ. Texans  35

Last weekend, ENMU upheld the honor of New Mexico football as the only college squad in the state to pick up a win. Both of the state's D1 FBS teams (UNM & NMSU) lost, as did WNMU & NMHU. Turnabout is fair play and this week, The Hounds riding on the crest of back to back wins (Sul Ross St. and Incarnate Word) were humbled in Texas by The Tarleton St. Univ. Texans 35-23. Thus, the Hounds joined the NMSU Aggies in the loser's bracket for the state of New Mexico. The loss overshadowed an superlative effort from ENMU's Sr. Qb. Wesley Wood.

After a scoreless first quarter, the LSC rivals traded scores throughout much of the game, with a fervor.  The Hounds followed four Texan touchdowns, with scores of their own, the most spectacular,  an 80 yd. td pass from Wes Wood to Dillon Metzger (Rio Rancho Hs. Rio Rancho, NM) A pair of big plays by the Texans and the Hounds found themselves down 21-10 at halftime. In the third quarter, Eastern tried to mount a comeback, Wesley Wood scored on a 21 yd. td. run to pull the hound dawgs within 4 points at 21-17.

But, before you could say "There's too much dang ice in my soda pop" Tarleton St. scored again to stretch the lead to eleven points. ENMU mounted another drive, culminated by  a Wesley Wood to De'Coreyon Thomas  td. pass. Trailing by five with less than eight minutes left to play, Eastern needed their defense to come up with a big stop. But, dadgumit!  there was no stopping the Texans, Roderick Smith broke off a 69 yd. run for pay dirt that  extended Tarleton State's  lead to 12 points and nailed down the victory.

While neither team resorted to playing matador defense, the offense dominated the field of play. Wesley Wood threw for 242 yds. and 2 td's and ran for 44 yds. and a touchdown in a losing effort for Eastern.  Dillon Metzger had two catches for 131 yds.,  or 65.5 yds. per reception. The Texans finished with a season-high 564 yards of offense (324 rushing yards and 240 yards passing) ENMU finished with 386 yards of total offense on the night (247 yds passing) this despite the Greyhounds running a predominately wishbone style offense.

Tarleton St. Rb. Roderick Smith had  204 rushing, while Evan Robertson added 115 rushing yards. Texans' Qb. Aaron Doyle threw for 240 yards as he completed 19 of his 34 passes with a pair of touchdowns. There was one defensive standout, ENMU's Seth Bailey (Texico hs.) made a game high 15 tackles including nine solo tackles. The key to the game was the 30 first downs and 2 of 3 fourth down attempts, converted by Tarleton St. The name of the game was "big plays" on this night, the Texans just had more of them.

The Eastern New Mexico University football team will return to action, next Saturday, for the Home Coming Game against Angelo State.  Established as a junior college in 1926, San Angelo College as it was then known, became a full fledged university in 1967. For unknown reasons the San was dropped  in 1969. Angelo St. Univ. has been a member of the Lone Star Conf. since 1968.

Success on the football field has been fleeting for the Rams, they've never won an LSC title, other than the two South Division titles they shared with ENMU in 1999 & 2000. Nonetheless, The Angelo St. Rams play at 17,500 seat San Angelo Stadium and have been ranked in the Top 20 in DII attendance 15 times in the last 20 years.  The ENMU Greyhounds find themselves at 2-2 overall, 1-1 in Lone Star play with only conference games left on their schedule. 

WNMU Mustangs  42         Fort Lewis College Skyhawks   34

After frustrating losses to the Univ. of San Diego and nationally ranked CSU-Pueblo, what the Mustang needed was an easy game against the RMAC whipping boys from Ft. Lewis College... right?  With the Skyhawk offense  bogged down in ineptitude, WMNU came out firing on all cylinders. Mustang Qb. Mitch Glasmann almost seemed to toy with Ft. Lewis, after drawing them offsides on consecutive downs, he connected with Marquis Sumpter for a 41 yd. td. pass.

Ft. Lewis would keep their punter busy with a succession of three and outs while Glassman punished their hapless secondary.  Glassman fired a pass over the middle to Donald Byrd who took it to the hole, 58 yds. to give Western a 14-0 first quarter lead.  The Glasmann to Byrd connection worked so well that on their next possession they went right back to it. "Fool me once shame on our corners, fool me twice shame on our defensive coordinator" 

Glasmann found Byrd for another touchdown, this one for 42 yds. and the rout was on, 21-0. WNMU's next touchdown of the first half came gift wrapped from the Skyhawks. Forced to punt (yet again) the snap sailed high over the punter's head into the end zone, where Randy  Perez of the Mustangs recovered it for a touchdown. With six minute still left in the half, Ft. Lewis had the choice of giving up or getting mad, they chose to get mad and get even. 

The Skyhawks' comeback started in an innocuous manner, utilizing a sloppy eight play, 75 yd. drive to score just before the break.  You can't blame the Mustangs for going into the locker rooms feeling that this one was in the bag.  Upon, resuming the second half, the Skyghawks took up where they had left off, taking just three plays to score again, cutting Western's lead in half.  The shamefully small crowd (680 souls) at Altamirano Field was  getting antsy. 

The Mustangs re-established their dominance with a gritty drive that ended with Abraham Macias (El Paso, Tx., Socorro hs.) scoring from seven yards out. Up by 21 pts., 35-14 this one was over, but before the the Western faithful could break into a chorus of "Na, Na, Na,Na, Na, Na, Na,Na hey, hey ... goodbye, Ft. Lewis scored again to cut Western's lead to two td's. Geezus! Ft. Lewis was proving tougher to kill than those pesky rodents in Wack-a-mole.

With the score 35-21 in WNMU's favor going into the fourth quarter, the Mustang offense vapor locked, Ft. Lewis used a Tim Jenkins Qb. keeper to score once more and just like that we had us a seven point ballgame, 35-28. Big men rise up for big occasions and Mitch Glasmann is a big man (6'4") just as another Western drive was fizzling out, Glasmann scrambled for what seemed like an eternity before hooking up with Ronnell Pompey for a 42 yd. touchdown. 

Trailing 42-28, The Skyhawks took less than two minutes to run eight plays, drive 77 yds. and score another touchdown, the point after failed. Those Mustang fans who had been making their way to the exits to avoid the rush, simply sat down in the nearest empty seats, realizing that this one wasn't over yet. WMNU got the ball back and their attempt to run out the clock ended with 2:00 still left on the clock.

Ft. Lewis Qb. Tim Jenkins then willed the Skyhawks down the field getting to the Mustangs 27 yd. line before Western's defense finally put the brakes on. By forcing three incompletions including one on fourth down, the defense gave WNMU the ball and the victory. An iffy effort from WNMU's defense unit, but at least they vindicated themselves with that last stop.  It wasn't pretty and it wasn't easy, but it was a conference win and that's all that counts.

WNMU outgained FLC, 562-453, in total offense, this included a 159-48 edge rushing. Ft. Lewis outpassed Western,  holding a 405-403 advantage.  Abraham Macias led the rushing attack, with 87 yards on 23 carries and one touchdown.  Mitch Glasmann threw for 403 yards,  for 25-of-39 passing and four touchdowns. Donald Byrd led the receivers with 151 yards on six receptions and two touchdowns.

All RMAC wide receiver, Marquis Sumpter had four catches for 86 yards and one touchdown. He did however, leave the game on a stretcher following a scary hit. Sumpter was transported to Gila Regional Medical Center.  After the game Head Coach Adam Clark reported that Marquis had movement in his fingers and toes. Sumpter was held for observation, his status was unknown, but it appears likely that he'll be out for the Colorado School of Mines game.

It doesn't get much easier next week as the Mustangs travel to Golden, Co. to play Colorado School of Mines.  The Orediggers were ranked #18 going into their game at NMHU, which they lost  42-37. Mines (3-1, 1-1 RMAC) racked up 632 yards of total offense in a losing effort, both teams combined for an outrageous 1,202 yards in total offense. Mines Qb. Matt Brown connected on 52 of 80 pass attempts for 601 yds. and 4 td's.

NMHU Cowboys  42       Colorado School of Mines Orediggers  37

As George Patton once said "Sometimes, a good offense is your best defense" The points piled up like spent artillery shells at Perkins Stadium, yet in a game where defense was merely an afterthought, it was a crucial stop by the Cowboys' defense that decided the game. NMHU and Colorado Mines combined for 1,202 yards of total offense. Mines was ranked #18 in the AFCA  poll, but fell to the Cowboys for the second year in a row, 42-37.

This game featured an outrageous and awesome display of pass attack fireworks, not just from Brown but also from the much overlooked Emmanuel Lewis of Highlands. I think it's safe to assume that Mr. Lewis has supplanted Taylor Genuser as the NMHU starting Qb. Two starts and three games for Lewis and he has racked up well over a 1,000 yards passing (363.7 yds. per game) and over 200 yards rushing and 8 td passes.

How silly must Eric Young, Highlands' head coach feel right about now, having picked Genuser as his starting quarterback? Not to disparage Taylor, he was a good starter, but he's an even better back-up. The RMAC is a quarterback's league, almost every team has a damn good signal caller (even lowly Ft. Lewis can count on Tim Jenkins) But, even in this league loaded with Qb. talent, Emmanuel Lewis & Matt Brown stand out.

I won't even attempt to give you a score by score breakdown on this game, my fingers would cramp up from writing an essay sized account of the action. I will give you some numbers, Mines Qb. Matt Brown completed 52 of 80 pass attempts for 601 yards and 4 td's. His 52 completions broke the conference record of 45. Brown also set the record for pass attempts at 80 breaking the old record of 74. Matt Brown's 601 passing yards set a new school record, though not a conference mark.

In fact Brown pretty much rewrote the Colorado School of Mines record book in this game. Jerrod Doucet, Brown's go to receiver tied the school record for receptions with 15 (for 172 yards) while Cody Renken added 12 catches for 145 yds. and David Pawelek contributed 12 catches for 120 yds. and that's in a losing cause!  Under current Qb. coach Chad Friehauf (himself a former Mines Qb.) The Orediggers have been known for their fearsome pass attack. 

The Cowboys also put up some big numbers, Qb. Emmanuel Lewis finished the day with 25 completions out of 45 attempts for 434 yds and 4 td's. Vincent Venegas was the top rusher for the Pokes, 8 carries for 84 yds. and one ground churning td. The Venegas touchdown came on a 76 yard scamper just as the fans were getting settled into their seats.Colorado Mines despite the gaudy numbers put up by Matt Brown & his receiving corps didn't rely on the big play.

Their scores were the culmination of long multi-play drives. Highlands on the other hand unleashed the dragon and it payed off for them. Beside Venega's big run, Lewis connected with Trent Hicks for a 44 yd. td, De'Joshua Johnson for a 43 yds. td. and Kevon Williams for a 36 yd. td. Highlands was up 28-14 at the half, 35-17 after three quarters before Colorado Mines came storming back in the fourth with three scores, their last came with 3:06 on the clock. 

After their last score at 3:06, Mines forced NMHU to punt, setting up one last attempt for a game winning touchdown. However, Matt Brown's pass attempt to Doucet fell incomplete at midfield on a 4th-and-8 with 31 seconds remaining.  Ironic that a game that seemingly saw no end to the scoring, a game that saw both Qb's complete a total of  77 passes and connect on 8 passing touchdowns,  was decided by an incompleted pass and some good pass coverage. 

For their efforts in leading Highlands to victory over a ranked opponent, Cowboy Qb. Emmanuel Lewis and CB DiAmaal Holmes were named the offensive and defensive players of the week in the RMAC. (Lewis especially had some stiff competition and not just from Matt Brown, Mitch Glasmann of WNMU and Tim Jenkins of Ft. Lewis also had big games behind center) NMHU will travel to Grand Junction, Colo. to take on the Mavericks of Colorado Mesa University this coming Saturday.

Colorado Mesa Univ, formerly known as Mesa St. Univ., (the Mavericks) were an RMAC power throughout the 1980s. Between 1982 & 1990, Mesa St. won 7 league titles, including four in a row. Mesa added two more titles in 2000 & 2003, inexplicably the Mavericks followed that 2003 title with a winless (0-11) season and have had just two winning seasons since then. CMU finished the 2011 season at 3-7, 3-6 in the RMAC, they are under the direction of 1st. yr. head coach Russ Martin.

Raiders - Steelers Week 3

The worst call in NFL history?

The nationally broadcast cluster fuck in the end zone during Monday night's Packers- Seahawks game, which ended with the replacement refs calling for both a touchdown and an interception simultaneously, may well be the seminal moment of the 2012 NFL season. The performance of the temps is over shadowing the actual play on the field. Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports called on Roger Goodell to publicly apologize for the replacement ref mess. We won't hold our breath waiting for that to happen, but it does underscore a rising tide of anger on the part of NFL fans.

Watching NFL games with the replacement refs is like watching an impending train wreck. It's like sitting down for a NASCAR race knowing that the first twenty four cars and their drivers will end up in carnage.  In real time, right in front of our eyes. We are watching incompetence and failure of the kind usually reserved for more mundane workplaces. This comedy of errors has caught the attention of the entire nation, football fanatics or otherwise.  In a sick way that Roger Goodell didn't bargain for, it makes for compelling television fare.

A free for all mentality is creeping back into the NFL. As one television commentator put it "they're playing the game, just like they did back in the seventies" What that means is that on top of all the blown calls there's more dirty hits, more bone jarring helmet to helmet collisions and more forearms to the head. It's perverse to see the NFL reduced to such a free for all after years of the league office tweaking and fine tuning the rules in the name of sanitizing their brand. The players and coaches don't respect these guys. Bill Belicheck rudely grabbed one official by the arm to make his point.

Kyle Shanahan ran into the tunnel after the refs yelling "You have no fucking balls, you are a fucking pussy" this after RG3's Hail Mary pass was batted down to end the game and the officials made a beeline for the locker rooms. It was a wild and brutal Sunday of football, three games were decided in overtime as cheap shots and dirty play dominated the action in ways not seen in years. The coaches are instructing their players to test the scabs, the players are out there testing the scabs and the scabs are failing the test. Pro wrestling referees are more credible than these clowns.

Ed Reed is playing like a reincarnation of Jack Tatum, George Atkinson & Fred Williamson and he's not the only one.(Ryan Mundy, Joe Mays) Broncos LB Joe Mays received a one-game suspension and a $50,000 fine from the NFL for the hit that dislodged Texans Qb. Matt Schaub's helmet and took off a piece of his ear. If the NFL fines every single defensive player who leads with his head, their coffers will fill up quick. Negotiations between the league and The NFL refs (the real ones) are still at an impasse, so the hijinks & shenanigans will continue in week four.

I'm not one to make predictions, but everything pointed to a Raider victory, for those who were paying attention. Oakland and Pittsburgh have a history, not so much the last 10 years as the Raiders have mostly sucked, but they were once bitter rivals.  Because of this every now and then special things happen when the two meet (like an unexpected Raider win) Let's go back to 2009, the Raiders were 3-8 having lost to the Dallas Cowboys (in Dallas) 24-7,  It was an empty suit lackluster effort from Oakland and the  loss left Raider fans seething.

The next game on the schedule was against the 6-5 Steelers. In the offseason Ben Roethlisberger suffered a near death accident while riding his motorcycle in downtown Pittsburgh. As the season started, he was not up to form. Pittsburgh had just lost back to back overtime games, including a loss to Atlanta the week before. Big Ben was still feeling the after effects of a concussion he suffered in that game.  While some doubted that he would play, Roethlisberger suited up and took the field that day. To the surprise of most football pundits Oakland beat Pittsburgh 27-24.

Bruce Gradkowski went 20-33 passing for 308 yds. 3 td's and he was never that good ever again. Louis Murphy had 4 receptions for 128 yds. including 2 td's Johnny Lee Higgins (who is now playing in the UFL) added 4 catches for 63 yds. Justin Fargas carried 15 times for 63 yds. (Justin was the Raiders' running game back then) The Raiders went on to finish at 5-11, but that one win over Pittsburgh signaled that after the Art Shell year (2006) and the Lane Kiffin fiasco (2007-08) Oakland behind Tom Cable and JaMarcus Russell was ready to turn the corner.

In  2006, with Art Shell at the helm, Oakland started out 0-5, before beating Arizona 22-9 to get off the schneid (to borrow some old baseball idiom) Up next was a rather mediocre Steelers bunch (they would finish 8-8 during Bill Cowher's final season) Nobody expected Oakland to win, yet they did 20-13. Mind you that was  a Raider team that was bad in ways the 2012 edition could never imagine. The 2006 Raiders lost their next 9 games for a 2-14 season and Art Shell took his empty clipboard and rode off into the sunset.

What kind of team do we have in 2012, a Raider squad that won't win another game all season, or one that will finish 5-11?  Stow all talk of an  AFC West Championship away, this team hasn't shown that it can match last season's 8-8 record much less improve on it. Oakland head coach Dennis Allen downplayed the victory, and rightfully so. Lose to Denver on the road this coming Sunday and that's two losses to divisional rivals. The Broncos for all the Peyton Manning hype have lost two in a row, a win for the Raiders is no longer outside the realm of possibilities.

Oakland Raiders  34   Pittsburgh Steelers  31

The Steelers came out like gangbusters (pardon the cliche) Big Ben Roethlisberger was keen as he drove Piitsburgh down the field. The Oakland faithful packed into O.co and still reeling from the Miami beatdown, had to be thinking "Here we go again" Big Ben passed to Heath Miller who took it in for the score. While everyone other than Raider fans expected them to fold up, Oakland came right back and tied the game on Darren McFadden's spectacular 64 yd. td run. Throughout the first half, the Raiders matched Pittsburgh score for score with the Steelers up 17-14 at the break. 

Roethlisberger took control in the third quarter firing a pass down the middle to Mike Wallace to increase Pittsburgh's lead to ten points. Oakland's defense had yet to stop Roethlisberger, the fans seemed in the midst of settling for a moral victory. Monte Poole's words had resonated all week. "45 clown suits, all of them empty" despair was awash in the East Bay. The Raider diehards had almost reached a breaking point, then as if to say "We're still in this one" Carson Palmer calmly directed Oakland's offense down the field again for a Raider score that pulled them within three.

Ben Roethlisberger doesn't know the meaning of no, the Steelers powered their way to another touchdown. Big Ben hit Antonio Brown who took it into the endzone, fumbled it and miraculously recovered the ball for a Steeler touchdown, 31-21. Roethlisberger, who felt little pressure throughout most of the game and seemed to pick apart the Raiders' patchwork secondary at will, had thrown his last touchdown of the day. Pittsburgh wouldn't score again. Down by ten points as they entered the fourth quarter, few would have expected the Raiders to muscle their way back into the game.

Carson Palmer capped an eleven play, 80 yd. drive with a touchdown pass to Denarius Moore, to pull within three points again. Then the much maligned Raider defense came up with the first of two clutch stops that essentially allowed Oakland to win the game. Pat Lee (filling in for the injured Ron Bartell) stripped Antonio Brown of the ball, Phillip Wheeler recovered and this led directly to a 32 yd. field goal by Janikowski to tie the game. Pittsburgh got the ball back with 6:30 on the clock, but the Raiders stopped them cold, aided by their only sack of the game, by Richard Seymour.

Carson Palmer then drove Oakland 49 yards, with the help of two clutch catches from Derek Hagan pulled into Sebastian Janikowski field goal range and Sea Bass did the rest, putting the ball through the uprights from 43 yards out, for a final of 34-31. An improbable win for sure, after the debacle at Miami, who would have thought that the Raiders had it in them?  "It feels good when you have to claw, and you're banged up, and you have to fight to get a win,'' Richard Seymour said. "You hit it long enough, it's going to break open. I think it's a real confidence booster for everybody.''

Raider Notes:

It could be that the Raiders no longer play the vertical game, so loved by Al Davis. Carson Palmer had three td passes, all short and sweet. Palmer finished at 24-34 passing for 209 yds. The Raider running game also came to life, in the form of Darren McFadden. Run DMC finished with 113 yards on 18 carries including his 64 yd. run. He had one touchdown called off by the officials (Richard Gordon hooked up with Carson Palmer two plays later for the score)

LB Philip Wheeler had a man sized game finishing with 11 tackles and he forced two fumbles. Desmond Bryant forced a fumble of Jonathan Dwyer that led to the Raiders' second td. The Raiders played a penalty free first half and had just three penalties for 25 yds. Pittsburgh had 10 penalties for 81 yds. Ben Roethlisberger would not be denied (until the fourth quarter) he completed 36 of 49 passes for 384 yds., 4 td's and ints. in a losing cause.  To him I say, "Nice job meat head, don't forget to keep that helmet strapped on tight" 

Darrius Heyward-Bey was knocked unconscious after a helmet to helmet hit from Pittsburgh's Ryan Mundy. After what seemed like an eternity, Darrius was carted off the field as he raised his right hand in the air to signal that he was all right. A spokesman for the Raiders reported that Heyward-Bey was in stable condition at Mt. Eden Medical Center after the game and he was released on Tuesday. Heyward-Bey suffered a concussion and his status for next weekend is unknown.

The fued between Marcus Allen and the Raiders is history. Allen lit the eternal flame honoring Al Davis before the game on Sunday. Owner Mark Davis (Al's son) said that "Marcus Allen's return meant a lot to my mom", Mark Davis described Marcus as the "the absolute true Raider" Allen spent 11 season with the Raiders, but fell out of favor with Al Davis, who once called him a cancer on the team. Marcus played five season with the Kansas City Chiefs and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.

Two fans at the game were hospitalized from the game, after they raised a flag pole and made contact with a high voltage power line.  The fans, who's names were withheld, were tailgating in the Northeast parking lot at O.co. Their injuries were not considered life threatening.  The flag pole was at least 20 feet tall, and it's not sure what flag they were hoisting when it touched the 115 kilovolt transmission line. Alcohol may have been a factor in the incident.

Dennis Allen brought out the lumber this week, and it didn't involve a trip to the woodshed. Coach Allen passed out wooden baseball bats engraved with "Raiders vs. Steelers, Sept. 23, 2012" it was his way of getting the message across that he wanted them to "Bring the Wood" against Pittsburgh.   Ryan Mundy brought the wood, he not only took out Heyward-Bey, but he also had a helmet to helmet hit on Brandon Meyers. No Flags were thrown on either play.

In transaction news, The Raiders signed Vic So' oto, a linebacker and another Green Bay castoff. So' oto is an undrafted free agent out of Brigham Young. He played with Green Bay in 2011 and was released by the Packers after having been placed on the injured reserve list. Carl Ineanacho was released to make room on the roster for So' oto. Ineanacho a linebacker saw little action with the Raiders during the first three games of the season. DT Vaughn Meatoga was released from the practice squad, his roster spot has not yet been filled.

With the Oakland A's still in the hunt for a wildcard spot in Major League Baseball, the question of playing with a dirt infield was brought up to Coach Allen. "I think we’re one of … I think we’re the only team that plays on a dirt infield. That’s something we have to deal with. The opponent has to deal with it. It’s another one of those outside distractions that you don’t have control over so you just understand what you’re dealing with and understand how you got to play on the dirt then you move on" When asked if he was rooting against the A's so that the Raiders could get their grass back Allen said, " I hope they win. Is there any way we can get a grass infield and they can still win? 

The Raiders are on the road against Denver next week, that's followed by a bye week and then a road trip to Atlanta. They won't be back at O.co until Sun, 10/21 for a game with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Unless the A's go deep into the post season, the infield should be grass by then. Football teams playing on baseball diamonds used to be common place in the NFL during the months of September and October. But, Coach Allen is correct, the Raiders are now the only NFL team that plays on dirt.

New Mexico Football Report

New Mexico is divided by North and South, though a clear cut  line of demarcation has never been established.  In cultural terms, Northern New Mexico is defined as the area of heavy Spanish settlement. This includes primarily the north central region along the Sangre de Cristo mountain range  and the northern Rio Grande valley. Geographically Northern New Mexico spans an area that takes in all of New Mexico's tri-cultural influences. 

When New Mexico was assigned a second area code, many New Mexicans mistakingly assumed that  the Northern part of the state would maintain the 505 area code and the southern part would adopt the 575. It wasn't that cut and dry. The traditional 505 area code now only covers 1/4 of the entire state. This quadrant however, includes a good chunk of the state's population. (Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Rio Rancho, Las Vegas, Farmington, Gallup)

575 covers the southern region (Socorro,Las Cruces, Deming, Alamogordo) the eastern plains (Roswell, Carlsbad, Clovis, Hobbs) and the northeast region (Taos & Raton,Tucumcari) As you can see, 575 also covers a large northern area. So we can't use 575 to differentiate between the two regions. What Now? Some New Mexicans consider Tucumcari to be in the south and Santa Rosa to be in the north, although  Tucumcari is further north than Santa Rosa.

Ft. Sumner is generally considered to be in Southern New Mexico, even if it's just a short drive from Santa Rosa. Nobody would ever say that Belen is in the South, yet it's not much further north than Clovis or Ft. Sumner. Folks in Southern New Mexico consider Socorro to be in the South, folks in Socorro consider themselves to be in the North. Portales is further North than Socorro, but that city is firmly planted (in the minds of its denizens) in the south.

I can settle this right here and now! If you study a map of the state, it's easy to see that State Highway 60 is the cut-off line. Highway 60 runs from the Texas border (at Clovis) west to I-25, where it jots south to Socorro and then continues west to Arizona.  What this boundary line also firmly establishes, is that to the North you have an overwhelming amount of Lobo fans and to the South, there's a tendency to favor the Aggies.

As for the scattering of Arizona Wildcat fans in Southwestern New Mexico, they're simply an  abomination that I wish would go away, and  I'll avoid the fact that  Texas Tech has more fans in Eastern New Mexico than either the Lobos or Aggies. This is what it boils down to... North = Lobos, South = Aggies.  The media has taken to calling this game "The Rio Grande Rivalry" and Saturday's game was the 103rd. meeting between the two squads.

The UNM Lobos lead the series 67-32-5, once referred to as "the Battle of I-25" the series predates not just I-25, but also New Mexico's admission into the union (1912) Up until 1959 NMSU was known as New Mexico A&M. Their longest winning streak in this series is four games, which they were trying to match on Saturday. On the other hand, UNM the state's flagship institution of higher learning once won  18 straight.

UNM Lobos   27   New Mexico St. Univ. Aggies  14

UNM's motto is Lux Hominum Vita.   Life, the Light of Men and out of life's school of war: What does not destroy one, makes one stronger. The Lobo's went through a meatgrinder, not once (Univ. of Texas) but twice (Texas Tech) only to come out stronger than they were before.  I'm a simple man, "the formula of my happiness: a Yes, a No, a straight line, a goal" Add to that a football victory over NMSU, the first since 2008 and happiness lives here again.

This being "The Rio Grande Rivalry" my happiness comes at the expense of my fellow New Mexicans,  the Aggies.  I dwell not on their pain, but on my joy. As that pandering mythmaker of yesteryear,  Grantland Rice would say,  "A cyclone can't be snared. It may be surrounded, but somewhere it breaks through to keep on going" Kasey Carrier, who rushed for 129 yds. was that cyclone,  as New Mexico snapped a 24 game road losing streak, 27-14.

On this day the Aggies were "a drab outline against a dull gray sky,"  eleven empty jerseys on offense, eleven empty jerseys on defense. Their cause was devoid of effort, their eyes empty of light... the fuel of competition.  These were not the fighting Aggies, for gone was the fire and determination that we saw against Ohio Univ. "Let those who whipped you know at least they, too, have had a fight" These were not Aggies, they were impostors. 

There was a kind of hush all over Aggie Stadium as UNM came out and dominated the first half. The Lobo running game, missing for the first three games of the season, suddenly came to life.  The old adage in football of course says that if you can run the ball, you can pass the ball. UNM ate up the clock with drives of 71, 84 & 64 yds., but a 26 yd. field goal from UNM's Justus Adams was the Lobo's sole score.  

That is, until Jhurell Pressley's 7 yd. run in the second quarter put UNM up 10-0.  Andrew Manley could move the Aggies, but couldn't get them in scoring position. NMSU hasn't been able to run the ball all season, but the one drive that NMSU scored on, featured some timely runs. The Aggie drive covered 75 yds. on five plays, and culminated with Robert Clay scoring from 11 yds. out. The two teams went into the break with UNM up 10-7.  

"When the battle breaks against you and the crowd forgets to cheer" in the second half it became apparent that NMSU had no answer for UNM's variation of the triple option. The Lobos slowly and methodically controlled the clock and the football. Not that Aggies were without hope, Manley kept them moving forward, but the Aggie offense would prove to be their own worse enemy. The Aggies fumbled three times and lost two.

During one third quarter sequence, UNM fumbled the ball away to NMSU with the score still 10-7. The Aggies had a perfect opportunity to score and take the lead, but Manley fumbled the ball away on first down. UNM got the ball back and scored on Kasey Carrier's 29 yd. scamper. Up 20-7, the Lobos held up four fingers to signal the fourth quarter... something they hadn't done while holding a lead since the season opener against Southern Univ.  

"And when he switched his course again and crashed into the line, The massive guard named failure did a two-step on his spine" The Lobos racked up 302 net yards rushing compared to the 78 by the Aggies, that and the miscues & penalties embodied NMSU's futile efforts.  Andrew Manley's passing numbers  22-34 for 256 yds show that the Aggies could get to the twenty but just couldn't get beyond that. 

B.R. Holbrook completed 11-18 for 92 yds. passing and rushed 9 times for 34 yds., Carrier carried 21 times for 129 yds., 1 td., Jhurell Pressley rushed 15 times for 71 yds. and 2 td's. Chase Clayton carried 3 times for 36 yds. The Lobos hit on all cylinders, something Bob Davies liked, “This is what kind of team we have to be,” Davie said. “… Just the physical nature in which (the Lobos) played this game is something we can build on.”

For UNM's Senior class it was their last try against an Aggie squad that had beat them three straight seasons. There's not many of them left, that recruiting class came in with Mike Locksley, losing got the better of most. Sr. LB Joe Stoner put it in perspective "Saturday's victory was a fitting reward for those who stayed, It's a great feeling to stick around and keep fighting and be a Lobo.

A disturbing incident dampened the mood at Aggie Memorial Stadium. At approx. 8 p.m. a female fan attending the game was struck in the leg by a bullet. The woman, was sitting in Section B, behind the south end zone, when she felt was she thought was an insect bite. Upon further inspection she realized it was far more serious. She was attended to in the stands and then airlifted to an El Paso hospital. 

The injury did not appear to be life threatening and she was reported to be in stable condition on Sunday. The shot apparently came from outside the stadium and no one in the stadium heard a gunshot. Evidence and witnesses would indicate that the bullet was fired from a distance, possibly by someone firing into the air in celebration. "We haven't found any evidence to suggest something happened in the stands itself"  reported NMSU police. 

I know what most of you are thinking.... "they shoot guns in the air when NMSU scores?"  I'm not going to lie to you, in years past that may have been the case,  I just didn't think they still did that. But, My Gawd!, who shoots a firearm near any athletic event? The Aggie football squad brought a lasso to a gunfight, however at least one of their fans brought a gun. 

  

Aggies, oh Aggies,  

we'll win this game or know the reason why! 

And when we win (or lose) this game

we'll buy a keg of booze

and we'll drink it to the Aggies 'til we wobble in our shoes!

 

A Mountain into a Molehill

If Chip Kelly, Mike Gundy, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer were to die in a fire. Today, preferably. College football would carry on as always.  It may seem sometimes like America treats its football head coaches like fucking lords of the manor. They're feted like kings and princes, reporters hang on their every word as if they were commander in chiefs of great armies.  A world in which university presidents defer to football coaches, a world in which blue chip recruits are fanned by wood nymphs and satyrs with palm fronds while trainers take turns meeting their every need (more ointment Sir?) a world, in short, called The United States of America. 

Only in college football does 10 + 2 = 10  and 10+ 1 = 10, 12-2 = 12,  10 - 2 + 2 = 12, and if both the Big Ten (+ 2) and The Big 12 (still 10) were to expand to 14 schools, they would still call themselves the Big 10 & Big 12. Just in case, someone should take out a trademark on Big 14 and Big 16. It's a brand and there's only so much you can do when you presumptuously label your conference as "Big" followed by a number. The face of college football is changing rapidly, and no where is it more apparent than in the Mountain West Conf.  The MWC was the victim of its own success, progress and the unrelenting selfish greed that drives college football. 

I never get tired of laying out the chronology that has shaped college football into its present form. The Univ. of Texas started up its own sports network, "The Longhorn" designed primarily to broadcast Texas Longhorn games worldwide. This move scared and pissed off all of their rivals in the Big 12. After a chorus of harrumphs, grumbles and some insistent whining coming from Waco, Tx.  Empty threats, empty promises on top of speculation and rumour followed. The backstabbing had begun, the Univ. of Nebraska knowing that to act first would be the best course of action, contacted the Big 10 about switching its athletic programs immediately. 

Missouri also made overtures to the Big 10, while Texas A&M slapped on some cherry red lipstick and sent the SEC a secret love letter. With the collapse of the Big 12 seemingly imminent (think SWC) rumors floated around that the PAC 10 (now 12) would soon expand to 14 teams. U. of Texas, Texas Tech, U. of Oklahoma & Oklahoma State began secret discussions with the PAC 10. To their credit the PAC 10 (now 12) schools came to their senses, realizing that they really had nothing in common with those rednecks, sodbusters & bugeaters from the Big 12. The PAC 10 didn't say no, they didn't say yes and they never said maybe. 

As the Big 4 from the Big 12 cooled their heels, a counter attack led by Baylor ( and that whiny knobwasher Ken Starr) and Texas A&M (et tu?) started to broil in the Texas sun. "Put a sock in it" warned Ken Starr. Legal action was threatened and that was enough to derail the Big 12 Westbound express. In the meantime, Nebraska had gone ahead with its plans to dump the chumps and was invited to join the Big Ten (now 12) With a 14 team league not really feasible, the PAC 10 (now 12) left the rogue four from the Big 12 holding their dicks and instead invited Colorado and the Univ. of Utah to join their league... Colorado?

The WAC is (or was) the past and future of college football, they were the first league to expand to 16 teams, and the first to prove that such a scenario simply won't work. The 16 schools were divided into four quadrants, with two quadrants paired up to form a division. For football, the two divisional champs would then meet in a conference title game (the Silver Bowl) that determined what shitty bowl game either one would be invited to. The Big WAC was cumbersome and cliquish, spanning five time zones, thousands of miles and more than a handful of dialects and accents. With few natural rivalries to build on, attendance and interest dropped off throughout the conference.   

Dissension started to creep through the hardwood floors, Billy Tubbs the head basketball coach at TCU put it best "We didn't join up in a 16 team league just so we could play a round-robin with Tulsa, SMU & Rice" Increasingly, this arrangement was not satisfactory to most of the old guard WAC schools. In 1998 after three years and faced with increased travel costs and lagging revenue, BYU & Utah hatched a plan, by which half of the WAC schools would secede from the WAC. The irony of course being that BYU & Utah had been instrumental in both the establishment of the WAC, the expansion of the WAC and now the betrayl of the WAC. 

Five were in, Air Force, BYU, CSU, Utah & Wyoming, those five then determined who else would join their new boy's club. San Diego St. got the nod, there was some debate about letting New Mexico and UNLV join the league (BYU was against UNLV joining and UNM's lack of football success almost kept them out) Rumor has it that New Mexico was the last school voted in. Longtime WAC member UTEP was shunned (the school's minuscule athletic budget and piss poor football program were cited as reasons) as was Fresno St., due mostly to the presence of Jerry "Tark the Shark Tarkanian, a man known to play loosey goosey with NCAA rules. 

The new conference needed a name, some that were bandied about were The Big Mountain Athletic Conf. (or the Big MAC) The Mountain Pacific, The Rocky Mountain Pacific, etc. before the powers that be settled on The Mountain West Conf. Starting in 1999 the MWC consisted of eight schools, adding TCU in 2005 and Boise St. in 2011, before the BCS raiders hit and damn near burned the village down to the ground. The thought of their instate rivals, the Univ. of Utah joining a BSC league while they were stuck in the MWC was more than the envious Zoobs of BYU could take. (after all we have a national title, Jim McMahon, Steve Young... blah, blah, bleh" 

The Cougars who have a television network of their own,(BYU-TV) worked out a plan whereby they would dump their men's & women's sports in the WAC, and  test the BSC waters as a football independent (much like Notre Dame) It was a solid plan, that may have worked if they hadn't back roomed the MWC by cutting secret deals with Utah St., Boise St. and San Diego St. (Boise St. was set to join the MWC in 2011, but was willing to renege on that deal and stay in the WAC in return for a home and home football series with the Cougars) San Diego St. was ready to jump ship and rejoin the WAC with the same arrangement as Boise St. 

MWC commissioner Scott Thompson got wind of this and pulled off a brilliant pre-emptive strike by plucking Fresno St. and the Univ. of Nevada from the WAC. Suddenly the WAC package didn't appeal to BYU at all, but having burned their bridges with the MWC, BYU now had to scramble and find another league for their non-football programs. (The West Coast Conf.) Here's some more irony (and with BYU there's always irony) In 2013, the college football independent ranks will grow by two as both NMSU and the U. of Idaho will go that route following the demise of the WAC, which was killed off by BYU's heavy handed meddling. 

With Nebraska & Colorado gone, The Big 12 (now 10) decided to patch things up and continue on as before. The league would go with 10 schools in 2011 and then add two more in 2012. Funny thing though, things weren't really patched up, resentment and distrust had taken hold and in 2011, Texas A&M stunned everyone by jumping to the SEC. Ken Starr and his Baylor cronies threatened legal action (naturally) but the barn door was wide open and Missouri quickly snuck out and into the loving arms of the SEC. Now what do you do?, well for starters The Big 12 (still 10) nabbed TCU from the MWC and then convinced West Virginia that they were a natural for the Big 12 (still 10)

The Mountaineers dumped the Big East, a move that would set off yet another round of back stabbing. Through it all BYU sulked at being ignored by yet another BSC league (had they stayed in the MWC, The Big 12 probably would have gone with them instead of West Virginia, in my opinion)

Both TCU and West Virginia join The Big 12 (still 10) in 2012, plans are in the works to add two more schools (Houston, SMU or god knows who!) BYU hasn't figured out how to make BYU-TV work with the Big 12 and there's a chance that they never will. However, BYU does look very smart for not pulling the trigger too soon on joining the Big East.

Boise State on the other hand seemed to have cold feet about the Big East. The Broncos were unable to find a conference for their non-football programs and were considering staying put in the MWC until the Big East reminded them of that nasty $5million dollar payout if they reneged on their commitment. Ultimately Boise St. dumped their athletics programs in the Big Sky. San Diego St.  seemingly had no such worries. The Big East is starting to resemble a cross between Misfit Island and the sixteen team WAC, sign up at your own risk, I would say. It's become a refuge for "has beens" and "wannabes" seeking a seat at the table with the big boys, this situation is fubar.

Mountain West Conference 2012 season Preview

For New Mexico:  the worst case scenario 1-12, best case scenario 4-9, most likely scenario 2-11

San Diego St. and Boise St. are the hicks from the sticks who actually bought the Brooklyn Bridge, they'll depart the MWC for the Big East at the end of this year. San Jose St. Univ. and Utah St. Univ. will join the MWC in 2013. Neither school in on the 2012 schedule for UNM, which is just as well, Logan, Ut. is no picnic. 

Boise St:  At 1-1, the Broncos lost their season opener against Michigan St. 17-13 and then regrouped with a win over Miami of Ohio. Joe Southwick is their new Qb. and the verdict is still out on him. Boise St. plays BYU next, a win and Chris Petersen has them back on track, a loss and the season could spiral downward. There will be no gimme MWC title for the Broncos this year, both the U. of Nevada & Fresno St. will have a say in that. I see Boise St. finishing with at least three losses this year. 

How UNM rates: stranger things have happened, but UNM winning would be beyond strange

Fresno St:  2-1, beat Weber St., played Univ. of Oregon tough and jumped all over  the Univ. of Colorado 69-14. New coach Tim DeRuyter took over from Pat Hill and has the Bulldogs back on track. In the WAC Fresno St. was Boise St. before Boise St. showed up and started winning all those titles. Fresno St. was the original BCS buster (remember David Carr?) 

How UNM rates:  poorly, Jim Sweeney once tried to score 100 points on UNM, if this Bulldog squad can post 69 on Colorado of the PAC 12, just think what they can do to UNM.

San Diego St.:  2-1 Wins over Army and North Dakota St. mean very little, Rawkylawng (pronounced as one word) Will not take you to the BCS promised land. In all likelihood, this is Long's final season at SDSU. Rocky was handed a finely tuned Corvette and now he's bumping it around on dirt roads like it's some old Ford pickup truck. The Aztecs moving to The Big East makes as much sense as anything else in college football today, but it's still an ill advised move.

How UNM rates: they don't play each other this year and probably never will again

Univ. of Nevada: 2-1, a one point loss to South Florida is their sole setback.  Cody Fajardo is dangerous passing or running the ball, especially more so when he runs and runs and runs. They open MWC play with a road game to Hawai'i, where they haven't won since 1948. (their losing streak on the islands is second only to Japan, who last won there in 1941) If the Wolfpack can pull this off, their confidence will rise and nobody, and by nobody, I mean Boise St. will stop them.

How UNM rates: forget about it!

Air Force Academy: 1-1 , a tough loss to Michigan showed that Air Force.... wait for it, is a force to be reckoned with. Air Force heads into this week's game with UNLV ranked No. 1 in the nation in rushing. Averaging 387. yds. per game. Sr. Qb. Connor Dietz can and will throw the ball with remarkable accuracy if need be. 

How UNM rates: UNM can't stop the pass, can't stop the run, can't beat Air Force.

Hawai'i:   1-1, since we last saw them, they've added an apostrophe to their name and are no longer called "The Fighting Rainbows" Norm Chow is the first Asian-American head coach of a major college football program. Former Lobo Qb. Stump Godfrey transferred to Hawai'i, but left after never having played a game for the Warriors. Any team that plays Hawai'i on the road gets an extra game added to their schedule as a reward or punishment, depending how your season is going.

How UNM rates: get a suntan, stay healthy and come home in one piece

Colorado St. Univ.:   1-2  Well at least the Rams finally beat instate rivals Univ. of Colorado (as everyone has this year) unfortunately they lost to North Dakota St. and San Jose St. Colorado State enters Saturday night’s game against Utah State (2-1) ranked last in the Mountain West and 110th nationally in rushing offense with an average of just 95.3 yards per game. The Rams have sorely missed star running back Chris Nwoke, who is healthy after missing two games (both losses) 

How UNM rates:  I like our chances, it's time to put the pedal to the mettle and beat these mountain goats.

Wyoming:  0-3,  So. Qb. Brett Smith was key to the Cowboy's turnaround last year, so when he went down with a concussion injury (due to a late, dirty hit along the sideline against Toledo) Wyoming's chances went down with him. The Cowboys played U.Texas much tougher than the Lobos did losing by a score of 37-17. Without Smith they couldn't even get by Cal-Poly. Their next game is against winless Idaho.

How UNM rates: it all depends on whether Smith plays or not, if he's in the Lobos are out

UNLV:  0-3, has lost eight straight games dating back to a 38-35 win over Colorado State last October. And the prospects of snapping that losing streak any time soon appear pretty bleak. UNLV led 14-0 at half time, against Northern Arizona before the Lumberjacks scored 17 unanswered points for the upset victory. 

How UNM rates:  The Lobos have their number, this is the team that UNM actually matches up with. I'm going out on a limb and marking this down as a Lobo win.

New Mexico Football Report

ENMU Greyhounds  34    Incarnate Word Univ. Cardinals  24

Out of New Mexico's five football playing colleges, Eastern was the sole winner out of two D1 FBS schools & three NCAA D3 schools. (NMMI, a two year junior college also won it's game) We should be thankful to ENMU for upholding our state's football honor in the land of big time football (Texas) and in the gilded palace of sin built by Jerry Jones, Cowboy Stadium.

ENMU's match-up with Incarnate Word Univ. of San Antonio was part of The Lone Star Conference football festival. A three day affair that featured six games in Arlington, Tx. and I'm guessing enough BBQ to feed a small island nation. As I predicted last week, most of the games were played in front of a small core group of fans, huddled together in Jerry Jones' mammoth cathedral to excess.

The festivities kicked off on Thursday with The Harvey Martin Classic which saw Midwestern St. of  Wichita Falls, beat TAMU-C like a proverbial Texas mule 65-14. The game was ugly as sin, so of course it was broadcast on the CBS Sports Network as its NCAA D2 game of the week....really? 3,500 fans hardly put a dent into the stadium vendor's beer supply, but not from a lack of trying.

ENMU played on Friday in front of 11,000. That number however, is misleading... Eastern vs. Incarnate Word was part of a doubleheader split, with a game between Southlake Carroll and Temple. 5A high school football easily outdraws D3 college football in Texas and you can bet the family farm that 10,000 of those fans were there to see the schoolboys go at it.

A tripleheader on Saturday wrapped up the action. 19,200 turned out for all three games as Valdosta St. rolled Angelo State 43-10, Abilene Christian edged Tarleton State 34-31 and WTAMU (formerly West Texas St. Univ.)  blasted TAMU-K 40-10. Those TAMU schools take their football seriously. Overall it was a nice event and one hell of an excuse for a Texas sized tailgate party.

Before you could utter "say the word and I'll be there" Incarnate Word's Marcus Wright took the opening kick 83 yards for the first kickoff return touchdown in school history for the Cardinals (1-2, 0-1 LCS) To their credit the 'Hounds could have tucked their tail between their hindquarters, but instead they responded scoring on a 54 yd. reception to Jacob Johnson. IWU would answer back with a 71 yd. scoring drive to take the lead 14-7. A 1 yd. plunge by Qb. Wesley Wood drew ENMU even at 14-14. It didn't stay that way for long as Wood ran the ball in from 3 yds. out to give the Hounds their first lead at 21-14. 

IWU wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in the second half, a 95 yd. drive that culminated with a Zach Rhodes flea flicker to Dominic Hamilton who dashed 35 yds. for the td., knotting the score at 21.  Rhodes had the Cardinals moving again on their next possession, but a hard hit in the ENMU red zone put him out of the game (temporarily) IWU had to settle for a field goal, to pull ahead 24-21. On their ensuing drive, the Hounds finally woke up from their halftime slumber as De'Coreyon Thomas scored and ENMU retook the lead 28-24.

What happened next is the thing of legends, a woozy Zach Rhodes returned to the game and led IWU on a last gasp drive, he quickly had the Hounds back on their heels. At one point he faced a fourth and 2, which he brazenly converted to keep the drive alive. With 00:30 left on the clock, the Cardinals faced a 3rd. and 8 at the 21 yard line. Rhodes tossed a pass to the sideline, which ENMU's Jayson Serda picked off and returned for a touchdown, Heartbreak City and Goodnight Irene!.... The Hounds win!, The Hounds win! 34-24.

The ENMU football team (2-1, 1-0 LSC) will return to action, next Saturday, when it visits Tarleton State, for another LSC contest, in Stephenville, Tx.  John Tarleton St. Univ. is the largest non-land grant university primarily devoted to agriculture in the U.S.A. (this being Texas, we wouldn't expect any less)  It's located one hour from Ft. Worth, in the heart of the Cross Timbers region and is part of the A&M system.

Originally a two year school, they were known as "The Plowboys" but became the Texans and TexAnns (for the men's & women's teams respectively) The Texans were conf. co-champions in 2010 (w/ Abilene Christian) and 2001 (w/ Texas A&M-Kingsville) as well as North Division champs in 2002 and 2003 (the North-South divisions are no longer used) To put it plainly, The Texans are no strangers to winning football.  

WNMU Mustangs  27   CSU-Pueblo Thunderwolves  35

If you could count moral victories, Western New Mexico's record would stand at 1-2-2, however they don't count and the Mustangs find themselves at 1-2 (0-1 RMAC)  Beating the nationally ranked Thunderwolves (#3, AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll)  was a high order for WNMU and they came close to getting the upset. Though, as the old saying goes, "close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades" Once the dust settled, the realization struck that CSU-P was simply toying with the Mustangs. 

Like a pair of evenly matched pugilists, WNMU and the Thunderdogs traded head shots and body blows throughout most of the game. CSU-P took just under three minutes to score on the opening drive of the game, Western answered with a well executed drive that took much longer and netted fewer points after a two point conversion was rebuffed, 7-6 CSU-P. The T-Wolves came back on the next possession with an 8 play drive that ended in a six yard J.B. Matthews td. run. After a three and out by WNMU, CSU-P got the ball back, but found themselves pinned in their own territory. 

Then while trying to avoid a sack, T-Wolves Qb. Ross Dausin's desperation pass was picked off by Western's Jerrald Hines who ran it back to the CSU-P seven yard line. WNMU would score two plays later to narrow the gap to 14-13.  CSU-P as they are know to do, imposed their will on the Mustangs, coming back with a 12 play, 75 yard drive culminating with another td. run from J.B. Matthews. The Thunderwolves then forced Western to punt shortly before the half, up 21-13 Dausin then drove them down the field at will, as Western's defense could do little to stop him.

On the final play of the first half, as time ran out, Dausin connected with Josh Sandoval who scampered 23 yds. before he was stopped at the Mustang six yard line with no time left on the clock. The Thunderwolves opened the second half with a pooch kick that hit a WNMU player and was recovered by CSU-P, however they were unable to capitalize on that good fortune and The Mustangs took over. Mitch Glasmann then found Donald Byrd streaking across the middle, Byrd made the grab and eluded his defenders to score, this brought Western to within 21-20.

CSU-P wasn't about to let that stand, they came back with a scrappy drive that ended with yet another touchdown run by J.B. Matthews. Trailing 28-20, Western faltered in a big way and at a bad time. CSU-P corner Jarrod Lacy intercepted Mitch Glasmann at midfield and returned it all the way to the Western 10 yd. line, kept out of the end zone by Glasmann's touchdown saving tackle. It took just one play for the Thunderwolves to score with J.B. Matthews once more getting the call. Up 35-20, The Thunderwolves steeled themselves for Western's response. 

Adam Clark, WNMU's head coach had a trick up his sleeve, Glasmann threw a lateral to Donald Byrd who threw downfield to Marquis Sumper for a 40 yd. gain. Rb. Abraham Macias broke a few tackles as he powered his way into the endzone, trailing 35-27 with 13 minutes left on the clock, more fireworks were expected. But then, a funny thing happened.... neither team scored again. On Western part it wasn't from lack of trying, but two crucial fumbles killed their last two drives. Defensive stops and big plays, that's how teams get to be ranked #3 in the nation. 

Mitch Glasmann could well be the best passing Qb. in the state of New Mexico, against CSU-P he was 23-30 for 230 yards, 3 td's and two ints. Donald Byrd had seven catches for  97 yds. and 2 td's. Marquis Sumpter added 84 yds. on 6 receptions. T-Wolves running back J.B. Matthhews punished the Mustangs, 227 yds. on 34 carries and 4 td's.  CSU-P's Buster Thede, a Sr. from Arvada,Co. had a big game, forcing the fumble that effectively ended Western's chances. Thede is a former Mustang, who played at WNMU during his Fr. & So. years.

WNMU will remain home for their next game, another RMAC tilt, against Fort Lewis College. The Skyhawks are 0-2, having been rolled 50-0 by NMHU in their opener and then playing Div. 1 FCS, Northern Arizona (of the Big Sky Conf.) on the road with predictable results, a 69-0  blowout by the Lumberjacks. For those counting, that's eight quarters of scoreless football by Ft. Lewis. “We just got outmatched today,” said head coach Cesar Rivas-Sandoval.

Anywhere else, Rivas-Sandoval would be on the hotseat, but on Planet Durango they do things differently. The Skyhawk's poor start is hardly cause for indignation, folks in Durango keep things in perspective. “Obviously, we went into the game knowing we were going into it with some key injuries at major positions like quarterback, safety, and defensive line" explained Rivas-Sandoval, who has a knack for understating the obvious. 

NMHU Cowboys  23  South Utah Univ. Thunderbirds   45

A goal line stand can turn the complexion of a game in a hurry. The NMHU Cowboys trailing 31-20 early in the fourth quarter, had the ball at the SUU two yard line, first and goal with Emmanuel Lewis, a dangerous option Qb. behind center.... and they couldn't get the ball in the end zone.  As Zach Tapia came on to kick a 20 yard field goal, the disappointment was almost palpable. You sensed that the game had turned, which it indeed had.

SUU head coach Ed Lamb felt it, "Until [the goal line stand] it was a game that was well contested," he pointed out. "I thought New Mexico Highlands had a chance to win until ... we got the ball back and increased our lead."  The Thunderbirds, who just joined the Big Sky Conf. shutdown NMHU's offense and cruised to victory 45-23.  Highlands which had won its first two games handily, tasted the bitter fruit of defeat for the first time this season.

It was a tale, not of two cities but of two halves, though ultimately the Cowboys came up short in both.  Turnovers told the true story, both teams combined for seven, however the Cowboys lost three fumbles in the second half (they would lose four in all) Abdul Kanneh played the type of game that most defensive players can only dream about. Kanneh led the Pokes with seven tackles, one for a loss, three pass break-ups and two interceptions, returning both for td's.

NMHU head coach Eric Young chose to start Taylor Genuser, despite Emmanuel Lewis having had a phenomenal game against Ft. Lewis College. Genuser competed 4-7 passes for 55 yards before leaving the game. I'm not sure if he aggravated the injury that kept him out of the Ft. Lewis game or if Coach Young simply felt that Lewis gave them a better chance at winning. Emmanuel came off the bench and completed 19-32 passes for 311 yds. and one touchdown.

With the Thunderbirds defense holding NMHU's running game to minus 20 yards for the game, you know that Emmanuel didn't fool SUU with the option. Give credit to Coach Lamb, who obviously studied the NMHU-Ft. Lewis game and had his defense wise to Lewis' ability to run with the ball.   Darius Davis led the Cowboy receiving corps with 9 catches for 173 yards, Kevon Williams had two catches for 90 yards, a whopping 45.0 avg. per catch.

SUU's Qb. Brad Sorensen overcame Abdul Kanneh's two interceptions to finish with 212  passing yards and three touchdown passes to Fatu Moala, who finished with 8 receptions for 74 yards as well. Brian Wilson (no not that Brian Wilson or that other Brian Wilson) racked up a career high 140 yds. rushing to aid the Thunderbird's cause. "Credit New Mexico Highlands for how hard they played," Coach Ed Lamb said "They had a ton of great athletes out there tonight"

The Pokes return to Las Vegas for an RMAC showdown with  Colorado School of Mines at Don Perkins Stadium. The Orediggers are 3-0, 1-0 RMAC, they're ranked #23 in the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.  Colorado School of Mines ran nearly 100 plays for 517 yards of total offense in cruising past Black Hills State by a 42-19 final in their RMAC opener. The Orediggers have outscored their opponents 170-32 including a 71-7 demolition of South Dakota Mines.

The 71 points The Orediggers put up on the South Dakota Mines Hardrockers was the most they had scored since a 75-40 blasting of New Mexico Highlands in 2003. Coached by Bob Stitt, Mines is a perennial contender for the RMAC title. Colorado School of Mines is the only school that has remained a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conf. since its inception without interruption. 

Raiders- Dolphins Week 2

"The Oakland roster that showed up in Miami was not a team ready to play but a joke willing to be played. And the Dolphins, considered by some the worst team in the NFL, laughed and laughed until the merciful intervention of the clock spared the Raiders further indignity" 

"No moral victories or silver linings, nothing of redeeming value. The Raiders on Sunday so thoroughly embarrassed themselves that the team photo for the day should be 45 clown suits, all of them empty"  Monte Poole, Oakland Tribune


 Oakland Raiders 13  Miami Dolphins  35

The end zone is that-a-way >, the first game that followed the season ending injury of Jason Campbell and the arrival of an ill prepared Carson Palmer in 2011, was against the Dolphins, Oakland trailed 34-0 after three quarters and were soundly beaten to within an inch of their manhood. The Phins, have been the laughing stock of the eastern seaboard for some time now. So, how do you account for the fact that they own the Raiders, lock, stock and barrel? In 2010, the Raiders lost 33-17 as Tom Cable's complexion turned to a dark purple. In 2009, Miami manhandled them on their way to a 17-15 victory. I documented the Raiders lack of success against the fish last year and by the very nature of Raider Law, "the more things change, the more they stay the same"

Gregg Knapp and Coach Allen are pleading for patience, but in the words of sports columnist Monte Poole, "Patience is, in 2012 an outdated concept, banished by the digital age, which has produced Twitter and a million other forms of interactive and often brutally reflexive commentary" "Patience" Knapp says "I believe the team that won the Super Bowl last year was 9-7, so it's going to take some patience. BUT! (and that's a big but) there will be no patience for Gregg Knapp, Raider fans don't want to hear about patience anymore. Oakland has not had a winning season since 2002 and that ended on a sour note. Don't ask us to be patient, just figure out how to get the goddamn offense into the end zone! 

Besides, the Raiders of 2012 are not the Giants of 2011, Carson Palmer is not Eli Manning, Dennis Allen sure as hell isn't Tom Coughlin. And Dirt Knapp is no Kevin Gilbride, not by a longshot! Scoring points and gaining yardage was never a problem last year, even after the mid-season switch to Carson Palmer necessitated by Jason Campbell's season ending injury. Oakland had two very capable and resourceful offensive minded coaches on the staff at the end of the season and Reggie McKenzie fired both of them. Knapp is not the answer, Tom Cable stripped him of his play calling duties during his first stint as the Raiders O.C., and now we're heading down the same road again.... Raider Law, "the more things change.... blah, blah, fuck you Knapp!

The "New Era of Excellence" as described by the team's PR department is off to a rocky start. It's starting to sink in that 2012 will be a season of regression and not progression. The 8-8 records of the past two season could prove to be the high water marks of this decade. At any rate, unless Knapp has a life changing epiphany of sorts, we're looking at 2-14 or 4-12 at best, that's a shitload of ugly, soul sucking losses. The light at the end of the tunnel coming in our direction is the ever salty & chippy Pittsburgh Steelers. The timing couldn't be worse, two games into the season and The Raiders are facing a crucial, must win game. A win would go a long ways towards turning things around, while a loss will just confirm what we already suspect.

 "The court of impatience within the Raider Nation has reached a verdict in the case of Oakland offensive coordinator Greg Knapp: Guilty! .... Guilty of questionable play-calling, guilty of lack of imagination, guilty of killing the offense brought to life by Hue Jackson" Monte Poole, Oakland Tribune

Leave it to underachieving Miami running back Reggie Bush to have a career day against the Raiders, as so many down on their luck players often do. Reggie, cut, juked and ran as if he was still back at USC (26 carries 172 yds., 2 td's) It also turns out that rookie Ryan Tannehill, judging by the day he had against Oakland, should have been picked ahead of Andrew Luck and RG3. And why is it that the world has never heard of Brian Hartline before?, move over Megatron, The Hartbreaker is here! Maybe Miami is not who we thought they were (the worse team in the NFL) no, if you go by who beats who, that honor now belongs to our own Oakland Raiders. Geesus! I never thought I would have to say that again, but as it stands.... we are the worse team in the NFL.

"The way we started in the first half, I didn't foresee 35 at the end of the game," Raiders defensive tackle Tommy Kelly conceded to reporters in Miami. Tommy is fast becoming the defensive mouthpiece for Oakland (last year it was Richard Seymour) The game did seem like a classic grind-it-out Raider game of years past, that is until Reggie Bush got loose and the defensive ran out of steam. With the Oakland passing game misfiring in the redzone (twice they were inside the Miami 10 yd. line and settled for field goals) and the running game sputtering out (DMC, 11 carries for 22 yds., that's a whopping 2 yds. per carry) The Raiders were forced to punt the ball away nine times. It's a good thing that Jon Condo was cleared to play again.

Moving the ball through the air is not the problem (Palmer threw for 373 yds. on Sunday) but when your total running yardage over two games only amounts to 68 yds. on 34 carries, well that speaks volumes.  If your punter, who is actually part of the defensive unit, is your best offensive weapon, then things have gone wrong in a big way. "This week was must-win. But, Miami, we're supposed to have this one. I'm sorry. You take your hats off to them, but, hey, if we can't beat Miami, it's going to be rough. It's going to be rough." lamented Tommy Kelly. Weekend at Bernies is all the rage with the post-season bound Oakland A's. My guess is that The Raiders were feeling left out of the fun and decided to do "The Bernie Lean" at Sun Life Stadium.... lean back, lean back, move yo feet, move yo feet.  

"Raiders fans doubt Knapp can operate a productive offense. Though some have made their decision, all must beware of rushing to judgment. Evidence presented thus far, however, has not been in Knapp's favor"  Monte Poole, Oakland Tribune

Raider Notes:

The Raiders, under new coach Dennis Allen, are 0-2 for the first time since 2007, when another relatively unknown young coach was at the helm, Lane Kiffin. During his first stint as Raiders offensive coordinator, Greg Knapp spent two fruitless years trying to teach JaMarcus Russell his offense. After he was demoted by Tom Cable, the offense was simplified to, JaMarcus takes snap, JaMarcus drops back, JaMarcus throws deep. 

Miami used a no-huddle approach most of the game,  they  pulled away from a played out Raider defense in the final 20 minutes by mounting touchdown drives of 80, 80 and 75 yards. Denarius Moore saw his first game action of the season (having missed all four exhibition games and the season opener) Moore caught 3 passes for 67 yards. Right offensive tackle Khalif Barnes suffered a groin injury in the second quarter. Willie Smith replaced Barnes.

Cornerback Shawntae Spencer emerged from the game with a sprained foot. Running back Taiwan Jones was limited because of sore ribs. McFadden got poked in the left eye late in the first quarter and missed a few plays. He was spelled by Mike Goodson who turned a short pass into a 64-yard touchdown, the only highlight in an otherwise dismal day. McFadden returned wearing a visor, which he intends to keep wearing from here on out.

With Ron Bartell on the short-term injured reserve list, rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill picked on Pat Lee and then Joselio Hanson, with Hartline catching nine passes after never before having more than five. With Pittsburgh up next in Oakland, followed by Peyton Manning and  Denver on the road, there are very few reasons to suspect the Raiders will be anything other than 0-4 after four. 

Generally speaking, Raider Ron you are the albatross of doom