New Mexico Football Report

UNM 0    TCU  69

Lord have Mercy!... That the Lobos kept TCU under 70 points (or 100) doesn't say anything about their defensive tenacity. No, it's speaks more more about Gary Patterson. TCU started playing reserves in the second quarter and in the second half used primarily third stringers. Casey Paschall, the heir apparent to Andy Dalton did not play at all in the second half, having scorched the Lobo secondary, going 13-17 for 175 yds. and 2 tds. in just two quarters of play.  Gary Patterson is a good man and that's why we didn't have a repeat of Jim "The Weenie" Sweeney's attempt to put 100 pts. on the scoreboard in a 1991 game against Fresno St. (a 94-17 Lobo loss)

Having said that, even the TCU scrubs rolled through the Lobo's defense.  TCU finished with 515 total yds.and 22, 1st. downs, compared to UNM's five 1st. downs (one courtesy of a TCU penalty) Three Lobo fumbles & a blocked punt resulted in TCU td's.  At the half UNM was down 41-0 and Patterson was already thinking of next weeks game with BYU. The Horned Frogs set a school record for most points in a game while holding The Lobos' offense to just 85 yds. UNM faces off against Air Force next week and as Al Bundy was fond of saying "Just Shoot me Now!" 

The sparse talent UNM has on the field is handcuffed by a coaching staff that lacks the ability to draw up a cohesive plan of attack on either side of the ball.  Adjustments,  it seems are a foreign concept to George Barlow and the UNM coaching staff. These were Locksley's boys and like their former boss, they don't have a clue. Their failure to motivate this bunch of underachievers will be their legacy as it is for Mike Locksley. It's plain to see that first on the list of things to do for the new coach will be to clean house.  

Marv Levy, a former Lobo head coach (58-59) and NFL coaching great, has already picked out a head coach for us. Levy is suggesting that UNM hire Brian Polian, a recruiting assistant for Stanford and the son of Peyton Manning's boss, Colt's G.M. Bill Polian. Why is Marv being so helpful? because UNM gave him his start in coaching and he's never forgotten that favor. Levy is also quick to point out that while he's made several calls to UNM, on Brian Polian's behalf, none of his calls have been returned. 

Mike Leach has also been mentioned, though his alleged mistreatment of players is a sticking point. But, when you consider that Mike Locksley went MMA on one of his a.c.'s, then I say we're talking apples and oranges. Robin Cole, a former UNM  and NFL (Steelers) great, has also thrown his hat into the ring. Cole is openly lobbying for the job, although he's out of football now and has been for a while. Robin Cole like Brian Polian has no head coaching experience.

Ultimately, we don't know who'll coach the Lobos or what league they'll play in. The latest rumors have The Mountain West & Conference USA merging. Another scenario has those two leagues joining up with the football leftovers in The Big East Conf., which is trying to entice both Air Force & Boise St. to join them. Meanwhile, BYU currently an independent could be lured into the Big 12, joining TCU who abruptly spurned the Big East. By the time it's all sorted out, The Lobos, Aggies and UTEP Miners could all find themselves competing in the WAC.

Aggies 34  Hawai'i 45

It was a sloppy affair, as so often is the case when mainland teams travel to Hawai'i. The Aggies were forced to punt on their first three possessions. Three was not a charm as they had the third punt blocked and returned for a  Warrior touchdown. Down 14-0 in the first quarter, The Aggies behind Matt Christian closed to within 27-14 at the half. However on the Aggies final drive of the first half, Christian was nailed, fumbled the football and came up hurt.

Travaughn Colwell started at Qb. for the Aggies in the second half, but was woefully ineffective. Matt Christian came back in, and directed a scoring drive for NMSU that was capped off by Kenny Turner's 46 yd. touchdown dash. The Rainbow Warriors rolled to 39-20 lead, before the Aggies could score again. Hawai'i behind Qb. Bryant Moniz would find the end zone one more time to finish with 45 points on the night. The Aggies would score again late in the game,  they tried an onside kick, which was recovered by the Warriors who then ran out the clock. 

The Warriors totaled 503 yds. on offense, Bryant Moniz was  24-39 passing, for 264 yds. and he also carried the ball 11 times for 62 yds. Hawai'i's Joey Iosefa rushed for 90 yds. on 13 carries plus 2 tds.  For the Aggies, Matt Christian threw for 224 yards and 2 td's. Kenny Turner finished with 119 rushing yards, highlighted by his long td. run. (Turner has rushed for 100 or more yds. in 4 straight games for NMSU) Taveon Rogers caught just two passes the entire game but both went for touchdowns. 

What went wrong for the Aggies? Coming in to the game we knew this would be a high scoring affair, 3 punts on their first 3 possessions and the blocked punt put the Aggies in a hole right from the start. In a contest where defense seemed like an afterthought, NMSU sacked Moniz 5 times and recovered a fumble.  However, with the Aggie offense sputtering, the defense failed to make crucial stops. 

It was a homecoming for Andrew Manley, the Aggie starting Qb. sidelined since the UTEP game. Manley is a native of Hawai'i, having graduated from the same high school as Bryant Moniz. The Aggies return to Las Cruces to take on Nevada in their homecoming game. The Wolfpack, coming off an impressive win over Fresno St... are hungry like the wolf.