Nov. 25
New Mexico 41 ... San Diego State 14
New Mexico jumped out to a 24-0 first quarter lead as Rodney Ferguson
started out his huge, 210-yard day with a 26-yard touchdown run, Chris
Nelson hit Travis Brown with a five-yard touchdown pass, and Blake Ligon
picked off a pass for a 24-yard touchdown. The Lobos got up 41-0 helped
by a 49-yard Ferguson run and a Chris Mark 20-yard score. San Diego
State finally got on the board in garbage time with two Kevin O'Connell
touchdown passes in the fourth quarter.
Player of the game ...
New Mexico RB Rodney
Ferguson ran 22 times for 210 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: New Mexico - Passing: Chris Nelson,
9-20, 87 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 22-210, 2 TD Receiving:
Travis Brown,3-19, 1 TD
San Diego State - Passing: Kevin O'Connell, 23-40,
272 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Kevin O'Connell, 12-56 Receiving:
Brett Swain, 8-108
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... New
Mexico blasted San Diego State and is off to ... New Mexico! While it
might not seem exciting to stay home for a bowl game, considering the
season started with a loss to Portland State, this is a good capper on a
rocky season and gives the young team vital extra practices to get
stronger for next year. Rodney Ferguson was tremendous at carrying the
offensive workload against the Aztecs. Chris Nelson wasn't sharp enough
to keep Donovan Porterie from being back at the helm for the bowl.
Nov. 18
BYU 42 ... New Mexico 17
BYU sealed the Mountain West title with 653 yards of offense helped by
four touchdown passes and a one-yard scoring run from John Beck
highlighted by a 71-yard pass play to Jonny Harline for a 21-3 first
half lead. Curtis Brown ran for a 49-yard score and caught a
nine-yard touchdown pass. New Mexico cranked out 418 yards of
offense and scored 14 in the third quarter with a Quincy Black
88-yard interception return for a touchdown and a Chris Nelson
35-yard catch.
Player of the game ...
BYU QB John Beck
threw for 464 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions on
28-of-42 passing and added another score and seven yards on five
carries.
Stat Leaders: New Mexico - Passing: Chris
Nelson, 22-38, 245 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 20-138 Receiving: Travis
Brown, 6-116, 1 TD
BYU - Passing: John Beck, 28-42, 464 yds, 4 TDs,
2 INTs
Rushing: Curtis Brown, 13-124, 1 TD Receiving: Nathan
Meikle, 6-111
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The Lobos got down early against BYU and had to spend the entire
game trying to come back. The defense was awful against the Cougars
on third downs and allowed 653 yards of total offense. Even so,
Rodney Ferguson ran well and Chris Nelson had a nice day throwing
the ball, but there isn’t the spark in the attack without Donovan
Porterie, who should be ready to return for the must-win game
against San Diego State. On the other side of the ball, the pass
defense was awful hurt partially by a lack of a pass rush. The team
is supposed to be getting better at this point in the year, and it’s
not.
Nov. 11
TCU 27 ... New Mexico 21
TCU jumped out to a 24-0 halftime lead with touchdown runs
from Aaron Brown and Lonta Hobbs and a 12-yard Tommy Blake fumble return
for a score, and then the defense had to hold on for dear life. New
Mexico roared back with Rodney Ferguson touchdown runs from 45 and two
yards out and an eight-yard Marcus Smith scoring grab to pull within
three, but TCU was able to push ahead with a 37-yard Chris Manfredini
field goal. The Lobos had one final shot marching to the TCU 28 in the
final seconds, but Chris Nelson, in for an injured Donovan Porterie, was
picked off by Brian Bonner at the nine to seal the Horned Frog win.
Player of the game ...
TCU S Marvin White made
ten tackles and forced two fumbles
Stat Leaders: TCU - Passing: Jeff Ballard, 6-16, 25
yds
Rushing: Lonta Hobbs, 16-93, 1 TD Receiving: Aaron
Brown, 4-17
New Mexico - Passing: Chris Nelson, 8-15, 126 yds,
1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 21-71, 2 TD Receiving: Marcus
Smith, 6-96, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
It took a while for
the New Mexico offense to wake up against TCU, but when it did, it was
shockingly effective after struggling throughout the first half. Chris
Nelson stepped in for Donovan Porterie, who was decent, but
unspectacular, and came close to pulling off the comeback win providing
more pop to the passing game. The defense was terrific after making
adjustments to stopping the run and didn't allow anything through the
air. A win over BYU next week would be nice, but there's still time to
become bowl eligible with San Diego State to finish up.
Oct. 28
New Mexico 20 ... Colorado State 19
Kenny Byrd hit a 33-yard field goal with no time left on the clock
to completed a fourth quarter comeback. The Lobos got out to a 10-0
first quarter lead on a 39-yard Byrd field goal and a six-yard
Rodney Ferguson run, but Colorado State owned the next two quarters
with two Damon Morton touchdown catches and two Jason Smith field
goals. New Mexico started the comeback with a 35-yard Travis Brown
touchdown catch off a turnover, and completed the win with a
ten-play, 63-yard drive in the final 3:16.
Player of the game ...
New Mexico’s
Kenny Byrd averaged 65 yards on his four punts and connected on both
of his field goal attempts, including the game-winner from 33 yards
as time expired.
Stat Leaders: New Mexico - Passing: Donovan
Porterie, 15-25, 195 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 21-80, 1 TD Receiving:
Marcus Smith, 6-81
Colorado State - Passing: Caleb Hanie, 25-40,
254 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Nmadi Ohaeri, 12-24 Receiving: Damon Morton,
7-94, 2 TDs
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Donovan
Porterie isn't always great; he's great when he has to be. With a
third straight come-from-behind win, he's has a flair for the
dramatic, but now he has to be better over the first three quarters
so he doesn't have to come up with big comebacks. The defense did a
decent job of keeping Colorado State in check with the aggressive
front getting into the backfield all game long to stiff the running
game and get pressure on Caleb Hanie. It was a must win for bowl
hopes with TCU and BYU coming up next before closing out against San
Diego State.
Oct. 19
New Mexico 34 ... Utah 31
Down 24-3 in the second quarter, New Mexico became unstoppable with
three touchdown passes from Donovan Porterie, including two to
Marcus Smith, and took the lead for good on a one-yard Martelius
Epps run with just over two minutes to play. Utah's final drive was
stopped around midfield when QB Brett Ratliff was stuffed on fourth
and two. The Utes got up early on two Darryl Poston touchdown runs
and the first of two Ratliff touchdown passes, and took a late lead
on a three-yard Brian Hernandez touchdown, but the defense couldn't
adjust when the light went on for Porterie.
Player of the game ... Donovan Porterie completed 19 of 33 passes
for 350 yards and three touchdowns with an interception and ran four
times for nine yards.
Stat Leaders: Utah - Passing: Brett Ratliff, 18-31,
234 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Darryl Poston, 19-60, 2 TD Receiving:
Derrek Richards, 6-96, 1 TD
New Mexico - Passing: Donovan Porterie, 19-33, 350
yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 16-81 Receiving: Travis
Brown, 9-154, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Talk
about a coming out party. After an awful first half against Utah, QB
Donovan Porterie was terrific hitting on deep play after deep play
getting plenty of help Travis Brown and Marcus Smith. Rodney
Ferguson ran well, but this game was all about the emergence of
Porterie as a Mountain West star-in-the-making. The defense didn't
generate much pressure, but Utah, outside of the loss to Wyoming,
doesn't give up sacks. Now the Lobos have to use this momentum and
keep the current two-game winning streak rolling at Colorado State
to get within range for a bowl game.
Oct. 14
New Mexico 39 ... UNLV 36 OT
New Mexico's Kenny Byrd kicked
four field goals after halftime including a 39-yard shot in overtime,
and Michael Tuohy recovered a fumble on UNLV's first play in the extra
session to give the Lobos the win.
The Lobos forced five turnovers after halftime with Byrd turning into
the offense with four field goals after the break to go along with a
47-yard Cody Kase interception return for a score and a four-yard
Martelius Epps touchdown run. UNLV fought its way back with a nine-play,
80-yard drive in 1:19 finishing with a nine-yard Shane Steichen
touchdown pass to Ryan Wolfe followed by a successful two-point
conversion. The Rebels got four touchdown passes in the second quarter
from Steichen including a 75-yard strike to Ryan Wolfe and a 14-yard
pass to Aaron Straiten to overcome a 14-0 New Mexico first quarter lead.
Player of the game ... In a losing cause, UNLV QB Shane Steichen
completed 18 of 30 passes for 295 yards and five touchdowns with two
interception, and ran 12 time fro 29 yards..
Stat Leaders: UNLV - Passing: Shane Steichen,
18-39, 295 yds, 5 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Erick Jackson, 11-55 Receiving:
Ryan Wolfe, 9-176, 2 TD
New Mexico - Passing: Donovan Porterie, 13-27, 168
yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 21-64, 1 TD Receiving: Travis
Brown, 5-58
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... There
were plenty of problems for New Mexico against UNLV, especially with the
pass defense, but timely forced turnovers and clutch kicking from Kenny
Byrd helped get the win. It would've been nice if more second half
drives went for touchdowns instead of field goals, but at least the
offense converted off the Rebel mistakes. A bowl game isn't out of the
question even though the nasty part of the schedule is coming up. The
Lobos have to play much tighter on both sides of the ball to get three
wins in the next five.
Oct. 7
Wyoming 14 ... New Mexico 10
Karsten Sween overcame a lousy first half to throw two second
half passes with a 12-yard play to Hoost Marsh and a four-yard play to
Michael Ford. The Wyoming defense held time and again in the second half
while holding New Mexico to 190 yards of total offense for the game. The
Lobos got a one-yard Rodney Ferguson touchdown run in the first quarter
off a Wyoming turnovers, and went ten yards in eight plays for a 45-yard
Kenny Byrd field goal in the second.
Player of the game ... Wyoming S John Wendling made seven
tackles, broke up a pass, and forced a fumble.
Stat Leaders: Wyoming - Passing: Karsten Sween,
19-32, 204 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Wynel Seldon, 17-55 Receiving:
Michael Ford, 5-58, 1 TD
New Mexico - Passing: Donovan Porterie, 7-17, 68
yds
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 24-79, 1 TD Receiving:
Travis Brown, 3-59
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Rodney
Ferguson ran the ball well on Wyoming, but there was nothing from the
passing game with Donovan Porterie and Chris Nelson combining to
complete 11 of 32 passes for only 112 yards. The downfield passing game
isn't quite working as well as expected, but just keeping the chains
moving would be a plus at this point. This week there was nothing
through the air, last week against Air Force there was nothing on the
ground. Fortunately, UNLV is up next to help work the kinks out before
the meat of the Mountain West schedule kicks in.
Sept. 30
Air Force 24 ... New Mexico 7
Air Force turned an early New Mexico fumble into a three-yard
Shaun Carney touchdown run and later got a 38-yard Chad Hall touchdown
for all the points needed. New Mexico's three turnovers proved costly
killing any offensive momentum, but it was able to get a 58-yard
touchdown play from Rodney Ferguson to keep it close. The Falcons rolled
in the fourth quarter with a 48-yard Zach Sasser field goal and a
two-yard Ryan Williams touchdown run. Air Force outgained New Mexico 262
yards to 41 on the ground.
Player of the game
... Air
Force RB Ryan Williams ran 22 times for 94 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: New Mexico- Passing: Chris Nelson,
16-30, 232 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 12-36 Receiving: Travis Brown,
7-89
Air Force: Shaun Carney, 3-5, 19 yds
Rushing: Ryan Williams, 22-94, 1 TD Receiving: Chad Hall,
1-14
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
All momentum from the big win over UTEP was
killed by a sloppy game against Air Force. Chris Nelson threw the ball
well, but the offense struggled with too many turnovers and not enough
good plays on third downs. Rodney Ferguson and the running game didn't
do anything against the Falcons, and the offensive line had an awful day
in pass protection. There just isn't nearly enough consistency on either
side of the ball to beat the better teams.
Sept. 23
New Mexico 26 ... UTEP 13
New Mexico came up with five sacks of UTEP QB Jordan Palmer
and got several other pressures to throw off the Miner offense all
game long. The Lobo offense got a huge rushing day from Rodney
Ferguson along with an eight-yard touchdown catch to start off the
scoring. Marcus Smith caught an 18-yard scoring pass on the way to a
19-0 first half lead for all the points the Lobos would need. UTEP
finally got on the board with a 36-yard Regan Schneider field goal,
but the game was put away early in the third quarter with a Chris
Nelson touchdown run.
Player of the game ... New Mexico RB Rodney Ferguson
ran 34 times for 162 yards and caught three passes for five yards
and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: New Mexico - Passing: Chris
Nelson, 9-16, 62 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 34-162. Receiving:
Marcus Smith, 4-53, 1 TD
UTEP - Passing: Jordan Palmer, 26-36, 211
yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Marcus Thomas, 13-34. Receiving: Chris
Marrow, 7-51
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
New Mexico picked a perfect time to
come up with a brilliant game. With the season quickly slipping away
and with the Mountain West slate about to kick in, the Lobo offense
went to work pounding the ball on the Miner defense while getting
consistent pressure on QB Jordan Palmer. Holding the ball for close
to 11 minutes in the fourth quarter was vital to keeping the potent
UTEP attack on the sidelines, and it'll be even more important next
week against the ball-control Air Force offense.
Sept. 16
Missouri 27 ... New Mexico 17
Missouri led from start to finish, but it didn't put the game
out of reach until late in the fourth quarter on a two-yard Karl
Goldsmith touchdown run with under two minutes to play. The Tiger
defense was fantastic holding the Lobos to only 201 yards of total
offense and a Kenny Byrd field goal until Marcus Smith scored on a
13-yard catch with 26 seconds to play. UNM stayed alive on an 11-yard
interception return for a score from Michael Tuohy. Mizzou's Chase
Daniel threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Michael Rucker and ran for an
eight-yard score.
Player of the game ... Missouri RB Tony Temple ran 22
times for 168 yards
Stat Leaders: New Mexico - Passing: Chris
Nelson, 16-31, 168 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 12-69. Receiving:
Travis Brown, 6-54
Missouri - Passing: Chase Daniel, 25-36,
199 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Tony Temple 22-168. Receiving: Will
Franklin, 9-76
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
There's simply no running game whatsoever
to count on. The loss of QB Kole McKamey makes things worse with Chris
Nelson not a rushing threat. Missouri was able to march up and down the
field, but the Lobo defense did just enough to keep the team in the
game. The offense simply sputtered way too much
and was too inconsistent. Some firepower has to be found from someone
other than WR Marcus Smith, or the UTEP game next week won't be pretty.
Sept. 9
New Mexico 34 ... New Mexico State 28
The two teams combined for 955 yards and big play after big
play with New Mexico holding on in the end. The Lobos got a huge day
from backup QB Chris Nelson, who filled in for injured Kole McKamey,
with three touchdown passes to Marcus Smith including a 61-yard strike
early in the fourth quarter for a 34-14 lead. But the Aggies roared back
thanks to Chase Holbrook, who threw for 472 yards, and he hooked up with
Nick Cleaver for a 60-yard touchdown and with Derek Dubois for a 13-yard
score with just under five minutes to play. They got one final chance,
but the drive stalled.
Player of the game ... New Mexico WR Marcus Smith made
five catches for 179 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: New Mexico - Passing: Chris
Nelson, 11-26, 283 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 12-77. Receiving:
Marcus Smith, 5-179, 3 TD
NMSU - Passing: Chase Holbrook, 37-56,
472 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Nwoko, 3-27. Receiving: Derek
Dubois, 7-104, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The loss of Kole McKamey to a knee injury hurts from a leadership
and experience standpoint, but Chris Nelson proved against New Mexico
State that he can bomb away and be effective running Bob Toledo's
offense. Marcus Smith is quickly developing into a top target who'll
need to be option one to take away in opposing game plans. The running
game still isn't there as it tries to make up for the loss of DonTrell
Moore.
Sept. 2
Portland State 17 ... New Mexico 6
New Mexico turned it over three times and committed 11
penalties, and Portland State took advantage of the mistakes to overcome
a 6-0 halftime deficit to score 17 unanswered points. Sawyer Smith threw
two touchdown passes starting with a 39-yard pass to Brendan Ferrigno
and closing out with a 26-yard scoring strike. New Mexico's offense
gained 339 yards, but it only managed two Kenny Byrd field goals.
Player of the game ... Portland State's Adam Howard
made 11 tackles, four sacks, and forced one fumble.
Stat Leaders: Portland State - Passing:
Sawyer Smith, 13-30, 173 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kelena Mo'okano, 13-35. Receiving:
Brendan Ferrigno, 5-76, 1 TD
New Mexico - Passing: Kole McKamey,
21-36, 274 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 15, 65. Receiving: Marcus
Smith, 8-85
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The new
Bob Toledo offense sort of worked, but it didn't produce any meaningful
rushing yards against Portland State and it only managed two field
goals. The defense did a decent job, but the O couldn't stop making
mistakes and it shot itself in the foot over and over again. The hope is
that this is a case of trying to get everything in place with the new
attack, but things had better start working against New Mexico State or
it could be a brutal start to the year.
2006 New Mexico Preview
New Mexico Preview |
Offense |
Defense |
Depth Chart |
Further Analysis
So much for respect.
New Mexico found out last year exactly where it stood on the
national college football scene by not getting a bowl invite despite
having a big name back to sell in DonTrell Moore, impressing with a
road win over Missouri, which turned out to be the Mountain West's
second best pre-bowl non-conference win behind TCU's upset over
Oklahoma, and coming up with a fifth straight regular season winning record.
Is New Mexico not sexy enough? Was it the three straight lousy bowl
performances? Maybe it was the 42-24 regular season loss to Air
Force that sealed the fate. Whatever it was, last year showed that
the program isn't quite where it needs to be.
But 2005 was a transition season replacing several defensive
starters and changing the identity a bit on offense after being a
one-dimensional ground attack. Things will change again, only this
time for the better with the addition of former UCLA head coach Bob
Toledo to run the offense and make it more effective and more
explosive. Add Toledo's talents with a solid system that's already
in place, and New Mexico might finally break through the ceiling and
push for the Mountain West title.
The first big step
will be to replace superstars Moore and WR Hank Baskett. QB Kole McKamey
is a veteran with good all-around skills, but he needs playmakers to
work with. The defense took a step back last season and could have
problems with its consistency early on with new faces up the middle up
front and on the corners in the secondary. Even so, the building blocks
are there for another winning season and be far more effective on both
sides of the ball.
To be Mountain West champions, the Lobos have to take back Albuquerque
after losing three Mountain West home games last year. Had they been
able to hold serve and beat BYU, Colorado State and Air Force, they'd
have been 9-2 and would've finished second in the league behind TCU.
This is a good enough team to put everything together by late September
when the conference season starts and can go on a big run. The big boys
don't come calling until late, so there's time to develop. If everything
works out as planned, New Mexico will finally have earned more respect
and should get to a post-season game without much of a problem.
The
Schedule: It's as good as can be asked for even with a tough
finishing kick with a late road game at BYU. The projected top teams in
the league, Utah and TCU, have to come to University Stadium while last
year's mediocre Mountain West teams, Air Force, Wyoming and UNLV, come
right off the bat for a possible 3-0 conference start. The two big
non-conference games, Missouri and UTEP, are at home, and there's time
to prepare with a nice season-opening tune up against Portland State to
get everyone's feet wet.
Best
Offensive Player: Senior OT Robert Turner. Arguably the Mountain
West's best lineman, the 6-4, 325-pound senior will make the move from
guard to right tackle where he'll be the anchor of the line and the one
the team runs behind.
Best
Defensive Player:
Senior LB Quincy Black. Watch him shoot up the draft lists of many NFL
scouts. He's 6-3, 232 pounds, and tremendous in pass coverage on the
outside. A big senior year should make him a first day pick as well as
earn him All-Mountain West honors.
Key player
to a successful season: Redshirt freshman CB Ian Clark and junior CB
Juamar Hall. The secondary had major problems last year even with
all-star Gabrial Fulbright manning one corner. The two new corners have
to prove they're up to the task right away with New Mexico State's air
attack in game two and UTEP's Jordan Palmer coming to town in late
September.
The season
will be a success if ... the Lobos finish second in the Mountain West. They're not as
good as TCU or Utah, but they get the two big games at home and have
enough overall talent to be in the hunt for the title until the final
day. Winning the title is asking a little too much out of a team with
big question marks at the skill positions, cornerback and defensive
tackle.
Key game:
October 19th vs. Utah. It'll be a nationally televised home game
five days after the road trip to UNLV. With at Colorado State, TCU, and
at BYU over the following three games, a win over the Utes is a must to
kickstart any Mountain West title dreams.
2005 Fun
Stats:
- Fourth quarter scoring: Opponents 114 - New Mexico 58
- Penalties; New Mexico 81 for 618 yards - Opponents 60 for 547 yards
- Sacks: New Mexico 36 for 241 yards - Opponents 19 for 128 yards
The Last Time
New Mexico…
…played in a bowl game…2004 (Emerald Bowl vs. Navy)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…2002 (Baylor)
…was shutout…2002 (Texas Tech)
…scored 50 points…2003 (Texas State)
…went undefeated…1927
…won a conference title…1964 (share, WAC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…1994 (Stoney Case)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2005 (DonTrell Moore)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2005 (Hank Baskett)
…had a first-round draft choice…2000 (LB Brian Urlacher)