LOBO FOOTBALL: ‘Atrocious’
UNM wide receiver Caleb Medford catches a pass against a Wyoming Cowboys defender on Saturday at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyo. The Lobos would rally would fall short in a 32-26 loss to the Cowboys. Courtesy of UNM Athletics
A missed tackle here.
A missed opportunity there.
An undisciplined play here.
Miscues and a lackluster tackling effort doomed the UNM football team in its 2023 Mountain West Conference opener at Wyoming.
“Our tackling was atrocious today,” UNM head football coach Danny Gonzales said. “That hadn’t been an issue for us. Bad tackling. I thought the tackling wasn’t very good, which led to (Wyoming) having opportunities.”
The Lobos (2-3, 0-1 MWC) were run out of War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyo. by the Wyoming Cowboys (4-1, 1-0) on Saturday, 35-26.
The game did start well for UNM. The new-look offense was as advertised under new offensive coordinator Bryan Vincent.
The Lobos – lead by quarterback Dylan Hopkins – opened the game with a touchdown on an eight-play, 75-yard drive to go up 6-0.
That’s when the mistakes for UNM began.
The Cowboys’ DeVonne Harris blocked a Luke Drzewiecki point after a touchdown attempt and cornerback Jakorey Hawkins scooped the ball up and returned it 81 yards for two points.
Gonzales said the block kicked sucked some of the energy out of the players on the sideline for UNM.
“It had us chasing points and those are plays that change scenarios significantly,” Gonzales said. “They got up the middle, but you know, it was a little bit of a low kick, I think, and we’ll have to watch on tape. It changed the momentum of that. You go from a great drive with all the momentum, then they get two points, the sideline changes a little bit and the crowd got back into it.”
And it’s been back-to-back weeks that Harris has had a block and Hawkins had a return.
The previous week in a come-from-behind win over the Appalachian State Mountaineers, Hawkins returned a 62-yard field goal block for a game-winning touchdown.
"It’s kind of crazy how it ended up being the same thing and (Hawkins) picking it up again," Wyoming linebacker Easton Gibbs told the Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune. "I guess the scheme is working."
But instead of a UNM 7-0 lead, it was Lobos 6-2.
Wyoming quarterback Andrew Peasley would end the first quarter with a two-yard touchdown run and the Lobos and Cowboys would exchange field goals in the second quarter.
Wyoming would lead UNM, 12-9, into the half in what felt like should’ve beBUt,en a 10-10 game instead.
Peasley was 16 of 24 for 194 yards with one touchdown and at times diced up the Lobos defense with his legs. Something UNM has had trouble containing going back to the 27-17 loss to Diego Pavia and New Mexico State.
Peasley had seven carries for 34 yards and a score.
But it was the poor tackling that plagued the Lobos in the third quarter.
On the first play of Wyoming’s second possession of the second half, Cowboy running back Harrison Waylee bounced off Lobo defenders in the backfield and turned upfield for a touchdown.
The 46-yard scoring run put Wyoming up 29-12.
And it would be déjà vu for the Lobos before the end of the quarter.
Peasley would avoid a sack on a rollout and would hit Ayir Asante on what appeared to be a broken screen pass. Asante would cut up the middle of the field dipping and dodging members of the UNM defense for a 66-yard touchdown reception.
Gonzales said the Lobos had Waylee and Asante contained for a loss of yards.
“The first one, he’s wrapped up in the backfield and the second one, on the crossing route, give (Wyoming) credit for making a few blocks,” Gonzales said.
Hopkins would get banged up in the fourth quarter. Gonzales and offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent would send in backups DC Tabscott and true freshman Devon Dampier.
Dampier would lead two UNM touchdown drives late to keep the Lobos within striking distance of the Cowboys. He went 4 of 6 for 41 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Dampier would hit Jeremiah Hixon from 14 yards to cut the Wyoming lead to 29-19 and find D.J. Washington with 1:12 left In the game from 11 yards out. The second TD pass would cut the Cowboys’ lead to 32-26 but Wyoming would hold the ball for the final minute and kick a field goal to go up nine.
This was the first action against an FBS opponent for Dampier as a Lobo. He was not only able to show his ability to throw the ball but his speed, versatility and quick thinking as a runner.
He had six carries for 71 yards.
Dampier said the Wyoming defense had been playing man with loose coverage all game.
“Even on the first drive with Dylan Hopkins, they were playing off a lot and Dylan was just dicing them up,” Dampier said. “They started dropping more (in coverage) towards the end of the game and that is where the read option came into play, where they had too many people back and not enough people in the box. I was just able to make runs.”
Gonzales said the Lobos are so close to finding ways to win close games like Saturday’s loss to Wyoming.
“We’re so close,” Gonzales said. “We’re three plays away from winning a football game against a solid football team.”
UNM is off next week and will host San Jose State on Oct. 14 at University Stadium. Kick-off is set for 4 p.m.
