ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—New Mexico’s “Hitmen” took a big hit, and their egos were still sore several days later.
Going into Saturday’s game against visiting Colorado State (1-8, 1-5 Mountain West), New Mexico’s offensive linemen—a.k.a. “The Hitmen”—were trying to get over last weekend’s 37-0 loss at TCU.
“Something we take pride in is dominating the line of scrimmage. I think we definitely lost that last weekend,” guard Bart Miller said. “I think as goes the line, as goes the game, and that’s kind of what happened.”
The Lobos (6-3, 3-2) were shut out for the first time since a 49-0 loss to Texas Tech in 2002. Their 119 total yards represented the school’s lowest offensive output since gaining 114 yards in a 17-7 loss at Oregon State in 2004.
Tailback Rodney Ferguson, last season’s Mountain West rushing leader, had 28 yards on the ground—his lowest total in 22 games as a starter.
New Mexico’s defense, which had been performing well during a three-game winning streak, left Fort Worth equally battered.
TCU’s 37 points, 238 yards rushing and 60 rushing attempts all were season highs by a New Mexico opponent. TCU’s Joseph Turner became the first player in 10 games to break the 100-yard rushing mark against the Lobos.
“A lot of it is our fault for not being prepared and not being mentally ready,” safety Tyson Ditmore said. “Going over there and playing like we did, it doesn’t really feel good. It’s always good to get back out and play another game.”
But if anyone believes last-place Colorado State will provide New Mexico with a soft cushion, Lobos coach Rocky Long insisted they’re mistaken.
While the Rams’ record might not reflect it, Long said Colorado State’s game film reflects a team that is playing hard.
“You kind of wish you would see some players that didn’t care,” Long said. “They’re playing with great effort. They’re playing very physical. They’re running the ball down people’s throats. They’re chasing people down on defense.”
Colorado State is struggling through the worst season of coach Sonny Lubick’s 15-year tenure and coming off a 35-16 loss at league-leading BYU.
The Rams finished with 311 yards of offense in Provo but gained 175 of that in the fourth quarter, mostly against BYU’s reserves. Caleb Hanie completed 18 of 34 passes for 161 yards with one interception.
“I felt the team played hard throughout the entire football game,” Lubick said. “They had the opportunity to get discouraged but did not.”
As for New Mexico’s lopsided defeat, Long’s message to his players this week was that it’s just one loss. He suggested his team may have grown overconfident and told the Lobos it’s time to regroup as a unit.
“We might have had a couple of guys that started thinking they were pretty good,” Long said. “When that happens, you start losing the team concept.”
With the Mountain West’s postseason glance beginning to sharpen, New Mexico needs to tap into its earlier success. Depending on what happens over the next three weeks, the league could have as many as seven bowl-eligible teams.
That places a premium on stockpiling victories if the Lobos want to ensure a bowl invitation. Teams like BYU, Utah and Air Force probably can rely on their fans to sell 10,000 or more bowl tickets.
“There are certain teams in our league that bring a lot of people. There are also certain teams that don’t,” Long said. “We’re kind of in the middle. We bring people, but we don’t bring the numbers with us that would guarantee that the bowls are going to pick us.”
