After a 9-4 record, division title and bowl appearance in 1997, New Mexico's football fortunes are fading fast as this Western Athletic Conference charter member goes into its final WAC game hosting Utah Saturday.
A new coaching staff has had to contend with a dozen games-lost injuries to important players and game-hampering injuries for another five key men, like a broken hand for running back Lennox Gordon. The Lobos have worn down at times."During the BYU game (last week)," said coach Rocky Long in an Albuquerque Journal article, "I could literally see our play getting slower as the game went on. It's been that way the last five weeks for us. The lack of depth really hurt us."
The Lobos have fallen to 3-7 overall, 1-6 in the WAC, as they close their home schedule with senior day against 6-3, 4-2 Utah in University Stadium Saturday at 1 p.m. MST.
Long says there would be more emotion Saturday if the Lobos were still in a race. "We've struggled so much just to try to keep a team together and give them a chance to win," he says.
They have lost three straight home games, seven of their last eight overall. They started the season 2-0 but took three overtimes to nudge visiting Utah State 39-36 on Sept. 12.
Last year, Utah beat New Mexico 15-10 in Rice Stadium when the defense limited the Lobos to 196 total-offense yards, still their lowest output in their last 59 games.
New Mexico is not without talent. Senior Graham Leigh is the dean of WAC quarterbacks, leading the league in total offense (255.2 yards per game). In team passing offense, the Lobos are No. 2 in the WAC (241.5), 29th in the NCAA. Leigh was named the WAC's preseason Pacific Division offensive player of the year, and this is the final home game of his career. With two games left, he's third in most Lobo career QB statistics. He has 4,678 career passing yards.
Junior Brian Urlacher leads the WAC in tackles (13.8 a game). Martinez Williams (65.6) and Germany Thompson (57.2) are fourth and ninth amongst WAC receivers, but the offensive line has been suspect, and the defense ranks 12th in the WAC, 75th nationally, giving up 384.2 ypg. It's 99th nationally, 14th in the WAC, in allowing scoring (31.8 ppg).