Gear Up For Game Day: New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., -- As always, I love to utilize this space each week during the season to not only give you the important info -- game time, TV channel, betting lines, etc. -- but also drop a bit of randomness on your plate.
So here goes.
Was anyone less than thrilled to see New Mexico hired Bronco Mendenhall?
The soft-spoken 58-year-old has been a thorn in Wyoming's side for literally decades, dating back to his defensive coordinator days in Albuquerque. Mendenhall, along with legendary Rocky Long, turned the Lobos into one of the toughest teams in the WAC and the Mountain West from 1998-2002.
That 3-3-5 defense was unforgiving.
While the records weren't always pretty -- New Mexico never finished above .500 -- the series against the Cowboys got lopsided in a hurry. Wyoming dropped three straight against that duo.
Mendenhall was finally leaving the program. Unfortunately, he didn't go far. He accepted the defensive coordinator position at BYU.
It certainly wasn't his fault that the Cowboys prevailed 13-10 during his first season in Provo.
Linebacker Tyler Gottschalk returned a John Beck interception 60 yards for a touchdown and Deric Yaussi booted through a pair of field goals from 42-and-43 yards out to take care of all the scoring Wyoming would need that day inside War Memorial Stadium.
Terrell Vinson picked off Matt Berry late in the fourth quarter to give the Cowboys their first win over BYU since 1999.
That's the last time Wyoming has celebrated a win over Mendenhall.
He was named the head coach of the Cougars in 2005 and over the next 11 seasons knocked off the Pokes six times. Most of those meetings were downright ugly, including a 52-0 whitewash in Laramie back in 2009.
During a four-game stretch, BYU outscored Wyoming, 186-17, including a pair of shutouts.
Mendenhall is indeed back and the Lobos are playing better than they have in nearly a decade. This program has fallen on hard times, failing to win more than four games in a single season since tallying nine in 2016.
New Mexico already has three this season and arguably should have more.
This much-maligned defense allowed two late touchdowns in a 35-31 opening-day home loss to Montana State. Last Saturday in Fort Collins, the Lobos' three-game winning streak came to an end against Colorado State. An 82-yard punt return for a touchdown did little to help. Neither did a season-high four turnovers, including a Devon Dampier fumble inside the Rams' 5-yard line.
CSU held on for the 17-6 victory in front of a capacity crowd inside Canvas Stadium.
Wyoming will attempt to snap a three-game skid Saturday afternoon in Albuquerque. Kickoff between the Cowboys and Lobos is set for 2 p.m. Mountain Time and the game will be televised on TruTV. You can also stream this contest on MAX.
Notable New Mexico Alumni
Steve-O, star of the television show "Jackass" attended this Albuquerque institution from 1996-97. So did professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero, Laverne & Shirley star Penny Marshall and NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher.
Chris Hency, director of the movie The Campaign, is a Lobo. So is former NBA champion Luc Longley, Revenge of the Nerds star Donald Gibb and author Michael Blake, who wrote the novel Dances with Wolves.
Did you know Albuquerque has a higher elevation than Denver, sitting at 5,312 feet above sea level? It's the highest metro city in the nation. It's also the hot-air balloon capital of the world and is famous for breakfast burritos and, of course, green chile.
Microsoft began in this desert oasis. Smokey the Bear was originated in the Captain Mountains and old historic Route 66 runs right through town. Nearly a million people call this area home, including numerous Native American tribes.
Here is all you need to know -- and the links -- for Saturday's tilt in ABQ:
WHO: Wyoming (1-7, 1-3) at New Mexico (3-5, 2-2)
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. MST
WEATHER: High of 72, low 43, mostly sunny, wind 11 mph
WHERE: University Stadium, Albuquerque, N.M. (39,224 capacity)
TRAVEL: NMRoads
STREAMING: MAX
TV: TruTV
RADIO: Cowboy Sports Network
TICKETS: Wyoming Ticket office
BOX SCORE: ESPN
ROSTERS: Wyoming / New Mexico
HISTORY: Wyoming leads the all-time series, 40-36
BETTING ODDS: UNM -6.5, O/U 60.5
HEAD COACHES: Jay Sawvel / Bronco Mendenhall
Meet the Lobos:
* Head coach: Bronco Mendenhall (1st year) 3-5 overall record, 2-2 in Mountain West play
* Offensive coordinator: Jason Beck (1st year); Defensive coordinator: Nick Howell (1st season)
* Record in 2023: 4-8 overall, 2-6 in Mountain West Conference
* Offense in 2024: Average 33.8 ppg, 468.1 ypg (208.3 rush, 259.9 pass)
* Defense in 2024: Allow 39.8 ppg, 478.3 ypg (234.1 rush, 244.2 pass)
* Key Players - Offense: Devon Dampier (QB - 164-279, 2,079 yds, 9 TD, 11 INT; 81 rush, 538 yds, 10 TD), Eli Sanders (RB - 84 rush, 456 yds, 4 TD; 9 catch, 90 yds), Javen Jacobs (RB - 40 rush, 277 yds, 3 TD; 17 catch, 130 yds, TD), Luke Wysong (WR - 50 catch, 663 yds, TD), Ryan Davis (WR - 35 catch, 513 yds, TD), Nic Trujillo (WR - 15 catch, 262 yds, TD), Caleb Medford (WR - 10 catch, 200 yds, 2 TD), Trace Bruckler (TE - 15 catch, 99 yds, 2 TD)
* Key Players - Defense: Christian Ellis (S - 71 tackles, 3 PBU, INT, FR, TD), Noah Avinger (CB - 59 tackles, 4 PBU, FR, TD), Randolph Kpai (LB - 56 tackles), Bryson Taylor (S - 46 tackles, 10 PBU), Dimitri Johnson (LB - 39 tackles, 2 sacks, PBU, INT, FR), Noa Pola-Gates (S - 33 tackles, 4 PBU, FR), Nigel Williams (DB -28 tackles, 2 PBU, FF), Moso'oipala Tuitele (DE - 27 tackles, 2 sacks)
University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players