Despite a good second-half effort, the Lobos fell to CSU for the ninth time in a row. Courtesy of UNM Athletics
Isabel Gonzalez
@cisabelg
The Colorado State Rams pulled off their ninth straight win against the New Mexico Lobos on Saturday afternoon with a last-second field goal. After the 20-18 result, the Lobos are now 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the Mountain West Conference. The Rams are 3-4, 2-1 MW.
New Mexico found itself down 7-0 after the first quarter. The team put up three points during the second, but the Rams walked into their locker room with a 14-3 lead at halftime.
The first touchdown for the cherry and silver team came in the third quarter when Sheriron Jones completed a 23-yard pass to Elijah Lilly. The clock read 7:07 at the time. This play was followed by Jones rushing and cutting the Lobos’ deficit to 11-14.
UNM only had the ball for seven minutes and 58 seconds during this half. The Lobo defense stepped up when the Rams had the ball, not allowing them a single touchdown during the last two quarters. This included junior defensive lineman Aaron Blackwell’s two sacks against K.J. Carta-Samuels.
However, CSU still made it work. With 2:35 left in the third quarter, Wyatt Bryan successfully made a 22-yard field goal.
Jones threw a 5-yard pass to Delane Hart-Johnson two minutes into the last period. Andrew Shelley’s successful kick gave the Lobos an 18-17 lead.
Another Jones TD, this to @DelaneHart and @UNMLoboFB leads 18-17 with 13 minutes left #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/xFM6GgbgWz
— New Mexico Lobos (@UNMLOBOS) October 13, 2018
With three minutes remaining, CSU was attempting a field goal to regain the advantage. Bryan missed this one, but he redeemed himself by successfully making a 26-yard field goal when the clock expired.
It was a good day for the Rams, as it was announced that their stadium sold out for their homecoming game. This is the fifth homecoming game they win in a row, starting in 2014.
During his postgame statement, CSU head coach Mike Bobo said the game wasn’t pretty, but that’s what his team is right now.
“We’re growing and we’re learning,” he said in the statement. “We’re having to handle some adversity during the week. We’re having to handle adversity during the game. I’m so proud of our defense today.”
INSTANT HIGHLIGHTS: Check out highlights from @CSUFootball's last-second win over @UNMLoboFB #MWFB pic.twitter.com/JEjdCHOHDT
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) October 13, 2018
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