Every Kids Dream: An Option Run to The Top of College Football!

[TrophyKing80]

Matchup Preview *|* September 28, 2013
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UNLV Rebels (1-3, 0-1 Away)		New Mexico Lobos (3-0, 1-0 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 285 Total Offensive Yards 330.7 140 Passing Yards 218.7 145 Rushing Yards 112 17 Points Per Game 25.7 Defensive Stats Comparison 411.8 Total Yards Allowed 202.3 250.5 Passing Yards Allowed 155.3 161.3 Rushing Yards Allowed 47 29 Points Allowed 11 Injury Report Nick Thomas/Dislocated Elbow 2 Weeks Game Notes Conference play is finally here, and the Lobos welcome the Rebels of UNLV. In 2012, the Rebels crushed the Lobos, 35-7, but this Lobos squad has been tenacious through three games, limiting the time of possession for their opponents by using a mix of runs and short passes to stay ahead of the sticks and milk the clock. ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit favors the Lobos in this game, which is a first for the season. If New Mexico's offense can continue their dominance of time of possession, they should walk out of University Stadium with a 4-0 record.

[TrophyKing80]

Lobos Pull Away Late, Open Conference Play With A 'W'

Albuquerque, NM
Lobos Football Sports Writer, Paul Brown

The running backs for both schools put on a show, especially through the air, as the New Mexico Lobos outlasted the visiting Rebels of UNLV on Saturday. The win pushes the upstart Lobos to 4-0, 1-0 in MWC, while UNLV falls to 1-4 (0-1). The victory for the Lobos matches their win total from the 2012 season, with 8 more games left on the schedule.

The Lobos offense came to life for the first time this season, as they abandoned their "keep away ball" strategy, electing to not milk the clock or run quite as often as in prior games. At first, the change was hardly noticeable, as both teams were knotted at 7 after one quarter. In fact, New Mexico's opening drive ended with an interception, as quarterback, John Williams threw his 5th pick of the season when UNLV corner, Sam Fowler stepped in front of poorly-timed pass. The Rebels would take over, converting a 3rd and 13 at one point to maintain the drive, and would jump out on top first with a 6-yard run by running back, Tim Davis.

The Lobos would respond with a drive of their own, and would have a 60-yard TD erased due to a penalty. Facing 3rd and 7, Williams would connect with back-up running back, Keith Wallace, for a 27-yard TD.

UNLV would then throw an interception of their own on the second play of their next drive, with Lobos defender, Chris Meeks, coming up with the pick. Senior running back, Desi Pittman, who missed the last game due to severe food poisoning, made it crystal clear he was back, as he would explode in his most-productive game of the season. He'd score a 5-yard TD in the second quarter, followed by a 25-yard scamper for six, following a Rebels' three and out.

Down 21-7, UNLV would drive again, converting a 3rd and 8 with a 13-yard pass, but would eventually be forced to punt. The Lobos would get the ball at their own 2, would get near midfield when a 4th and inches conversion attempt turned into a punt due to a false start penalty. UNLV would move quickly down the field, notching a FG off the toe of Harvey Meeks from 21 yards out to end the half.

The Lobos had a halftime edge in most stats, including time of possession, with 9:21 to UNLV's 4:39. The Lobos also had a surprising amount of offensive yardage, with a 264 to 175 advantage over the Rebels.

Head Coach, Justin Simmons, would say at halftime, "We tried to come out with a focus on the run and we have been stymied on that, but I'm happy to see our guys still fighting." When asked about Pittman's return, with 60+ yards and 2 scores in the first half, Simmons said, "I'm happy for him, and we're glad he's back on the field, competing."

UNLV would take the ball to start the second half, picking up a few first downs before punting again. Starting at their own 1 following yet another great special teams play by the Rebels, the Lobos would work the ball out toward midfield, where they'd come up short again on a 4th and inches; Wiiliams would get sacked almost immediately on a called roll-out. Offensive Coordinator, Zach Moore, on the controversial call to go for it at that point in the game, "We felt we were building momentum. Honestly, I think we had a great play dialed up, but our guy missed a blocking assigment, and UNLV made a great stop."

UNLV would drive, setting up a 23-yard FG try for Meeks, his second FG conversion of the game. New Mexico would switch strategies slightly, as they would return to "keep away ball", running the ball against a tiring Rebels defensive front. A third down and 12 conversion on a pass to Wallace would keep the drive moving into the final quarter, where the Lobos would turn a 15-play drive into 3 points off the foot of Josh Brown. A for-sure TD pass was dropped by fullback, Billy Fileds, on a 3rd and goal from the 5, otherwise it would have been six.

Up 24-13, the Lobos could sense they were gaining the edge. The Rebels would drive, converting a 4th and 2 with a 5-yard gash up the middle, but Rebels quarterback, John Talley, would throw his second interception of the game, as Senior strong safety, Ben Mitchell would step up with his second pick of the season. The Lobos' very first play on the ensuing possession would go for six, as Pittman would take a hand-off to the left, break clear in the secondary and sprint 48 yards down the field on his best run of the game and of the season. That score all but killed the Rebels' will, as it was now 31-13.

The Lobos would tack on another Brown FG, with the final score being 34-13.

Pittman, who was named player of the game, would finish with a season-high 151 yards on 15 carries and 3 TDs. He would also account for 45 yards through the air on 4 catches, with fellow running back, Wallace, snagging 3 catches for 56 yards and the one TD. UNLV's running back, Tim Brown, would only gain 25 yards on 10 attempts, but he would notch a TD run, and he too would contribute in his team's passing attack, with an astounding 11 receptions for 84 yards.

Coach Simmons noted, "I guess both teams were playing well in the secondary, and the only thing either QB could do was check it down to the backs."

New Mexico will host in-state rival, New Mexico State next weekend. The Aggies are currently winless, with the now-surging Lobos heavily favored.

"We can't get too ahead of ourselves. They're going to show up to play, so we need to prep hard this week, watch the film, and do our part to outperform them", said Coach Moore.

UNLV Rebels at New Mexico Lobos
Sep 28, 2013	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
UNLV Rebels (1-4)	7	3	3	0	13
New Mexico Lobos (4-0)	7	14	0	13	34

Team Stats Comparison
	UNLV	UNM
Total Offense	319	491
Rushing Yards	28	227
Passing Yards	291	264
First Downs	16	26
Punt Return Yards	--	25
Kick Return Yards	70	25
Total Yards	389	541
Turnovers	2	1
3rd Down Conversion	6/14	5/8
4th Down Conversion	2/3	0/2
2-Point Conversion	--	--
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	5-1-2	4-2-2
Penalties	2-25	5-45
Possession Time	9:30	18:30

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		UNLV	UNM
	(UNLV) Davis runs in from 6 yards out	7	0
	(UNM) Wallace receives a 27-yard TD pass from Williams	7	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		UNLV	UNM
	(UNM) Pittman runs it in from 5 yards out	7	14
	(UNM) Pittman carries it in for a 7-yard TD run	7	21
	(UNLV) Meeks hits a 21-yard FG to end the half	10	21
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		UNLV	UNM
	(UNLV) Meeks connects from 23 yards	13	21
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		UNLV	UNM
	(UNM) Brown hits a 20-yard FG	13	24
	(UNM) Pittman breaks loose for a 48-yard TD run	13	31
	(UNM) Brown hits a 23-yard FG	13	34

UNLV Rebels PASSING C/A YDS TD INT John Talley 24/44 291 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Tim Davis 10 25 2.5 1 John Talley 5 3 0.6 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Tim Davis 11 84 7.6 Carl Fitzpatrick 6 97 16.1 Vince Brown 4 80 20.0 Bryan Ferwerda 2 24 12.0 Nigel Gaines 1 6 6.0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Marcus Schroeder 2 Alex Scott 1 Cameron Alexander 1 Jim Raymond 1 1 David Martin 1 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Michael Bell 6 Robert Prince 6 Matt Butler 6 Alan Cummings 6 Rhea Harrison 5 Vincent Parker 5 Barry Robinson 4 Mike Jordan 4 Sam Fowler 3 1 Chris Turner 2 Joey Williams 2 1 Eugene Jackson 1 Matt Barnes 1 Joel Allen 1 Darrius Mann 1 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Harvey Meeks 2/2 1/1 7 23 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Wendell Cook 3 130 43.3 2 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Tim Davis 2 54 27.0 Carl Fitzpatrick 1 16 16.0

New Mexico Lobos PASSING C/A YDS TD INT John Williams 20/35 264 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Desi Pittman 15 151 10.0 3 Keith Wallace 5 34 6.8 Billy Fields 5 15 3.0 John Williams 3 4 1.3 Adam Pruitt 2 20 10.0 Cam Waller 1 2 2.0 Cliff Hagen 1 1 1.0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Adam Pruitt 4 57 14.2 Matt Nicholson 4 41 10.2 Desi Pittman 4 45 11.2 Keith Wallace 3 56 18.6 1 Cliff Hagen 2 37 18.5 Darrell Fuller 2 15 7.5 Samson Thornburg 1 13 13.0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Mark Adams 1 1 Billy Sims 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Josh Williams 5 1 Kelechi Smith 5 Brian Parsons 4 1 Sean Scott 4 Ben Mitchell 4 1 Sean Doyle 4 Billy Sims 4 Chris Meeks 3 1 Mike Burks 3 Tyler Roberson 3 Corey Perkins 2 Nick Britton 2 Danny Freeman 2 Brandon Britt 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Josh Brown 2/2 4/4 10 23 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Pete Clark 1 25 25.0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Mike Burks 1 25 25.0

Running back, Desi Pittman, breaks free on a long TD run



Lobos quarterback, John Williams, drops back to pass, connecting with Keith Wallace on a touchdown pass



The Akal Security Players of the Game

[Its2Eazy17]

Quote: Originally Posted by TrophyKing80

Lobos Defend Their Home Turf In Exciting Opener Albuquerque, NM Lobos Football Sports Writer, Paul Brown The Lobos avoided disaster early and pulled out a victory over the Roadrunnners of the University of Texas, San Antonio inside University Stadium on Saturday, giving them a week one victory for the second year in a row. Twice, in the first quarter, the New Mexico special teams commited turnovers. Both times on muffed punts. The Lobo defense would stand strong when the first muffed punt set up great field position for the Roadrunners, but would surrender a 4-yard TD following the second mishap. On top of the Special Teams woes, the offense struggled to run the newly-implemented Option Run, and an injury to starting Lobos quarterback, John Williams, thrust rarely-used back-up, Sam Sisk into the spotlight. Sisk, who is less of a scrambler than Williams, quickly took the helm with confidence. Offensive Coordinator, Zach Moore, in his first game with New Mexico and as an OC, adjusted his strategy to the back-up QB's strength; throwing the ball. "It wasn't at all what we have practiced all off-season. But our rushing attack was having no real impact, and then Johnny goes down on the second series, and Sam's suddenly out there, eyes as big as saucers" said Coach Moore. The Lobos offense methodically moved down field, mostly through the air, and finally broke the plain for a TD when a Sisk pass connected with Redshirt Freshman, Samson Thornburg. It was both Thornburg and Sisk's first TD for the Lobos. That score knotted the score at 7. The New Mexico defense stiffened on the ensuring Roadrunner drive, with Senior linebacker, Kelechi Smith, making two huge tackles, preventing the Roadrunners from picking up a first down. Smith would finish the game with a team and game-leading 11 tackles. "Kelechi was our bell-ringer out there today", said Defensive Coordinator, Antoine Irvin. "When we needed a play, he was there to make it. He's a real leader for our defense and I expect him to continue playing at an elite level." With time melting down in the first half, Sisk once again led the Lobos down the field. A perfectly-timed swing pass to runningback, Desi Pittman, set up a 38-yard FG try for Senior kicker, Josh Brown. There was never any doubt, as it split the uprights, sending the hometown Lobos into the locker room at the half with a 3-point lead. "I think that final drive before the half really established a tone for this team. Our starting QB was out, our offensive scheme wasn't working, but for us to go down the field and get that field-goal was huge", noted Head Coach, Justin Simmons. The visiting Roadrunners took the ball to start the second half, and picked up a single first down before the Lobos defense swarmed, led by a drive-ending sack by Danny Freeman. Securing the punt, the Lobos offense went back to work. A couple of completions by Sisk to wide receiver, Adam Pruitt, who led the team with 86 receiving yards, and a couple of succesful runs by Pittman, once again had the Lobos inside the ten. Immediately, fullback, Billy Fields would take an inside hand-off up the middle, juke right, and then dive in for a 9-yard TD, putting the Lobos up by ten, 17-7. The ensuing drive for the Roadrunners ended when Ben Mitchell leaped in front of a slipping Roadrunner wideout and collected the first interception on the year for the New Mexico defense. "Mitchell is a ball hawk in disguise. His stats don't reflect how much of a nose he has for the ball, and we kinda like it that way, as the opposition doesn't know to keep an eye out for him", Defensive Coach, Antoine Irvin said. On the next drive, starting QB, Williams, would return, only suffering from a nagging wrist injury. The offense didn't seem to suffer too much from the change under center, and OC Moore would try to convert back to the option run attack, but saw limited success. The offense would end up stopped just short of the redzone, setting up Brown for another FG, this time from 33-yards out. He connected, and it was suddenly 20-7 in favor of the home team early in the 4th quarter. Desperate to get back into the game, the Roadrunners offense stormed down the field, scoring on a J. Powell TD run from the 3 yard line. That put a little bit more pressure on the Lobo offense, as the score was now 20-14, and another Roadrunner score could ruin the home-opener. It soon became clear, however, that the three-and-a-half prior quarters of playing Coach Moore's "keep-away ball" had left the Roadrunner defense depleted. The Lobos easily moved down the field, not just killing the clock, but also notching another TD by Pittman to put the game to rest. Though the offense struggled, it did possess the ball for 19:45, while the Roadrunners were left with just 8:15 of possession time. "Our offense's slow, but consistent roll certainly helped our defense out today. Our guys on defense were able to stay fresh, and though we had a couple of turnovers early, our guys didn't get discouraged, and we were able to secure a huge win for Lobo nation" Head Coach Simmons said. When asked if there will be a quarterback battle now that Sisk has proven he can be a succesful leader on the field, Coach Moore said, "We had our battle during the Spring and Summer, and while Sisk was outstanding today, essentially being the spark our offense needed, I feel confident that Williams will continue to start for us. He showed in the off-season to be able to run our Option Attack with greater success than Sam, and until Coach Simmons pulls the plug on my scheme, we'll run it." When asked if there would be any major changes, Coach Simmons remained steadfast, "We have no reason to change. Honestly, we're not giving the Roadrunner defense enough credit. They did the work, their guys stayed in position, and shutdown our scheme, so we recognize their effort. This just challenges us to improve on how we run our offense." For the second-straight season, the Lobos can work on things with a 1-0 mark on the schedule, and it's always better to be improving following a win than to be forced to improve following a defeat. Next up for the Lobos, a trip to their rivals in El Paso and the Miners of UTEP. Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners at New Mexico Lobos Aug 31, 2013 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH SCORE Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners (0-1) 7 0 0 7 14 New Mexico Lobos (1-0) 0 10 7 10 27 Team Stats Comparison UTSA UNM Total Offense 220 330 Rushing Yards 61 98 Passing Yards 159 232 First Downs 11 18 Punt Return Yards 4 25 Kick Return Yards 19 22 Total Yards 243 377 Turnovers 1 2 3rd Down Conversion 3-9 8-11 4th Down Conversion 1-2 -- 2-Point Conversion -- -- Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals 4-2-0 5-3-1 Penalties 7-60 4-20 Possession Time 8:15 19:45 Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING UTSA UNM 2:42 (UTSA) 4-Yard TD run for S. Meeks 7 0 SECOND QUARTER SCORING UTSA UNM 1:02 (UNM) Sam Sisk completes a 9-Yard TD pass to Thornburg 7 7 0:00 (UNM) Brown connects on a 38-Yard FG 7 10 THIRD QUARTER SCORING UTSA UNM 4:13 (UNM) Fullback, Billy Fields rumbles in from 9 Yards out 7 17 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING UTSA UNM 2:40 (UNM) Brown hits a FG from 33 yards out 7 20 1:12 (UTSA) Powell scampers in from the 3-yard line 14 20 0:31 (UNM) Desi Pittman dives in for a 1-Yard TD 14 27 Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners PASSING C/A YDS TD INT B. Kent 15/26 159 1 J. Miller 0/1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD J. Powell 10 36 3.6 1 B. Kent 4 15 3.7 S. Meeks 1 5 5.0 1 D. Simmons 1 5 5.0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD C. Dickerson 4 77 19.2 J. Powell 3 26 8.6 V. Wright 3 16 5.3 T. Wynn 2 9 4.5 G. Goins 2 20 10.0 A. Kennedy 1 11 11.0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK M. Sowell 2 R. Cruz 2 1 B. Smart 1 B. Baldwin 1 J. Hines 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD A. McIntyre 7 A. Graves 7 W. Harris 6 P. Perez 5 M. Rogers 5 C. Martindale 4 1 A. Berry 3 B. Newberry 3 1 J. Martin 2 T. Brooks 2 A. Brown 1 C. Davis 1 N. Butler 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG T. Dixon 2/2 2 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 J. Miller 4 176 44.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD R. Garcia 1 19 19.0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD C. Dickerson 1 4 4.0 New Mexico Lobos PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Sam Sisk 10/14 147 1 John Williams 9/12 85 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Desi Pittman 16 55 3.4 1 Billy Fields 4 22 5.5 1 Sam Sisk 3 -2 -0.6 Keith Wallace 2 -1 -0.5 John Williams 2 19 9.5 Cliff Hagen 1 5 5.0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Adam Pruitt 5 86 17.2 Desi Pittman 5 36 7.2 Darrell Fuller 3 41 13.6 Samson Thornburg 2 14 7.0 1 Matt Nicholson 2 40 20.0 Cliff Hagen 1 7 7.0 Billy Fields 1 8 8.0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Darren Campbell 1 Jeff Hendrix 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Kelechi Smith 11 Danny Freeman 7 1 Mike Burks 3 Josh Williams 3 Ben Mitchell 2 1 Corey Perkins 2 Chris Meeks 2 Billy Sims 2 Sean Scott 2 1 Wayne Scott 2 Scott Bonner 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Josh Brown 2/2 3/3 9 38 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Ed Hart 2 83 41.5 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Pete Clark 1 22 22.0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Mike Burks 2 25 12.5 The Akal Security's Players of the Game

Close game, what an exciting opening to the season! Also, I am loving the random story lines!

[Careless Whisper]

Following this, nice to see the Lobos off to a good start!

[young22]

Great start to the season! Hope you guys keep it rolling.

[joshuahuskers]

Following! Nice start for Coach Moore's offense.

[TrophyKing80]

Quote: Originally Posted by Its2Eazy17

Close game, what an exciting opening to the season! Also, I am loving the random story lines!

Thanks. The defense is playing extremely well, which is fortunate, as I'm the OC, and my offense is ranked around 57th in the nation. Still struggling to establish the run, but I hope to change that with some recruits moving forward.

I hope to expand on the stroylines moving forward, as well, adding some more outcomes to the Wheel... https://wheeldecide.com/index.php?c1...+Events&time=5

[TrophyKing80]

Quote: Originally Posted by Careless Whisper

Following this, nice to see the Lobos off to a good start!

The Lobos were 4-9 in 2012, so I came in as they were trending in the right direction. The real plus has been the defense. I keep adjusting attributes, and they keep snuffing out the run game from the opposition. My offense is in the middle-of-the-pack, nation-wide, so the real heroes are the guys on D.

Thanks for checking in.