The University of New Mexico Lobos football team will enter Dreamstyle Stadium for the final game and homestand of the season with a 2-9 record, 0-7 in conference play. Including the make-up game UNM played against Air Force on November 23, the Lobos have now lost eight in a row while ending the season with an 0-6 record on the road. With the grand obstacles head coach Bob Davie and his team have faced this year, it will be interesting to see how Davie manages to gather his players for one last hurrah.
It is also the final game for Davie as the school announced that he and the university have reached a mutual agreement to part ways after Saturday’s match against Utah State. In Davie’s tenure with UNM, he led the Lobos to back-to-back bowl games in 2015 and 2016, while also winning the 2016 Gildan New Mexico Bowl.
Despite striding at the same pace as Air Force (9-2) in the first half, UNM falls short at home in a 44-22 loss. With Tevaka Tuioti and freshman Trae Hall receiving playing time, the two quarterbacks went for a combined 8-for-18, for 90 yards and two touchdowns (both coming from Hall). Air Force’s DJ Hammond III went 9-for-10, for 327 yards and four touchdowns.
The Lobos Fan Appreciation Day homestand will be against Utah State (6-5) — who is 2-2 in its last four matches. Utah State, as well as UNM, is headed into Dreamstyle Stadium with a loss against conference juggernauts in Boise State.
Keys of the game for UNM will be earning one last home with Bob Davie as their frontman and closing out the season on a slightly positive note. Freshman quarterback Trae Hall will receive the starting position, marking this as his first career start. The Lobos are now down to two true quarterbacks on the roster and two running backs by the likes of Bobby Cole and Micah Gray, who are, in fact, former walk-ons.
The game is set to kickoff Saturday, November 30, at 2 p.m. with live coverage on Stadium/Facebook.