A new season means new hope for the Lobo faithful. It’s been nearly a decade since the Lobos last went bowling, much less had a winning record. But all of that could change under new Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall. The Lobos have several key returners from 2023 and that could help see the Cherry and Silver open their season with a win over Montana State on Saturday.
The visiting Bobcats will prove to be a tough test for the Lobos in the season opener. In 2023, MSU finished second in the FCS rankings before falling in the second round of the playoffs to North Dakota State. This is a team that is returning 20 starters, including Senior quarterback Tommy Mellott. In a rush-heavy attack, MSU will try to run the ball down the throats of the Lobos.
Mellott only threw the ball 119 times total in 2023 but held a 63% completion rate. He added another 690 yards on the ground and contributed 15 touchdowns for the season. He’ll be spelled in the backfield by dangerous running back, Senrio Julius Davis. These two will force the Lobos to play tight and they can’t afford to miss tackles.
The Lobos are coming off of a disappointing 4-8 campaign in 2023 with a lot of hope. After the departure of Danny Gonzales, the University made a splash by bringing in Bronco Mendenhall to potentially right the ship. Mendenhall brings a wealth of experience to the Cherry and Silver, sporting a 135-81 career record as a head coach. He’s no stranger to the Mountain West, having spent time with UNM from 1998-2002 before heading to BYU for 2003-2015.
Offensively, Devon Damiper has been handed the reins and will be the man under center this year. The Sophomore has the opportunity to show what he can do after minimal exposure last year. One of the biggest factors that will impact the Lobo’s season will be if they can remain healthy. A number of key injuries last year forced the Lobos to be without star wide receiver Luke Wysong, who will be critical to the offensive success.
This will be a great test of the defense early in the year. Analysts talk about being able to stop the run and that will start with the interior lineman for the Lobos. Upperclassmen Kyler Drake and Tyler Kiehne will need to stuff the middle and try to force Davis to slow down and adjust to the outside lanes. If this defense can contain Davis, it will give them a chance to open the season with a win.
Today’s game will kickoff at 2 p.m. (MT) from University Stadium. Broadcast coverage of the game will be available locally on FS1.