UNM's defense set to shake off rare poor performance

Nov. 2—When a college football team plays 11 quarters without scoring a touchdown, as have the New Mexico Lobos, that team's offense tends to get a lot of scrutiny from the townsfolk — and not in a good way.

What does one say, though, of a defense that allows 41 points, 510 yards, 28 first downs and a 5.7-yard average per rush?

Those are the numbers the UNM defense — ranked 22nd nationally in total yards allowed entering the Fresno State game on Oct. 22 — conceded to the Bulldogs that day at University Stadium. Not surprisingly, the Lobo D is no longer ranked 22nd. Now, it's 41st.

Accordingly, no one has to tell defensive starters Jerrick Reed II and Justin Harris that their unit has work to do in preparation for Saturday's game at Mountain West Conference rival Utah State (3-5, 2-2).

And no one has to tell the defense not to point fingers at the offense, because, both players said, they never have.

"We play defense," said Reed, a senior safety from Olive Branch, Mississippi. "We can't worry about what the offense is doing. If they're not scoring, then we've got to stop (the opposing offense) from scoring. It's that simple."

For the second straight game, the Lobos (2-6, 0-4) failed to score a touchdown against Fresno State. But could the defense have helped its brethren on offense by getting some three-and-outs, giving the offense more opportunities and better field position?

Yes, said Harris, a senior defensive end from Gonzalez, Louisiana.

"We kind of take the blame sometimes for the offense not doing their thing," Harris said, "because I feel like as a defense we can come out and make them better. ... It's accountability across the board."

Against Fresno State, UNM trailed just 13-6 at halftime. Then, some 2 1/2 minutes into the third quarter, Bulldog quarterback Logan Fife found wide receiver Jalen Moreno-Cropper behind the Lobo secondary for a 75-yard touchdown pass. The UNM defensive backfield was populated mostly by true freshmen at the time.

Afterward, Lobos coach Danny Gonzales said his defense, in particular some of the younger players, reacted poorly to this turn of events. The game became a rout.

On Tuesday, Reed said he believes that lesson has been learned.

"You watch college football every Saturday, and it's a game of momentum," he said. "One big play's not the end of the game.

"... You can't drop your head, you can't get disappointed. You've just got to come back and make another big play and get the momentum back on our side. So that's what I'm telling (his teammates)."

Said Harris: "Things happen in a game. You're supposed to play until the last play of the game, because anything could go in any way. But momentum did go down after that touchdown.

"(But) the younger guys, they come in and work. They come in every day. It's yes sir, no sir. They respect the older guys. They come in wanting to learn."

Gonzales said sudden adversity is something he makes sure his players are exposed to in varied ways within his program.

"We address that stuff 365 days of the year," he said. "... We're young. I think we give in to some things. Those are all (about) growing up, maturing.

"We'll continue to harp on those things all year long, because I think it's part of our job (as coaches) to help them grow into better people beyond football players."

NEWS FROM LOGAN: Utah State athletic director John Hartwell announced his resignation on Tuesday, stating he wished to be closer to his wife's family in Arkansas.

Days before, former Aggie football player Patrick Maddox filed a lawsuit against the school and head coach Blake Anderson. Maddox said he left the program because he'd been harassed after making public the existence of recordings of Anderson and a campus police chief allegedly making disparaging comments about sexual assault victims.

Anderson issued a statement, saying, "While I cannot comment on the specific allegations, I will vigorously defend myself and our university against false statements."

Anderson, in his third year at Utah State, was a UNM assistant under Rocky Long from 1999-2001.

Saturday

New Mexico at Utah State, 1:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network, 770 AM/96.3 FM