New Mexico

Devon Dampier leads New Mexico past No. 19 Washington State, 38-35

Published

1 year ago

November 17, 2024

Devon Dampier leads New Mexico past No. 19 Washington State, 38-35

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Devon Dampier scored on a 1-yard run with 21 seconds left and New Mexico beat No. 19 Washington State 38-35 on Saturday night for its first victory over a ranked team since 2003, dashing the Cougars’ slim College Football Playoffs hopes.

Dampier ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries and completed 11 of 25 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown. Eli Sanders added 108 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries for the Lobos (5-6).

“We don’t win without him,” Lobos coach Bronco Mendenhall said about Dampier. “And when your quarterback could run the ball like that, that tough and that physical, with the deception also of having Eli Sanders and NaQuari (Rogers) running the ball, as well. Gosh, well, that’s what winning and really good football teams do, right? They run when they need to, and you stop the run when you have to.”

Dampier ran for 142 yards and both touchdowns in the second half. He moved New Mexico 75 yards on the winning drive after Washington State (8-2) took a 35-31 lead with 3:12 left on John Mateer’s 37-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Williams.

Mateer was 25 of 36 for 375 yards and four touchdowns. Williams had nine receptions for 181 yards and three touchdowns.

“We’ll be defined by what we do next,” Cougars coach Jake Dickert said. “Me, as the head coach, our seniors, our leaders, all of our guys, you have two options, and then you can go out there and fight each other, or you can fight what happened to you and come back ready to work.”

New Mexico took a 31-28 lead with 4:40 left in the game on Luke Drzewiecki’s 21-yard field goal.

Trailing 28-14 at the half, the Lobos tied it in the third quarter on Dampier’s 33-yard touchdown run and Sander’s 26-yard scoring dash.

Takeaways

Washington State: After Washington State moved up and down the field in the first half, scoring four touchdowns and accumulating 357 yards in total offense and punting just once, but the Lobos forced the Cougars to punt on the first three possessions of the second half. Mateer was 3 of 9 for 16 yards in the third quarter

“I thought they were more aggressive defensively in the second half,” Dickert said. “You know, I thought they stayed with a couple different personnel deals. They do a good job schematically on offense.”

New Mexico: The Lobos remained in position to become bowl eligibility in Mendenhal’s first season.

Poll implications

The Cougars will drop after the loss.

Up next

Washington State: At Oregon State next Saturday.

New Mexico: At Hawaii on Nov. 30

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New Mexico

New Mexico Environment Department to hold hearings on Project Jupiter air quality

Published

11 hours ago

March 26, 2026

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New Mexico Environment Department to hold hearings on Project Jupiter air quality

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New Mexico

UNM plans to build new gates along Central

Published

23 hours ago

March 26, 2026

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UNM plans to build new gates along Central

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico plans to build new gates at four campus entrances along Central that will close nightly.

The gates will replace manual barriers in a project expected to cost about $1.5 million.

The Board of Regents approved the security upgrades for the UNM campus.

University officials said the gates will automatically close nightly from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The gates will go in near Princeton Drive, Stanford Drive, Yale Boulevard and Terrace Street on the south end of campus.

A current rendering shows the gate completely blocking the road. Officials said the change will reduce unauthorized traffic and allow police officers to focus more effectively on prevention and response.

Construction will start in May. University officials hope to finish the project by September.

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New Mexico

9-year-old who pleaded to go to spelling bee is released from ICE detention

Published

1 day ago

March 25, 2026

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9-year-old who pleaded to go to spelling bee is released from ICE detention

A 9-year-old boy who begged to be released from an immigration detention center so he could attend his state spelling bee has been freed with his family, their lawyer said Wednesday.

Deiver Henao Jimenez made the plea during a video call this month with children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Accurso.

“I don’t want to be here anymore,” Deiver said on the call, which was later shared on Accurso’s social media pages. “Nothing is good here.”

He and his parents, asylum-seekers from Colombia, had been held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas since early March, when they were detained during a routine immigration check-in in New Mexico, according to their lawyer, Corey Sullivan Martin.

ICE freed the family on humanitarian parole Wednesday, about a week after Martin filed a request for their release and days after NBC News reported on their case.

Deiver Henao Jimenez finished third in a Spanish spelling bee organized by Las Cruces, N.M., Public Schools.Las Cruces Public Schools

His elementary school principal wrote a letter in mid-March supporting the family’s release, which was later delivered to immigration officials, describing Deiver as “a dedicated student with excellent attendance and high marks.”

Sullivan Martin said Deiver is eager to return to school, rejoin his gifted and talented classes and get back to practicing his spelling words.

“I don’t see how it was necessary at all to detain a child who was doing exactly what we want children to do,” Sullivan Martin said.

The family planned to return to New Mexico, she said, where they will continue checking in with immigration officials while their case proceeds.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Deiver was released a day after ICE freed another child whose case drew widespread attention following a video call with Accurso. Gael, a 5-year-old boy with developmental disabilities, had experienced worsening medical issues while he was detained at Dilley, his parents said.

The facility has faced growing scrutiny from immigration lawyers and advocates, who say children there have struggled to access adequate medical care and education in an environment where lights remain on around the clock and officers stand guard. Some families have described poor food and long waits for medical attention.

DHS has disputed those accounts, saying families are provided appropriate care in a facility designed for their needs.

After her video meetings with the children, Accurso — known for her signature pink headband and singsong delivery — called for Dilley to be shut down and for families to be returned to their communities.

During their conversation, Deiver told Accurso he missed his friends and said the food at Dilley made his stomach hurt. But he was most worried about getting out in time to compete in New Mexico’s state spelling bee in May after he earned a spot by placing third at a regional competition.

“We’re trying to get a child out of a jail to do a spelling bee,” Accurso said last week. “I just never thought those words would go together.”

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