New Mexico

Washington State Football: Keys to Victory at New Mexico

Published

1 year ago

November 15, 2024

Washington State Football: Keys to Victory at New Mexico

Off to their best start since 2018, the Cougars check in at #19 in the AP poll and have the chance to pick up their ninth win this weekend. In order to do that, Washington State will need to get by a New Mexico team that started its season slowly but has gotten hot, winning four of their last six contests. Here’s what the Cougs will need to do this weekend in Albuquerque to avoid the upset and extend their win streak.

Contain Dampier

New Mexico’s offense will go as it’s dynamic quarterback does. Sophomore Devon Dampier is a threat in the both the running and passing game and is a huge reason why the Lobos have won the four games they have. Dampier currently leads the team with 902 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground all while also throwing for 2,418 yards and another 11 scores. The fact that he’s responsible for well over 3,000 yards of offense and 24 touchdowns means that he, obviously, should be Washington State’s main focal point on defense here.

Linebackers Kyle Thornton and Buddah Al-Uqdah will have their hands full and then some trying to corral Dampier. Both of WSU’s stud linebackers will need to have eyes and position on the speedy signal caller and be able to move in on him in a hurry. The defensive line, likewise, will have to get to him in the backfield to slow him down, if nothing else. Andrew Edson will lead the charge here. And, of course, the secondary will serve as the last line of defense if Dampier is able to get through. It will take a team effort on all three levels to bottle up #4.

Red Zone Effeciency

In order to give themselves the best possible chance in this one, Washington State needs to capitalize on what New Mexico struggles with and one thing the Lobos have had a particularly rough time with is their red zone defense. Opponents have scored 38 of the 39 times they’ve been inside the 20 on UNM and 31 of those have been touchdowns. It has been an almost total inability to make defensive stands for the New Mexico defense on that end of the field.

The Cougars, meanwhile, have scored on 34 of their 39 red zone trips this year with 29 TDs. There isn’t any reason they shouldn’t be able to keep those percentages high this Saturday and, if John Mateer and company are able to close out drives the way they have all year, Washington State’s chances go way up.

Avoid Post-Halftime Lull

The Lobos have been at their best coming right out of halftime this year. In the third quarter, New Mexico outscores its opponents 67 to 62 and has done a lot of its damage over the last few weeks in this frame. They are also pretty solid right off bat in the first quarter as well. This means that the Cougars can’t get caught napping when they come out of the locker room.

Washington State could do itself a big favor in this department by simply deferring their initial offensive possession until the second half, if possible. Keeping the ball out of Dampier’s hands in the third quarter might go a long way in bucking the trend that UNM’s opponents have established this fall. Coming out of the break with urgency is important here and it’s something the Cougs have struggled with. Since the start of October WSU has managed a total of just 24 third quarter points. That will need to improve this weekend.

New Mexico

New Mexico veteran cemetery coming to Carlsbad via $8M in federal funds – Carlsbad Current-Argus

Published

4 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

New Mexico veteran cemetery coming to Carlsbad via M in federal funds – Carlsbad Current-Argus

Mack Dyer salutes the American Flag during a ceremony, Feb. 25, 2026 at the American Legion in Carlsbad. Adrian Hedden | Carlsbad Current-Argus

Adrian Hedden Carlsbad Current-Argusachedden@currentargus.com Mack Dyer served for 21 years in the U.S. Army. He fought in Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and Operation Iraqi…

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New Mexico

New Mexico spoils Nevada’s Senior Day as Lobos leave Reno with 63-56 win

Published

16 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

New Mexico spoils Nevada’s Senior Day as Lobos leave Reno with 63-56 win

The Nevada women’s basketball team dropped its final home contest of the 2025-26 season on Saturday with New Mexico spoiling Senior Day and pushing past the Wolf Pack for a 63-56 win.

The Wolf Pack led 36-34 at halftime behind a hot-shooting start. Skylar Durley, Imbie Jones and Ahrray Young each had six points as Nevada shot 14-of-25 from the field (56%). But things cooled off in the second half, with the Lobos outscoring the Wolf Pack 19-13 in the third quarter to take a four-point lead into the fourth. Nevada’s shooting woes only worsened in the final period when it made just three field goals, including none in the final four minutes.

Durley led Nevada with 16 points and six rebounds. Young finished with 10 points, three rebounds and three assists. The Wolf Pack made just one three-pointer out of its nine attempts.

The loss drops Nevada to 9-20 overall, 5-14 within the Mountain West Conference. The Wolf Pack now heads to Utah State for Tuesday’s regular-season finale before opening the Mountain West Tournament play next Saturday in Las Vegas.

Watch our coverage of the game below.

Highlights and reaction from Nevada’s loss to New Mexico.

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