New Mexico Lobos @ Arkansas Razorbacks Football Recap

Arkansas 52, New Mexico 3

It’s a very sad commentary on a football program when it plays better than it did the week before and still gets taken to the woodshed. One would certainly think that a 49-point loss qualifies as being taken to that most unpleasant place and being turned into so much yard waste. Sure, New Mexico did make some marked improvements this week, namely giving up zero sacks after allowing ten last week against Colorado State. However, the lowly Lobos were still no match for 14 th-ranked Arkansas, as the Razorbacks rolled to a 52-3 home victory on Saturday in Little Rock.

After allowing an early score, New Mexico was fighting to stay in the game and doing what was – by its own not-very-exalted standards - a decent job.   James Aho hit a 47-yard field goal to make the score 7-3 in favor of Arkansas late in the first quarter. Not only would that be as close as the Lobos would get, it would also mark the only time they would get on the board at all. One quarter marked UNM’s forward strides; the final three quarters witnessed nothing the Lobos could build on for future weeks. The homestanding Hogs flexed their muscles and scooted away from their underequipped Mountain West opponent.

Arkansas ensured that the 7-3 first quarter score would indeed be the closest margin for the duration of the game. It ended any and all pretense that this would be a competitive contest by turning UNM’s field goal into a short-lived moment of hope for the Lobos. Arkansas’s Marquel Wade returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown, an occurrence that opened up the floodgates for the rest of the evening. When the first half was done, Arkansas’s damage resulted in a 31-3 lead. Razorback quarterback Tyler Wilson found his groove in the second quarter and would end his night at halftime. Wilson was suffering from concussion-like symptoms, so after going 18-26 for 259 yards and one touchdown in the first half of play, he exited stage right.

Brandon Mitchell took over at quarterback and led Arkansas to three more touchdowns, one of his own through the air. Mitchell was 8-13 for 114 yards. The run game worked well for Arkansas, too, amassing 259 yards to contribute to Arkansas’s total yardage of 632.

Tarean Austin threw for 162 yards on 15-28 passing for the Lobos. The run game suffered for New Mexico, totaling only 95 yards on the night. The loss moves Mike Locksley’s tally in Albuquerque to 2-24. New Mexico (0-2) will host Texas Tech (1-0) next week.

> Find a great selection of New Mexico Lobos apparel & merchandise online as well as the MWC Football Scoreboard!

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer