ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Some of the injured are refreshed and ready to play. UNM Lobos football coach Bronco Mendenhall said a bye week gave his team a chance to heal and reflect. There have been positives and negatives during the first two weeks of the season.
“The inconsistency and the big plays that we are giving up defensively, I didn’t expect that many and that frequent,” said Mendenhall. “So yeah, chasing that down as fast as possible. The resiliency and optimism and the work ethic of the team, that part has been really fun, in terms of depth and roster, that is playing out as we go. We are a little thinner than I thought and some injuries have occurred, so that’s probably off plan by a hair, and the rest is it feels like foraging a football program.”
The Lobos will face another test Saturday when they travel to Auburn, Alabama to face the Auburn Tigers. It’s the only meeting on the schedule with an SEC team this year.
The Lobos had a good showing at Arizona in their last outing. Defensively was another story as the Wildcats would later pull away for a win in a game played two weeks ago. Auburn is coming off of a loss to Cal, but started the season with a victory over Alabama A&M where they amassed 628 yards and scored 73 points.
The Lobos defense will need to show improvement, if they are to have a chance for success Saturday. “We are well aware of the running ability and the quarterbacks ability to extend plays, and so that alone makes it very challenging and then there are receivers on the outside. And, so again match ups and threats kind of exist everywhere, with a really formidable offensive front,” said coach Mendenhall. “The collective effort and the collective execution of our football team and by units is going to have to be at a really high level.”
The Lobos and Auburn Tigers have a 5:30 p.m. start time on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN 2.
