As for the last non-conference Top-20 win? You have to go back 84 years, to November 30, 1940 when UNM beat Texas Tech at Zimmerman Field 19-14.
Source: UNM Athletics
by Frank Mercogliano with added editorial content
Photo By Johnny Tibbetts Graphic Illustration for UNM: Courtesy
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Devon Dampier finished a record-breaking evening with his fourth total touchdown to give UNM a lead with 23 seconds left, and then in a perfect microcosm of UNMs depleted defense somehow making plays time and again, Drew Speech, who entered the game having played two plays all year, knocked away a Hail Mary with no time left as the Lobos shocked No. 19/18 Washington State 38-35 to keep their Bowl hope alive. The win pushed UNM to 5-6 overall, and it marks the most wins for the team since 2016.
The win also ended a bunch of long streaks. It marked UNM’s first win over any kind over a ranked team after 26 straight losses. UNM’s last win over a ranked team was on October 25, 2003 when it beat Utah in Salt Lake City 47-35. It was UNM’s first win over a top 20 team since November 5, 1994 when UNM beat No. 8 Utah 23-21 at University Stadium.
As for the last non-conference Top-20 win? You have to go back 84 years, to November 30, 1940 when UNM beat Texas Tech at Zimmerman Field 19-14.
Down 28-14 at the break, the Lobos defense for the fourth straight game looked like world-beaters in the second half, allowing just a solitary touchdown. The Lobos got back into the game on the legs of Dampier and a solid ground game as Dampier rushed for 143 yards in the second half and UNM as a group rushed for 268 yards after half time, punishing Washington State’s defense.
The Lobos went to work on its opening second half drive, twice converting third downs after going 0-for-5 in the first half. After a punishing 13-yard run from Na’Quari Rogers, Dampier broke a tackle and raced in from 33 yards out to make it 28-21. The teams traded punts and then UNM’s defense held on third-and-2 after an incompletion by John Mateer, who was brilliant for the Cougars, and UNM’s offense went to work again. Dampier hit Ryan Davis for a key 16-yard gain to get the drive moving, and then he hit Luke Wysong for 15 yards to cross midfield.
Eli Sanders finished that drive off with a 26-yard run and with 25 seconds left in the third quarter, UNM had leveled it at 28. The fourth quarter featured three lead changes. UNM retook the lead with an 86-yard drive that stalled at the 2-yard line but ended in a 19-yard Luke Drzewiecki field goal. Washington State then mustered its only sustained second half drive with Mateer hitting Kyle Williams for the second time in the game for a 37-yard touchdown and a 35-31 Wazzu lead.
That was more than enough time for Dampier and UNM. Facing third-and-2 just before the two-minute timeout, Eli Sanders took a jet sweep for 33 yards, giving him over 100 yards and setting up UNM at the Washington State 34. After Rogers got UNM to the 12-yard line, Dampier carried the final four times, the last from a yard out for a 38-35 lead with 23 seconds left. Washington moved the ball to its own 43 yard line in time for a final Hail Mary which was knocked down short of the goal line by Speech, and the celebration was on.
Washington State’s offense looked indefensible early on as Mateer led the Cougars to three straight touchdowns after UNM opened the scoring. The Lobos took the opening kickoff and went right down the field, moving 75 yards in 11 plays with Dampier finishing it off with a 7-yard run, the first of his four total touchdowns.
From there, it turned into the Mateer show, as he led touchdown drives of 90, 74 and 93 yards. He capped the first with a 28-yard pass to Carlos Hernandez, the second with a five-yard run on his own, and on the third, he hit Kyle Williams from 20 yards out. That made it 21-7 and after a third straight punt for UNM, the Lobo defense finally held, forcing a punt. That punt came after Mateer’s first incompletion that ended his opening string of 11 straight completions.
UNM was able to follow that up with a touchdown to make it 21-14 when Dampier hit a wide-open Caleb Medford near the goal line for what in the end was a 42-yard touchdown pass. The Cougars answered that score with a 29-yard scoring toss from Mateer to take a 28-14 lead into the break.
Final Score: 38-35
This season, the Lobos added two players from our broader community: John Sierra (Centennial) and Matthew Lashley (Las Cruces). Neither of these freshman defensive players has had the opportunity to play, but being on the sidelines at such a monumental moment in a team’s history can light a spark to aspire to greatness. Good luck on your journey, gentlemen.
