Last spring, the Orlando Sentinel rated the New Mexico Lobos the worst NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision team in the nation for 2012.

At the time, based on the data at hand, that made perfect sense.

And now?

	UNM’s single-game rushing leaders: Yards Lobo Opp./Year 1. Quincy Wright 265 Weber State, ’02 2. Dontrell Moore 242 Colo. State, ’03 3. Mike Williams 236 UTEP, ’77 4. Reginal Johnson 232 Tulsa, ’96 T-11th. Kasey Carrier 191 Texas St. ’12

In a display of power offensive football not seen since the days of DonTrell Moore and Rodney Ferguson, the Lobos blasted their way past Texas State, 35-14, on a homecoming Saturday at University Stadium.

New Mexico improved its record to 3-3, equaling its win total of the previous three seasons. Texas State, coached by former UNM coach Dennis Franchione, is 2-4.

Junior Kasey Carrier led the way with a career-high 191 yards on 23 carries. It was the most yards gained by a UNM running back since the aforementioned Ferguson rushed for 210 yards against San Diego State in 2006.

Carrier rushed for four touchdowns on runs of 37, 1, 19 and 43 yards.

The Lobos surpassed the 300-yard mark in rushing, with a season-best 361, for the fourth time this season – something UNM hadn’t done since 1972.

They also established what is believed to be a school record for fewest completions and passing yards in a game: 9 yards on a single completion. But a homecoming crowd announced at 22,135 wasn’t complaining.

Neither was Lobos coach Bob Davie. Most of UNM’s rushing yards came on straight-ahead plays, not the option, as the Lobos’ offensive line dominated.

“That was pretty good,” Davie said. “… It’s pretty impressive when you can rush for 200 yards (in the first half) on mostly dives.

“We knew that if we had an advantage in this game, and (Franchione) and I talked about it after the game, our offensive line is a little bigger and stronger than their defensive line.”

The Lobos scored on the game’s first possession and never trailed. The UNM defense yielded two touchdown passes in the first half but gradually wore down the Bobcats. Texas State, which normally runs an option-based offense, finished with just 32 yards rushing.

The game couldn’t have begun much better from a New Mexico standpoint, short of a victory by forfeit.

The Lobos took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards on 10 plays, 66 of those yards coming on the ground with Carrier dashing 37 yards for the touchdown.

“Our guys up front came in with the mentality to blow open the holes for the running backs,” he said, “and they came out and definitely did that.”

Still, Carrier, at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, gained plenty of yards after contact.

“My coaches definitely give me a hard time about (running hard) five days a week,” he said. “Coming in, trying to be physical and move the pile is something we focus on.”

On the ensuing kickoff, UNM linebacker Dallas Bollema shook the ball loose from Bobcats returner Andy Erickson. True freshman wide receiver Marquis Bundy returned the fumble to the Texas State 1, and Carrier scored from there. The Lobos led 14-0 with less than five minutes gone in the first quarter.

“Our kickoff coverage team was able to steal a possession right off the bat,” Davie said.

Texas State did not fold, though, and the teams traded touchdowns the rest of the half.

The Bobcats, generally abandoning their option attack for the pass against a weak UNM pass rush and a shaky secondary, scored on throws of 40 and 35 yards – sandwiched between a 39-yard Lobos touchdown drive set up by a failed TSU fake punt.

But the Lobos gave themselves some breathing room with a nine-play 68-yard drive, all on the ground, finished by a 19-yard Carrier run,and led 28-14 at halftime.

New Mexico held Texas State to no points and 83 yards total offense in the second half. In the second halves of their past three games, the Lobos have allowed just 21 points.

“They came out throwing it and kind of caught us off guard for a little bit,” said senior cornerback Destry Berry, whose interception on the first play from scrimmage of the second half set up the game’s final touchdown – Carrier’s 43-yarder. “But after (an adjustment), we played pretty solid out there.”

Berry had another interception on the game’s final play.

Texas State quarterback Shaun Rutherford completed 11 of 13 passes in the first half, but the Bobcats could only play catch-up after the early turnover.

Rutherford finished 16-of-21 with an interception, and was sacked five times, all in the second half. Bobcats backup quarterback Tyler Arndt was intercepted by Bollema and Berry.

— This article appeared on page D1 of the Albuquerque Journal