'I really don't like them': UNM's veterans educate new players on Rio Grande Rivalry

It was a second or third down. Maybe the third quarter. Tavian Combs doesn’t quite remember the specifics of his proper introduction to the rivalry. It was a small moment at University Stadium over four years ago.

He does, however, remember the feeling.

“I swear the stadium felt like it was shaking,” New Mexico’s sixth-year boundary safety said Wednesday. “And I looked ... my next safety, and me and him kinda smiled at each other. Then we went on to the next play like nothing was happening.”

That was all during a 34-25 Lobo win over New Mexico State in 2021, Combs’ first taste of the Rio Grande Rivalry. Since then, the Lobos’ longest-tenured player has seen UNM win its third-straight game in the series, lose control and bounce back after dropping two straight — all on top of what’s been a busy few years of off-field activity in the state’s most intense rivalry.

Hardly anyone else has.

Over the last three years, UNM has had three head coaches, over 30 assistants and scores of players cycle in and out of the rivalry, dimming the year-to-year ferocity that used to be a safe bet in the series. This year, only 31 players on this year’s roster have seen UNM-NMSU from the sidelines, much less played a significant role in the game.

How, then, do a whole new set of players learn about the rivalry, entering what figures to be the biggest game in recent series history?

A newcomer to the rivalry himself, head coach Jason Eck said he’s brought in some former players (quarterback Kole McKamey was one) to help the “education process.” But a handful of current players — Combs and offensive lineman Isaiah Sillemon chief among them — have helped carry much of that weight, not least because of their experience.

And in Sillemon’s case, their passion.

“If I could cuss, I’d say a lot of words about them,” the fifth-year senior said when asked about the rivalry Tuesday. “I don’t like them, you know. I don’t know what they do, nor do I care. The best thing we can do is focus on us.

“I really don’t like them.”

In talking to the team, Combs said he’s helped explain the recent and previous history of the rivalry both in larger meetings and among smaller groups, occasionally stopping to answer questions. For instance: What does the stadium feel like? How are the fans? Does the game sell out?

Most of the time, the discussions are a little more practical.

“The best thing I could tell them is keep your composure and keep your head on a swivel,” Sillemon said. “Any rivalry game gets chippy; it gets to that point. And even if a team ain’t won a game, they’re gonna play this game hard because it’s like the Super Bowl for the state.

“ … It’s chippy, it’s close, it’s good football at the end of the day, and I’m happy to play it.”

Combs and Sillemon haven’t been the only ones talking to the rest of the team, though. Defensive lineman Gabriel Lopez is entering his third Rio Grande Rivalry, and qualifies as a veteran compared to most of this year’s roster.

But if he’s an active part of the process, he doesn’t feel much has to be done — a rivalry is a rivalry, after all. The same feelings he had and felt from fans when he used to gear up for the Apple Cup at Washington State are the same feelings he has during what he now calls “Hate Week.”

“Most guys that transferred in, they always had a rival,” the former Washington State transfer said. “It’s not hard to get everybody going … these people take it serious, especially the people in town. You can just feel the same energy from that rivalry.”

And for a select handful, it really isn’t that hard. For instance, safety David Murphy is a Santa Fe native, one of 13 players from New Mexico on the team. He remembers sitting in the stands and watching former UNM quarterback Lamar Jordan lead the Lobos to a win over the Aggies in 2016.

He gets it. He also understands it doesn’t always matter if every single player might not know the ins-and-outs of a rivalry dating back to 1896.

If anything, it might be better to simply let the stadium shake and focus on the next play.

“The biggest thing that we can do is, we can let Albuquerque show the team how important it is to them,” safety David Murphy said, “but we have to focus on a nameless, faceless opponent. So, yes, it is a big game, but we want to let the city show how important it is to them.

“I can’t expect my teammates to love New Mexico as much as I do, but I can expect them to care about me and want to play hard for me and each other.”