Upset! New Mexico rallies to beat No. 19 Washington State

To Bronco Mendenhall, it was all about giving his team a moment to rise to.

And rise they did – in resurgent, improbable, remarkable fashion.

After trailing by three touchdowns in the second quarter, quarterback Devon Dampier scored the game-winning touchdown with 21 seconds left as New Mexico came back to beat No. 19 Washington State 38-35 on Saturday night at University Stadium.

In Mendenhall’s first season at the helm, the Lobos (5-6, 3-3) are one win away from snapping an eight-year postseason drought after beating a ranked opponent for the first time in 20 years. UNM is now 7-61 all-time against ranked teams, and beat one at home for the first time since 1994.

“I expected this team to be able to do something remarkable in our first year,” New Mexico’s head coach said in a postgame press conference. “And there have been times where it didn’t look like that might happen.

“But it has.”

Dampier completed 11 of 25 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown, but did his best work on the ground with a team-high 192 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The sophomore carried the ball a career-high 28 times and keyed a second half that saw UNM outscore Washington State 24-7 to usher on the first field storming in years at University Stadium.

“I think that was my favorite part (from) tonight,” Dampier said in a postgame press conference.

That the Lobos were in that position to begin with was a testament to perhaps the most notable defensive performance in recent memory.

The Cougars (8-2) took a 21-7 lead in the second quarter after quarterback John Mateer (25-for-36 passing, 375 yards, five total touchdowns) completed his first 11 passes for 221 yards, a dominating dual-threat presence UNM hadn’t seen all year. But through a mix of pressure and better coverage, the Lobos held Washington State to four straight punts after the Cougars took a 28-14 halftime lead.

Defensive back Nigel Williams led UNM with five solo tackles while linebacker Dimitri Johnson and cornerback Noa Pola-Gates added four each. Despite allowing 547 total yards, UNM held Washington State to just three third down conversions on nine attempts.

“We know third down is big for any offense,” Johnson said in a postgame press confernce. “It kind of lets them know that (they’re on) a roll. But it if a defense stops it, it gives the defense more confidence to whatever they want to do.”

In the second half, UNM pieced its comeback together with two long runs: The first, a 33-yard touchdown from Dampier and the second, a 26-yard breakaway from running back Eli Sanders to tie it at 28. The junior Iowa State transfer finished with 108 yards for his third-straight game with 100 or more rushing yards.

Wide receiver Luke Wysong led the Lobos with five receptions for 71 yards while Caleb Medford (two receptions, 45 yards) hauled in UNM’s only receiving touchdown, a 42-yard breakaway that made it 21-14 in the second quarter.

On the Lobos’ penultimate drive, Dampier’s five-yard rush on 4th and 2 in the fourth quarter helped pave the way for Luke Drzewiecki’s 19-yard field goal, one that put UNM up 31-28 with 4:40 left. Mateer ended a quiet second half with a 37-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kyle Williams (nine receptions, 181 yards, three touchdowns) to move the Cougars back ahead 35-31 with 3:12 remaining.

But it was Dampier who had the final say, surging into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown to put UNM up 38-35 after a grinding 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive.

“I beg coach all the time – put the ball in my hands,” Dampier said. “I believe I’m gonna put this team on my back. I’m gonna go (all) out for my team because they’ve worked so hard to get here … I had a lead blocker, and he fully dominated him on the edge.

“And I knew I was getting in there.”

“We don’t win without him,” Mendenhall said of Dampier. “And when your quarterback (can) run the ball like that, that tough and that physical … That’s what winning and really good football teams do, right? They run when they need to, and (they) stop the run when (they) have to.”

Mateer’s hail mary attempt with three seconds left was batted away and like that, the comeback was sealed.

“Winning is hard,” Mendenhall said. “Winning at a places that aren’t used to winning is really hard, and doing it in game 11 is super hard. The statement (this game) makes is these kids are tough and they’re resilient and they’re capable, and they deserve to be supported and cheered for.

“And that’s what happened tonight. New Mexico fans rushed the field and maybe had a moment of a lifetime.”

Take a look: UNM football beats No. 19 Washington State