Fresno State vs. New Mexico final score: Lobos use big first quarter to top Warhawks

New Mexico jumped out to a 28 point lead in the first quarter and never looked back. This time, the defense set the tone early on. Jadon Boatright returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown within the first two minutes of this game. ULM quarterback Will Collins, coming off of an impressive week, was completely stifled. He completed more passes to UNM than to his own receivers before being pulled. After that, the Lobo offense took over to the tune of 476 rushing yards and 622 total yards of offense.

Running back Tyrone Owens continues his streak of good games. He paced the Lobos with 171 yards on only nine rushes, but he wasn't alone: Teriyon Gipson chipped in 88 and Richard McQuarley added 68 of his own. In the preview I mentioned that ULM was giving up over 5 rushing yards per play this season, but last night the Lobos lit them up for 9.3 yards per carry.

Lamar Jordan and JuJuan Lawson combined for 7/11 for 146 yards to share the wealth. If there was a negative to the game, UNM coughed up three fumbles. Against a stronger opponent, that might have been insurmountable, but against the Warhawks, we can chalk it up to a learning opportunity.

Eight different players scored for the Lobos in this pouncing. From Boatright's pick-6 to Elijah Lilly's 93 yard kickoff return to start the second half, it seems like everyone was finding the end zone for the Lobos last night. With so many players playing well, this game was an important confidence-builder for the Lobos for the remainder of the season.

The Lobos return to conference play next week with an important road game against Hawai'i.