New Mexico 38-35 Washington State (Nov 16, 2024) Match Summary

ALBUQUERQUE, NM — — Devon Dampier scored on a 1-yard run with 21 seconds left and New Mexico beat No. 19 Washington State 38-35 on Saturday night for its first win over a ranked team since 2003, snapping the Cougars’ slim College Football Playoffs hope.

Dampier ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries and completed 11 of 25 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown. Eli Sanders added 108 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries for the Lobos (5-6).

“We don’t win without him,” Lobos coach Bronco Mendenhall said of Dampier. “And when your quarterback could run the ball like that, so hard and physical, with the illusion that Eli Sanders and NaQuari (Rogers) are also running the ball. Gosh, well, that’s what winning and really good football teams do, right? They run, when they need it, and you stop the run when you have to.”

Dampier ran for 142 yards and both touchdowns in the second half. He moved New Mexico 75 yards on the winning drive after Washington State (8-2) took a 35-31 lead with 3:12 left on John Mateer’s 37-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Williams.

Mateer was 25 of 36 for 375 yards and four touchdowns. Williams had nine receptions for 181 yards and three touchdowns.

“We’re going to be defined by what we do next,” Cougars coach Jake Dickert said. “Me, as a head coach, our seniors, our leaders, all of our guys, you have two options and you can go out there and fight each other or you can fight what happened to you and come back ready to work .”

New Mexico took a 31-28 lead with 4:40 left in the game on Luke Drzewiecki’s 21-yard field goal.

Trailing 28-14 at the half, the Lobos tied it in the third quarter on Dampier’s 33-yard touchdown run and Sanders’ 26-yard scoring run.

Takeaways

Washington State: After Washington State moved up and down the field in the first half, scoring four touchdowns and accumulating 357 yards of total offense and punting just once, the Lobos forced the Cougars to punt on the first three possessions of the second half. Mateer was 3 of 9 for 16 yards in the third quarter

“I thought they were more aggressive defensively in the second half,” Dickert said. “You know, I thought they stayed with a couple of different personnel deals. They do a good job schematically on offense.”

New Mexico: The Lobos remained in position to become bowl eligible in Mendenhal’s first season.

Consequences of the vote

The Cougars slump after the loss.

Next

Washington State: At Oregon State next Saturday.

New Mexico: At Hawaii on November 30

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