San Jose State Blown Out By No. 25 New Mexico, 95-75

San Jose State Blown Out By No. 25 New Mexico, 95-75

There was a familiar apathy in Provident Credit Union Event Center during San Jose State’s 95-75 loss to No. 25 New Mexico. SJSU fans schlepped their way out minutes before the game concluded. The Spartans hung their heads low on the bench. The school’s band provided a dreary backdrop after the blowout loss.

Now left needing to go 8-4 to be eligible for the CBI, SJSU must use lessons from Wednesday’s loss to New Mexico to save its season.

“We know at the end of the day we still are a team that people fear,” SJSU’s Myron “MJ” Amey said.

Now, SJSU (8-11, 1-5 MW) shouldn’t have been expected to win.

Recently, in an appearance on CBS Sports, college basketball pundit Jon Rothstein felt the Lobos could win the Mountain West and had the “highest ceiling” in the conference.

On top of that, the Lobos score the most points per game (86.3) in the Mountain West. The Spartans, meanwhile, allow the third most points per game (72.8) in the conference.

Bad matchup. Great team. That spells disaster.

So SJSU fans shouldn’t be flummoxed by what transpired in the Provident Credit Union Event Center on Tuesday.

But for the first time in conference play, the Spartans turned the ball over at an unreasonably high rate. SJSU had 18 turnovers which UNM turned into 25 points.

SJSU head coach Tim Miles called the Lobos’11 steals “an insane number.”

And really, for the first time all season, the talent disparity was completely evident.

UNM’s vaunted backcourt of Jaelen House (18 points), Jamal Mashburn Jr. (17 points) and Donovan Dent (17 points) torched the Spartans.

On one play in the first half, House laced a series of crossover dribbles at light speed before stepping back and knocking a jump shot over SJSU’s Trey Anderson despite his velcro-like defense.

Then on one second-half play, Amey sprinted the length of the court, and dove for a ball, his body screeching loudly, only for a Lobo to snatch it and heave it the other way for a Dent layup.

The game was littered with similar plays. Where no matter what SJSU did, no matter how much effort was exerted, it just wasn’t enough.

What must be remembered is that SJSU is by no means hapless.

Amey scored 24 points and despite a poor shooting night, Alvaro Cardenas dished 10 assists. Cardenas entered Tuesday’s matchup ranked 24th and 17th in Division I in assists and per game (5.9) and assist/turnover ratio (3.42).

Although the game devolved into a blowout, the Spartans at least made it competitive. With 6:12 left, following a breezy dunk by Trey Anderson (eight points), the Spartans cut the deficit to 75-66.

Then came a flurry of points and eventually Miles talking about the importance of a “growth mindset” in his press conference.

“I always talk about having an attitude that craves improvement. So if you won five in a row you just worry about getting better and if you lost five in a row you just worry about getting better, “Miles said.

But is this just what the rest of the season will look like? Where SJSU proves it’s good but not good enough?

Miles should hope not.

Game after game, however, his preseason concerns about NIL and the transfer portal leaving SJSU behind are coming to fruition.

UNM is one of seven Mountain West schools with a collective to “have reported annual NIL budgets for men’s basketball over $400,000,” according to the SF Chronicle.

The other six?

Colorado State, Wyoming, Nevada, Boise State, San Diego State and UNLV. Three of those teams – Colorado State, Nevada and UNLV – SJSU will face over its next five games.

But even if there’s a reason to, SJSU can’t approach games feeling like victims of its circumstance. For now, all it can do is prepare to beat UNLV this Saturday.

“How do you eat an elephant?” pondered Miles.

“One bite at a time,” he answered.

New Mexico vs. #13 Colorado State: Keys to a Rams Win, How to Watch, Odds, Prediction

The CSU Rams welcome the New Mexico Lobos to Moby Arena to open conference play. Here’s how the Rams can get MW play started with a win.

New Mexico vs. #13 Colorado State: Keys to a Rams Win, How to Watch, Odds, Prediction


The Rams host their in-state foe


Contact/Follow @J0shFr3d & @MWCwire

Can the Rams open conference play strong?

WHO: New Mexico Lobos (12-1) vs. #13 Colorado State Rams (12-1)

WHEN: Tuesday, January 2nd — 8:30 p.m. MST / 7:30 p.m. PST

WHERE: Moby Arena; Fort Collins, CO (8,083)

TV: Fox Sports 1 (Stream FS1 on Fubo and click the link here for a free trial)

SERIES RECORD: This will be the 132nd all time matchup between the two schools. New Mexico leads the all-time series 79-52

LAST MEETING: Colorado State won 92-84 in Fort Collins last season.

ODDS: Colorado State -2.5

A big matchup to open Mountain West play on Tuesday for both Colorado State and New Mexico. The Rams are looking to keep the pressure on everyone else and the Lobos are looking for the road upset in Fort Collins.

Both teams are 12-1 coming into this matchup, however they’ve both gotten there in very different ways. New Mexico is 35th in both KenPom and NET, their SOS is ranked 198th by KenPom and their best win by NET rankings is a 13 point road win over UC Irvine. Colorado State is 30th in KenPom and 15th in NET, their SOS is ranked 52nd by KenPom and their best win by NET rankings is a 21 point neutral site win over, then 8th ranked, Creighton.

Players to Watch

F Jaelen House – New Mexico

Only the third leading scorer for the Lobos, House makes his impact all over the court. House is a hound on defense and will be all over his assignment in Fort Collins. He plays a pressure game on both ends of the floor and is a key reason why the Lobos force as many turnovers as they do.

G Isaiah Stevens – Colorado State

The Rams leader on and off the court. And now the all time leading scorer for Colorado State. As Stevens goes, the Rams go. Yes, the Rams have more depth this year. But Stevens still puts everything into motion. He finds those little spaces and leaves everything on the court.

Keys to the Game

Offensively

Take care of the basketball. The Rams have the 2nd ranked assist to turnover ratio in the country at 2.1. New Mexico is 15th in the nation in steals with 10 per game and and 16th in the nation with 16.31 turnovers forced per game. The Rams need to take care of the basketball in this one.

Keep moving the ball around. This along with taking care of the basketball will be the main keys for the Rams offense. CSU throws too many skip passes and it can cost them against New Mexico. The Rams need to keep moving the ball, but they can’t be careless with their passes.

Defensively

New Mexico is ranked 26th in the nation in Free Throw attempts per game at 24.5. However, they don’t convert those FTs as much as they should; ranking just 282nd in the nation at 67.08% from the line. The Rams need to play controlled defense and keep their hands up.

The Lobos like to drive the ball as evidenced by their large amount of FTs per game. They don’t shoot many three point shots and they only make them just over a third of the time. The Rams will need to use their length to stay in front of the Lobos, clog the passing lanes, and force New Mexico to shoot from the outside.

Predictions

This is going to be a close one. CSU shoots at a 53.2% clip and the Lobos only allow teams to make shots at a 39.8% clip. The Rams won’t have a full complient of players and that will be the biggest challenge for them. This will be a back and forth battle, but the home court advantage that a loud Moby Arena provides will be the difference maker in the end for the Rams.

Final Score: Colorado State 84, New Mexico 80

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Nevada Football: Wolf Pack Wins Second Straight, 34-24 Over New Mexico

Nevada Football: Wolf Pack Wins Second Straight, 34-24 Over New Mexico A very good defense, offensive and special teams performance propel Nevada to its second straight victory over New Mexico Contact/Follow @BrandonGBlake & @MWCwire Wolf Pack …

Nevada Football: Wolf Pack Wins Second Straight, 34-24 Over New Mexico

A very good defense, offensive and special teams performance propel Nevada to its second straight victory over New Mexico

Contact/Follow @BrandonGBlake & @MWCwire

Wolf Pack Defeat Lobos To Win Their Second Straight Game

After losing 16 straight games, the Nevada Wolf Pack have won back to back contests for the first time in more than a year. That last sentence was something I did not think would happen this season but here we are.

The Wolf Pack turned in a very good performance on defense, offense and special teams to secure a 34-24 victory over New Mexico on Saturday night.  It was one of the rare times during the Ken Wilson era that Nevada played well in all three facets of the game. The Wolf Pack at the half had shut out the Lobos  23-0 and the 23 points were the most points scored under Coach Wilson.

The Nevada defense that held the Aztec offense to zero points last week, didn’t shut out New Mexico for the whole game. But the Wolf Pack defense played great in the first half forcing three turnovers and played well enough in the second half to hold off the Lobos comeback push and secure the victory. 

The win over New Mexico is the most complete game Nevada has played in a long time. While the defense continued its great play, the offense played well as they scored 27 points in the win. The Wolf Pack offense has been inconsistently bad for most of the season but they turned in a good performance as they were aided by the strong play of the Nevada defense.  

It was an offensive performance that Nevada needed in order to win their second straight game. Nevada did not come away from the New Mexico game injury free however. The Wolf Pack had two offensive linemen who were injured during the game and QB Brendon Lewis ( 8 for 16 passing, 92 yards, 11 rushes 64 yards ) left the game due to an injury. 

Freshman QB AJ Bianco stepped in and played well and helped extend the Wolf Pack lead late in the game. Overall, a very good effort for Nevada on a cold night in Reno.

The action in the game started in the first quarter where Nevada got on the scoreboard first when Brandon Talton connected on a 34 yard field goal. The score put Nevada up 3-0 early in the game. 

On New Mexico’s next offensive series, the Lobos went for it on fourth down and QB Dylan Hopkins had his pass intercepted by Nevada linebacker Jonathan Maldonado. Maldonado, the LB who recovered the fumble to secure the win against SDSU last week, turned in another big play this week. Nevada converted that Lobo mistake into three points on another Talton field goal to put Nevada up 6-0 in the second quarter.

New Mexico turned the ball over again on their next offensive possession when Hopkins had his pass picked off by DB Richard Toney Jr., Toney Jr., returned the ball 43 yards to the endzone and the Talton PAT put Nevada up 13-0.

Nevada was up 16-0 on New Mexico when Hopkins threw his third interception of the night. This time it was DB Michael Coats Jr., who recorded the interception. 

After that Lobo turnover, the Nevada offense was able to convert that into an offensive touchdown (Don’t adjust your screens, I did type that). WR/RB Jamaal Bell (11 rushes, 76 yards, 1 touchdown 2 receptions, 2 yards ) scored on a nine yard touchdown run and Brendon Lewis scored on a two point conversion to put Nevada up 24-0 at the end of the first half. 

In the second half, the Lobos began to cut into the Wolf Pack lead. First, New Mexico got on the board when PK Luke Drzewiecki connected on a 46 yard field goal to make it 24-3 Nevada. 

Then Nevada was forced to punt and gave the ball back to the New Mexico offense. Once they had the ball, the Lobos offense scored quickly. Hopkins (18 for 34 271 yards, 1 TD 3 INTs) connected with WR Jeremiah Hixson on a 59 yard touchdown pass. The point after cut Nevada’s lead to 24-10 midway through the third quarter.

Nevada’s offense seemed to be on the ropes especially after Brendon Lewis went out of the game due to injury. With the Lobos chopping away at the Wolf Pack lead, the Nevada offense showed up at the right time. Nevada’s offense went on an 11 play, 81 yard drive that took more than seven minutes off of the clock in the third quarter. 

That long offensive drive, led by freshman QB AJ Bianco did not yield a touchdown but it did yield three points. Brandon Talton’s 22 yard field goal (his fourth of the game) extended the Wolf Pack lead to 27-10 going into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, after the Wolf Pack defense forced New Mexico to punt. Nevada’s offense went to work and capped off an eight play, 32 yard drive with a two yard touchdown run by Jacques Bardalato-Birdsell. That touchdown run and the PAT further extended Nevada’s lead to 34-10.

New Mexico did score twice late in the fourth quarter. Their first score was when Lobos QB Devin Dampier  scored on a four yard touchdown run and combined with the converted two point conversion, made the score 34-18 Nevada. And the Lobos final score was when RB Jacory Crosky Merritt scored on a two yard touchdown run to make the final score 34-24 Nevada.

There are some things to work on and improve upon but Nevada turned in a very good performance in the win over New Mexico. With Brendon Lewis out due to injury, AJ Bianco stepped in and did a solid job leading the offense. The defense forced turnovers and put the offense in a position to put points on the board either through touchdowns or field goals. 

Now Nevada must continue to play well and improve on those weak areas in order to continue this winning streak. Nevada will be back in action next week in Reno against Hawaii. 

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Nevada Football: How the Wolf Pack Can Win: How To Watch, Odds, Prediction

Nevada Football: How the Wolf Pack Can Win: How To Watch, Odds, Prediction Nevada hosts New Mexico as the Wolf Pack looks for their second straight win Contact/Follow @BrandonGBlake & @MWCwire Here is How Nevada Can Defeat the Lobos WEEK 9: Nevada …

Nevada Football: How the Wolf Pack Can Win: How To Watch, Odds, Prediction

Nevada hosts New Mexico as the Wolf Pack looks for their second straight win

Contact/Follow @BrandonGBlake & @MWCwire

Here is How Nevada Can Defeat the Lobos

WEEK 9: Nevada Wolf Pack (1-6 , 1-2 MW) vs New Mexico (3-4, 1-2 MW)

WHEN: Saturday, October 28st – 7:30pm PT/8:30pm MT

TV:  CBS Sports Network

STREAM: FuboTV — Get a free trial

RADIO: Nevada is on 105.7 KOZZ in Reno and New Mexico is on 770 AM/96.3 FM

SERIES RECORD:  Nevada leads the all time series 5-3-1. The last meeting was in 2020 in Las Vegas where Nevada won 27-20.

WEBSITES: NevadaWolfPack.com, the official Nevada athletics website | GoLobos.com, the official New Mexico athletics website

GAME NOTES:  Nevada | New Mexico 

ODDS:  Nevada (-1)

SP+ PROJECTION:  New Mexico by 3.0

FEI PROJECTION:  Nevada by 5.6

The Nevada Wolf Pack return to action on Saturday night as they take on the New Mexico Lobos in Reno.

Nevada returns to action after winning their first game in over 400 days as they defeated San Diego State 6-0 last week. The Wolf Pack offense was not good ( to put it kindly) but the defense played great. Nevada is looking to build on that performance and turn it into a winning streak.

The Wolf Pack are facing a New Mexico team that is 3-4 and snapped a long losing streak of their own last week. Their losing streak was a 14 game conference losing streak as they defeated Hawaii 42-21. The Lobos feature one of the best rushing attacks in the conference as they are averaging 179.71 rushing yards per game. The Lobos have a talented QB in Dylan Hopkins who is one of the better quarterbacks in the Mountain West this season. 

The Lobos and the Wolf Pack are two teams that have snapped long losing streaks and are looking to extend their winning streaks. Can the Wolf Pack continue to play stellar defense while finding their offensive groove? Can the Wolf Pack extend their winning streak to two games?

 

Here are my ways on how Nevada can win against New Mexico

 

Finishing drives on offense with touchdowns

Last week against San Diego State, the Wolf Pack had four trips to the red zone. In those four trips, Nevada scored only two field goals and missed two field goals. The Wolf Pack had many chances to extend their lead but failed to do so. 

Nevada’s offense must be able to move the ball and score touchdowns when in the red zone. The Wolf Pack offense is still struggling (we will get to one of those issues troubling their offensive line in the next key) so they need to score as many points as possible when they get the chance. And those points have to be touchdowns. 

Nevada QB Brendon Lewis has had moments where he has done a good job of getting the offense into the red zone. For Nevada to win on Saturday night, Lewis and the Wolf Pack offense must finish drives with touchdowns. 

 

Limit Penalties 

The Wolf Pack committed 10 penalties for 58 yards in their win over San Diego State last week. Most of those penalties were committed by the Nevada offensive line for several false starts. And in two of Nevada’s last three games, they have committed 10 or more penalties. 

The number of penalties committed by Nevada are just bad and Wolf Pack head coach Ken Wilson acknowledges this and says it must be fixed. “Obviously we have to cut those down,” Wilson said this week

Wilson also said about the penalties is that “ We’ve got to cut those down to finish drives, get us out of trouble, control the ball so we don’t have the short fields and stuff that the defense had to deal with a few times in that game”: 

If Nevada defeats New Mexico on Saturday night, it will be because they limited those costly penalties on both sides of the ball. Especially on offense where those penalties crushed potential scoring drives. Limiting the penalties along with scoring points, will give Nevada a good chance to win. 

 

Continued improvement on defense 

Through the first six games of the season, the Nevada defense has been very charitable to opposing offenses. By charitable, I mean that Nevada’s defense was porous against opposing offenses. The Wolf Pack defense gave up 350 yards or more in their first five games of the season. Nevada’s defense was just a disaster when it came to defending offenses in the fist half of the season. 

But Nevada’s defense played their best game of the season last week at San Diego against the Aztecs. Sure, the Aztec offense has been dreadful outside of Jalen Mayden but Nevada still had to show up and play and they played brilliantly. The Wolf Pack defense held the Aztec offense to zero points and only 204 yards of total offense. 

Nevada’s defense will get a challenge this week as they face a New Mexico offense that has talent at the skills positions. Lobos QB Dylan Hopkins is fifth in the Mountain West in passing with 1,367 yards and Hopkins has thrown 10 touchdowns and only four interceptions. The Lobos have four receivers on their team that have caught at least 10 passes this season.

The Lobos have a talented running back in Jacory Croskey-Merritt who leads the Lobos in rushing with 545 rushing yards while scoring 11 touchdowns (tied for third among Mountain West running backs).  The Lobos possess an offense that can display good balance and that will present a challenge that Nevada must handle.

Nevada won last week because of their drastic improvement on defense. For Nevada to win their second straight game, their defense will need to continue that improvement against a good  Lobos offense. 

 

Prediction

Nevada  17   New Mexico 14

Maybe, just maybe Nevada has turned the corner under Ken Wilson’s guidance. Nevada won for the first time in more than a year using a stifling defense and an offense that made no mistakes against SDSU.

The Wolf Pack’s next opponent, New Mexico, presents a tougher challenge as they have a much better offense than the Aztecs. 

Nevada must continue their strong defensive play and find a way to be consistent on offense and score touchdowns. The Wolf Pack are still a work in progress on both sides of the ball but they are improving. Nevada will ride an improving defense and an offense that continues to not make a big mistake into their second win in a row this week. 

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New Mexico vs. Wyoming Cowboys: Why the Cowboys will win

As the 3-1 Wyoming Cowboys host the New Mexico Lobos to open MWC play, what does the Pokes need to do to come out undefeated in the MWC?

 

New Mexico vs. Wyoming Cowboys: Why the Cowboys will win


The Wyoming Cowboys ride into conference play boasting a 3-1 record and now hosting the New Mexico Lobos for their Homecoming game.


Contact/Follow @KayceeClark and @MWCwire

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WEEK 5: New Mexico Lobos (2-2, 0-0 MW) vs. Wyoming Cowboys (3-1, 0-0 MW)

WHEN: Saturday, September 30— 2 PM MST

WHERE: War Memorial Stadium (29,181)

TV: Mountain West Network

STREAMINGGet a free trial with FuboTV

RADIO: Cowboy Sports Network

SERIES RECORD: Wyoming 40-35, New Mexico is 20-16 in Laramie

LAST MATCHUP: Oct. 8, 2022 – Wyoming won in Albuquerque last year 27-14

WEBSITES: GoWyo.com, the official Wyoming athletics website; GoLobos.com, the official New Mexico athletics website.

GAME NOTES: Wyoming | New Mexico

ODDS: Wyoming -14

OVER/UNDER: 41.5 points

An odd finale to Wyoming’s non-conference schedule, a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown leading to a 22-19 victory over Appalachian State, now puts the Cowboys at 3-1. This is now the fourth season of the past five, they have begun in this fashion.

The Lobos return to Laramie for both teams’ first action in the Mountain West for 2023.

Despite having one of the worst offenses in all of college football last season, the Lobos still gained an early 14-0 lead on the Cowboys in Albuquerque. UAB transfer Dylan Hopkins commands the new-look New Mexico offense and has added a needed explosion to the offense.

The quarterback has taken the Lobos to two victories thus far, against Tennessee Tech and Massachusetts. However, in the second half against UMass, the offense only managed zero points and 50 yards before ultimately winning in overtime.

The Lobo defense has also allowed the 27th most points per game in college football.

Wyoming also had a lackluster offensive performance last week, with only 31 passing yards. Take out Harrison Waylee’s 75-yard touchdown, and the offense only managed 133 yards.

New Mexico has had the Pokes number since head coach Craig Bohl took over the program in 2014, winning six of the 10 games. This will be the third time these teams have opened the Mountain West Conference schedule against each other; however, it has never gone the Pokes way, losing both. How does Wyoming turn this around?

A Wyoming victory comes from…

A Wyoming victory requires a better showing from the offense. Waylee’s dominance through his two games has shown for the Cowboys, but the team needs to be able to move the ball continually. Whether this comes from the speed of Waylee or a mixture of other backs, such as Sam Scott and Jamari Ferrell, the rushing attack must be on point. Earlier in the week, it was announced from the team that D.Q. James had been dismissed from the team. On social media, James said otherwise, that he had entered the transfer portal.

Coinciding with the rush, the team must be back to dominating the time of possession. Against Appalachian State, the Pokes held the ball for less than 20 minutes. The first three games saw the Pokes 13th in the country, averaging 33 minutes and 30 seconds per game. They’ve now dropped nearly three minutes from one game. With New Mexico having new offensive weapons, ensuring they can’t use them helps for a Wyoming win.

Another aid to a brown and gold win is getting earlier stops in Lobo drives. Last week, the defense bent but didn’t break, giving up the four field goals. However, many of those scoring drives were long-sustained drives of 67 yards, 87, 87 and 18. While limiting the number of points is good, preventing any points, obviously, is great.

Stopping New Mexico early in their drives will be key through pressure from the defensive line and quick wrap-ups of any check-downs Hopkins may throw. Keeping an eye on running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, averaging 6.8 yards per carry will also be key to shutting down the Lobo offense.

The first third of the season has shown that quarterback Andrew Peasley doesn’t need to throw for 300 yards and several touchdowns a game for the Pokes to win. What does need to happen is an effective passing game. Rarely does a team like Wyoming win with 31 passing yards and only five completions.

A fully healthy Peasley completing passes will help push this game out of reach from the Lobos.

Wyoming 34 – New Mexico 23

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Texas A&M Wide receiver Noah Thomas is the real deal, folks

After hauling in a career high three touchdowns during the Aggies 52-10 opening win vs. New Mexico, WR Noah Thomas has lived up to the hype.

Did you buy into the preseason hype regarding wide receiver Noah Thomas’s accedence up the depth chart? At this point, it doesn’t matter because Thomas has already provided an answer and then some after recording six receptions for 74 yards and three touchdowns in Texas A&M’s 2023 season-opening 52-10 victory over New Mexico on Saturday night.

After earning the Spring MVP award during Texas A&M’s spring football season in March, several Aggie media members, including myself, received intel that Thomas had not only continued to improve as a route runner but was by far the most dominant offensive player outside of starting quarterback Conner Weigman going into fall camp, which continued throughout August.

Developing a healthy repertoire with Weigman all offseason, the connection paid dividends against the Lobos, connecting on 15-yard, 34-yard, and 9-yard touchdowns, exhibiting the same sprinter speed and huge catch radius, all while standing at an intimidating 6-6, overwhelming nearly every defensive back who had the opportunity to cover him.

After the game, Thomas shared the spotlight with star wide receiver Evan Stewart, who led the team with eight receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns on the night, noting that offense’s explosive performance in new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino’s exciting Aggie debut but completely built on team mentality:

“We came in with a chip on our shoulder to prove to people we are capable of leading this offense.

“We love, trust and believe in each other. The coaches and players made it happen.”

This type of underdog mentality will only continue to aid the offense going forward. If this is the type of effort and performance we can expect from Noah Thomas throughout the 2023 campaign, it’s safe to say that Aggies fans can begin raising their expectations because, so far, this team looks the part.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

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Glen Millican opens the next chapter with Missouri at Dalhousie Golf Club

Millican was named men’s golf coach at Missouri roughly a month before the start of the 2023-24 season.

Glen Millican’s history with the University of New Mexico encompasses his entire adult life. Until he landed in Columbia, Missouri, this fall, he had only ever known golf with the Lobos.

Millican played college golf for New Mexico in the late 1990s and at 23, joined then-head coach J.T. Higgins’ staff as an assistant coach. At 26, he took the head coaching role.

Millican was named head men’s golf coach at Missouri roughly a month before the start of the 2023-24 season, replacing Mark Hankins – who was set to replace longtime head coach Mark Leroux – when Hankins took the head men’s golf job at USC.

It’s hard for Millican to put into words exactly what led him to Missouri.

“I don’t have a specific reason why you would leave somewhere that you’ve been forever,” he said. “I had a great 30 years at New Mexico as a player and coach and it’s my alma mater so that place and that golf program is always going to mean a lot to me.”

Millican only beat his Missouri players to campus this fall by a couple of weeks. The Tigers roster includes four returners and five new players, including freshman Adam Miller, whom Millican and assistant coach Sean Carlon (formerly Millican’s assistant at New Mexico) had recruited at length, as well as Lobo transfer Virgilio Paz.

Mizzu set to host at Dalhousie Golf Club

This weekend, as Millican leads a team that’s not the Lobos into a tournament for the first time in his career, you might say the slate is clean at Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau. Missouri is the host team for the 2023 Golfweek Collegiate Kickoff, a new event on the schedule that replaces the Tigers’ usual start at Turning Stone Tiger Collegiate in Verona, New York.

“We’ll go down to Dalhousie and play some golf and that will show us a lot more than we can find out this week,” Millican said of getting to know his new team, top to bottom. “And then we’ll be off to the races.”

Millican pays a lot of attention to history, and in that respect, there are similarities between New Mexico and Missouri that he can’t ignore. At New Mexico, Millican was very aware of the success of coaching legends that came before him, from Dick McGuire, Duane Knight and John Fields to his predecessor Higgins. At Missouri, he follows men like Richard Poe, Leroux and Hankins.

“Same type of situation where you’re coming in behind guys you have a lot of respect for, guys that have done a really nice job with the program and then had a lot of success, run it the right way, have built it, have made things better in their time here,” Millican said of Missouri.

New Mexico won eight Mountain West Conference titles under Millican and advanced to NCAA Regionals 20 times in his tenure. The Lobos finished in the top 25 at the 2023 NCAA Championship. In fact, Millican left such an impression that after he announced he’d taken the job at Missouri, his alma mater issued a press release simply thanking him. Just like at New Mexico, Millican said his goal at Missouri will be to find ways to make the program better.

“I felt like there’s a ton of opportunity here,” Millican said. “Obviously they’ve already shown that they’ve had really, really good years and had great players, All-Americans, future tour players come through here and we want to continue that and get more of those guys and continue to have great finishes and find ways to keep getting better in a really competitive game.”

As Millican notes, when you haven’t competed on a course before – as will be the case at Dalhousie – sometimes it’s not immediately apparent where the course will show its teeth. Bill Morrow, the General Manager of Golf Operations at Dalhousie, went right to the rough.

“We normally don’t have the rough up,” he said. “The golf course, it’s a world-class golf course. . . . It’s very scenic, tree-lined but great par 3s.”

Dalhousie, a Gary Nicklaus design that opened in 2002, appears among Golfweek’s Best Private Courses in Missouri and the Golfweek’s Best list of residential courses in the U.S. The course has hosted championships at every level, from the Missouri Amateur to the Missouri Valley Conference Championship to Gateway PGA-sanctioned events to the AJGA’s prestigious Rolex Tournament of Champions.

The closing three holes are particularly intriguing for a college event. No. 16 is a challenging, downhill par 4 with a fairway bunker on the left and a well-bunkered green while the uphill 17th is the longest par 4 on the golf course. The 18th hole features a green that stretches 105 yards from front to back.

“It’s a great closing par 5 and it’s just an amazing green complex from front to back,” Morrow said.

Summer rains have left the course in what Morrow calls spectacular shape. A new venue and new event will give Millican a good tell on where his team is to start the season.

“When you go somewhere you’ve never played, it gives you the opportunity to see how well you can really prepare and see how well you can handle things that may have come up that you didn’t expect,” he said. “You don’t really know until you know.”

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The bizarre beauty of Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area

It’s a strange magic.

The Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area might not be exactly what you picture when thinking of beautiful natural landscapes. You won’t find lush forests or pristine lakes there. Instead, this gem of New Mexico offers over 40,000 acres of fascinating, almost alien rock formations.

Adventurers planning to explore these curious landscapes must come prepared. While the region isn’t exactly uncharted territory, visitors can expect to lose cell service as they trek into the wilderness. Those who successfully complete a journey into the badlands will be rewarded with unforgettable views. Plan your trip with this Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness guide, and preview some of the scenery that awaits you.

Several round rocks in a canyon surrounded by large rock formations.
Photo by Larry Lamsa

What is the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area?

The Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area is a badlands region managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Characterized by various unique rock formations, the destination resides within San Juan County, New Mexico, west of the Navajo Nation. Tourists visit the site for hiking, primitive camping, photography, and fossil research opportunities.

Geological wonders make the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area a special place for outdoorsy explorers. Guests can find everything from red-orange hues spilling down rounded rock formations to weird stone towers looking out over the land. According to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the region’s name comes from these rocky landscapes.

“Translated from the Navajo language, Bisti (Bis-tie) means “a large area of shale hills.” De-Na-Zin (Deh-nah-zin) takes its name from the Navajo words for “cranes,”” the BLM explains on its website.

Smooth, rounded rock canyon.
Photo by Bob Wick, BLM California

Trip planning tips

While the area charges no entrance fees and is open year-round, potential visitors should still carefully plan their trip. Here are some key facts to keep in mind.

The local climate makes late spring, early summer, and fall the most popular times to visit the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area. No matter when you visit, prepare for little to no shade by bringing plenty of sunscreen and water. There are no water sources in the area, so all guests need to haul a good amount of water with them.

Two main trailheads (Bisti Trailhead and De-Na-Zin Trailhead) will lead adventurers to parking lots and walking paths. Although Google Maps does offer directions into the area, coverage can be spotty. Stay on the right track by bringing a reliable GPS tracker, packing a map, and/or printing out directions.

Rounded rock formations with red-orange tops.
Photo by Bob Wick, BLM California

The best local attractions and tour guides

Now for the fun stuff. Gorgeous rock arches, hoodoos, petrified wood, fossils, and canyons are the sights that draw travelers to the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area. This BLM map provides an overview of the land but little detail on specific landmarks. For information on points of interest like the Manta Ray, Cracked Eggs, or Hoodoo City, check out AllTrails and this map from the Farmington Museum & Visitor Center.

Want to go on a more in-depth trip through the badlands? Navajo Tours USA’s “Bisti Wilderness Adventure” gives visitors a guided experience through the region. Look forward to a day of sightseeing and learning about Indigenous and local history.

Hartman has Irish fan rooting for Wake Forest in College World Series

Maybe you’ll want to support the Demon Deacons, too?

Notre Dame is not in the College World Series this year, but at least one Irish fan has a rooting interest in it. The Winston-Salem Journal found Jim Lullie of Albuquerque, New Mexico attending top-ranked Wake Forest’s game against Stanford. Although he bleeds blue and gold, Lullie was in Omaha to throw his support behind the Demon Deacons. The reason was very simple:

“It’s my way of thanking the University of Wake Forest for giving their quarterback to the Irish.”

“Their quarterback”, of course, is Deacons legend [autotag]Sam Hartman,[/autotag] and he’s one of the most talented quarterbacks the Irish have had in recent memory. In fact, Lullie has faith that Hartman will be the one to end the Irish’s national championship drought. But before that can happen, he has one hope for his momentary Deacons fandom:

“If we played LSU in the national championship game and kicked Mr. Kelly’s rear end.”

Now who doesn’t want to see that?

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Rex Enright comes from behind to win; Team New Mexico goes wire-to-wire at 38th U.S. Senior Challenge Cup

Enright was glad he had seven years of local knowledge in his back pocket.

Rex Enright began the final round trailing 36-hole leader Randy Haag by three strokes.

As a member of the Canyon Club, host of the 38th U.S. Senior Challenge Cup, Enright was glad he had seven years of local knowledge in his back pocket as he faced off against Haag in the final group.

“After looking Randy’s resume,” Enright told Golfweek. “I was like ‘Oh (expletive) this guy is pretty good… this could be a challenge!”

With more than 300 wins in his amateur career and three wins already in 2023, Haag was definitely a worthy opponent. Resting on his local knowledge, Enright took comfort in his ability to navigate the elevation and sloped greens that prove to be the primary challenge in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“I figured with his (Haag) resume, that I’d have to shoot 67,” Enright said.

Fortunately for Enright, Haag stumbled out of the gates with a bogey, bogey start. On the par 5  4th, Haag five-putted for a triple to sway the leaderboard in favor of Enright.

Down but not out, Haag battled for control of the top spot and earned back a share of the lead as the two men stood on the 17th tee after being down three strokes through 11 holes.

After catching multiple breaks in Wednesday’s second round, Haag’s luck seemed to have run out on the par-3 17th. Hitting his tee shot just a couple of paces too long, he found himself putting back down towards the hole from just off the green in the rough.

Four putting from off the green Haag left the door open for Enright to slam the tournament shut.

Putting the finishing touches on the championship with a two-putt par, Enright went on to par the 18th and claiming the Challenge Cup by two strokes with a tournament total of 2-over 218.

Defending his home course, Enright becomes the first U.S. Senior Challenge Cup  individual champion from New Mexico.

Team Champion

Four more New Mexico natives made Challenge Cup history Thursday as Team New Mexico-Slayton was crowned champions. Riding the back of captain Jack Slayton all week, Kevin Sivage, Anton Salome and Bill Squier strolled through the week to win by 15 shots, boasting a three-day total of 6-over to complete a wire-to-wire win.

Legends (70-74)

Slayton not only ran away with the team portion, but also the Legends age division. Touting three straight rounds of 70, Slayton swept the 70-74 year old bracket by six shots and totaling the lowest 54-hole total of the tournament with a 6-under 210. His play nets him low man of the week honors as no other player finished under par regardless of age bracket.

Super Seniors (65-69)

Wyoming’s John Hornbeck was crowned champion in the 65-69 age group, running away with a seven shot victory with tournament total of 4-over 220. New Mexico’s Crispin Fuentes finished second at 11 over.

Super Legends (75+)

Arizona’s David Ralsey capped off the week with a final-round 77 to complete a wire-to-wire win in the 75+ age division.