Lobos-Wildcats through the years: A rivalry no longer

Aug. 29—Since 1908, four years before New Mexico and Arizona were granted statehood, the Boys on the Hill from Albuquerque and their counterparts from Tucson have been bumping heads on the gridiron.

The rivalry has always been one-sided (Arizona leads, 44-20-3), and, truthfully, can’t even be called a rivalry anymore. Saturday’s game in Tucson will be the first meeting between the schools since the 2015 New Mexico Bowl and just the fourth this century.

The Kit Carson Rifle, in the past awarded annually to UNM-U of A winner — the tradition began in 1939 — at last report was rusting away in a trophy case at Arizona’s McKale Center. If it still exists at all.

In 1978, when the Pac-10 Conference lured away Arizona and Arizona State from the Western Athletic Conference, everything changed.

Once virtual twins — admitted to the union within five weeks of each other in 1912 — Arizona and New Mexico have become virtual strangers. In all kinds of ways, but certainly in football.

As a sign of the times, Saturday’s game is a “buy game.” New Mexico, the estranged little brother, will get $900,000 from Arizona for the privilege of getting shellacked — so the oddsmakers say — by the 21st-ranked ‘Cats.

Still, the history is the history. The record reflects that the Lobos and the Wildcats, starting before either of those nicknames were in use, went at it on the field like snot-nosed kids on the playground.

Some snapshots — some in black and white, others in color:

Nov. 26, 1908: Arizona 10, New Mexico 5.

Both the UNM media guide and the website winsipedia.com list the score in the inaugural game between these two territorial schools as 10-6, but the Nov. 27 Albuquerque Morning Journal reported it as 10-5. At the time, a touchdown was worth five points, not six.

A second-half UNM comeback fell short, the paper reported,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/lobos-wildcats-years-rivalry-no-030100202.html

Author : Albuquerque Journal, N.M.

Publish date : 2024-08-30 03:01:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.