‘Red zone has to be better’: Can UNM execute better in scoring position?

Sep. 17—88,043 fans screaming in the stands. A steady drizzle giving way to a downpour. A Power Four opponent lined up on the other side of the ball, ready to wreak havoc in the comfort of their home stadium.

For New Mexico, the margins were already thin to begin with last Saturday at Auburn. Not scoring touchdowns when in position to do so only hurt its chances further in a 45-19 loss to the Tigers.

“Ultimately, it comes down to points,” head coach Bronco Mendenhall said in a press conference on Monday, “and red zone has to be better.”

Through three games, UNM is 11-of-13 in the red zone with eight touchdowns (five passing, three rushing) and three field goals. An 84.6% conversion rate is decidedly mid-tier in college football — with that percentage, the Lobos are tied with Virginia Tech for 70th out of 134 FBS programs — but if it hasn’t been a true weakness, it wasn’t a strength against Auburn.

Against the Tigers, UNM converted four of five red zone trips with two touchdowns and two made field goals on three attempts — an 80% conversion rate for 19 total points. No single issue prevented the Lobos from scoring more touchdowns, but the cap on points was never more noticeable in a first half that saw them trail 17-13 heading into the break.

“We just have to execute,” running back Eli Sanders said on Tuesday. “The coaches put us in the position to score touchdowns, and we just have to execute the plays. I had a couple red zone opportunities that I had to execute on my (end), so I take the blame for that one.”

“I touch the ball every play, so at the end of the day, that does fall on me,” quarterback Devon Dampier added. “Certain throws and just decisions on where I went should’ve been a little bit better. For sure that would’ve moved the ball, but penalties killed us.”

As for Mendenhall?

“Just an assignment here or…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/red-zone-better-unm-execute-030100617.html

Author : Albuquerque Journal, N.M.

Publish date : 2024-09-18 03:01:00

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