Zone coverage, man coverage, zone pressures, man with help—no matter what New Mexico threw at him, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was unstoppable.
McMillan set an Arizona record with 304 receiving yards and four touchdowns, leading No. 21 Arizona to a 61-39 victory over UNM.
Despite a close first half that saw Arizona holding a slim three-point lead, McMillan’s fourth touchdown early in the second half put the Wildcats up by three scores, and the Lobos never got within two.
McMillan, nicknamed “TMac,” accounted for nearly half of Arizona’s 627 yards of offense on ten catches.
UNM head coach Bronco Mendenhall acknowledged McMillan’s dominance: “They did a nice job moving him around. We didn’t have answers—not effective ones. And when we did, we did not execute them well enough.”
Regarded as a future first-round NFL Draft pick, McMillan delivered explosive 69, 17, and 78-yard touchdowns in the first half, shocking the 47,748 fans at Arizona Stadium.
Meanwhile, UNM quarterback Devon Dampier had a stellar game, completing 24 of 42 passes for a career-high 253 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Dampier also led the Lobos on the ground with 130 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
UNM kept pace with Arizona in the first half, with Dampier connecting with Luke Wysong for a 16-yard touchdown and Na’Quari Rogers for a 7-yard score, tying the game at 17.
Dampier’s 13-yard rushing touchdown briefly gave UNM a 24-17 lead, but McMillan’s third touchdown tied it again at 24-24. A late field goal by Arizona’s Tyler Loop gave the Wildcats a 27-24 lead at halftime.
Arizona coach Brennan commented after the game on New Mexico Quarterack Dampier: The quarterback’s a good player, super athletic, he’s strong. He can throw it on the run. That’s going to be a handful for anyone to defend.”
Zone coverage, man coverage, zone pressures, man with help—no matter what New Mexico threw at him, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was unstoppable.
McMillan set an Arizona record with 304 receiving yards and four touchdowns, leading No. 21 Arizona to a 61-39 victory over UNM.
The second half saw Arizona pull away as they scored two quick touchdowns in the opening minutes. After a turnover, McMillan caught his fourth touchdown, putting Arizona up 41-24.
Dampier and the Lobos fought back, with Dampier scoring his second rushing touchdown and later throwing a 9-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Medford.
However, Arizona’s offense proved too much for UNM, as the Wildcats secured a 61-39 win.
Former UNM Running back who transfered to Arizona shared playing time with other running backs but finished with 13 attempts and 106, yards 1 TD
While Dampier and Wysong set career highs, there was no stopping McMillan, whose 304 yards broke UNM’s previous record for most receiving yards allowed.
Despite a valiant effort, the Lobos fell to 0-2, while Arizona improved to 1-0.
Devon Dampier performed well, showing versatility and resilience despite the loss.
He completed 24 of 42 passes for a career-high 253 yards, threw three touchdowns, and had two interceptions.
Dampier was also a force on the ground, leading the Lobos with 130 rushing yards and scoring two touchdowns.
His ability to keep UNM competitive, especially in the first half, was impressive as he matched Arizona’s offensive firepower for much of the game.
Dampier’s dual-threat capabilities were on full display, making him a standout in a tough environment.
The Lobos had to wear their home red uniforms due to a shipping issue with some of their white away jerseys.
The UNM Director of Equipment drove from Tucson to Phoenix late Friday night to pick up the jerseys.
Despite this challenge, UNM’s offense shined, gaining 472 total yards against Arizona—more than their combined total from the last three games against Autonomous 4 schools (420 yards against Texas A&M in 2021, LSU in 2022, and Texas A&M again in 2023).
Defensively, the Lobos recorded four tackles for loss (TFLs) in the first half alone after having only four in their previous game against Montana State.
They also capitalized on a turnover, scoring a touchdown off an interception, marking their third touchdown off turnovers this season.
For comparison, they only scored 28 points off turnovers throughout the entire last season.
However, the Lobos also allowed 627 yards, the 24th most in school history and the most since giving up 633 against LSU in 2022.
The game’s combined 100 points was the eighth highest in UNM’s history and the most since their 55-52 win over New Mexico State in 2019.
The Lobos’ 29 first downs in this game tied for the 18th most in school history.
Aaron Rodriguez opened the game with a booming 54-yard punt, pinning Arizona at their own 2-yard line.
On the other side, Arizona’s Tyler Loop nailed a 54-yard field goal, the longest against UNM since Nevada’s Brandon Talton hit a 52-yarder in October 2023.
UNM’s offense saw some bright spots, especially from Luke Wysong, who hauled in five catches for 94 yards in the first quarter alone, nearly matching his career-high of 95 yards set just last week. Wysong finished the game with a career-best eight receptions for 129 yards.
Defensively, Christian Ellis continued his playmaking ways. After recovering his first career fumble last week, Ellis made a diving interception on a tipped pass, his first career pick.
However, the Lobos also experienced some firsts on the other side, as Devon Dampier threw the first interception of his career late in the first half, ending a streak of 112 consecutive pass attempts without a pick.
Dampier, however, set new personal milestones with 260 passing yards, surpassing his previous best of 200 yards from his freshman year start at Boise State.
His 24 completions and 42 attempts were also career highs. Those 42 attempts marked the most by a Lobo quarterback since B.R. Holbrook’s 50 passes against Texas Tech in 2010.
Dampier’s dual-threat ability was on full display as he threw for 260 yards and ran for 130 more, making him just the seventh quarterback in UNM history to achieve a 200-yard passing, 100-yard rushing game.
The last Lobo to do so was Kole McKamey in 2005 against BYU, when Bronco Mendenhall, now UNM’s head coach, was in his first year leading the Cougars.
Despite these efforts, Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan torched the Lobos’ defense with a record-breaking 304 receiving yards, the most UNM has ever allowed to a single player.
His four touchdown receptions tied the record for the most against the Lobos, matching marks set by BYU’s Kirk Pendleton in 1983 and Utah’s Roger Garidel in 1971.
The University of New Mexico Lobos’ next football game is scheduled for Saturday, September 15, 2024, against Auburn
