New Mexico couldn’t stop Steven Lakalaka on fourth down … until it mattered most.
Lakalaka, Hawaii’s short-yardage specialist, converted on his first three fourth-down runs on Saturday night. But with the Rainbow Warriors facing fourth-and-1 on the UNM 7 late in the fourth quarter, defensive end Nik D’Avanzo stopped Lakalaka for no gain.
The New Mexico offense was able to run out the clock and the Lobos escaped Aloha Stadium with a 28-21 win.
“It felt like there were a lot of third and fourth downs that we should have stopped earlier and we finally came way with the biggest one,” D’Avanzo said.
New Mexico’s defense came into the game surrendering nearly 378 yards per game but held UH to 298.
“I think our defense played one of its best games,” UNM coach Bob Davie said.
Lakalaka ties TD record
Lakalaka matched a UH record with his game-tying touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Lakalaka scored in his seventh consecutive game with the 4-yard run, tying Alex Green’s streak in 2010.
Lakalaka now has 10 touchdowns and is the second UH player to score double-figure touchdowns in the past six seasons and the first since receiver Chris Gant had 10 in 2013.
UH helmets honor military
UH replaced its “H” helmet logos for a Military Night tribute.
The Rainbow Warriors had “12-7-41” on the left side of their white helmets in honor of the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. On the other side they wore the insignia of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
UH skid vs. Lobos continues
With Saturday’s loss, UH missed a chance for its first win against New Mexico in a quarter-century.
The Lobos extended their winning streak in the series against UH to seven. UH hasn’t won against UNM since a 35-13 home win on Sept. 14, 1991.
At 4-5, UH still has its best record through nine games since going 5-4 in 2011.
Up next: at San Diego State
Needing to win three of its last four games to become bowl eligible, UH faces a San Diego State team that hasn’t lost a Mountain West Conference game in nearly two years on Saturday at Qualcomm Stadium.
The Aztecs (7-1, 4-0) are riding a 15-game winning streak in conference play, the longest active run in the nation, after routing Utah State 40-13 on Friday.
Donnel Pumphrey ranks fifth on the NCAA all-time rushing list (5,741 yards) and leads the FBS with 1,469 yards this season. He’s averaged 130.3 yards per game with five touchdowns in three career games against UH.
