Doug, Albuquerque: What happened last night? The Lobos were playing so well and it all fell apart!!!

Van: Turnovers happened last night.  When you go on the road and have a chance to drive a stake through a team's heart early, you have to get it done.  The Lobos had an opportunity to go up 17 to nothing on Air Force last night.  A fumble prevented that from happening and changed the momentum of the game.  The Lobos still had a chance to be successful in Colorado Springs last night but, they fumbled the opening kickoff in the second half.  The Lobos still had chances in the second half but, I think the fumble in the first half returned for an Air Force touchdown the reminder of the game.

Adam: Turnovers doomed all the momentum the Lobos had.  This season, UNM has been chugging along in a couple of big, important conference games and has had a few momentum-killing plays ruin their chances.  Now they’ll have to play super hard and win 2 of their last 3 games to get bowl eligible.

Doug: Turnovers, turnover, turnovers...when you make enough of them, odds are you're not gonna win.  The most costly one was in the first quarter when the Lobos were up 10-0 and driving, only to fumble and Air Force took it the other way for a 96 yard touchdown.  Game over.  This team just isn't good enough to play over big mistakes like that.

Devon: I know the prevailing ideology is that turnovers killed the Lobos last night—which is true—but what caused the turnovers? Every Thursday night game between Mountain West teams has been so sloppy. I'm all for promoting Mountain West football, but the teams should only play Thursday games if they were on a bye during the previous week. Otherwise, the conference is sacrificing substance for a gimmick.

Jake, Las Cruces: Admit it, this is the year the Aggies will tear apart the Lobos and become the top football team in the state.

Van: Sorry Jake, I cannot agree with you.  I would have to see it happen first.  As a conference, the entire Mountain West is up a notch.  The Lobos have three losses on their record but, look at who gave them those losses.  Tulsa hammered the Lobos but, it has been a long time since they have suffered a defeat of that magnitude.  Knowing Rocky Long and the character of his teams, I would think that a very focused and determined Lobos team will be greeting the Aggies Saturday.  With that said, let me say this.  I believe the Aggies are also improved.  I played for Joe Lee Dunn.  He will have that defense ready to rattle Brad Gruner who is making his first start as Lobos Quarterback.  But, the Aggies will have to guard against being too confident.  Remember the teams the Lobos have played.  They have been playing at a high level of intensity.  They beat Arizona and should have done the same to Texas A&M who was outplayed up and done the field.

Adam: You’re right.

Doug: No Jake, I'm not going to admit that for the simple reason that traditionally UNM has had a depth advantage over NMSU.  The game is usually won or lost in the trenches, offensive and defensive lines, and physical play tends to favor the team with more depth, with guys rotating in and out to stay fresh.  This will be a game of contrasting styles.  I think UNM will try to pound the ball more and play keep-away from NMSU's air raid offense.  That will be even more the case with a red shirt freshman quarterback, Brad Gruner, making his first collegiate start.  I do like the matchup and think it will be as usual an entertaining football game, but in the end, slight advantage Lobos.

Devon: My status as a UNM student probably won’t allow me to make that admission. It’s in the handbook, you know. Although, I will say the Lobos should be very very wary of this rivalry game. Somehow I don’t sleep easy at night knowing that freshman quarterback Brad Gruner will make his first start Saturday, and that the Lobos will bring a banged up secondary to face the NMSU Air Raid.

Todd, Albuquerque: Will KRQE broadcast the UNM/NMSU game Saturday the 27th as they have in the past?

Van: Unfortunately we will not.  The Mountain has all of the rights to the games.  They allowed us to broadcast the last time the teams were in Las Cruces, but not this time around.  The game will be done by Aggievision on Comcast cable 53.

Dave, Albuquerque: Is anyone else surprised with the way Donovan Porterie has played this season? It seemed like has taken a step back in his progression.

Van: It is a bit surprising but, keep in mind that Donovan is working with a different set of receivers.  It usually takes a little time to get on the same page.  I watched some of the guys run routes in the first game against TCU and noticed at least one quite on his route.  I saw an underthrown ball in the A&M game.  The receiver never went back to fight for the ball.  He just let it get intercepted.  Marcus Smith and Travis Brown were underthrown sometimes.  The difference is that those guys would come back to the ball.  Donovan's adversity is going to make him better.  He has already started to run a little more.  That is good.  Now teams have to worry about his passing and running.

Adam: I think the TCU game, especially early on, stripped Porterie of all the confidence he had at the end of last season and it’s taken him a while to regain it.  Though he’s still not the team leader in touchdown passes (Rodney Ferguson!), Porterie will continue to improve and get back to form by midseason.

Doug: There's a lot of factors as to Donovan's "progression" so far this season.  An offense is like a finely tuned engine, if one of the cylinders is off, then the whole engine just doesn't run as well.  Donovan's had to deal with new, inexperienced receivers, as opposed to standouts Travis Brown and Marcus Smith who he had the last two years.  Donovan also has an inexperienced offensive line in front of him and with little or no time to throw; no quarterback is going to look as good as he should.  Donovan's the most athletic quarterback they have at this time, no question about it.  So when you question Donovan's "progression", consider the rest of the parts around him too.

Devon: When you have Marcus Smith and Travis Brown—you’re a passing team and Porterie will rack up stats. However, this season’s Lobos have a very young offensive line and receiving corps. Pair that fact with two elusive running backs and you have a running team. As this year’s team matures, Porterie will be asked to air it out more, but for now he needs to be efficient in managing the game.

Dave C from Rio Rancho: Do you think the Lobos stand a chance against A&M tomorrow?

Van: I really think they have a good chance. Texas A&M is a really talented team that is learning under a talented new coach in Mike Sherman. Transition takes time. That will be a disadvantage for A&M. The Lobos are like a cat in a corner right now. They lost their home opener and a Mountain West conference game. The Lobos, like A&M, will be desperate for a victory. If this was the Lobos of old, I would think they didn’t have a chance. But, Rocky Long Lobos have proven over the years that they rise to the occasion when it is absolutely necessary. I also think the talent level is close to being the same. The Lobos and other teams in the Mountain West continue to get better. The Mountain West has shown that they can play with anyone.

Adam: Traditional college football powerhouse Arkansas State dismantled Texas A&M last week.  I think UNM will at least make it a game.

Doug: Yes I think they more than stand a chance.  Keep in mind this Texas A & M team is a little down from their storied past and the Aggies have a new coach, so they have some meshing to do as a team.  Also Rocky Long coached Lobo teams tend to show great improvement from week one to week two in a season

Devon: Dave, it’s no secret that the Lobos’ played sub-par football against TCU, but most fans don’t recognize that Texas A&M lost to Arkansas State of the Sunbelt Conference!  The key to this game—and every football game for that matter—is about the turnover battle. Last week early mistakes cost UNM; late mistakes cost A&M. The Lobos as a team are phenomenal when they commit zero turnovers. When they’ve managed that feat, the only loss that comes to mind is last year at UTEP. I think they more than “stand a chance” this week, this game should be competitive.

Wayland G from Los Lunas: Where does the Scorpions’ hockey coverage fall on KRQE? Why does the hockey coverage seem to get left behind every season?

Van: I suggest you give the Scorpions a call. Ask them who covers them more than anyone in the market. I am 100 percent sure they will say KRQE. We give the Scorpions a ton of coverage each year. If you talk to Adam Minnick, he will tell you we are always calling them looking for more stories to do with the team. I don’t know what else you are looking for. We cover every game and we do feature stories on the team and events surrounding the team.

Adam: On October 17th, when the Scorpions open their season I assure you the KRQE Sports team will begin thorough coverage of New Mexico's Hockey team.  Further, on October 4th when the NHL begins regular season play, we will give that league the appropriate coverage that our viewers deem necessary.  New Mexico is not a Hockey state.  There is very little interest other than the Scorpions.  We generally have to go by what the MAJORITY of our viewers want to see.

Doug: Wayland, are you sure you're watching the right channel?  We cover way more Scorpions game than anyone else in the market, even though it's a challenge sometimes, since tht Santa Ana Star Center is a 40 to 45 minute drive from our studios near downtown Albuquerque.  Make sure you're watching KRQE News 13 and KASA Fox 2 and you'll get plenty of chances to see the Scorpions.

Devon: As a new member of the KRQE.com web staff, I’ll aim at giving you a whole lot more of Scorps coverage on the web. Check back after every game on KRQE.com for the game summaries, and I’ll try to throw in some interesting features and story lines for you Scorps fans during down time. Also, this ASK Sports forum is a great way to get some bonus coverage on any topic you choose.

Robert S. from Albuquerque: Who do you have winning the PCL Conference Championships and the PCL Championship this year? I won't even finish with the Bricktown Showdown because there are too many variables to even project a winner for that game.

Van: I would have to go with Sacramento. The rivercats seem to always find a way to win the big one. If you look at all of their years in the PCL, you find strong pitching and good outcome. The defending PCL champs will make it two straight.

Adam: Sacramento will win the PCL, over Oklahoma

Doug: Robert, great to see a baseball question and even better to see someone really follow minor league baseball.  It's hard to call because the series are so short, but I'd have to give the PCL championship game nod to Oklahoma and Salt Lake.  Iowa's pitching is really up in the air right now with all the injuries with the parent Chicago Cubs pitching and I wasn't too impressed with Sacramento when they came through Albuquerque.  I think Salt Lake will take the PCL.  Again, great question Robert and keep 'em coming!  

Devon: Here you go Robert:

• American Conference Championship: Iowa Cubs over Oklahoma Redhawks in four games (Remember the RedHawks late season collapse)
• Pacific Conference Championship: Salt Lake Bees over the Sacramento Rivercats in five games (The Bees lost the season series 5-11, but they have the best record in the PCL, play in the toughest division in the PCL, and are the only playoff team to post a winning record in the final 10 games)
• Pacific Coast League Championship: Bees over Cubs in 5
• Just for fun I’ll keep the buzz going for the Bees and pick them to win the showdown game