Upcoming Event: Football versus No. 17 Texas Tech on September 20, 2025 at 10 a.m.
10 a.m.
Football
vs No. 17 Texas Tech
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Saturday, September 29
Salt Lake City, Utah
1:00 PM MT
University of Utah
37
vs
16
New Mexico
Utah Topples New Mexico 37-16
9/29/2001 12:00 AM | Football
Sept 29, 2001
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Dameon Hunter ran for a career-high 177 yards and two touchdowns as Utah beat New Mexico 37-16 Saturday in the Mountain West Conference opener for both teams.
Hunter topped the 100-yard mark for the third straight game and passed New Mexico's Jarrod Baxter - who had 95 yards - as the league's top rusher.
New Mexico (1-3, 0-1 MWC) came into the game with the nation's second-best rushing defense at 27.0 yards a game but couldn't stop the Utah ground attack. Adam Tate added 76 yards as Utah (3-1, 1-0) rushed for 255 yards.
The Lobos led 16-14 midway through the third quarter but never threatened again as Utah's stifling defense and ball-control offense took charge.
Hunter scored on a 1-yard run with 10:13 remaining, one play after he ran 74 yards to the 1-yard line. Tate tacked on another rushing TD from 8 yards out with 4:04 to play.
With 1:28 left in the third quarter, Ryan Kaneshiro kicked a 33-yard field goal to put Utah ahead to stay. On Utah's next possession, Tate went off tackle and broke away for a 46-yard TD run.
Blitzing linebacker Gary Davis gave the Lobos their only lead (16-14) when he sacked Lance Rice in the end zone on a third-and-5 play for a safety with 8:52 left in the third quarter.
Sophomore Casey Kelly, in relief of New Mexico starter Rudy Caamano, completed his first touchdown pass of his career on a 47-yarder down the right sideline to Dwight Counter on the Lobos' first possession of the second half.
Hunter capped Utah's first drive of the game with an 11-yard run. Four plays after Terrell Golden recovered a Utes fumble on the Utah 9, Baxter powered over the goal line from a yard.
Both starting quarterbacks struggled and were replaced in the first half. Utah backup Ryan Breska came on for Rice and hit Cliff Russell on a short pass in the middle of the field that the speedster turned into a 46-yard touchdown to give Utah a 14-7 halftime lead.
Rice returned in the second half and finished 12-of-26 for 147 yards and an interception.
Caamano was 3-of-11 passes with an interception before taking a seat. Kelly didn't fare much better, going 7-of-24. The Lobos punted 10 times.
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Urban Meyer
Wednesday, September 17
Head Coach Kyle Whittingham weekly press conference - 9.15.25
Monday, September 15
Utah: 31, Wyoming: 6 | POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE
Sunday, September 14
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Keith Kelley, voice of the Wyoming Cowboys
Tuesday, September 09