Wildcats shock Wyoming at Star Center

In a season of firsts for New Mexico’s first pro football team, about 2,000 fans got to see another one Saturday night.

The New Mexico Wildcats won their first overtime game at the Santa Ana Star Center, using a defensive stop to beat division champion Wyoming 58-52 in an American Indoor Football Association game.

The deciding series in double overtime concluded what was a wild game that featured a New Mexico kickoff and fumble return for a touchdown, a 17-point second half rally by the Calvary, a go-ahead touchdown dribbled like a power layup by New Mexico’s quarterback with 18.3 seconds left and touchdowns by Wyoming at the end of the half (with less than two seconds on the clock) and the end of the game (no time remaining).

Using the college-style overtime format, both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime after starting at midfield on the 50-yard turf surface. Wyoming needed three plays to score, with James Jones making a summersault catch; New Mexico quarterback B.J. Hall hitting Lawrence Pullen in the left front corner on the first play from scrimmage. Both teams missed conversion attempts, with new kicker Pablo Nava missing wide right on his kick that could have given New Mexico the victory.

Hall hit Pullen on a bomb down the middle on the first play of the second overtime, and Wyoming appeared to be in trouble when quarterback Matt Strand was sacked on first down for an 11-yard loss, but the burley quarterback used completions of 14 and 17 to drive to the New Mexico 5. Two running plays netted three yards, and Strand was unable to connect on passes on third or fourth down as the Cavalry fell to 11-2.

New Mexico, which clinched third place with victory, improved to 4-9 with one game left in the season at home against Utah next weekend.

Lawrence Pullen started the craziness on the opening kickoff, racing up the middle of the field before breaking to the right at about the Wyoming 15 to avoid defenders and score the team’s first kickoff return for a touchdown in its inaugural season. Nava, who was in the Notre Dame program though he never played in a game, hit the extra point kick and booted the kickoff through the uprights as well. That gave New Mexico an early 8-0 lead 33 seconds into the game with the running clock elapsing more time than the game action.

Wyoming responded on its opening offensive possession, overcoming two penalties to tie the game on a 15-yard scoring pass from quarterback Strand to wide receiver Arthur Ireland and a two-point conversion from Strand to A.J. Street.

After stalling on its next drive, New Mexico settled for with its first field goal in franchise history, with Nava doing the honors from 37 yards out. And when Ireland fumbled on the first play from scrimmage from Wyoming, New Mexico took just two plays to score, with Dwayne Davis running it in from 6 yards out. Nava’s conversion made the score 18-8.

After stopping Wyoming’s next drive, New Mexico built a 25-8 lead, with quarterback Hall hitting Clarence Davis from six yards out and Nava converting the kick.

Wyoming marched for a touchdown on its next drive, and when the Calvary regained possession after a missed New Mexico field goal it appeared it would get back into the game before intermission.  Wyoming drove to the New Mexico 15 when an apparent trick play backfired into a scene from a blooper reel tape.

With Wyoming set up in its usual shotgun formation, the Calvary brought a running back in motion across the formation for an apparent direct snap. But the timing was off and the high snap was deflected away toward the New Mexico goal.

Two different New Mexico players and one from Wyoming each got their hands on the ball in unsuccessful attempts to gain possession as caravan moved closer to the New Mexico goal. On the final bounce the ball came up chest high to Ben Alexander, who gained control for a touchdown.

Arizona did come back to score with 1.8 seconds left in the half on a pass from Strand to Street.

Wyoming stormed back in the second half to tie the game twice, the last time on the last play of the game to force overtime.

 WILL BE UPDATED WITH SECOND HALF INFORMATION AND QUOTES.