Notre Dame opens its home schedule on Sept. 14 against the New Mexico Lobos, who are coached by former Irish head coach Bob Davie.
I chatted with Albuquerque Journal assistant sports editor Steve Virgen about the 2019 Lobos, who enter the season with Davie on the hot seat.
Head Coach: Bob Davie, 33-54 (8th year). 68-79 overall (13th year)
2018 Results: 3-9 overall, 1-7 Mountain West Mountain Division (6th)
All-Time Series: First-ever meeting
Returning Starters: 9 (7 offense, 2 defense)
BGI: Anytime a hot seat is written about for 2019 I read Bob Davie’s name mentioned. Is that more media hype or is his seat truly that hot?
Steve Virgen: “After back-to-back 3-9 seasons, which included a 30-day suspension last spring (2018), it's logical to think that Davie is on the hot seat. UNM athletic director Eddie Nunez did not hire Davie. In fact, one of Nunez's first encounters with Davie was to notify the football coach about that suspension after three investigations led to the ruling that Davie's conduct warranted a 30-day ban.
“Another losing season, and it would seem Nunez would have no choice other than to fire Davie.”
BGI: It seemed New Mexico had things rolling after back to back bowl games in 2015-16. What caused the drop off since the 2016 season?
Virgen: “A "perfect" storm of bad things happened. But overall, the Lobos weren't able to reap enough rewards with regard to recruiting. Also, teams started to figure out ways to shut down UNM's triple-option offense, and the Lobos suffered. Injuries proved to be the Lobos' demise last season.”
