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Despite the defiance against superstition, the Lobos beat Nevada, and then-redshirt freshman quarterback Colin Kaepernick, 23-0 on Dec. 22, 2007 at what is now called Dreamstyle Stadium.

The game is the subject of UNM’s “Lobo Rewind,” a 90-minute re-airing of the New Mexico Bowl on UNM’s Facebook page and YouTube channel on Saturday at 1 p.m. Gonzales and Rocky Long will be on the streaming and will answer questions from fans.

Gonzales encourages fans to watch, engage in the commentary and even tailgate at home before the game. New Mexicans still have a stay-at-home order, after all, from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Long, now the Lobos’ defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, was then UNM’s head coach.

The Lobos had played in five bowls over the previous 10 years and lost them all. They had gone into every offseason since 2002 on a losing note. That had been the singular criticism of Long’s program from a faction of the Lobo Nation that felt good wasn’t good enough.

Saturday’s victory gave Long occasion to climb his soapbox: “I’m happy for the team,” he said after the win. “All they hear about is how they can’t win a bowl game, they can’t do this, they can’t do that. They listen to all that negative crap, then go out and win anyway.”

The Lobos did indeed.

The Wolf Pack’s offense entered the game averaging 36.2 points per game and 488.9 yards per game during that season. But, UNM held Nevada to 210 total yards, 73 yards rushing.

Kaepernick, who quarterbacked the San Francisco 49ers to a berth in Super Bowl XLVII before becoming an icon for protesting racial injustice and police brutality, proved to be as cold as that 35-degree Albuquerque afternoon. He finished 13-of-31 for 137 yards passing and had 10 carries for 40 yards rushing.

Meanwhile, UNM quarterback Donovan Porterie threw for a career-high 354 yards and two touchdowns.

“We were able to get after Colin Kaepernick pretty good,” Gonzales said. “They had a hard time with what we were doing. It was fun. Winning is always fun.”

Gonzales speaks of those times with great fondness. He wants to bring back those type of wins and excitement to Lobo football. He had planned for a spring game on April 4, but the COVID-19 outbreak wiped out all team activities. The Lobos were able to get in eight of the 15 practices.

Gonzales wants fans to enjoy the re-airing of the 2007 New Mexico Bowl instead.

“We’re just trying to re-energize the community on some Lobo football,” Gonzales said. “To see what we can do to get back into the swing of things and get some people excited. It’ll be fun to relive that game for myself and coach Long. It’s the good times that we had that I talk about often.”

Saturday

“Lobo Rewind” of 2007 New Mexico Bowl (New Mexico 23, Nevada 0)

1 p.m., Facebook Live, YouTube. Keyword search “New Mexico Lobos”.