This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Quarterback Brett Ratliff dove forward as he fell, reaching out desperately with the ball in his right hand.

He hoped . . .

He prayed . . .

But ultimately, he fell short.

And as the referees with the chains determined it officially - that the Utes had failed by mere inches on fourth-and-3 with 1:00 remaining in the wild game - the New Mexico Lobos erupted on their sideline in a swarming red celebration of what became a stunning, come-from-behind, 34-31 victory over Ratliff and the Utah Utes in front of 23,471 fans at University Stadium on Thursday night.

"I wanted to be there," Ratliff said. But "as I was reaching out, I looked out to the side and saw that I was . . . I knew it was going to be close. I was hoping for it to be enough, but it wasn't."

That might be the epitaph on the season.

Just as they were hoping their talent was enough to win the Mountain West Conference championship, the Utes were hoping a 24-3 second-quarter lead would be enough against the Lobos.

In both cases, it wasn't.

They were hoping that a 3-yard touchdown pass from Ratliff to receiver Brian Hernandez that gave them a 31-27 lead with 6:08 remaining would be enough.

It wasn't, either.

And in the end, with the Utes blowing assignments and missing tackles as if that's what they had been taught to do, the Lobos drove 78 yards behind redshirt freshman Donovan Porterie in the game's final minutes to complete the biggest New Mexico comeback victory since 1974.

"Our teams never quit," coach Rocky Long said.

Running back Martelius Epps scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 2:09 remaining for the final margin - the Lobos piled up 467 yards on the Utes - leaving the Utes to fail on their final offensive possession and face the prospect of another disappointing season.

"We have the lead and all we have to do is get a stop to get the victory," coach Kyle Whittingham said. "And we could't get a stop."

The Utes had smothered the Lobos in the first half, and appeared poised to coast to an easy victory that would keep alive their slim hopes of winning a piece of the league title.

But once he was down 24-3, Porterie burst to life.

Two long passes - the second a 40-yard touchdown - to close the first half set the stage, and Porterie continued to scorch the Utes throughout the second half, finding receivers Travis Brown and Marcus Smith over and again for big gains down the middle of the field. Those two combined for 290 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

"Utah's a man-to-man cover team and the hardest route to cover are the crossing routes because you have to chase a guy clear across the field," Long said. "The only way to prevent completing those is to get pressure on the quarterback, and I thought the offensive line played really well."

The Utes made two sacks, but Porterie wound up throwing for 305 yards after falling so far behind. In all, he was 19-for-33 passing in just his second career start, for 350 yards and three touchdowns.

"He tore us up," Whittingham said.

Ratliff played a respectable game - he completed 18 of 31 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns - and did not commit a turnover, but the Utes simply could not get anything done after halftime. Their lone touchdown came after cornerback Eric Shyne returned an interception 33 yards to the New Mexico 8-yard line - Hernandez had to tip-toe along the back line, and survive a video review - and they gained just 119 yards in the second half, after gaining 275 in the first.

"We came out in the second half and just didn't get it done," Shyne said.

The loss looked more like the reverse of the recent blowout losses, though, in which the offense short-circuited the defense. Either way, the Utes will be left to scramble for ways to turn this season into even a modest success.

"They came out and thoroughly outplayed us," Whittingham said.

In other words, they once again fell short.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Donovan Porterie,

New Mexico

Making just his second start, the redshirt freshman quarterback shook off a shaky start to blister the Utes over the final 2 1/2 quarters. He wound up 19-for-33 passing for 350 yards (305 after falling behind 24-3), an interception and three touchdowns.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Quarterback Brett Ratliff reached out as far as he could with the ball as he fell on fourth-and-3 with 1:08 remaining, but could not reach far enough for a first down, allowing the Lobos to survive with their fifth victory over the Utes in seven years.

UP NEXT

The Utes have a little extra time to get ready for what figures to be one of their easiest games of the year, against the 1-5 UNLV Rebels. Coached by former Utah offensive coordinator Mike Sanford, the Rebels are coming off an overtime home loss to the Lobos and play at Brigham Young on Saturday.

Send your thoughts on Thursday's Utah game to sportseditor@sltrib.com. Please include your name and phone number.

Quarterback Brett Ratliff looked solid in the first half, while the running game showed signs of life. Ratliff found Brian Hernandez for a go-ahead touchdown late in the game. But he couldn't convert a crucial fourth-and-3, and the offense managed only an 8-yard touchdown drive after halftime.