Scotty, don’t know how long you’ve been at this, but if you hang around long enough — like since the Coach LaRue days — the above characterization becomes the story of your, our, my, the Cats’ lives. As old and tired as it gets, you just go with it. This is our school. Those are our guys. We put our trust in the coaches. And go with it.

There’s always next season. (Shoot — where we come from, it’s always next season. Dreams and hopes be damned.) Or basketball. And of course softball, baseball, track & field, swimming, golf and gymnastics. Hockey and soccer ain’t too shabby at all. Rugby (here’s to you, Coach Sitton; where have you gone?) anyone? And then there’s tennis. Gotta admire, respect and appreciate a coach who takes beating our hated enemy seriously enough to show up to practice the week of the match dressed from head to toe in red. Who then proceeds to lead the Cats in a royal “skunking” of the Devils. Love it!

But you’re so right Mr. Terrell. Back to the matter at hand: Winning the New Mexico Bowl. That would require beating the Nevada Wolfpack. A team with arguably a better offense than the last one the UA D faced. A team from Reno and the MWC with players, coaches, fans and a stadium full of Albuquerquians with chips on their shoulders the size of the chartered (or is it private?) plane AD Byrne will be taking home just in time to catch Miller & Co. showing Billy the Kid & Co. a little southwestern hospitality, McKale-style. A team that would like nothing better than to send the team from Tucson and the PAC-12 packing with yet one more game in the “L” column to end the season. Coach Rich & Co. take care of business, though, and 8 wins in one season will have never tasted so good!