VIDEO: UH-NMSU 1st quarter highlights
VIDEO: UH-NMSU 2nd quarter highlights
VIDEO: UH-NMSU 3rd quarter highlights
VIDEO: UH-NMSU 4th quarter highlights

"Just rip it!" Medeiros shouted.

With right wideout Jovonte Taylor voicing encouragement, left wideout Kealoha Pilares pulled a waffle-sized Band-Aid from the back of Medeiros' thigh.

"You just have to rip it off," Medeiros said. "If you're too slow, it pulls the hair. I couldn't do it myself. I'm glad I had their help. That's what it's all about: teamwork."

Indeed, the first lesson of preschool — working with others — was the theme of the Warriors' second consecutive victory.

In improving to 4-6 overall and 2-5 in the Western Athletic Conference, the Warriors made sacrifices and assists.

"Our goal was to win," Taylor said. "We can't do that by ourselves. We have to work as a team. We did, and we won."

When quarterback Bryant Moniz, who was injured in the first half, finally tapped out in the fourth quarter because of sore ribs, Shane Austin, with only two warm-up throws, came in and completed 8 of 11 passes for 72 yards and an insurance touchdown.

When Leon Wright-Jackson, who had two first-quarter touchdowns runs, could not play in the second half because of a sore neck, running back Alex Green and the controlled passing attack picked up the slack. Wright-Jackson said the soreness, aggravated when he sat in the air-conditioned locker room at halftime, is not serious. He does not expect to miss any games.

While left slotback Greg Salas made a school-record 16 catches, for 196 yards and a touchdown, it was Pilares, Taylor and Medeiros who helped open the way by running decoy routes. (Salas left the stadium on crutches, his right foot covered with an ice pack.)

And UH's swarming defense induced two interceptions and held the Aggies without an offensive touchdown.

"We had a list of goals, and I think we met most of them," said safety Mana Silva, who made a crucial interception at the UH 5 in the second quarter, abbreviating the Aggies' only serious drive of the night.

Senior linebacker Blaze Soares also had an interception, the first of his UH career, in the third quarter.

"It was awesome to finally get one," Soares said.

It was set up when Soares' cousin, linebacker R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane, blitzed. Kiesel-Kauhane, wearing a mummified wrap to protect the fracture in his left hand, forced Jeff Fleming to underthrow the tight end.

"I was lucky to be there," Soares said. "It was just a great team effort."

That sentiment was echoed in the offensive huddle. The Aggies tried several defensive looks — from cramming 10 defenders within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage to dropping two safeties deep behind a three-man line — but all were cloaking man-to-man coverage.

Quarterbacks coach Nick Rolovich, who calls UH's offensive plays, viewed hours of videos on the Aggies' man-to-man coverages. The conclusion was the Aggies' strength was in their cornerbacks.

"We knew we had to win on the inside," Rolovich said. "We were going to have to run the ball. And most of the passes were going to the inside (receivers)."

Against the man-to-man, gaps can be created for the slotbacks, particularly if the wideouts are able to draw away the cornerbacks. Pilares has become an excellent blocker, and Taylor, who can run 40 yards in under 4.4 seconds, is effective in forcing corners to chase him.

The Warriors do not practice running off cornerbacks in practice. The emphasis, instead, is made during video sessions.

"Do you want to stand there and block for five seconds, or do you want to run (the cornerback) off?" Rolovich will tell the wideouts.

Rolovich added: "It takes a lot of unselfishness by Kealoha and Jovonte. The past two games, they haven't been getting a lot of catches. But they're helping the team win."

Pilares said: "That's what you have to do. Some of the plays, you know you're not going to get the ball. But you have to make the sacrifice."

But Rolovich said Pilares and Taylor get to work on their releases. Rolovich also said they serve as reconnaissance missions.

"It's two birds in one stone," Rolovich said. "They're not just decoys. They bring back information, on how the defense will react. We talk about it, and it helps them when we go to them. There's no such thing as a wasted down."

What the Warriors learned was the sail routes — diagonal patterns to the outside — were open for Salas.

"They played a lot of man, and you just have to beat your man," Salas said. "You have to work to get open."

Salas was able to get the angle on the safety. In the second quarter, the Aggies tried to double-team Salas. Salas ran a skinny post, then made a leaping grab between two defenders for a 41-yard gain.

"You have to time it," Salas said. "It was a great throw by Mo."

Moniz — "Mo" — said he suffered the sore ribs sometime in the first half. He aggravated it when he was struck on the right side at the end of a quarterback draw.

"I put myself out for the better of the team," he said.

A medical official said Moniz likely is suffering from bruised ribs. If there still is pain tomorrow, he will undergo X-rays.

Austin, who entered at the start of the fourth quarter, completed his first six passes. One was to Salas, on a sail pattern, for a 12-yard touchdown.

"He set the safety real good," Austin said. "All I had to do was put it up for him. You know he's going to come down with it."

Salas said: "He's a great quarterback. He does great things in practice. I knew he was prepared. It was a matter of him coming in and executing."

Visit Tsai's blog at http://warriorbeat.honadvblogs.com.