After a two-season absence from college football, former BYU and Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall made his return Saturday when his New Mexico Lobos took on the Montana State Bobcats at home.

It wasn’t great, as the Lobos gave up a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost 35-31.

The Bobcats were favored by nearly two touchdowns despite being an FCS team playing an FBS team (Montana State is very good), which shows just how difficult Mendenhall’s task will be.

After three quarters, it appeared Mendenhall had already worked wonders in Albuquerque, as the Lobos led 31-14 entering the fourth quarter, though the Bobcats took control.

Montana State finally scored a touchdown with 13:39 left on the clock, and that was the beginning of New Mexico’s downfall.

The Lobos mounted a decent drive on the next possession, but Luke Drzewiecki missed a 42-yard field goal attempt. It was the first of three consecutive possessions in which neither team scored, and the Bobcats got the ball on the 7-yard line with 4:35 left, still down by 10.

That’s when Adam Jones made a run to the house on the first play of the drive, cutting Montana State’s deficit to just three points with 37 seconds to go. And the pressure was officially on New Mexico.

The Lobos failed to respond well, covering just 12 yards in five plays, though their drive took significant time off the clock and the Bobcats got the ball back at the 23-yard line with 1:59 left on the clock.

Montana State used the passing game to methodically march down the field and scored a touchdown with 10 seconds left on the clock. The extra point gave the Bobcats a 35-31 lead.

New Mexico couldn’t do anything in the last two plays and lost by that score.

This isn’t new territory for Mendenhall, as he lost his first games at both BYU and Virginia. BYU went 6-6 in his first season there (2005) and Virginia went 2-10 in his first season there (2016).

The Lobos’ next two games are away at No. 21 Arizona and at Auburn before the Mountain West Conference begins. Montana State takes on Utah Tech next week in the Beehive State.