Tempe, Ariz. — The University of New Mexico’s football game with Arizona State University, originally scheduled for Saturday, September 19 has been moved to Friday night, September 18. The game will still be played at Sun Devil Stadium/Frank Kush Field. Game time has been set for 7 p.m. in Arizona, which is 8 p.m. in Albuquerque.
The moved was necessitated by a logjam of home game in the Pac-12 that Saturday to be televised by either ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FOX, Fox Sports 1 or the Pac-12 Networks. The game on Friday will be televised live to a national audience on a network to be announced later by the Pac-12.
Last year New Mexico played a pair of Friday games, both at home, against Fresno State (Homecoming) and against San Diego State. The Fresno State game was broadcast on ESPN2, and the San Diego State game was broadcast on ESPNU. The game against Arizona State will mark only the second home Friday night game for the Sun Devils, with the only other time on September 9, 2011 when ASU beat Missouri 37-30 in overtime.
New Mexico will have one less day to prepare for the game, but an extra day afterwards, giving UNM an early start on what currently is a bye week. UNM’s next scheduled game after ASU is New Mexico State on Oct. 3. The Lobos will open the season with home games on Saturday, September 5 against Mississippi Valley State and on Sept. 12 against Tulsa.