ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico’s 2016 football home opener against South Dakota, originally scheduled for Saturday, September 3, has been moved to Thursday night, September 1 at 7 p.m. MT and will be televised exclusively on ROOT SPORTS. The game will be carried on ROOT SPORTS Rocky Mountain and ROOT SPORTS Southwest, with the possibility of the game being picked up by ROOT SPORTS Northwest as well.
The opener will be UNM’s first Thursday night opener in 20 years, as the Lobos opened the 1996 season at New Mexico State on Thursday night, August 29. UNM did open the 2004 season on a Friday night against Washington State, which was the last time UNM opened the season at home with a non-Saturday game.
The switch to Thursday allows for the game to be broadcast on ROOT SPORTS, the official regional television partner of the Mountain West conference, and available to millions of fans across the Mountain West footprint. It also allows for Lobo fans to open their Labor Day Holiday weekend with a Lobo football game, and for the coaching staff, it allows for an extra couple of days to prepare for the annual Rio Grande Rivalry game with New Mexico State the following week.
“We are excited to open our season in front of a large television audience,” said Vice President of Athletics Paul Krebs. “Moving the game will be a great benefit to our program in terms of recruiting and exposure, and it will be a great way for our fans to start their holiday weekend.”
Krebs added, “While it’s not a traditional Saturday opening date, we have great fans at UNM, and we are confident they will come out and support what should be a very exciting team and group of student-athletes.”
The game is the seventh game to be announced for broadcast. Previously the Lobos have had five games announced for ESPN’s family of networks, and one on CBS Sports Network. The complete ROOT SPORTS Mountain West football schedule will be announced at a later date.