2022 Football Schedule Announced
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Weather won’t be a problem early on for the 2022 version of the New Mexico Lobo Football team. The opening three games of the 2022 season, including a September 10 conference matchup with Boise State, will all be at home as the Mountain West released the entire 2022 league schedule.
The Lobos will not only play the first three games at University Stadium, but five of the first eight, with just one home game scheduled for after October 22, meaning Lobo fans should be able to enjoy great weather for the 2022 home season.
“We are very excited to play our first three games at home,” said head coach Danny Gonzales, who will kickoff his third season with a September 3 home game with Maine. “It’s great to have an early season conference game at home, and Boise State is always one of the best teams in the Mountain West. The schedule is great for our fans, with great home games and three of the first four conference games at home as well.”
The opening three games at University Stadium are Maine on September 3, Boise State on September 10 and UTEP on September 17. The Lobos will then head on the road for a pair, at LSU on September 24 and the first conference road game of the year, at UNLV on October 1 in UNM’s first visit to Allegiant Stadium.
UNM will host Wyoming on October 8 before stepping out of conference for the Rio Grande Rivalry against New Mexico State on October 15. It is the latest date for the Rio Grande Rivalry since 2001, when UNM hammered the Aggies 53-0 on November 24, 2001 in a game that was originally scheduled for September 15 but moved due to the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.
It’s the latest schedule Rio Grande Rivalry game since 1994, when UNM defeated the Aggies 56-31 in Las Cruces on October 22.
After the Aggie game, UNM will host Fresno State on October 22 before an off-week. The schedule resumes in November, and while the weather will be great early, it might not be so great late as UNM has three cold-weather dates in November. That will start with back-to-back road games at Utah State (November 5) and Air Force (November 12). Senior Day will be November 19 when UNM hosts San Diego State, and the season finale will take place in Fort Collins on November 26 against Colorado State.
The November 26 date marks the third straight year that UNM will play on the calendar date of November 26, and it’s the first time in the history of Lobo Football that odd statistical anomaly has occurred, dating back to 1892.
The Lobos are currently in Spring Camp and have a scrimmage on Saturday at 9:30 am inside University Stadium. Spring practice resumes with four practices the week of February 28 and three the following week, including the Spring Game on Saturday, March 12.
Season ticket information for the 2022 season will be posted shortly, and fans can check www.golobos.com/tickets for information on locking in seats for 2022. Today’s release represents the first phase in the 2022 football schedule process. Mountain West national television partners CBS Sports and FOX Sports will now initiate a selection procedure which will include the shifting of particular games to non-Saturday dates. That will be followed by the identification of network outlets and kick times.
NOTES: Eight opponents (Boise State, UTEP, LSU, Wyoming, Fresno State, Utah State, Air Force and San Diego State) played in bowl games in 2021, and Maine had a winning record at 6-5, including an FBS victory … the game against LSU will mark the second meeting in four seasons with LSU’s head coach Brian Kelly, as he was Notre Dame’s coach in 2019 when the two teams played in South Bend … Kelly is one of three “new” coaches for UNM opponents, joining veteran Jerry Kill of NMSU and Jay Norvell of Colorado State, who was previously at Nevada.