UNM Looks to Continue Winning Vegas Ways
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico heads to Las Vegas for football. Thankfully in 2022, it’s just for one game, because they last time UNM did this … well, it was a 43-day sojourn to Sin City in which the team couldn’t leave its hotel and set up shop at Sam Boyd Stadium. This time, the city is the same, but the destination is different as UNM will take on a red-hot UNLV Rebel team at Allegiant Stadium on Friday night at 8:02 p.m. Pacific Time, 9:02 p.m. Mountain Time in a game broadcast on CBS Sports Network. THe game will also be on the Lobo Sports Radio Network with Robert Portnoy and DonTrell Moore.
The two teams are coming off two very different games. The Lobos are coming off a 38-0 loss at LSU in front of over 100,000 fans, a game in which UNM struggled on offense to the tune of two first downs and 88 total yards. UNLV is coming off a 34-24 win at the home of defending Mountain West Champion Utah State, a game in which the Rebels forced six turnovers including five interceptions of Logan Bonner. UNLV “only” picked up 320 yards of offense, but they controlled the clock and led most of the game.
The Lobos are looking for a little bit of revenge against UNLV after suffering a 31-17 defeat in 2021. That win was the first for UNLV head coach Marcus Arroyo and it ended UNLV’s 14-game losing streak. Since then, the Rebels have won five of eight, breaking the 30-point barrier five times. The Rebel offense will be a challenge for a Lobo defense that allowed an uncharacteristic 633 yards against LSU. The Lobos are looking to return to their stingy third-down ways, as the team had allowed opponents to convert just 7-of-51 over the opening three games, with LSU going 7-for-13.
UNM has had success in Vegas. The last meeting between the two teams in Las Vegas was a 50-14 win for the Lobos in 2018, and UNM also won 27-24 in 2014, giving UNM two straight wins over UNLV in Sin City. UNM has also won its last two games in Las Vegas, during the 2020 season when UNM played its home games there. UNM beat Wyoming 17-16 and Fresno State 49-39 to win its last two games of the 2020 season.
The Lobo defense vs. the UNLV offense certainly gets top billing here. “I think it’s a great matchup,” said head coach Danny Gonzales. “I think we have players in the secondary that are aggressive and I think they have something to prove after Saturday. I know they are excited to go out there and compete and I know that UNLV’s kids are excited to go out there and compete, so it will be a great opportunity.”
The Lobo offense entered Saturday scoring 27.3 points per game, so the squad is hoping to return to those numbers in Las Vegas. Certainly the weather or heat won’t be a factor inside Allegiant Stadium. The game will be played on turf, unlike the homestanding Las Vegas Raiders, which play on a grass field that is rolled into the stadium.
Something will have to give in the matchup, as UNLV ranks third nationally in turnover margin at +2.25 per game, having recorded 10 takeaways (nine interceptions) and just one fumble lost. UNM is fifth nationally with a +1.75 takeaway margin with 11 takeaways and four giveaways.