Lobos Storm Past Aggies in second half for 38-20 Rio Grande Rivalry Win

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. --- The University of New Mexico football team turned in a dominant second-half performance and a record-tying defensive effort to defeat rival New Mexico State 38-20 in the 15^th edition of the Rio Grande Rivalry before a sell-out crowd of 37,440 fans Saturday afternoon at University Stadium.

The Lobos (3-1) outscored the Aggies 24-3 after halftime, fueled by a defense that tied the program’s single-game record with nine sacks while limiting NMSU to just 15 rushing yards on 30 attempts.

Quarterback Jack Layne paced the offense, completing 23 of 30 passes for 303 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. Layne connected with Cade Keith, Shawn Miller, Dorian Thomas, and Scottre Humphrey for scores, while receiver Michael Buckley added a 41-yard touchdown strike to Keagan Johnson in the fourth quarter. Johnson led all receivers with 117 yards on five receptions.

Trailing 17-14 at the break, the Lobos opened the third quarter with a Luke Drzewiecki 44-yard field goal to even the score. Layne’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Thomas late in the period gave UNM its first lead, and the Lobos never looked back. The defense stifled NMSU throughout the second half, forcing four punts and a turnover on downs, while the offense added three more touchdowns to put the game out of reach.

The Lobos had the better of play in the first half, but trailed as the Aggies scored on an option pass from Donovan Faupel and on a 42-yard fumble return for Bernock Iya. Up 17-14, New Mexico State had drives in the second quarter that started at the Lobo 19-yard line and the Lobo 41-yard line, but neither resulted in points. A missed field goal off the upright from 51 yards ended one drive, and an interception ended the other.

UNM outscored New Mexico State 24-3 a week after outscoring UCLA 21-3.

Defensively, Keyshawn James-Newby led the pass rush with 2.5 sacks, while Jaxton Eck, Gabriel Lopez, Elijah Brody, Brett Karhu, Clint Stephens, and Ky’won McCray also reached the quarterback. Xavier Slayton recorded an interception late in the first half to halt an Aggie drive. In total, the Lobos broke up 11 passes and held NMSU quarterback Logan Fife to 20-of-37 passing with one interception.

New Mexico finished with 476 yards of total offense and converted 7-of-14 third downs while holding the ball for more than 32 minutes.

The victory ended with Head Coach Jason Eck taking possession of “The Chile Roaster” a new rivalry trophy made in a joint effort by the two student organizations.

Postgame Notes

This was the 115th meeting between the two teams.

New Mexico now leads the series 75-35-5

New Mexico now leads the series in Albuquerque 45-16-3

New Mexico leads the series in Las Cruces 29-19-2

New Mexico has a two-game winning streak in the series.

New Mexico has a one-game winning streak in Albuquerque

Starting lineup changes for UNM from the published two-deep

Offense: Shawn Miller started at WR for Zhaiel Smith, Cade Keith started at TE for Dorian Thomas, Damon Bankston started at RB for Scottre Humphrey.

Defense: No change

*New Mexico’s captains were Richard Pearce, Gabe Lopez, Keyshawn James-Newby, and Jaxton Eck.

*New Mexico’s David Murphy carried the state flag of New Mexico onto the field, and Elijah Brody carried the United States flag.

*New Mexico won the toss and deferred. New Mexico State elected to receive, and UNM opted to defend the south goal.

TEAM NOTES:

*The 42-yard fumble return for a touchdown for New Mexico State was the first against UNM since November 26, 2022, when Hunter Reynolds had a 55-yard touchdown on a fumble return for Utah State.

*New Mexico State converted a fourth down, the first one allowed by UNM this season.

*New Mexico’s nine sacks tied the Lobo record for a single-game, which was set four other times, the last on November 12, 2005, against Utah.  The previous high against New Mexico State was seven in 2015.

*The attendance for the game was a sellout of 37,440. It was the 14^th sellout in University Stadium history, the first since September 8, 2007. Overall, it was the ninth-largest crowd in University Stadium history.

*New Mexico allowed just 15 yards rushing to New Mexico State, which is the 17^th-fewest rushing yards allowed by UNM.

*The Lobos moved to 3-1 for the first time since the 2007 season.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

*Jason Eck became the fourth straight Lobo head coach to win his Rio Grande Rivalry debut game, joining Bob Davie, Danny Gonzales, and Bronco Mendenhall.

*Two Lobos, Cade Keith and Shawn Miller, had their first career touchdown catches in the game.

*Jack Layne’s four touchdown passes tied for the second-most in a game by a Lobo quarterback, and it was the first four-touchdown game since Dylan Hopkins did it against Tennessee Tech on September 9, 2023, and it was the first time against an FBS opponent since Sheriron Jones did it against UNLV on October 6, 2018.

*Layne’s four touchdowns tied with Stoney Case (twice), Ned James, and Donald Sellers for the most by a Lobo quarterback against New Mexico State.

*Luke Drzewiecki’s first-quarter extra point was the 200^th point of his career. He kicked five extra points and a field goal, giving him 207 career points, moving him into eighth-place on the UNM scoring list. He also now has 99 extra points, tying Joe Hartshorne for third on the career extra points list.

*Xavier Slayton’s second-quarter interception was the first of his career.

*Michael Buckley’s touchdown pass was the first completion of his career.

*Keagan Johnson’s 117 yards receiving were a career-high. He had 92 as a freshman against Colorado State. He has now scored receiving touchdowns for Iowa, Kansas State, and New Mexico.

*Dorian Thomas, who was averaging six receptions a game entering the contest, had six on the day, including a touchdown.