100th Homecoming Game Highlights UNM's Return Home to Face Nevada

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. --- It's been three weeks since New Mexico ran out of its own locker room onto the University Stadium field. On October 18, the Lobos will finally get that chance again on Saturday as UNM hosts the Nevada Wolf Pack for Homecoming. Kickoff is at 7:45 pm on FS1 and the Lobo Radio Network.

The game is the 100th Homecoming Game in school history, but the first one to feature Nevada as an opponent. Overall, UNM is 46-50-3 in Homecoming games.

The game also features the return of the "Kids 12 & Under Get In Free" Promotions, presented by the Education Plan. That promotion is in effect for the rest of the season, with details right here at golobos.com/kidsfree.

The Lobos are coming off back-to-back road losses, but UNM is still sitting at 3-3 overall. The Lobos are one of 10 teams heading into week eight games that have played at home only twice, and of those 10 teams, only App State, at 4-2, has a better record.

UNM's opponent, Nevada, is 1-5 on the year and, like UNM, is 0-2 in the Mountain West. The Wolf Pack lost 20-17 to Fresno State and 44-10 to San Diego State last week. Nevada has used three quarterbacks but has settled on true freshman Carter Jones, who leads the squad in touchdowns.

Nevada's Dylan Labarbera leads the nation with 14.0 TFLs, and his 5.5 sacks lead the Mountain West. He has been a handful for every team on Nevada's schedule so far this season.

The meeting is the first between the two schools in Albuquerque in 9 years, a product of the old Mountain-West divisional alignment. The teams were supposed to meet in Albuquerque in 2020, but COVID forced that game, a 27-20 Wolf Pack win, to be played in Las Vegas. Once the league adopted the non-divisional alignment, it took until this year for the Wolf Pack to return to Albuquerque.

That last meeting in 2016 was one for the books, as a pair of lightning delays forced the original 8:35 pm kickoff to around 9 pm, and a second lightning delay pushed the end of the game to 1:10 am. UNM won it 35-26, with the key play in the game being a missed extra point by Nevada. That win clinched a second straight bowl berth for UNM.

The Lobos' season can be broken down into turnovers. UNM is 3-0 when not throwing an interception, and 0-3 when throwing one. Someone will have to win the turnover battle as UNM enters the game at -10, and Nevada is at -11. The Lobos have scuffled on the ground the last two weeks, which has led to UNM being 0-3 when rushing for fewer than 100 yards and 3-0 when topping the century mark.

What UNM has is a potent 1-2 receiving punch with Dorian Thomas (32 catches, 348 yards, 4 TDs) and Keagan Johnson 31 catches, 364 yards, 2 TDs) as the Lobos have five receivers with double-digit catches. Quarterback Jack Layne is also completing 66.7% of his passes with eight touchdowns.