Lobo Move Into Second with a 20-17 Win over CSU

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — For the first time in 14 tries over 16 years, New Mexico walked off the field against Colorado State a winner, grinding out a hard-fought 20-17 win that moved UNM into second place in the Mountain West. The Lobos did it with a stellar defensive effort and another patented fourth-quarter surge. The win snapped a 13-game losing streak in the series and sets UNM up for a shot at a Mountain West title-game berth with a bit of help.

The victory, New Mexico’s fourth straight, lifted the Lobos to 7–3 and 4–2 in league play, tying them for second place. UNM moved to 5-0 on the season at home, the first 5-0 start at home since 1962.

The game certainly showed off UNM’s resilience, as the Lobos won despite losing four fumbles, the first time UNM has ever won a game despite losing four fumbles in the Mountain West era. The Lobo defense was terrific, holding CSU to just 13 rushing yards and intercepting quarterback Darius Curry three times, two of them in the fourth quarter to set up UNM’s 10 fourth-quarter points.

After a scoreless first quarter, New Mexico got moving in the second. The Lobos mounted a 12-play, 77-yard march, leaning on running backs D.J. McKinney and Damon Bankston. McKinney finished the drive by slicing into the end zone from one yard out with 6:17 left. To end the half, quarterback Jack Layne moved the offense into field-goal range over eight plays and 52 yards, setting up Luke Drzewiecki for a 45-yard field goal that sent UNM into halftime up 10–0, and made Drzewiecki the all-time leading kick scorer in Lobo history.

Colorado State climbed back into the contest during a third quarter littered with Lobo mistakes, mainly three lost fumbles. After UNM fumbled but forced a punt that pushed UNM to its own 5-yard line, Scottre Humphrey fumbled, and CSU’s Andrew Laurich recovered for his third fumble recovery. CSU got into the end zone on fourth down and then added a field goal to make it 10-10.

Amazingly, UNM lost a third fumble in the quarter, and as the fourth quarter started, CSU moved to the Lobo 27. On third-and-9, Brett Karhu knocked a Darius Curry pass up in the air, and Austin Brawley snagged it for his second interception of the game, and he returned it to the Ram 21.

Jack Layne then gave UNM the lead with a terrific designed run on fourth-and-1 for a 12-yard touchdown, giving UNM a 17–10.

Back in front thanks to @JackLayne18 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ijzeuT5nxP

— New Mexico Football (@UNMLoboFB) November 15, 2025

Barely a minute later, the defense delivered again. Caleb Coleman snagged a Curry throw and returned it 24 yards to the Rams’ 20. Drzewiecki drilled his second field goal, this from 35 yards, to push the margin to 20–10 with 8:27 remaining.

CSU cut the lead to 20-17 with a 41-yard touchdown on a swing pass, but UNM effectively ran most of the clock out, giving CSU the ball at the Ram 19 with 15 seconds left. CSU’s last-second desperation play ended in a fumble recovered by Jon Johnson, fittingly sealed by the UNM defense that had owned the day.

Layne finished with 226 passing yards and a rushing score, and UNM overall rushed for 122 yards. Keagan Johnson led all Lobo receivers with five catches and 65 yards.

But it was the defense that defined the afternoon. The Lobos held CSU to under 300 total yards and delivered four takeaways as CSU averaged 0.5 yards per rush.

POSTGAME NOTES:

This was the 71st meeting between the two teams.

CSU now leads 45-26

CSU now leads the series in Albuquerque 21-15

CSU leads the series in Fort Collins 21-11

CSU leads the series in Denver 2-0

CSU leads the series in Las Vegas 1-0

UNM now has a one-game winning streak in the series, breaking CSU’s 13-game streak

UNM now has a one-game winning streak in the series in Albuquerque, breaking CSU’s six-game streak.

Starting lineup changes for UNM from the published two-deep

Offense: None.

Defense: Frankie Edwards III started at CB for Abraham Williams. Austin Brawley started at safety for CJ McBean. Ky’Won McCray started at safety for Caleb Coleman.

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

*New Mexico’s David Murphy carried the state flag of New Mexico onto the field, Frankie Edwards III carried the United States flag, and Daniel Hughes carried the Australian flag.

*Colorado State won the toss and elected to defer. UNM defended the north goal and received.

TEAM NOTES:

*The crowd of 27,526 was the best crowd for a Lobo November game since November 1, 2008, when 30,901 were in attendance for a 13-10 loss to No. 9 Utah.

*Both teams suffered four turnovers, marking the fourth time this season in the FBS that there has been a game with at least four turnovers each way. It has not happened in a Lobo game in the last 31 seasons at least.

*New Mexico never trailed at home for the third straight game. The last time UNM trailed at home was 17-14 at halftime against New Mexico State on September 27.

*New Mexico ran for 122 yards, and is now 7-0 when rushing for 100 yards.

*The 13 yards rushing for Colorado State was the 17^th fewest rushing yards allowed in school history, and it was the second-fewest allowed by UNM in a Mountain West game, behind -19 for San Diego State on October 23, 2004.

*The win marked the second time in two seasons in which UNM won a game with four turnovers, as UNM beat Utah State 50-45 last year. Overall, since 1995, UNM is now 4-35 when suffering at least four turnovers in a game.

*UNM has now held two opponents to under 20 yards rushing in a game (15 for New Mexico State, 13 for Colorado State), the first time UNM has done that since 1983.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

*Luke Drzewiecki became the career all-time kick-scoring leader at UNM with his 45-yard field goal at the end of the first half, giving him 247 points. He surpassed David Margolis, who had 244 points from 1989-92.

*Drzewiecki later hit from 35 yards with 8:27 left in the fourth quarter to give him 45 career field goals, tying him with James Aho (2008-11). David Margolis has the most with 53.

*Jack Layne’s rushing touchdown was his third of the season, a career high.

*Jaxton Eck recorded 11 tackles to give him 106 on the season for the team lead.

*Jack Layne broke the 2,000-yard passing mark, and he now has 2,166 on the season. He is 262 yards from moving into the top 10 in single-season passing yards (Jeremy Leach is 10^th).

*Austin Brawley’s two interceptions marked the first two-interception game for a Lobo since Jermarius Lewis had two against Hawai’i on October 21, 2023.

*Jason Eck improved to 22-5 in day games in his career.

*Jason Eck tied Marv Levy (1958) for the second-most wins by a first-year Lobo head coach with his seventh. Only Gwinn Henry (8-1 in 1938) has had more.

*Keagan Johnson led UNM with five catches, and he now has 50. He needs three to move onto the top-15 single-season list at UNM (Marcus Smith, 53).