ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. --- New Mexico exploded for a school-record 42 points in the second quarter, turning a 7-7 first-quarter tie into a runaway as the Lobos won their ninth consecutive home game, winning 70-7 to move to 2-0 on the season and dropping Mercyhurst to 0-3.

The Lobos head to Norman to face a ranked Oklahoma squad coming off a close 17-10 loss to Michigan in The Big House.

The Lobos started the game slowly, if only on the scoreboard. UNM got stopped on fourth-and-1 in Laker territory on its first drive, and then punted on the second, but it was pretty much all UNM after that.

Luke Moga entered at quarterback and engineered UNM’s opening scoring drive as Scottre Humphrey covered the first 39 yards over five plays before Moga kept it for the final yard and a 7-0 lead. The Lakers tied it on the next offensive play on a broken play. After a low snap that quarterback Anthony Wolter corralled, he hit Speedy Yancey, who was running against the flow of traffic and went untouched for a 75-yard touchdown to make it 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.

But when the quarter turned, so did the game, as UNM rolled up six touchdowns, including three in a 1:55 span early in the second. First, Humphrey rushed 25 yards to break the 100-yard mark on the first play of the second quarter, and then Kiefer Sibley scampered 36 for a 14-7 lead.

After a Tavian Combs interception, UNM’s second of the game, Moga hit Cade Keith over the middle for a 42-yard touchdown to make it 21-7. On the next play from scrimmage, Brett Karhu got a strip-sack, knocking back Mercyhurst 21 yards and recovering the fumble at the 4-yard line. Two plays later, Humphrey scored to make it 28-7.

On its next drive, Toa Fa’avae reentered the game and hit Troy Omeire for a 64-yard touchdown and a 35-7 lead. Jahmir Torres recorded an interception, and Fa’avae rushed 26 yards for his first rushing touchdown and a 42-7 lead. With 50 seconds left in the half, Humphrey scored again to give UNM a record-breaking 42-point quarter and a 49-7 lead at the break.

UNM pushed that lead to 63-7 after two more touchdowns. The first one was set up by Charles Steinkamp, who unleashed a 76-yard punt that was eventually fumbled, forced, and recovered by transfer Jayden Flaker in his first game of the season. Deshaun Buchanan punched that one in for his first Lobo touchdown, and then after a punt, Moga hit DJ Darling for a 35-yard score. The Lobos capped the scoring as true freshman Jerod Terry, Jr. scored his first career touchdown to make it 70-7.

Overall, UNM’s defense recorded six takeaways with four interceptions and two fumble recoveries, as UNM allowed just 155 yards on the day, with 75 coming on the touchdown pass, and just 10 first downs. Mercyhurst recorded 18 yards rushing.

Postgame Notes

This was the first meeting between the two teams.

New Mexico now leads the series 1-0

New Mexico now leads the series 1-0 in Albuquerque

New Mexico has won one straight in the series.

Starting lineup changes for UNM from the published two-deep

Offense: Toa Fa’avae was the starting quarterback. Danzel Newell started at left tackle, Cole Millward started at right guard, and Tyler Lawrence started at right tackle. Simon Mapa (TE) was the skill player who did not start.

Defense: No changes                                                                                           

*New Mexico’s captains were Jaxton Eck, Malik Aliane, Darren Agu, and Xavier Slayton

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

*Mercyhurst won the toss and elected to defer, and Mercyhurst elected to kick off South to North.

TEAM NOTES:

*The game-time temperature of 93 degrees tied for the eighth-warmest opening kickoff temperature in school history, and it tied for the fourth-warmest home game.

*The 23,874 attendance was the best attendance for UNM against an FCS opponent since the 2012 season opener against Southern, when 28,450 came out for a 1 p.m. game against Southern. That game was the first of the Bob Davie era, and Southern’s band put on a performance after the game.

*The 70 points are tied for the ninth-most in a game at UNM, and it was the fifth-most in the modern era (1946 onward). The 63-point margin of victory is the largest since an identical 63-point, 70-7 margin against San Diego State in 2008. It tied for the 11^th-largest margin of victory and tied for the fifth-largest in the modern era.

*New Mexico recorded 13 tackles for loss and five sacks. The 13 TFLs tied the school record, set originally on September 5, 2015, against Mississippi Valley State.

*New Mexico’s seven rushing touchdowns are tied for the sixth-most in a game in school history.

*New Mexico now has had 11 players score a touchdown this season. Last year, over 13 games, only 10 players scored touchdowns.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

*Luke Moga and Toa Fa’avae both had rushing touchdowns; they were the first of their careers for both players.

* Scottre Humphrey went over 100 yards early in the second quarter. It marked his 12^th career 100-yard game and his second at UNM.

*Marco Beltran, Jr. had 69 yards on four punt returns, and he now has 116 punt return yards for the season, which is the most for any Lobo since 2019 (DeJohn Rogers, 147).

*Fa’avae threw his first career touchdown pass, a 64-yarder to Troy Omeire.

*Both Fa’avae and Moga each had a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown, marking the first time at least since 1995 that the Lobos accomplished that feat.