New Mexico football coach Jason Eck did his best to downplay his team’s 35-10 upset of UCLA at Rose Bowl Stadium last week.
“We’re going to play better teams than UCLA,” Eck said after the game. “I know they’re a Power Four team, but there’s going to be a lot of teams we play that are better than UCLA. It’s not (like) we beat Ohio State or something, who’s ranked No. 1.”
No matter how hard Eck tries to keep his players grounded, the upset is the Lobos’ first signature win since he took over this year. Eck went 26-13 in three seasons at Idaho before replacing Bronco Mendenhall at New Mexico.
The Lobos (2-1) hope to build on their eye-opening upset on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, Mountain West Network) at home against in-state rival New Mexico State (2-1).
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New Mexico’s win over UCLA could be monumental for the program not just because of who the Lobos beat, but how they beat the Bruins. They scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to seal the win, and they rode what looked like a dangerous backfield all the way to the win.
Sam Houston transfer DJ McKinney carried the load against UCLA, toting the rock 21 times for 89 yards and a touchdown. But Weber State transfer Damon Bankston stole the show. He racked up 154 yards and a touchdown on the ground and caught three passes for 49 yards and another score. He scored twice in the decisive fourth quarter: once on a 2-yard run and again on a short pass that he turned into a 43-yard touchdown catch.
Bankston rushed for 1,107 yards at Weber State last season. His performance against UCLA came on the heels of Scottre Humphrey’s 141 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Idaho State. Humphrey, who was an FCS All-American at Montana State last season, carried the ball six times for 48 yards and a touchdown against UCLA.
New Mexico State vs. New Mexico Betting Odds
New Mexico is a 14-point college football betting odds favorite on BetMGM, and the Over/Under is 54.5 points at the time of this writing. The moneyline is at -600 for the Lobos and +425 for New Mexico State.
New Mexico leads the all-time series in the Rio Grande Rivalry game with a 74-35-5 record against New Mexico State. The Lobos have won 41 of their past 55 games against the Aggies.
New Mexico is 13-7 overall and 4-16 against the spread in its past 20 games as the favorite at home. New Mexico State is 6-14 overall and 9-11 ATS in its past 20 games as an underdog on the road.
New Mexico State vs. New Mexico On TV
The non-conference game between New Mexico and New Mexico State at University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will be televised on the Mountain West Network.
Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.
New Mexico State vs. New Mexico Prediction
I predict New Mexico wins 35-20.
The Lobos’ confidence should be sky high after their first-ever win over a team from the Big Ten. They dominated UCLA on the ground, pushed the Bruins around in the trenches, and suffocated them on defense. I expect New Mexico to lean on its ground game again this weekend. But also keep an eye on tight end Dorian Thomas, who leads the team with 18 catches for 168 yards and two touchdowns. He can stretch the field.
New Mexico State is battle tested and won’t go down without a fight. The Aggies own a win over the same Tulsa program that just knocked off Oklahoma State, and they’ve faced Group of Five heavy hitter Louisiana Tech. The offense runs through former Fresno State quarterback Logan Fife, who has thrown for 760 yards and five touchdowns in three games. He spent last season at Montana.
