LOBO FOOTBALL
Everything you need to know about New Mexico's game against No. 24 Oklahoma
Eck: UNM needs to 'respond well' to adversity against the Sooners
Everything you need to know as New Mexico travels to No. 24 Oklahoma, the Lobos’ lone power conference opponent on the schedule:
Who: New Mexico (2-0) vs. Oklahoma (1-1).
When and where: 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. Also known as the “Palace on the Prairie,” Oklahoma’s stadium is the 15th-largest college football stadium by capacity (80,126).
How to watch/listen: ESPN2 will carry UNM-Oklahoma with Jay Alter (play-by-play), Tom Luginbill (analyst) and Lauren Sisler (sidelines) on the call. Robert Portnoy (play-by-play) and DonTrell Moore (analyst) will broadcast the game via radio on the Lobo Radio Network (770 AM/96.3 FM).
Who’s favored: Oklahoma is listed as a 22.5-point favorite, per DraftKings. The over/under is set at 46.5 points.
Who’s making what: UNM is set to receive a total of $1.6 million from Oklahoma for its participation in Saturday’s game, per a contract reviewed by the Journal.
Top storyline(s): To Jason Eck, it’s almost as if the Lobos have been eating fast food the last couple weeks.
“Now, all of a sudden, we got an invite to the nicest steakhouse in town,” UNM’s second-year head coach said Monday, “and you’re checking your wallet to make sure you have enough to cover it because you don't want to be embarrassed.
“Because this certainly is a team that can embarrass you if you’re not ready to go.”
Picked to finish seventh in the SEC, Oklahoma returns 14 starters (eight on offense, six on defense) from last season with 10 players on the preseason All-SEC team. The Sooners have high-end talent on both sides of the ball, and one of the best defensive play callers in college football in fifth-year head coach Brent Venables.
In short, Oklahoma presents a challenge that no other team on UNM’s schedule can offer – even if the Sooners are coming off a disappointing 17-10 loss to Michigan.
Eck admitted to hoping Oklahoma would win that game, if only on the off chance the Lobos might get overlooked on one of the toughest schedules in the country.
“I think they’re going to be ready to go,” he said. “Coming into the summer, just seeing where the game was located, I thought, ‘hey, if they come in 2-0 and they have Georgia the next week, I think you could maybe have that.’ But I think that probably went away with them not finding a way to win that game.”
Whether the Lobos have been overlooked or not, Eck has been largely competitive in games against Power Four competition at UNM. Staying competitive against the Sooners, he said, will be a matter of responding well to adversity as it comes.
“Oklahoma’s going to create some adversity for us, and we gotta respond the right way when that happens” he added. “And not flinch when the momentum swings against you. Because there’s gonna be times in this game where the momentum swings against us, which we really haven’t had to deal with a ton.”
Lobos to watch: After all four missed the Lobos’ 70-7 win over Mercyhurst, Eck said he’s “optimistic” UNM could get starting right guard Jaymar Tasi, tight end Tripp Walsh and receivers Shawn Miller back for Saturday’s game.
Whether the Lobos get Tasi back or not, plenty of focus will be on their reshuffled offensive line (left tackle Danzel Newell, left guard Malik Aliane, center Kaden Robnett, right guard Cole Millward and right tackle Tyler Lawrence) and how well they not only can protect UNM’s quarterbacks but pave a way for its running backs, too.
“Finding a way to run the ball is critical,” Eck said. “You look at last year, (when) we played our Power Four opponents, we did not run the ball great against Michigan or Minnesota, the games we (lost). We (found) a way to run the ball against UCLA. This will be a much greater challenge.”
Eck also pointed out that games like these are key for Group of Six players vying to boost their NFL Draft stock. Of that group, linebacker Jaxton Eck, defensive end Darren Agu and lineman Brian Booker probably stand to benefit the most from big performances against the Sooners.
Sooners to watch: Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer turned in an uneven performance against Michigan, completing 17 of 33 passes for 189 yards, one touchdown and a backbreaking fourth-quarter interception. He also rushed a team-high 13 times for 45 yards – nearly half of the Sooners’ 100 yards on the ground – on a day where the Sooners’ offense struggled for consistency.
And, yes, the Lobos are 1-0 against Mateer after beating him in 2024 when he was playing for Washington State. But Eck believes the 6-foot-1, 224-pound fifth-year senior is a “great” dual-threat quarterback, perhaps the best UNM will face this season.
“He’s very mobile,” Eck said. “They can use him in the quarterback run game. And he’s got a strong arm – he just kinda flicks it out effortlessly and throws the ball with great accuracy and distance. (He’s) a good football player.”
Oklahoma could also be without starting linebacker Kip Lewis, who suffered a right knee injury against Michigan. Venables said Monday that the 6-1, 230-pound preseason All-SEC selection will be back “sooner than maybe we initially thought,” but remains questionable to play against UNM.
What happened the last time these teams played: Oklahoma “punched the line seemingly at will,” per a story from the Associated Press, and rolled to a run-heavy 25-0 win over UNM on Oct. 5, 1935 in Norman, Oklahoma. UNM went on to win four of its next seven games, finishing 6-4 in head coach Gwinn Henry’s second year with the program.
Oklahoma leads the all-time series against the Lobos 2-0.
Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at .