New Mexico coach goes with a familiar option at quarterback
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New Mexico football coach Jason Eck said his choice of Jack Layne as the starting quarterback was “not a landslide victory.”
It wasn’t unexpected, either.
While the Lobos are a consensus pick to finish at or near the bottom of the Mountain West this fall, opponents shouldn’t overlook the combination of Eck and Layne.
They helped lead Idaho of the Big Sky Conference to a 10-4 record and a third straight appearance in the FCS playoffs last fall. The day after a 52-19 loss at Montana State in the quarterfinals, Eck was hired by the Lobos to replace Bronco Mendenhall, who went to Utah State.
Layne then followed Eck to Albuquerque.
The Lobos quarterback situation
Layne, a junior, beat out James Laubstein for the quarterback job.
Eck told the Albuquerque Journal that Layne’s overall consistency helped him win the starting job. Eck wanted to name the starter before classes began on Monday so he’d have enough time to work with the first team heading into the opener at Michigan on Aug. 30.
Eck made his decision a day earlier than he had planned because he had seen enough.
“We got some guys like (wide receiver Keagan Johnson) starting to work back into practice, and (if) you give him half the reps with the (starting) quarterback rather than all the reps with the quarterback who’s gonna play against Michigan, I just think that affects you,” Eck told the Journal.
Laubstein will be the backup ahead of UConn transfer Cole Welliver.
Who is Jack Layne?
Layne threw for 1,471 yards and 14 touchdowns in six games as a sophomore last year. He helped the Vandals put a scare in No. 3 Oregon in the season opener, with his 4-yard run midway through the fourth quarter pulling Idaho to 17-14. But he broke his collarbone late in the game and the Vandals lost 24-14.
He missed two months but returned to throw for 235 yards and two touchdowns in a win against Eastern Washington. He missed most of a game against Portland State, but then had consecutive three-touchdown games against Weber State and Idaho State.
The Vandals earned a home playoff game in the Kibbie Dome against Lehigh, and Layne led Idaho to a 34-13 win by throwing for a season-high 318 yards and three scores.
The Vandals were routed by Montana State six days later in what turned out to be the last game with the Vandals for Eck and Layne.
Eck brings hope for the Lobos
The Vandals had winning records just twice in the 22 years before Eck was hired in 2022, with those two seasons culminating in bowl wins while Idaho was still in the FBS. Eck led the Vandals to a national ranking and FCS playoff berths in all three of his seasons there, finishing with a 26-13 record.
Heading into 2024, Eck had to reload after the Vandals lost more than 80% of their offensive production to graduation or the transfer portal after the 2023 season. Idaho hit double digits in wins and earned a playoff berth despite starting three different quarterbacks due to injuries.
Eck is the third head coach in as many years at New Mexico. He has another offensive rebuild on his hands after exciting two-way quarterback Devon Dampier and offensive coordinator Jason Beck left for Utah of the Big 12.
The schedule
Even if Eck and Layne provide solid building blocks, the Lobos face a brutal schedule that has them playing at Michigan and UCLA in the season’s first three weeks, and on the road against Boise State and UNLV, which have been picked to finish 1-2 in the Mountain West.
The captains
Layne was chosen as one of the team captains, along with linebacker/defensive ends Gabriel Lopez and Keyshawn James-Newby, middle linebacker Jaxton Eck (the coach’s son), offensive lineman Richard Pearce and safety Austin Brawley.
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-bd678ba4dbad4f453246f539ee56a3b4.jpg "Bernie Wilson")
Bernie Wilson recently retired from The Associated Press after nearly 41 years, including stops in Spokane, Los Angeles and, for the final 33 years, San Diego. He grew up in Coeur d'Alene and graduated from the University of Idaho.