College football program set to make first bowl game appearance in nine seasons

Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; New Mexico Lobos head coach Jason Eck reacts in the fourth quarter against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Stadium. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

After a season that began with tempered expectations, the New Mexico Lobos will play in a bowl game for the first time since 2016, finishing the regular season 9-3 (6-2 Mountain West) under first-year coach Jason Eck.

The Lobos clinched bowl eligibility with a 40-35 road victory at UNLV on November 1, then closed the year on a six-game winning streak.

Their season featured several signature wins, including a 35-10 upset at UCLA, a narrow 24-22 contest versus Nevada, and a 23-17 victory over San Diego State that sealed a 6-0 mark at University Stadium.

Junior quarterback Jack Layne, an Idaho transfer, finished the regular season with 2,398 passing yards, 13 touchdown passes, and nine interceptions while completing 66% of his attempts and rushing for 150 yards.

The ground game was balanced by senior running back Damon Bankston (the team's leading rusher with 578 yards) and several timely contributions from sophomore D.J. McKinney and junior Scottre Humphrey, both of whom finished with over 300 rushing yards.

Senior Keagan Johnson paced the receiving corps with 730 yards and three TDs on the year, followed by sophomore tight end Dorian Thomas, who finished with 545 yards and four TDs.

Defensively, linebacker Jaxton Eck, head coach Jason Eck’s son, led the team in tackles (126) and finished the year as the Mountain West’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year. 

Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; New Mexico Lobos players celebrate after the game against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Stadium. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

New Mexico is officially bowl-eligible and now awaits formal bowl assignments, which the Mountain West and bowl committees will announce in the early December selection window (bids expected Dec. 7). 

Projections and conference tie-ins make the Isleta New Mexico Bowl (December 27 at University Stadium in Albuquerque) the leading landing spot, though the matchup will depend on the final bowl pecking order and Conference USA pairings. 

With recruiting, donor interest, and local fans all energized, highlighted by the program’s first perfect home slate since the 1930s, New Mexico has positioned itself as a program on the rise.

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