COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — The New Mexico Lobos (8-3, 5-2) traveled to Falcon Stadium to face off against Air Force Academy (3-8, 2-5) in a Week 13 college football showdown. And, for the first time in 25 years, the Lobos will leave Colorado Springs with a win, victorious with a 20-3 score.
“I thought we played in the moment, and that we started fast,” UNM head coach Jason Eck said after the contest. “I love the way the offense played on the first two drives, Coach Nowinsky [Lobos defensive coordinator] put together a tremendous plan.”
New Mexico Football: Lobos Defeat Air Force in Week 13
The Lobos got ahead fast, and never looked back. On the opening drive, quarterback Jack Layne and the Lobos offense orchestrated a nine-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a 12-yard touchdown waltz by Layne.
“A weakness in man [coverage] is the QB scramble because no one is accounting for the QB,” Layne said. “They mixed in a lot of man this week which they haven’t done since UNLV so we gotta make them pay if they want to man up our guys.”
The next Lobos offensive possession was a time eater. This drive lasted 12 plays, and ended with a two-yard Damon Bankston run for six.
Bankston was UNM’s leading rusher with 61 yards, and added 27 yards as a receiver. He is the only player in the country with at least 300 yards rushing, 300 yards receiving, and 300 return yards.
The Lobos ate up 15 minutes and 56 seconds of clock on their first two possessions.
Now, pair the offensive flow with the dominance of UNM defensive coordinator Spence Nowinsky’s group, and that’s a match made in Heaven.
Dominating Defense
With the loss of Air Force quarterback Liam Szarka, the Falcons struggled to move the ball. The Lobos defense held Air Force to 110 rushing yards on 48 carries, which is unheard of. The Falcons were previously the third-ranked rushing attack in the country (271 rush yards per game). Backup quarterbacks Kemper Hodges and Josh Johnson combined for 51 passing yards, 63 rushing yards, and two turnovers.
Leading the way for the Lobos defense was linebacker Mercury Swaim who had 11 total tackles (team-high), a sack, tackle for loss, and was credited with a pass breakup.
“It comes with preparation. We have been working our butts off, especially this week. Our scouts did a great job of kind of simulating the looks we’d get from Air Force,” Swaim said. “We took a lot of pride in what we were doing. Air Force is obviously a unique bunch in what they’re doing.”
Flying alongside Swaim was Jaxton Eck who racked up nine total tackles. Eck is currently the Lobos highest graded run defender per PFF with a 88.3 grade.
Edge rusher Brett Karhu made his presence known with a sack strip that was recovered by Okiki Olorunfunmi. On the other side of the line, Keyshawn James-Newby continued his stellar season with 1.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, and one quarterback hit.
Heading into the half, the Lobos were up 17-3. And after that, they ran the ball down Air Force’s throat.
Running Rampant
The Lobos ran the ball 40 times for 172 yards, and two touchdowns.
Returning to the lineup for the Lobos was quarterback James Laubstein who was used a lot in designed run plays. Against UNLV, Laubstein led the Lobos in rushing yards (99), and threw for a touchdown in the Lobos win. However, he would miss the Colorado State game the following week. Laubstein had eight carries for 44 yards just a few weeks after the team feared his season might have been done.
“The guy is such a baller,” Layne said. “He’s been battling and rehabbing and it’s so great to get him back.
“The training staff told me that he was going to be out for the whole regular season, and then, he kept working,” Coach Eck said. “I think he had some sort of crack in his leg but he’s coming back, playing three weeks, 21 days later. He’s a tough sucker. Those two runs at the end, how he pushed the pile … those were big-time elite runs.”
In the middle of the third quarter, Air Force produced their best drive of the day which lasted 19 plays for 75 yards. However, the 10-minute plus drive only resulted in three points. The Reagan Tubbs field goal was the only points scored by the Falcons.
The final Air Force drive resulted in an interception for the Lobos.
With the win, a potential Mountain West game of the year has been set up for Black Friday.
What’s Next?
The Lobos will play their regular season finale at University Stadium against San Diego State University (8-2,5-1). The Aztecs are the No. 1 team in the Mountain West. The game will have huge implications for the Mountain West conference championship game.
“We need 30 thousand fans. On Black Friday baby, we need 30,000 fans, loud as hell.” Coach Eck said to Lobo fans.
The Aztecs have the easiest path as they control their own destiny. All they need to do is win and they’re in. The Lobos will need to win, and need both Boise State and Fresno State to lose once in the next two weeks.
“Show out and be loud. They [Lobo fans] make a difference they really do. We’re 5-0 at home for a reason,” Swaim said. “I love to see the little shirtless crew … like coach Eck said if we can get the win Friday, he might take his shirt off.”
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