Can the Lobos take a win out of the Rose Bowl, or will the Bruins defend their home turf?

Everything you need to know ahead of New Mexico’s game at UCLA:

Who: UNM (1-1) vs. UCLA (0-2), the Lobos’ second Big Ten opponent this season.

When and Where: 8 p.m. Friday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

How to watch/listen: UNM- UCLA will air on the Big Ten Network with Carlos Jimenez (play-by-play), Brock Vereen (analyst) and Drea Avent (sidelines) on the call. Robert Portnoy (play-by-play) and DonTrell Moore (analyst) will also broadcast the game via radio on the Lobo Radio Network (770 AM/96.3 FM).

Who’s favored: UCLA is a 15.5-point favorite according to DraftKings.

How much is UNM making: UCLA is paying UNM $1.2 million for its participation in Friday’s contest.

Top storyline(s): With the exception of players and coaches, UNM’s closer-than-expected 34-17 loss to Michigan was a pleasant surprise to just about everybody watching. After all, the Lobos showed they could play up a level and acquit themselves well, fueling plenty of early optimism and an expectation that, in a couple short weeks, UNM should be able to give UCLA a good scare — maybe even win.

Even if UNM’s 32-22 win Saturday over Idaho State wasn’t the smoothest ride, that expectation is still in play. UCLA is off to a clunker of an 0-2 start, getting smashed by Utah in its season-opener before losing to UNLV last Saturday. The offense has struggled to start games, the defense hasn’t been able to get off the field, and a team that clearly had high expectations looks more like a “wounded animal” than anything else to UNM head coach Jason Eck.

“I expect their best,” Eck said. “I think they’re gonna sense a little bit of must-win desperation — ‘hey, we’re coaching for our jobs, we’re playing for it.’ — So we’re going to get their best shot.”

And while this isn’t the most impressive team the Bruins have fielded, a win for UNM would undoubtedly be one of the best in program history. A competitive loss would still keep things on track for year one of the Eck era. Like their opener against Michigan, the Lobos don’t have much to lose and everything to gain.

As for UCLA? An 0-3 start with back-to-back losses to the Mountain West would bring an even greater level of scrutiny to the program. Second-year head coach Deshaun Foster’s seat is already hot; a loss to New Mexico would almost assuredly engulf it in flames.

A win might not even cool it. There’s more stakes to Friday than the regular buy game.

Lobos to watch: It’s a small sample size, sure. But through two games, UCLA is giving up 217 rushing yards per game — the 128th worst mark in the 136-team FBS. The Bruins have their share of vulnerabilities, but few are as well-equipped to take advantage of a weakness against the run like UNM. Look out for what running backs Damon Bankston, Deshaun Buchanan, D.J. McKinney and Scottre Humphrey can do Friday.

“He’s playing well,” Eck said Tuesday after Humphrey rushed for 141 yards Saturday. “I mean, I knew he was a very good player from playing against him (at Montana State) and recruiting him, and he’s lived up to the billing.”

UCLA is also 120th in the FBS in sacks allowed (6). After racking up 14 pressures but no sacks last week, keep an eye on what the Lobos do up front.

Bruins to watch: Quarterback Nico Iamaleava drew plenty of attention in the offseason after he shockingly left Tennessee, and the directions of both programs (the Volunteers are 2-0) have only compounded some of the lingering drama from his departure.

But if UCLA’s offense has scuffled at times, the 6-foot-6, 215-pound redshirt sophomore has at least been serviceable, completing 40 of 63 passes for 391 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Iamaleava is also the Bruins’ leading rusher through two games, running for 106 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries.

“He’s got a really strong arm, he’s really accurate,” Eck said. “His RPO (run-pass option) game is really good. But he’s also a good runner. I mean, they like to use him in short yardage (situations), he’ll pull the zone read … And he’s really, really big. He’s tall. He’s an impressive looking dude.”

Eck also said defensive tackles Gary Smith III and Keanu Williams are “going to be a problem. (They’re) big guys, tough to get movement on. So we gotta take a step up.”

What happened the last time these teams played: UNM and UCLA have played just one time, meeting in the 2002 Las Vegas Bowl on Christmas Day. The Bruins won, 27-13, but the game is most remembered for the debut of Lobos kicker Katie Hnida, the first woman to play in a FBS football game.

Eck also has some experience at the Rose Bowl: in his final game as a player, his Badgers beat UCLA in the 1999 Rose Bowl. He later coached at the venue two more times, including the 2000 Rose Bowl as a first-year graduate assistant with Wisconsin.

“I thought this coaching thing was pretty easy — the first year, you go to the Rose Bowl,” Eck cracked. “I got fooled.”

UNM also has a little history playing at the Rose Bowl: the Lobos traveled to the famed stadium in 1929 and lost 26-0 to Occidental College.

“That’s a bad loss to Occidental College,” Eck laughed, “so I don’t want anybody asking me to apologize for beating Idaho State by 10. That’s a bad loss.”