He dominated UCLA in New Mexico’s historic win. He’s also a new father

The pressure was off. As Keyshawn James-Newby warmed up and straddled the sideline before kickoff last Friday at the Rose Bowl, there was no more weight on his shoulders than a set of pads and the jersey on top. In some ways, his mind felt different. Fresher.

“I never experienced something like that,” New Mexico’s fifth-year defensive end said Tuesday.

Perhaps it was no surprise what happened next. James-Newby racked up three tackles and a team-high 12 quarterback pressures in a 35-10 win over UCLA last week, burning the edge and picking tackles apart like a boxer reading tells.

There were points where he looked like the best player on the field, an NAIA product tormenting a former five-star recruit in UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava. It was the James-Newby coaches expected when he transferred in from Idaho, the one supposed to perform at a high level against greater competition.

“I mean, I knew he was a weapon,” head coach Jason Eck said Tuesday. “I think he’s a Power Four-caliber player, and (he’s) proven that over time.”

He had to become something else first.

Three days before the game, just before 10 a.m., James-Newby had just finished getting ready for the day when his fiancé, Emma, called out to him.

My water broke.

“I was like, ‘are you sure?’” James-Newby recalled.

I swear.

“And then when I’m looking on the floor, I’m like, ‘holy smokes,’” James-Newby said.

It was all off from there. Emma showered and James-Newby drove her to the hospital. At some point that morning, he called Eck to let him know what was going on.

“I remember those times being a first-time father, where you’re not totally sure how this works — is this real or not?” UNM’s head coach chuckled. “I (said), ‘we’ll see, we’ll see,’ because this could be a false alarm.”

It wasn’t. And as his fiancé’s labor spanned into the evening, James-Newby’s mind briefly drifted back to football. And why wouldn’t it? After all, this was UCLA week.

“He said, ‘coach, I want the plays for UCLA,’” defensive line coach Hebron “Loni” Fangupo remembered. “And I said, ‘hey man, I want you to focus on the most important moment of your life here. Don’t think (about) football, don’t think (about) nothing. Because the reason why you’re going to do it is right there.’”

At 8:15 p.m., James-Newby became a father to a baby girl.

And that was the moment the pressure lifted.

“It’s God’s timing, man,” he said with a smile. “You can’t complain about it.”

There was still plenty to be done, though. James-Newby spent the next two nights in the hospital, but returned to position meetings and practice the next day. The day before playing UCLA, he was able to take his fiancé and baby home in the morning, then left for Pasadena, Calif., that evening.

It was no easy feat for the new dad.

“That’s the thing; it’s a short time, but like, I do sit there and think about them,” James-Newby said. “They’re on my mind a lot.”

Against UCLA, he played like it. To Fangupo, the week as a whole was a sign of how James-Newby has grown on and off the field.

“Part of being a great man is learning how to be selfless, right?” the defensive line coach said. “And half of the word, you switch it, it’s ‘less self’. That’s what makes a great husband, a great father, good person. It also makes a good ball player.

“On the football field, there’s a big difference between good, great and unstoppable. And I thought Key was good, right? We’re stepping into the great arena (now).”