Rivalry week is here. Everything you need to know as New Mexico hosts New Mexico State

Everything you need to know ahead of New Mexico’s rivalry tilt with New Mexico State:

Who: UNM (2-1) vs. NMSU (2-1), otherwise known as the Rio Grande Rivalry.

When and where: 2 p.m. Saturday at University Stadium in Albuquerque.

How to watch/listen: Altitude, a Colorado-based regional sports network, will carry UNM-NMSU with Robert Portnoy (play-by-play) and DonTrell Moore (analyst) on the call. For those who don’t have Altitude, themw.com will stream the same broadcast online.

J.J. Buck (play-by-play), Ned James (analyst) and UNM soccer alum Skye McMillon (sidelines) will also broadcast UNM-NMSU via radio on the Lobo Radio Network (770 AM/96.3 FM).

Who’s favored: UNM is a 13.5-point favorite over NMSU, per ESPN BET.

Top storyline(s): It’s UNM- NMSU. The Rio Grande Rivalry. The Battle of I-25.

What more needs to be said?

“This is a game you gotta win, and it’s important to win,” UNM head coach Jason Eck said in a press conference Tuesday. “It’s critical. These rivalry games are huge, and I think there’s diehard Lobos, there’s diehard Aggies — it’s like an election.

“You gotta win the independents in the middle and get those people to be Lobos,” he chuckled.

But if UNM’s first-year coach is all in favor of the passion surrounding Saturday’s game, Eck made a point to not talk down on NMSU in the way former Lobo coach Danny Gonzales might’ve. If anything, he said he hopes the rivalry is competitive but doesn’t cross the line, on or off the field.

“I’ve met some people who are Aggies who say, ‘hey, I root for the Aggies when they play the Lobos, but the other days of the year I root for (UNM),” Eck added. “I kinda felt that, ‘I’ll root for these guys when they’re not playing us. They’re not in the same conference or anything.’”

And at least in terms of records, the 115th installment of the series will be one of the more successful games in recent memory. For the first time since 1992, both teams have winning records (2-1) entering the Rio Grande Rivalry. A UNM win would lock up the Lobos’ first 3-1 start since 2007; NMSU has not done so since 1999.

“There’s a big difference between being 3-1 and 2-2,” Eck said, “and there’s a big difference in keeping momentum going after that. I’d say (Saturday) is a big test for us and I’d say it’s a big test for our fanbase, too — you know, how do the people of Albuquerque view this team?”

Lobos to watch: After suffering a sprained ankle in a 35-10 win over UCLA, Eck said running back Scottre Humphrey is probable for Saturday’s game. Wide receiver Keagan Johnson has also been cleared after missing the Bruins game with a head injury suffered against Idaho State. Be on the lookout for how either impacts Saturday’s game.

And if Lobos don’t have a ton of in-state players, the ones they do have are almost certain to get up for this game. Safety David Murphy might be the most intriguing candidate in that regard.

“His passion and pride (for) representing the state are what makes him a good player,” Eck said, “and (he’s) a guy who’s in there at crunch time, and has made two huge plays two weeks in a row for us.”

Aggies to watch: A year after struggling for adequate production from its quarterbacks, NMSU hit the portal and landed Montana transfer Logan Fife. And while turnovers have been a relative issue for the former Fresno State quarterback, the 6-0, 205-pound sixth-year senior has been a marked upgrade, completing 59 of 109 passes (54.2%) for 762 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions.

“He’s accurate, he does a good job with RPOs,” Eck said. “He’s a good enough athlete to get you a few first downs running the ball. I think he’s got some moxie and some toughness. You kinda see him as a guy I bet the offensive line (at NMSU) likes to play for. Definitely a guy (you) gotta respect.”

Linebacker Tyler Martinez has also been a linchpin for the Aggies’ defense, making a team-high 24 total tackles and one interception — the latter he caught with a broken hand. Eck said he’s expecting the Albuquerque native and Volcano Vista High School graduate to play “the game of his life,” if only because he was lightly recruited by UNM out of high school.

“It’s definitely a personal game for me,” Martinez said in a press conference Monday. “Out of high school, I felt like I did everything I could to get an offer and they just never looked at me. So it’s a personal game for me, and I come with that attitude every time we play them.”

What happened last year: UNM beat NMSU 50-40 last season in Las Cruces, snapping a two-game losing streak to the Aggies. That win improved the Lobos’ record over the Aggies to 74-35-5 in a series that dates back to 1896.

Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at @lenaweereider.