The Lobos are headed to ‘The Blue.’ Everything you need to know about UNM football’s game at Boise State

Who: New Mexico (3-2, 0-1) vs. Boise State (3-2, 1-0)

When and where: 7:45 p.m. Saturday at Albertsons Stadium — otherwise known as ‘The Blue’ for the program’s iconic blue turf — in Boise, Idaho.

How to watch/listen: FS1 will carry UNM-BSU with Noah Reed (play-by-play) and Robert Smith (analyst) 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: Boise State is a 16.5-point favorite, per ESPN BET. The total is set at 59.5 points.

Top storyline(s): If a 35-28 loss last Friday at San Jose State was a disappointment, Jason Eck believes UNM can learn plenty from it — especially in terms of how important it is to take a step forward every week.

“We need to adopt the energy of continuing to improve,” the Lobos’ first-year head coach said during a news conference Tuesday. “And I certainly think one thing we may need to keep understanding is, when you become a good team — I think we were proud to be 3-1, I think our fans were all proud to be 3-1, and they tell you how great you are — that doesn’t mean things get easier. It really gets harder.”

Few weeks will require a bigger step than this one. After dropping its conference opener, UNM is set for one of its biggest tests yet with a game at Boise State, the reigning Mountain West champions and a program Eck considers the “gold standard” among the Group of Five.

“I think that’s kind of like a model of what I want to try to build our program into,” Eck said when asked about Boise State. “And I thought part of the thing that made this job attractive is we (only) have to play them once (because) they’re leaving (the Mountain West). And them moving out, that kinda opens up the spot. Who can be the perennial power in this league.”

But if Boise State is still favored to win the league, they haven’t quite been at that standard-bearing level this year: The Broncos were blitzed 34-7 at South Florida in their season opener before winning three-straight and falling 28-7 at Notre Dame last weekend.

Underwhelming or not, Eck isn’t paying too much attention to the record. “Their losses are at Notre Dame and South Florida,” he said. “South Florida was good enough to beat Florida down the road. So they’re a very good team … This will be a great measuring stick.

“And I’m hopeful that we’ll have a great week and play a lot better than we did last week.”

Broncos to watch: This might just be the most talented roster in the Mountain West, so there’s plenty to watch for. Tuesday, Eck mentioned a number of Broncos, including edge rusher Jayden Virgin-Morgan, defensive tackle Braxton Fely, quarterback Maddux Madsen and field corner A’Marion McCoy.

And yes, Ashton Jeanty isn’t around anymore. But Boise State has a group of running backs in Dylan Riley, Sire Gaines and Malik Sherrod that rivals UNM’s.

“They’ve been able to get some great explosiveness in their running game … Their offense (is) very similar to us, they don’t want to be one-dimensional and have to throw it all the time,” Eck said.

Lobos to watch: Eck did not provide updates on wide receiver Michael Buckley, linebacker Dimitri Johnson and cornerback Abraham Williams after all three left Friday’s game with undisclosed injuries. Keep an eye out for their injury status via Thursday’s availability report.

What happened the last time these teams played: Nov. 11, 2023, a 42-14 Broncos win and former Lobo quarterback Devon Dampier’s first career start at Albertsons Stadium. Despite the lopsided victory, Boise State fired head coach Andy Avalos the next day and named defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson the interim; Danielson had the interim tag removed on Dec. 3 and remains the Broncos’ head coach today.

With that loss, UNM enters Saturday on a seven-game losing streak (1-12 overall) to Boise State. The Lobos’ lone win, of course, was a 31-24 triumph at Albertsons Stadium on Nov. 14, 2015, part of one of the most memorable nights in Albuquerque sports history.

Is notching a second win against Boise State — in its last season as a member of the Mountain West, no less — a point of motivation this week?

Not really.

“We don’t have many guys left from the (2023) team … In some ways, this is almost like, more in the file with the Michigan and UCLA game(s),” Eck said. “You’re going to play at an iconic venue and it’s a one-time shot against them.”