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Three takeaways from New Mexico's cathartic win over Utah State

UNM running back D.J. McKinney dives into the end zone for a touchdown in front of Utah State safety Titan Saxton during last week’s game at University Stadium.

Utah State head coach and former UNM coach Bronco Mendenhall walks off the field after the Lobos beat the Aggies 33-14 on Saturday at University Stadium.

UNM’s Jaxton Eck, left, takes down Utah State’s Noah White in the end zone for a safety during Saturday’s game at University Stadium.

New Mexico’s Marko Luera (56) and Malik Aliane (51) sing the fight song with teammates as they celebrate a 33-14 win over Utah State on Saturday at University Stadium.

Sean Reider Sean Reider Sean Reider Journal Staff Writer

Published October 25, 2025 - 4:09 p.m. Modified October 25, 2025 - 9:43 p.m.

New Mexico scored early and often on its way to a 33-14 win over Utah State and former head coach Bronco Mendenhall on Saturday at University Stadium.

UNM (5-3, 2-2 Mountain West) scored on three of its first five possessions to take a 26-7 halftime lead before putting the game away in the fourth quarter. With a win over the Aggies (4-4, 2-2), the Lobos have now won two straight league games and are 4-0 at home for the first time in more than 60 years.

Here are three takeaways from the Lobos’ statement win:

1. That first half might’ve been UNM’s best all season

No need to beat around the bush: The Lobos won that one in the first half.

Because maybe the first time this season, UNM played real, effective complementary football in a meaningful context. When the defense made plays — safety C.J. McBean’s first quarter interception comes to mind — the offense capitalized with a score. When the offense finished drives — how about running back D.J. McKinney’s 1-yard touchdown plunge? — the defense usually found a way to get another stop.

As for the Lobos’ special teams? McKinney gave the Lobos an early 7-0 lead with a 49-yard punt return touchdown, and punter Daniel Hughes landed two kicks within the Aggies’ 5-yard line — the second of which set up linebacker Jaxton Eck’s safety and a 16-0 lead.

“I thought we fed off of each other, which is what you want to do,” head coach Jason Eck said in a postgame news conference.

This wasn’t the team that often left fans wondering what it would be like if all three phases clicked at once. The one that made fans think, well, what if the Lobos got a better defensive effort to complement their offense against San Jose State? Or if UNM got a better offensive effort to complement its defense against Boise State?

No, this was a complete, sterling effort, one where the Lobos looked flat-out tough to beat. Some notable stats:

UNM scored a season-high 26 points in the first half and held Utah State to 7 — the Aggies’ second-lowest first-half total this season.
The Lobos limited Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes to four completed passes on 11 attempts for 32 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. The fifth-year senior wasn’t even close to his regular dual-threat self in the first half, rushing for only 14 yards on four attempts.
UNM held the Aggies — one of the more explosive teams in the league — to just one big play in the first half, a 64-yard breakaway touchdown courtesy of running back Miles Davis. Utah State’s second-longest play of the half? A 19-yard run.

So even when UNM’s offense tapered off in that third quarter, all the good from the first half had the Lobos clearly in command. Now, they do deserve plenty of credit for closing it out — there was, after all, a point where Utah State was really starting to make it interesting, driving with real urgency and considerable success.

Then running back Deshaun Buchanan converted a fake punt in the fourth quarter. Three plays later, running back Damon Bankston uncorked a 41-yard touchdown run for the final score.

At that point, UNM could finally breathe a little — largely because of the work it did in the first half.

2. A clean game does wonders for this team

For the first time all season, UNM didn’t turn it over. There were no interceptions. No muffed punts. No fumbles.

Not even a single turnover on downs.

“Hallelujah,” Eck said.

The Lobos also won the turnover margin (1-0) for the first time in 14 games, a streak dating back to a 52-37 win over Air Force on Oct. 12, 2024. Credit not only McBean for notching a rare pick off Barnes, but UNM quarterback Jack Layne (17-for-22 passing, 183 yards, one touchdown) and the rest of the offense for protecting the ball.

“I told the team that — we’re last in the NATION in turnover margin and we found a way to be 4-3,” Eck said. “I kinda looked at it glass half-full and I said, ‘well, what if these last five games we won the turnover margin?’”

What if?

3. That was a major dose of catharsis for Lobo fans

Was Saturday a “revenge game” or anything of that ilk? Probably not. If some players admitted to getting a little more motivation out of facing their old coach, there was no talk of seeking vengeance.

For most, it might’ve been just another game.

“It’s a business at the end of the day,” offensive lineman Isaiah Sillemon — who played under Mendenhall — said Wednesday. “You gotta respect it. And you just gotta play hard Saturday.”

Then again, maybe it wasn’t.

“I’m grateful that (Mendenhall) left, that we got to be here,” Jaxton said in a postgame news conference, echoing a point his dad previously made. “I didn’t have that anger. But I knew some guys on the team took it a little personal … I think we showed we were fired up from the beginning.”

The only certainty? That was not another game for Lobo fans.

This time last year, Mendenhall had the Lobos riding high, winning games, going places. It felt different, looked different for fans starved of competent football. There was a philosophy fans could get behind, something to rally to around even when the program took its lumps.

The team finished 5-7 and then Mendenhall left after just one season — for another program not too dissimilar to UNM. If he didn’t mean it as an insult, plenty of fans took it like one, making that clear with steady boos as Mendenhall entered University Stadium for maybe the last time in his storied career.

They didn’t boo as he walked off the field. Instead, fans cheered for this current coaching staff and roster after one of the season’s best efforts. They might not have thought about where they were last year. They might not have wondered where they could be if they still had Devon Dampier or Eli Sanders or Christian Ellis, if the cruelty of wholesale change didn’t come for their program.

They might not have even noticed Mendenhall.

If that isn’t catharsis, what is?

From the stat sheet

LEADING RUSHER: Running back Damon Bankston ran for 84 yards and one touchdown off 13 carries.

LEADING RECEIVER: Tight end Cade Keith caught a career-high seven passes for 104 yards and one touchdown.

LEADING TACKLER: Linebacker Jaxton Eck and safety Tavian Combs both notched a team-high six total tackles. Three Lobos — linebacker Mercury Swaim, defensive end Darren Agu and defensive lineman Okiki Olorunfunmi — each notched one sack.

COMPARISON: UNM outgained Utah State 407-306, running for 224 yards and passing for 183.