With expected crowd of 30,000-plus, UNM enhances security, staffing for NMSU game

In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, New Mexico Athletic Director Eddie Nuñez said there will be enhanced staffing and security for Saturday’s New Mexico-New Mexico State football game.

Nuñez noted the crowd size is “trending towards 30,000,” and these increases corresponded with what they would typically do for an event of this size. He urged fans planning on attending to get to and get in the stadium early to prevent long lines. Fans can take other measures to ensure a steady flow into the stadium, he said, including being ready for security checkpoints by emptying pockets beforehand and by having digital tickets ready to display on phones.

“I’m hoping we can have the largest crowd that we’ve had in a long time here,” Nuñez said. “Because this rivalry, these teams, all the student-athletes that are participating deserve it. And our fans deserve it.

“Hopefully everyone comes out, they support our kids, they do this and we do it right and it’s an unbelievable game. And at the end of the day, we can all look back and say, ‘this is the way it should be done.’”

While he didn’t provide exact figures, Nuñez said staffing will be doubled across the board with more officers from a variety of local law enforcement agencies in the vicinity. He added UNM Police Department serves as their main point of contact and increases in staffing were based on their recommendation as opposed to a request from Nuñez or the administration.

“We tell them what the fan base looks like,” he said. “We tell them what our expectations are. And they basically work with us to make sure that is done.

More walk-through and wand metal detectors will also be used at multiple points of entry to help accommodate and expedite the entry of what’s expected to be the largest crowd of the season. UNM debuted metal detectors at the Pit in November and used them for the first time at University Stadium for last week’s Tennessee Tech game, part of what Nuñez called an elevated security approach for all sports.

Additional metal detectors were the only change from previous security plans, Nuñez said.

“I take a lot of pride in understanding that it’s about the customer service,” he added. “I want our fans, the minute they leave their house to the time they get home, (to) have the best experience. Is it always going to be that? No. But we got to do everything we can, from concessions to parking to traffic.”

The UNM-NMSU rivalry was marred last year when an NMSU basketball player shot and killed a UNM student in self-defense on the UNM campus hours before a scheduled basketball game. The player and student were involved in a brawl a month earlier at the UNM-NMSU football game in Las Cruces.

The home-and-home basketball series between the schools was canceled in the wake of the shooting.

Journal reports from May and June indicated UNM and NMSU reached a scheduling impasse for rivalry basketball games due to requests from both parties for detailed security plans and assurances for enhanced police presences at future events. Basketball games between both schools have since been scheduled for Dec. 2 at Albuquerque and Dec. 15 in Las Cruces.

Regarding football, Nuñez said he never felt Saturday’s game would get canceled as both parties communicated constantly to find a resolution.

“My responsibility, not just as the director of athletics, (is) to make sure that whatever event that we put together, even on the road if our teams are participating, that we’re putting them in a safe environment,” he said. “We’re putting our coaches, our families, everyone in a safe environment. And (NMSU) feels the same way.

“I think a lot of the conversation that was happening was making sure we were making everybody come to the table and discussing all those little fine details.”

NMSU athletic director Mario Moccia did not respond when the Journal reached out for comment.

Video of the brawl during the Oct. 15 football game spurred a revenge plot that ended in a deadly shootout a month later.

Former NMSU basketball player Mike Peake left his team hotel at around 3 a.m. and met up with a 17-year-old female UNM student, only for the former to be ambushed by three UNM students who were acquaintances of the female student. Peake was in possession of a firearm he legally owned – though by traveling with it, one that also violated university policy – and he shot and killed one of the attackers, Brandon Travis.

Travis was one of the UNM students that fought Peake in the crowd at the UNM-NMSU football game and according to the other attackers, he wanted revenge.

When asked if he had a message to fans ahead of Saturday’s game, Nuñez asked fans to enjoy the game while being mindful of their conduct.

“We want them to have fun but we want them to be responsible,” Nuñez said. “For us, it’s about doing it the Lobo way. And (in) many ways, it’s about good sportsmanship for our student athletes, good sportsmanship as fans.

“When you talk about the Lobo way, that’s (the way) we look at it. And we hope our fans — even if you’re Aggies — understand: be respectful. Have good sportsmanship. Come enjoy yourselves. We want them to have as much fun as they can have.”