The Blue proved to be too much for the University of New Mexico Lobos as the Boise State University Broncos bucked UNM back to Albuquerque with a 41-25 loss.
This marked the third loss of the season, and second conference loss in a row for the Lobos. Lobo Head Coach Jason Eck’s squad was outsized and overmatched as the Broncos were able to bully their way to a victory after shaking the Lobos off their backs.
The night started rough for the Lobos, as the fewest penalized team in the Mountain West committed the first penalty of the game – a delay of the game – which pushed the Lobos back before the ball was even snapped. UNM Quarterback Jack Layne then fumbled the ball on the Lobos' 18, which then resulted in a field goal by the Broncos.
Layne's fumble would mark the beginning of a sore spot for the Lobos, as they would lose the turnover battle against the Broncos 3-0.
UNM had its second-worst game of the year so far regarding penalties, committing eight penalties throughout the game, for 69 yards. Flags were thrown on the Lobos for holding, delay of game, face mask and illegal blocking, something that is out of character for this Lobos squad.
Boise held UNM’s offense from scoring in the first quarter, which started the troubles for Layne as his first interception was thrown. Layne would throw another interception later in the game. The Lobo quarterback threw for 115 yards, one TD, and was 7-for-17 on catches to attempts; however, this didn’t stress Eck out too much, as he expressed to the media after the game that Layne is still QB1 for the team.
“Jack's our guy, we just got to keep getting better with protecting the football,” Eck said.
The Broncos were then able to score again on the Lobos, making the game 10-0 in favor of Boise. Then the magic started for the Lobos, as a kickoff was returned by Damon Bankston for a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown. Kicker Luke Drzewiecki then drilled the extra point, putting the Lobos within three of the Broncos.
The Lobos were able to force Boise to punt, gaining control of the ball, where Layne would throw his lone touchdown of the game to tight end Dorian Thomas, putting the Lobos up 14-10. This is where the good news for the Lobos ended and where the cracks started to seep in, as UNM would get outscored by the Broncos 31-11 by the end of the night.
A bright spot for the Lobos was backup quarterback James Laubstein, who was able to pass for 67 yards, one TD, and 8 completions out of 11 attempts in the 4th quarter. WR Keagan Johnson was able to score the touchdown from Laubstein, who would then run the ball in for the two-point conversion.
The Lobos will look to shake back next week as they face the University of Nevada Wolfpack back at University Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18.
Wyatt S. Padilla is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @wyattspadilla
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