On Saturday, Nov. 22, the University of New Mexico Lobos football team triumphed against the Air Force Academy Falcons, winning the game 20-3, and sealing the first victory at Falcon Stadium in 25 years.
Lobo quarterback Jack Layne and the offense started the night off with a nine-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by Layne’s 12-yard scramble for a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. Then, UNM sophomore defensive tackle Jalen McIver and senior safety Caleb Coleman combined for a second down sack that led to a third-and-15 on Air Force’s opening drive, which ultimately resulted in an opening drive punt for the Falcons.
Offensive success continued for the Lobos with senior running back Damon Bankston getting involved through the air, as he had three catches for 27 yards in the first quarter alone.
Layne’s escape ability within the pocket became an issue for the Falcons, as the Lobos accumulated 126 total yards of offense to end the first quarter – 79 of them coming from the ground game and nine total first downs.
In the second quarter, Bankston recorded his fifth touchdown of the season on the Lobos second drive of the game from two yards out. The offensive line was a dominant force in the ground game, as they won at the line of scrimmage and brought physicality to the Falcons defensive front.
On the Falcons’ second drive of the game — the first of the second quarter – faced with a third-and-13, Lobo senior defensive end Brett Karhu got home on a strip sack, which set up Layne and the offense at Air Force’s 22-yard line. With an opportunity to go up by three scores early in the game, UNM’s offense was quiet and settled for a 27-yard field goal to take a 17-0 lead.
The Lobo defense came up big on Air Force’s next possession; on a third-and-six in Lobo territory, Lobo linebacker Jaxton Eck made a tackle to force a fourth down. That wasn’t the only big time play on the drive, as Air Force kept the offense out on the field to attempt to keep the drive alive, and once again, the Lobos front seven got home for the third sack in the game, this one credited to Coleman.
The Lobos entered halftime up 17-0, and outgained Air Force by 144 total yards, a complete defensive effort in the first half by UNM Defensive Coordinator Spence Nowinsky’s unit.
Air Force started the second half on offense with hopes to swing momentum in their favor. The Falcons continued to lean into their classic run heavy-first mindset and converted a fourth-and-two from the Lobos 42-yard line on Kemper Hodges’ quarterback keeper, but their 13-play drive ended on an eventual fourth-and-four incompletion.
UNM wasn’t able to do anything on the following drive, and on Air Force’s next possession, junior backup quarterback Josh Johnson entered the game late in the third quarter for Air Force on the ensuing drive which bled into the start of the fourth quarter. Johnson provided a spark on offense and led the Falcons on a 19-play, 75-yard drive, resulting in a 27-yard field goal that led to Air Force’s first points of the game.
Despite a sack from Lobo linebacker Mercury Swaim early in the drive, Johnson countered by completing an 18-yard pass on second-and-18 for a first down, and converted a fourth-and-one to keep the drive alive, which lasted just over eight minutes of game time. The Lobos’ chance for a potential shut-out ended, but the defense up to this point had been making the Falcons work and grind for every yard.
“We try to live by toughness, attrition; we knew we were the more physical team and we just wanted to go out there and continue and hit them,” Swaim said.
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The Lobos defense was nothing short of physical and that was likely their key to winning. Swaim finished the game with a team-leading 11 total tackles and one sack on the night.
On the ensuing drive for the Lobos, Layne was met with a third-and-nine from the Lobos own 31-yard line and completed a deep ball to senior wide receiver Keagan Johnson for 20 yards. The Lobos offense committed to the ground game to finish out their late fourth quarter drive behind Bankston and senior quarterback James Laubstein.
Laubstein and Layne both took snaps to finish off a fifth straight win for the Lobos as they improved to 8-3 overall and 5-2 in conference play.
Prior to Saturday night’s game, Air Force had been averaging over 270 yards on the ground per game this season. New Mexico limited them to just 110 yards on 2.3 yards per attempt, both being the season-lows for the Falcons.
The Lobos will host the San Diego State University Aztecs, who are 9-2 this season, at home on Friday, Nov. 28, in what will be one of the biggest games in UNM’s recent history, as the Lobos’ hopes of making the Mountain West Conference Championship Game — a game the Lobos have never played in — are still alive.
Edge Garcia is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @DailyLobo
