New Mexico looks to break seven-year streak as they open conference play against UTEP

A familiar foe returns to Albuquerque this weekend.

The New Mexico Lobos and the UTEP Miners (1-3) are set to clash for the 81st all-time meeting between the two programs, which shared a long history as conference rivals from 1968-1998 in the Western Athletic Conference. 

The two schools also competed in the Border Conference from 1935-1961. New Mexico leads the all-time series against UTEP 44-33-3, with its most recent victory coming in 2022 when they defeated the Miners 27-10. 

The Lobos, listed as 22.5-point favorites against UTEP, sit at 3-1 heading into conference play. While expected to handle business this Saturday, the Lobos haven’t done so in past Mountain West openers, losing the last seven straight dating back to 2019 when they took on San Jose State.

Six seasons later, the Lobos would fall to San Jose State once again to open up conference play in 2025 under Head Coach Jason Eck. The last time the Lobos won their Mountain West opener was in 2018 against UNLV, where they cruised past the Rebels 50-14 on the back of quarterback Sherion Jones. 

New Mexico is 6-21 all-time in Mountain West openers, going 3-12 when playing at University Stadium and 3-9 on the road. They’ll have some catching up to do to improve that record, but winning their fourth conference opener at home against UTEP is in play this weekend.

The Lobos are currently riding a nine-game winning streak at home. The streak began in 2024 under former head coach Bronco Mendenhall, when the Lobos upset No. 24 Washington State at home 38-35. 

Since then, Eck and the Lobos haven’t suffered a home loss, winning all six home games in 2025, and two this season against Central Michigan and Mercyhurst. 

New Mexico’s nine-game home winning streak is tied for 8th-best in the nation alongside James Madison, BYU, South Florida and Toledo. They’ll look to add their 10th-straight home win this weekend. 

Through two games, the Lobos are averaging 24,000 fans per game. Eck said on Monday that he’d love to have 30,000 this weekend for UNM’s “Cherry Out” game. The team is debuting their new all-red uniforms and helmets to potentially capture the win in style. 

Edge Garcia is a beat reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @ByEdgeGarcia