Rodney Prunty - The Daily Lobo

Sports

Brian Hosfeld takes reins as Lobo volleyball head coach

Rodney Prunty | January 19

On Dec. 3, 2025 the University of New Mexico and volleyball Head Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar mutually decided to go their separate ways. It didnu2019t take the Lobos long to find his replacement, as on Dec. 21, 2025, UNM announced Brian Hosfeld as their new volleyball head coach. With the hiring, Hosfeld is now the 11th coach in the programu2019s history.u00a0 Newman-Gonchar spent the past six years as the Lobos volleyball head coach, and was able to amass a 97-94 record at the helm. This past season, the Lobos went 13-16, with thirteen of those 16 losses coming within the Mountain West conference. u00a0

Sports

UNM falls in OT against Minnesota in Rate Bowl, 20-17

Rodney Prunty | December 27

On Friday, Dec. 26, the University of New Mexico Lobo football team entered Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, looking to earn their fifth bowl game victory in program history against the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Rate Bowl. However, that victory did not come, as the Golden Gophers sent the Lobos back to Albuquerque empty-handed, as UNM fell short in a 20-17 overtime loss. The Lobo defense was the driving force keeping UNM in the game, holding Minnesota’s offense to 252 total yards and recovering a fumble off a botched snap, while also sacking Minnesota Quarterback Drake Lindsey three times.

Sports

Lobos are bowling in Phoenix, hope to have fans cheer them on

Rodney Prunty | December 17

The University of New Mexico Lobos football team will be headed to Phoenix, Arizona to face off against the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Rate Bowl on Friday, Dec. 26. This will be the team's first bowl game since 2016, and the first time they travel out of state for a bowl game since 2004, when they faced the Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy in the Emerald Bowl. Head Coach Jason Eck is the only first-year head coach to make a bowl game in Lobo history, and has also led a push to increase Lobo football attendance, consistently challenging fans to come out to games, leading to a 51.2% increase in average attendance since last season. Eck is asking fans to show up once again, stating in a video on social media that the team needs “10 thousand Lobos there” to cheer them on.

News

REVIEW: The Long Walk (2025), an adaptation done right

Rodney Prunty | December 9

The plot of “The Long Walk” is simple: a group of boys volunteer to do a long walk. But on this walk, if they stop walking, they die.The last boy walking wins prize money and a wish. This movie is not a traditional horror movie with jumpscares and a big villain; instead it is a psychological horror thriller. Despite the plot being simple, the movie itself is stellar — and a huge part of that is the cast. Most of this movie is characters walking and talking while trying to survive. This could be a very boring concept for a movie, but the cast of “The Long Walk” does a tremendous job connecting us with the characters and keeping the audience interested.

Sports

Eck signs extension, Lobo fans give high praise

Rodney Prunty | December 5

On Sunday, Nov. 30, the University of New Mexico announced that football Head Coach Jason Eck signed a new five-year deal that will keep him under contract through 2030. The deal includes $400,000 in guaranteed base pay, $575,000 for media participation and another $575,000 for program promotion, totaling $1.55 million for the first year of the contract and increasing $100,000 each following year. The deal also adds incentives for total wins, wins over Power 4 schools and ranked opponents, along with increasing incentives tied to conference championship wins and appearances.

Sports

Lobo women’s basketball wins comfortably against UT Martin

Rodney Prunty | November 22

The University of New Mexico Lobos women’s basketball team was able to ease to a 77-45 victory on Thursday, Nov. 20, against the University of Tennessee at Martin Skyhawks. With the win, the Lobos now move to 5-1 on the season, a significant jump from the 3-3 record the team started with last season. Lobo guard Alyssa Hargrove spoke on the difference between this year’s team compared to last year’s team. “I definitely feel like with this team we can play a lot faster, I feel we have more options to get it up to so that’s been a big difference for me handling the ball,” Hargrove said. “Our defense as well, pressing the whole game is new for us so I think it’s a good adjustment, seeing how we're working through it has been good.”

Sports

Lobos find a way, defeating Rams 20-17

Rodney Prunty | November 17

Since 2010, the University of New Mexico Lobos football team has lost every match up with the Colorado State University Rams. That all changed on Saturday, Nov. 15, when the Lobos took down Colorado State 20-17 at University Stadium. This win not only brings about the end of the 13 game losing streak against CSU, but also marks the first winning season for UNM since 2016. It wasn’t the prettiest game for the Lobo offense, fumbling the ball away four times. Turnovers were not the offense’s only issue, as they underperformed on third down, converting five of 14 on the game. Lobo quarterback Jack Layne touched on the offensive struggles after the game.

Sports

Lobos coast to a win against East Texas A&M

Rodney Prunty | November 7

The University of New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team took care of business on Wednesday, Nov. 5 when they faced off against the East Texas A&M University Lions. The Lobos were in the driver's seat from the very beginning, making sure there was no chance for the Lions to even make it a game. Combine that with a terrible performance by East Texas A&M, and the Lobos eased to a 76-54 victory. This win marks the first as a Lobo for Head Coach Eric Olen, who was hired by UNM back in March of this year after the departure of former Head Coach Richard Pitino.

Sports

Lobos are bowl bound after defeating UNLV

Rodney Prunty | November 3

For the first time since 2016, the University of New Mexico Lobo football team earned bowl game eligibility. This comes after the Lobos went on the road and defeated the University of Nevada Las Vegas Rebels 40-35 on Saturday, Nov. 1. There was not much action early in the first quarter, but things started to pick up towards the quarter’s end. After the Lobo defense was able to force a turnover on downs, New Mexico’s offense was able to put the first points of the game on the board. UNM strung together a drive that ended when Lobo quarterback Jack Layne found running back Damon Bankston open in the endzone for a 30-yard touchdown pass.

Sports

UNM earns a decisive 33-14 win over Utah State

Rodney Prunty | October 27

A familiar face returned to the University Stadium sidelines on Saturday, Oct. 26, when the University of New Mexico Lobos football team took on the Utah State University Aggies. This face was none other than former Lobo Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall, who was hired in December 2023, but after just one season with the Lobos he left and headed to Logan, Utah, to become the head coach of the Aggies. Mendenhall’s departure left a bad taste in fans’ mouths, leading to this game being one of the most anticipated for the Lobos this year. The Lobos came in laser-focused and did not disappoint as they picked apart Utah State, sending Mendenhall’s Aggies back to Utah with a 33-14 loss, and fans home with the sweet feeling of revenge.