2020 New Mexico Lobos football team

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American college football season

The 2020 New Mexico Lobos football team represented the University of New Mexico in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Lobos played their home games at Sam Boyd Stadium as members of the Mountain West Conference due to COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the state of New Mexico. They were led by first-year head coach Danny Gonzales.

On August 10, 2020, the Mountain West Conference suspended all sports competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] On September 24, the conference announced that the football season would begin on October 24.[3]

Previous season[edit]

The Lobos finished the 2019 season 2–10 and 0–8 in Mountain West play to finish in last place in the Mountain Division and did not qualify for a bowl game. Head coach Bob Davie was replaced by Danny Gonzales.

Preseason[edit]

Award watch lists[edit]

Listed in the order they were released

Mountain West media days[edit]

The Mountain West media days were originally scheduled on July 16–17, 2020, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, but were canceled in favor of virtual media days due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] The virtual media days that were scheduled to take place on July 27–29, 2020, were also canceled.[7]

Media poll[edit]

The preseason poll was released on July 21, 2020. The Lobos were predicted to finish in sixth place in the MW Mountain Division.[8] The divisions were later suspended for the 2020 season.

Mountain
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Boise State 125 (20)
2 Wyoming 90 (1)
3 Air Force 86
4 Utah State 60
5 Colorado State 59
6 New Mexico 21
West
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 San Diego State 122 (19)
2 Nevada 100 (2)
3 Hawaii 74
4 Fresno State 73
5 San Jose State 43
6 UNLV 29

Schedule[edit]

New Mexico announced its 2020 football schedule on February 26, 2020.[9] The Lobos’ original schedule consisted of six home and seven away games in the regular season. On August 10, 2020, the Mountain West Conference announced the suspension of the football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10][11] In late September, the Mountain West Conference announced that the season would begin on October 24.[12]

Original[edit]

Date Opponent Site Result
August 29 Idaho State* No contest
September 5 at Mississippi State* No contest
September 12 at USC* No contest
September 19 at New Mexico State* No contest
October 3 UMass*dagger
  • University Stadium
  • Albuquerque, NM
No contest
October 10 at Colorado State Rescheduled
October 17 Nevada
  • University Stadium
  • Albuquerque, NM (Battle of the Wolves)
Rescheduled
October 24 at Utah State Rescheduled
October 31 San Jose State
  • University Stadium
  • Albuquerque, NM
No change
November 7 at Hawaii No change
November 14 Boise State
  • University Stadium
  • Albuquerque, NM
No contest
November 21 at Air Force No change
November 28 Wyoming
  • University Stadium
  • Albuquerque, NM
Rescheduled
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming

Revised[edit]

Source:[15]

Personnel[edit]

Depth chart[edit]

As of December 11, 2020

Game summaries[edit]

At Colorado State (No Contest)[edit]

New Mexico at Colorado State (No Contest)
1 2 3 4 Total
Lobos 0 0 0 0 0
Rams 0 0 0 0 0
Pregame line Over/under
N/A N/A[16]

The New Mexico at Colorado State game was canceled by the Mountain West, due to COVID-19 restrictions and the game was not rescheduled.[17]

At San Jose State[edit]

New Mexico at San Jose State
1 2 3 4 Total
Lobos 0 14 7 0 21
Spartans 7 14 10 7 38
  • Date: October 31, 2020
  • Location: CEFCU Stadium
    San Jose, CA
  • Game start: 4:11 p.m. PDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 41 minutes
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Game weather: Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Clear and Sunny • Wind: NW 7 MPH
  • Referee: Mike Cuttone
  • TV announcers (FS1): Guy Haberman (play–by–play) and Charles Arbuckle (analyst)
     

Pregame line Over/under
SJSU –13.5 56[18]
Statistics New Mexico San Jose State
First downs 23 23
Total yards 443 579
Rushing yards 149 98
Passing yards 294 481
Turnovers 1 0
Time of possession 28:26 31:34
Team Category Player Statistics
New Mexico Passing Tevaka Tuioti 20/35, 294 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Tevaka Tuioti 14 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Andre Erickson 3 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD
San Jose State Passing Nick Starkel 34/47, 467 yards, 5 TDs
Rushing Isaiah Holiness 9 carries, 31 yards
Receiving Bailey Gaither 10 receptions, 208 yards, 1 TD

At Hawaii[edit]

New Mexico at Hawaii
1 2 3 4 Total
Lobos 17 3 7 6 33
Rainbow Warriors 7 7 14 11 39
  • Date: November 7, 2020
  • Location: Aloha Stadium
    Halawa, HI
  • Game start: 6:07 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 22 minutes
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Game weather: Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: 65% Humidity • Wind: ENE 13 MPH
  • Referee: Timothy Davis
  • TV announcers (SPEC HI): Robert Kekaula (play–by–play) and Rich Miano (analyst)
         

Pregame line Over/under
UH –14 66.5[19]
Statistics New Mexico Hawaii
First downs 24 23
Total yards 499 503
Rushing yards 279 93
Passing yards 220 410
Turnovers 1 2
Time of possession 32:22 27:38
Team Category Player Statistics
New Mexico Passing Tevaka Tuioti 17/31, 181 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing Nathanie Jones 13 carries, 96 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Jordan Kress 3 receptions, 93 yards, 2 TDs
Hawaii Passing Chevan Cordeiro 33/43, 410 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing Chevan Cordeiro 10 carries, 39 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Nick Mardner 6 receptions, 147 yards, 1 TD

Nevada[edit]

Nevada at New Mexico
(Battle of the Wolves)
1 2 3 4 Total
Wolf Pack 0 10 10 7 27
Lobos 7 6 0 7 20
  • Date: November 14, 2020
  • Location: Sam Boyd Stadium
    Whitney, NV
  • Game start: 3:35 p.m. PST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 15 minutes
  • Game attendance: 250
  • Game weather: Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: None
  • Referee: Michael VanderVelde
  • TV announcers (FS2): Anthony LaPanta (play–by–play) and Ron Johnson (analyst)
     

Pregame line Over/under
NEV –17.5 63[20]
Statistics Nevada New Mexico
First downs 19 21
Total yards 392 352
Rushing yards 52 141
Passing yards 340 211
Turnovers 2 0
Time of possession 27:45 32:15
Team Category Player Statistics
Nevada Passing Carson Strong 24/38, 336 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Toa Taua 15 carries, 62 yards
Receiving Romeo Doubs 5 receptions, 172 yards, 3 TDs
New Mexico Passing Trae Hall 17/32, 195 yards, 1 INT
Rushing Bobby Cole 17 carries, 90 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Emmanuel Logan–Greene 5 receptions, 56 yards

At Air Force[edit]

New Mexico at Air Force
1 2 3 4 Total
Lobos 0 0 0 0 0
Falcons 7 14 0 7 28
 

Pregame line Over/under
AF –8 55.5[21]
Statistics New Mexico Air Force
First downs 19 23
Total yards 304 422
Rushing yards 83 356
Passing yards 221 66
Turnovers 3 7
Time of possession 23:31 36:29
Team Category Player Statistics
New Mexico Passing Trae Hall 23/42, 221 yards, 1 INT
Rushing Nathanie Jones 6 carries, 29 yards
Receiving Emmanuel Logan–Greene 3 receptions, 64 yards
Air Force Passing Haaziq Daniels 4/5, 66 yards
Rushing Brad Roberts 28 carries, 177 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving Kyle Patterson 2 receptions, 34 yards

At Utah State[edit]

New Mexico at Utah State
1 2 3 4 Total
Lobos 3 10 7 7 27
Aggies 3 3 28 7 41
  • Date:
  • Location: Maverik Stadium
    Logan, UT
  • Game start: 5:05 p.m. MST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 40 minutes
  • Game attendance: 198
  • Game weather: Temperature: 32 °F (0 °C) • Weather: N/A • Wind: NW 5 MPH
  • Referee: Timothy Davis
  • TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust (play–by–play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst)
        

Pregame line Over/under
NM –6 49[22]
Statistics New Mexico Utah State
First downs 25 22
Total yards 348 452
Rushing yards 196 209
Passing yards 152 243
Turnovers 4 5
Time of possession 31:05 28:55
Team Category Player Statistics
New Mexico Passing Trae Hall 11/21, 63 yards
Rushing Trae Hall 13 carries, 70 yards
Receiving Andre Erickson 5 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD
Utah State Passing Andrew Peasley 14/21, 239 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing Andrew Peasley 11 carries, 118 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Justin McGriff 4 receptions, 99 yards, 1 TD

Wyoming[edit]

Wyoming at New Mexico
1 2 3 4 Total
Cowboys 3 10 0 3 16
Lobos 0 10 0 7 17
  • Date: December 5, 2020
  • Location: Sam Boyd Stadium
    Whitney, NV
  • Game start: 7:30 p.m. PST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 19 minutes
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Game weather: Temperature: 45 °F (7 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: SW 5 MPH
  • Referee: Christian Watson
  • TV announcers (CBSSN): John Sadak (play–by–play) and Randy Cross (analyst)
    

Pregame line Over/under
WYO –15.5 51[23]
Statistics Wyoming New Mexico
First downs 12 16
Total yards 374 315
Rushing yards 283 223
Passing yards 91 92
Turnovers 2 2
Time of possession 25:28 34:32
Team Category Player Statistics
Wyoming Passing Levi Williams 4/12, 73 yards, 1 INT
Rushing Trey Smith 24 carries, 154 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Isaiah Neyor 1 reception, 54 yards
New Mexico Passing Isaiah Chavez 5/10, 55 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Bobby Cole 22 carries, 131 yards
Receiving Bobby Cole 2 receptions, 53 yards, 1 TD

Fresno State[edit]

Fresno State at New Mexico
1 2 3 4 Total
Bulldogs 7 17 7 8 39
Lobos 7 14 7 21 49
  • Date: December 12, 2020
  • Location: Sam Boyd Stadium
    Whitney, NV
  • Game start: 7:35 p.m. PST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 23 minutes
  • Game attendance: 250
  • Game weather: Temperature: 48 °F (9 °C) • Weather: Windy • Wind: 12 MPH
  • Referee: Michael VanderVelde
  • TV announcers (FS1): Guy Haberman (play–by–play) and Charles Arbuckle (analyst)
         

Pregame line Over/under
FS –14.5 55.5[24]
Statistics Fresno State New Mexico
First downs 23 24
Total yards 408 495
Rushing yards 58 299
Passing yards 350 196
Turnovers 1 0
Time of possession 28:27 31:33
Team Category Player Statistics
Fresno State Passing Jake Haener 26/43, 350 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Jordan Mims 3 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Jalen Cropper 12 receptions, 134 yards, 1 TD
New Mexico Passing Isaiah Chavez 14/18, 196 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Bobby Cole 18 carries, 138 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving Emmanuel Logan–Greene 7 receptions, 55 yards

References[edit]

  1. ^ “WE’RE BACK”. twitter.com/MountainWest. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  2. ^ “Mountain West Postpones 2020 Fall Sports”. TheMW.com. August 10, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  3. ^ “2020 Mountain West Football Season to Begin on October 24”. themw.com (Press release). September 25, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  4. ^ “Saltes on Outland Preseason Watch List”. University of New Mexico Athletics. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  5. ^ “Saltes on Wuerffel Preseason Watch List”. University of New Mexico Athletics. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  6. ^ Khan Jr., Sam (April 29, 2020). “Mountain West, MAC planning virtual preseason media days”. ESPN. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  7. ^ “Mountain West Postpones 2020 Football Virtual Media Days”. Mountain West Conference. July 20, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  8. ^ “Boise State, San Diego State Picked to Win 2020 Mountain West Football Divisional Titles”. Mountain West Conference. July 21, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  9. ^ “Lobo 2020 Football Schedule Released”. University of New Mexico. February 26, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  10. ^ “MWC cancels fall sports, including Lobo football”. Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  11. ^ “Mountain West postpones football, fall sports”. ESPN.com. 2020-08-10. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  12. ^ “2020 Mountain West Football Season to Begin on October 24”. themw.com (Press release). September 25, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  13. ^ Crowley, Kerry (October 26, 2020). “Coronavirus: San Jose State game moved from New Mexico to Bay Area due to health order”. The Mercury News. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  14. ^ Murray, Chris (November 12, 2020). “Nevada weighs in on playing neutral-site game at Sam Boyd Stadium”. nevadasportsnet.com. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  15. ^ “2020 New Mexico Football Schedule”. FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  16. ^ “New Mexico Lobos vs Colorado State Rams”. Odds Shark. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  17. ^ Bonagura, Kyle (October 20, 2020). “Colorado State Rams-New Mexico Lobos football game canceled due to coronavirus”. ESPN. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  18. ^ “New Mexico Lobos vs San Jose State Spartans”. Odds Shark. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  19. ^ “New Mexico Lobos vs Hawaii Rainbow Warriors”. Odds Shark. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  20. ^ “Nevada Wolf Pack vs New Mexico Lobos”. Odds Shark. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  21. ^ “New Mexico Lobos vs Air Force Falcons”. Odds Shark. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  22. ^ “New Mexico Lobos vs Utah State Aggies”. Odds Shark. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  23. ^ “Wyoming Cowboys vs New Mexico Lobos”. Odds Shark. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  24. ^ “Fresno State Bulldogs vs New Mexico Lobos”. Odds Shark. Retrieved December 8, 2020.