It's game week. Everything you need to know about New Mexico's season opener against Central Michigan
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Everything you need to know about New Mexico’s season opener against Central Michigan:
Who: UNM (0-0) vs. CMU (0-0).
When and where: 8 p.m. Saturday at University Stadium, where the Lobos have won seven straight games dating back to Nov. 2024.
How to watch/listen: FS1 will carry UNM-CMU with Carlo Jimenez (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst) on the call. Robert Portnoy (play-by-play), DonTrell Moore (analyst), Ned James (sideline) and J.J. Buck (pregame show) will broadcast the game via radio on the Lobo Radio Network (770 AM/96.3 FM).
Who’s favored: UNM is listed as a 12.5-point favorite, per DraftKings. The over/under is set at 46.5 points.
Top storyline: Thursday, head coach Jason Eck announced that Jack Layne, UNM’s starting quarterback last year, will undergo season-ending surgery to address a nagging elbow injury. He also said UNM will play multiple quarterbacks against CMU in lieu of naming a true starter.
Monday, he didn’t add much more.
After holding a three-player quarterback competition throughout fall camp – one with no clear winner – Eck was hesitant to share details on what UNM’s multi-quarterback system might look like come Saturday.
For instance, when Eck was asked if UNM would play all of its top three quarterbacks (sixth-year senior James Laubstein, junior Luke Moga and sophomore Toa Fa’avae) against CMU?
“Potentially,” he answered, “but not definitely.”
Or if he could share how UNM will split reps among said quarterbacks, whether it's between two or three players?
“(We’re) probably still finalizing that this week,” Eck said. “It could be (series by series), could be certain plays that are built for a guy and, you know, subbing the guy during the series.”
And if he would publicly name a starter – as in who will literally take the first snap – before Saturday’s game?
“No,” he said, “we’ll figure that out. We’re still evaluating through practices this week, and I wanna help sell those last few tickets. So I don’t wanna give (it) away – it’s like a ‘to be continued’ episode.
“Get your tickets, come to the game and you’ll find out Saturday night who the starter’s gonna be.”
But if Saturday will be the first real look at how UNM manages a quarterback-by-committee approach, Eck does have some notable experience overseeing a similar system. As the offensive coordinator at Division II Minnesota State-Mankato in 2014, the Lobos’ second-year head coach called a two-quarterback offense that averaged 40 points per game and fueled a 14-1 finish.
After that season – Eck’s first as a playcaller – he said he thought it “definitely was not a negative” to run a multi-quarterback system. Nor does he view it as a problem that needs to be solved, a position in need of a full-time starter.
He saw it work once – and believes it can work Saturday.
“(Wide receivers coach Carson Walch) mentioned, ‘(the) NFL’s kinda (the) best practice – you don’t see any NFL teams doing this at this point,’” Eck said. “I said, ‘I look through (my) personal history and the most games I ever won as a coach (in a single season) was 14, and we played two quarterbacks.’
“So I’m not too concerned about it.”
Lobos to watch: There’s no doubt UNM’s quarterbacks – how much one might play, how little another might and, well, simply how all three are used – will command the lion’s share of attention Saturday. But after seventh-year senior receiver Troy Omeire battled a hamstring injury for much of fall camp, Eck said he expects him to play against CMU, setting up the debut of one of the Lobos’ most ballyhooed transfer additions.
The 6-foot-5, 226-pound former four-star prospect is expected to serve as UNM’s WR1 after catching 31 passes for 514 yards and five touchdowns with UNLV last season.
Eck also said there’s a chance UNM’s four talented freshman receivers – Massiah Mingo, DJ Darling, Dorian Patterson and Bailen George – could see the field Saturday. Mingo and Darling were even listed as starters on UNM’s first two-deep of the season.
If Eck downplayed how much that actually meant, he didn’t shy away from complimenting his four young pass catchers after a camp that saw each flash in different ways.
“I think Mingo and Bailen George really present problems,” he said. “They can really get out of breaks at a really high level, like, the best on our team. Dorian is a big target … DJ is very fast. He missed quite a bit of time with (a hamstring injury) and he’s probably not quite as electric out of the brakes as the other two, but he can roll.”
Chippewas to watch: Like the Lobos, CMU is expected to play multiple quarterbacks Saturday. There’s no mystery about who’s taking the first snap, though: Angel Flores will start for the Chippewas after completing 19 of 28 passes for 195 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while rushing for 527 yards and eight touchdowns last season.
The 6-1, 210-pound fifth-year senior is expected to share reps with Jadyn Glasser, a 6-3, 245-pound junior who appeared in two games for CMU last season.
“He’s a solid, accurate thrower as well, but I’d say his athleticism is what scares you the most,” Eck said of Flores.
Eck was also complimentary of wide receiver Langston Lewis, who led the Chippewas with 43 receptions, 596 yards and three touchdowns.
“He’s just a good football player,” he said. “He’s good in the passing game, but I think he’s good in the running game and a tough guy. They’ll use him to block and cut off guys.”
What happened the last time these two teams played: Saturday represents the first meeting between UNM and CMU on the field, so there’s no prior history to draw on. But no matter which quarterback – Laubstein, Moga or Fa’avae – takes the first snap, they will continue a 13-year streak of Lobo season openers with 13 different starting quarterbacks.
Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at @lenaweereider.
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