UNM forces seven turnovers in Mercyhurst rout

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For one quarter, it was a game.

For the next three, it was nothing short of a complete mismatch.

New Mexico rode a 42-point second quarter to a dominant 70-7 win Saturday over FCS Mercyhurst, overcoming a slow start to notch the program’s ninth straight victory at University Stadium.

The Lobos notched seven turnovers on the day, including three in the second quarter. UNM capitalized on each to take a commanding 49-7 lead into the half after a 7-7 first quarter, one that saw the Lobos’ offense misfire at points.

Quarterbacks Luke Moga (4 of 9, 82 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Toa Fa’avae (3 of 9, 91 yards, 1 touchdown) split the majority of UNM’s drives for the second straight game. Both scored a rushing touchdown each.

Mercyhurst’s multi-quarterback offense was far less successful. Playing without regular starter Alex Gevaudan, Lakers backups Anthony Wolter (9 of 20, 111 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions) and Tyler Tusai (4 of 7, 26 yards, 1 interception)

UNM (2-0) outgained Mercyhurst (0-3) 450-165.

Key stat: Twenty-one, the amount of points UNM scored off defensive turnovers. Linebacker Jaxton Eck, safety Tavian Combs, defensive end Brett Karhu, cornerback Jahmir Torres and safety Joshua Barnes all notched defensive takeaways over the first three quarters.

Turning point: Safety Tavian Combs’ interception with 13:27 left in the second quarter. That play effectively kicked off UNM’s 42-point second quarter, one that put the game well out of Mercyhurst’s reach.

Stock up: UNM’s running backs and its defensive depth. Scottre Humphrey (110 yards, 2 touchdowns), Kiefer Sibley (48 yards, 1 touchdown), Jerod Terry Jr. (38 yards, 1 touchdown) and Deshaun Buchanan (10 yards, 1 touchdown) all saw the end zone while the Lobos got quality play out of key backups like linebacker Clay Martineau (7 total tackles and 2.5 tackles for a loss).

Stock down: The score masked it, but UNM’s passing attack was far from crisp in a lopsided first half. Moga (2-for-6) and Fa’avae (3-for-9) combined to complete just 5 of 15 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown over the opening two quarters.

Add-ons: UNM announced a crowd of 23,874.

Next up: New Mexico (2-0) travels to Oklahoma (1-1) next Saturday (Sept. 19) at 5:30 p.m. ESPN will broadcast the game from Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

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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