UNM Football team hopes to square season and head to a bowl game
Nov 25, 2024
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – One more win means a trip to the postseason for the UNM Lobos Football team.
First-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall's squad has won five of their last seven games and can punch a ticket to the postseason with a win at Hawaii on Saturday.
"It's not lost on myself or my team, and it's been acknowledged from the beginning of the season all the way until now and so, yeah, we are determined and anxious and excited to play," said Mendenhall.
At 5-6 overall, 3-3 in the Mountain West, the Lobos are fourth in the nation in total offense, averaging over 484 yards per game.
The UNM offense has shown it can match the effort or surpass that of opponents. Hawaii will head into the game with a 4-7 record and 2-4 in the Mountain West. Just like last season, Hawaii likes to throw the football a lot. Their more than 248 passing yards per game ranks in the top 50. The Lobos secondary will be tested.
"Oh, I am extremely confident in our guys on the back end and it's going to come down to us," said UNM safety Noah Avinger. "They throw the ball probably, like, 80 percent of the time. So, just us being all focused on our keys and the little details in every play is going to send us over the edge."
UNM and Hawaii will kick off at 9 p.m. MT Saturday. The game will be televised on Spectrum.