Tuesday’s Edge: Lobos’ key ingredients against Oklahoma are revealed after dominating Mercyhurst
Tuesday’s Edge: a weekly takeaway from Edgerrin Garcia
“It’s kinda like we’ve been going to fast food restaurants to eat … now all of the sudden we’ve got an invite to the nicest steak house in town, and you’re checking your wallet to make sure you have enough to cover it because you don’t want to be embarrassed because this is certainly a team that can embarrass you.”
The New Mexico football team has a different three-course meal coming its way this weekend.
After cruising past Mercyhurst and Central Michigan in back-to-back weeks and extending their home winning streak to nine games — the longest home winning streak in 91 years — the Lobos are heading east to take on the 24th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners.
“We’re definitely stepping up in class,” head coach Jason Eck said during his opening statement at his weekly news conference on Monday regarding Oklahoma. “It’s kinda like we’ve been going to fast food restaurants to eat … now all of the sudden we’ve got an invite to the nicest steak house in town, and you’re checking your wallet to make sure you have enough to cover it because you don’t want to be embarrassed because this is certainly a team that can embarrass you.”
Saturday’s 70-7 blowout victory over FCS Mercyhurst revealed key areas the Lobos must improve before sitting down at the table with the Sooners — including one potential advantage waiting to blossom.
Start fast on offense; improve passing attack
New Mexico’s historic 70-point outburst masked its slow first quarter offensive performance.
Before scoring its first touchdown with 27 seconds left in the opening quarter, UNM’s first two drives resulted in an unsuccessful fourth-and-one attempt and a punt; amassing 52 total yards over 13 plays.
Quarterback Toa Fa’avae completed one pass for six yards after four incompletions through the game’s first two drives — including an overthrow to wide receiver Bailen George for what would have been a 39-yard score. Quarterback Luke Moga started 0-for-3 before finding tight end Cade Keith for a 42-yard touchdown that gave UNM a 21-7 lead two minutes into the second quarter.
Eck said he liked how Fa’avae and Moga responded after their slow starts, but their early play certainly wasn’t ideal, nor was the lack of execution in getting the ball to their playmakers consistently.
Before freshman wide receiver DJ Darling hauled in a 35-yard touchdown with just over nine minutes left in the third quarter, wide receiver Troy Omeire and Keith combined for four receptions, 134 yards and two touchdowns on an unsustainable 33.5 yards-per-reception.
They were the only two players to log a catch in the first half other than running back Kiefer Sibley, who caught one pass for four yards.
Moga and Fa’avae were a combined 5-for-15 through the air in the first half. It wasn’t that big an issue vs. Mercyhurst. That won’t cut it against Oklahoma.
Against an Oklahoma defense on the road, UNM’s passing attack must improve on a down-to-down basis and find easy completions early on. It cannot afford to become one-dimensional, and most importantly, not allow OU to comfortably stack the box and shut down what will be an important run game.
New Mexico doesn’t need to light up the stat sheet through the air; it needs enough production to keep Oklahoma honest.
Continue to buy the offense more possessions
The talk became action; now it must become routine.
Takeaways headlined just about every answer related to what UNM wanted to improve most in 2026. Through two games, the Lobos’ eight takeaways (5 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries) are tied with Colorado State for the most in the nation.
Eight takeaways through two games is impressive, but there’s a night-and-day difference between taking the ball away from an offense averaging a measly 152 total yards per game and doing it against an SEC opponent on its home ground.
If New Mexico wants to make history Saturday night, it’ll need to buy the offense an extra possession — or two.
Through two games, Oklahoma has committed three turnovers (one interception and two fumbles). They aren’t invincible in that area. Accomplishing an upset in front of over 80,000 fans requires making the Sooners disgruntled. Not often does a 23.5-point underdog flip the script without leaving the opposing team’s head coach wiping their face in frustration.
“That’s what you want to do in a game like this,” Eck said. “We gotta protect the football and keep taking it away.”
Punt return could play sneaky pivotal role
If there was ever a time for New Mexico to finally turn a kick into six points, it’s now.
Freshman safety Marco Beltran Jr. earned the starting punt return job during fall camp, and it doesn't require much squinting to see why.
Through two games, Beltran Jr. currently ranks 10th in the nation with 116 punt return yards and 14th with 19.3 yards per return. Beltran returned five punts for touchdowns during his time at The Woodlands College Park High School, in Woodlands, Texas.
“Marco is a difference maker,” Eck said. “Certainly I think to win a game like this you need some big plays. … You gotta set up a score on special teams. You need something like that to give you a spark.”
Scoring opportunities will come at a premium against OU’s stifling defense, leaving Beltran Jr. as a sneaky solution to that obstacle. If UNM can flip the field more than once, it could be the deciding factor in an unprecedented upset.
There won't be much room for wasted opportunities in a game of this magnitude. UNM will need its offense to stay afloat, its defense to take, and its special teams to provide sparks.
“This is a different world (this) week,” Eck said. “It’s gonna be a much tougher environment to play in. It’s a lot different weight class than we (were) punching (last) week.”
Riding the high of a 91-year record home win streak and a 70-7 dismantling of Mercyhurst, the New Mexico Lobos are trading fast food for fine dining as they head east to face No. 24 Oklahoma. Head coach Jason Eck knows stepping up to the SEC’s "nicest steak house" brings the risk of getting embarrassed, but the Lobos hold a few high-stakes ingredients for an unprecedented upset. To shock the Sooners, UNM must overcome early passing slumps, rely on their nation-leading takeaway defense, and leverage freshman sensation Marco Beltran Jr.’s explosive punt returns to flip the field.