Still in search of its first win of the season, UCLA football (0-2) will return to the Rose Bowl on Friday to face New Mexico (1-1) in Pasadena. Daily Bruin senior staff writer Kai Dizon, who is not sure how to tune into Big Ten Network – and does not know if he will even want to – breaks down the Bruins’ next opponent.
New Mexico’s Offense
Offensive scheme: Pro Style
Run-pass percentage: 49.6% run, 50.4%pass
Strength: Ground attack
Weakness: Quarterback
X-factor: RB Scottre Humphrey
The Lobos, who have not boasted a winning season since 2016, have a new look. Coach Bronco Mendenhall took the job at conference foe Utah State after just one season in New Mexico, and starting quarterback Devin Dampier – who torched the Bruins for 206 passing yards and 87 rushing yards Aug. 31 – transferred to Utah.
Additionally, leading receivers Luke Wysong and Ryan Davis – who each put up over 700 yards in 2024 – left for Arizona and Utah, respectively. Running back Eli Sanders, who was behind only Dampier in rushing yards, is now at USC.
In the wake of a mass exodus, New Mexico brought in Jason Eck to be its head coach. Eck led Idaho to three straight FCS postseasons in his three years, but 2025 is his first season leading an FBS program.
With him, Eck brought quarterback Jack Layne from Idaho to continue manning the offense. Layne, a former two-star recruit, accumulated 1,477 passing yards last season with a 64.3% completion percentage, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Layne, however, struggled in New Mexico’s 34-17 loss to then-No. 14 Michigan on Aug. 31. While he threw for 204 yards on 31-for-47 passing, three of those errant passes were picked off. The redshirt junior was also sacked three times and finished the day with minus-12 rushing yards.
The following week, New Mexico rebounded with a 32-22 victory over Idaho State – who UCLA’s previous opponent, UNLV, defeated 38-31 on Aug. 24. While Layne took care of the football, he was limited to just 21 passing attempts and was still sacked twice.
Luckily for UCLA – after struggling to prevent Dampier and UNLV signal caller Anthony Colandrea from breaking containment – Layne is not much of a dual threat. He finished his Vandal career with just 70 rushing yards on 41 attempts over three seasons. And Layne has just 10 carries this season – five of which were sacks.
The Lobos have just 372 passing yards through two games, with their average of 186 per game ranking even below the Bruins’ mark of 195.5. To add insult to injury, just one wideout has more than 50 receiving yards on the year – Michael Buckley with 53.
New Mexico’s leading pass catcher is tight end Dorian Thomas, who has 127 yards on 15 receptions and scored both of the team’s passing touchdowns. He appeared in just four games in 2024 – his redshirt freshman year, where he caught zero passes.
In other words, the Lobos do not seem too daunting through the air.
But New Mexico’s new running back could change things on the ground. Scottre Humphrey took his talents to New Mexico after spending the past two seasons at Montana State, an FCS program. After rushing for 1,819 yards on 253 carries as a Bobcat, the running back – and preseason all-conference honoree – has 174 on 28 carries as a Lobo so far.
While the Bruins certainly cannot afford to treat Friday like a cakewalk, it seems safe to say the Lobos’ offense will be far less threatening than the Utes’ or Rebels’.
The Mountain West’s preseason coaches’ poll had New Mexico finishing 11th out of 12 teams, and the Lobos are largely led by players – and a head coach – trying to find stable footing in the FBS.
New Mexico’s Defense
Defensive scheme: 4-2-5
Strength: Trying
Weakness: FBS experience
X-factor: DL Jaxton Eck
Spence Nowinsky took the defensive coordinator job at New Mexico after serving as a co-defensive coordinator at Memphis in 2024 and the previous two seasons as Ohio’s defensive coordinator.
However, he is far from the most intriguing name on the Lobos’ defense.
Defensive lineman Jaxton Eck, Jason Eck’s son, leads the team with 23 total tackles. The next two Lobos – cornerback Abraham Williams and safety Tavian Combs – combine for 22.
But otherwise, New Mexico’s defense has yet to inspire much confidence.
Granted, drawing conclusions from a two-game sample size may not be the most accurate – especially when one of those opponents was a blue blood like Michigan. But New Mexico is second to last in total defense among Mountain West teams, surrendering 419 yards a game. It is worth noting, however, that the worst defense in the conference belongs to UNLV.
Still, the Lobos’ two sacks and 70% completion rate allowed each rank second-to-last in the Mountain West.
New Mexico’s 2024 tackles leaders, safety Christian Ellis and cornerback Noah Avinger, transferred to Virginia Tech and Utah State, respectively.
And defensive lineman Moso’oipala Tuitele, who paced the team with four sacks, left for another conference foe, Colorado State. Even linebacker Jayden Wilson, who recorded two sacks and forced two fumbles, moved on to UTEP.
Defensive linemen Randolph Kpai and Dimitri Johnson remain, having put up 80 and 77 tackles with one and two sacks in 2024, respectively, but Kpai did not appear in New Mexico’s bout with Idaho State, and Johnson has just five total tackles thus far.
Coach DeShaun Foster and redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava have been deemed a laughingstock by most of the college football sphere two games into the season. And if they cannot bounce back against a New Mexico program reeling from the loss of its head coach and several key players, the ridicule will only get louder.
With the Big Ten slate around the corner, it is seemingly now or never for the Bruins.
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