2023 New Mexico Lobos football team

2023 New Mexico Lobos football
2023 New Mexico Lobos football
Conference	Mountain West Conference
Record	4–8 (2–6 MW)
Head coach	Danny Gonzales (4th season);
Offensive coordinator	Bryant Vincent (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread option
Defensive coordinator	Troy Reffett (1st season)
Base defense	3–3–5
Home stadium	University Stadium
	Seasons ← 2022 2024 →

2023 Mountain West Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
UNLV y	6	–	2	9	–	5
Boise State y$	6	–	2	8	–	6
San Jose State	6	–	2	7	–	6
Air Force	5	–	3	9	–	4
Wyoming	5	–	3	9	–	4
Fresno State	4	–	4	9	–	4
Utah State	4	–	4	6	–	7
Hawaii	3	–	5	5	–	8
Colorado State	3	–	5	5	–	7
Nevada	2	–	6	2	–	10
New Mexico	2	–	6	4	–	8
San Diego State	2	–	6	4	–	8
Championship: Boise State 44, UNLV 20
$ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant

The 2023 New Mexico Lobos football team represented the University of New Mexico as a member of the Mountain West Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Lobos were led by Danny Gonzales in his fourth year as New Mexico's head coach. They played their home games at University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Lobos drew an average home attendance of 15,982 in 2023.

Gonzales was fired following the conclusion of the season. He finished his tenure at New Mexico with a record of 11–32.^[1]

Offseason

Transfers

Outgoing

Player	Position	Destination
C. J. Montes	QB	Fordham
Benji Johnson	S	Austin Peay
Jaden Phillips	DL	Sam Houston State
Adari Haulcy	S	Houston
AJ Odums	CB	UTEP
Keyonta Lanier	WR	Colorado State
Peyton Dixon	RB	Nevada
Jah'mar Sanders	WR	Lamar
Andrell Barney Jr.	CB	Snow College
Antonio Hunt	CB	Unknown
Ian Shewell	DL	Arizona State
Jaden Hullaby	RB	Unknown
Ronald Wilson	S	Incarnate Word
Jake Saltonstall	DL	Unknown
Geordon Porter	CB	UConn
Xavier Hailey	S	Unknown
Cody Moon	LB	San Diego State
Zoe Roberts	WR	Unknown
Trae Hall	WR	Unknown
Chad Alexander	RB	Unknown
Dion Hunter	LB	Cincinnati
Zacchaeus Williams	IOL	Unknown
Alex Murrell	WR	Unknown
Donald Dixon	IOL	Unknown
Myron Carter	RB	Unknown

Incoming

Player	Position	Previous School
Xavier Van	WR	San Diego
Andrew Henry	RB	Louisiana–Monroe
Gabriel Lopez	EDGE	Washington State
Bryson Washington	S	Oklahoma
Jeremiah Hixon	WR	Alabama State
Caleb Medford	WR	TCU
DC Tabscott	QB	Appalachian State
Dylan Hopkins	QB	UAB
Marvin Covington	CB	TCU
D'Arco Perkins-McAllister	S	TCU
Sam Telesa	OC	Georgetown
Max Lantzsch	TE	East Carolina
Kaydin Pope	WR	Mississippi State
Travis Gray	OT	Colorado
Noa Pola-Gates	S	Nebraska
Taurrian Stafford	IOL	Alabama State
Jacory Croskey-Merritt	RB	Alabama State

^[2]^[3]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	5:00 p.m.	at No. 23 Texas A&M*	Kyle Field College Station, TX	ESPN	L 10–52	97,560
September 9	6:00 p.m.	Tennessee Tech*	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM	MW Network	W 56–10	17,279
September 16	6:00 p.m.	New Mexico State*	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM (Rio Grande Rivalry)	MW Network	L 17–27	27,414
September 23	1:30 p.m.	at UMass*	McGuirk Alumni Stadium Amherst, MA	ESPN+	W 34–31	8,298
September 30	2:00 p.m.	at Wyoming	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY	MW Network	L 26–35	25,477
October 14	4:00 p.m.	San Jose State	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM	MW Network	L 24–52	13,027
October 21	4:00 p.m.	Hawaii	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM	SPEC PPV	W 42–21	13,723
October 28	8:30 p.m.	at Nevada	Mackay Stadium Reno, NV	CBSSN	L 24–34	13,083
November 4	4:00 p.m.	UNLV	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM	MW Network	L 14–56	12,353
November 11	8:00 p.m.	at Boise State	Albertsons Stadium Boise, ID	FS1	L 14–42	34,076
November 18	8:30 p.m.	at Fresno State	Valley Children's Stadium Fresno, CA	FS1	W 25–17	38,569
November 24	1:30 p.m.	Utah State	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM	CBSSN	L 41–44 ^2OT	12,094
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game All times are in Mountain time

^[4]

Game summaries

at No. 23 Texas A&M

Game One: New Mexico Lobos (0-0) at No. 23 Texas A&M Aggies (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
New Mexico	0	7	3	0	10
No. 23 Texas A&M	7	28	7	10	52

at Kyle Field, College Station, Texas

Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny, 99 °F (37 °C)
Game attendance: 97,560
Referee: David Smith
TV announcers (ESPN): Mark Jones (play-by-play), Louis Riddick (analyst), and Quint Kessenich (sideline)
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

(5:00) TXAM – Noah Thomas 15-yard pass from Connor Weigman (Randy Bond kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 85 yards, 3:10; Texas A&M 7-0)

Second quarter

(14:53) TXAM – Evan Stewart 35-yard pass from Connor Weigman (Randy Bond kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 45 yards, 1:37; Texas A&M 14-0)
(10:32) UNM – Jacory Crosky-Merritt 27-yard run (Luke Drzewiecki kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 88 yards, 4:21; Texas A&M 14-7)
(8:03) TXAM – Noah Thomas 34-yard pass from Connor Weigman (Randy Bond kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 2:29; Texas A&M 21-7)
(5:30) TXAM – Le'Veon Moss 2-yard run (Randy Bond kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 38 yards, 2:02; Texas A&M 28-7)
(1:27) TXAM – Noah Thomas 9-yard pass from Connor Weigman (Randy Bond kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 37 yards, 2:00; Texas A&M 35-7)

Third quarter

(6:09) UNM – Luke Drzeweicki 27-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 51 yards, 7:09; Texas A&M 35-10)
(2:30) TXAM – Evan Stewart 8-yard pass from Connor Weigman (Randy Bond kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 3:39; Texas A&M 42-10)

Fourth quarter

(7:35) TXAM – Moose Muhammad III 12-yard pass from Max Johnson (Randy Bond kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 3:37; Texas A&M 49-10)
(1:10) TXAM – Randy Bond 39-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 40 yards, 3:32; Texas A&M 52-10)

Statistics	UNM	TXAM
First downs	18	27
Total yards	60–222	63–411
Rushing yards	32–91	29–134
Passing yards	131	277
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	16–28–1	24–34–0
Time of possession	34:20	25:40

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
New Mexico	Passing	Dylan Hopkins	15/24, 115 yards, INT
	Rushing	Jacory Croskey-Merritt	11 carries, 50 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jeremiah Hixon	6 receptions, 42 yards
Texas A&M	Passing	Conner Weigman	18/23, 236 yards, 5 TD
	Rushing	Amari Daniels	7 carries, 51 yards
	Receiving	Evan Stewart	8 receptions, 115 yards, 2 TD

Tennessee Tech

New Mexico State

Game Three – New Mexico State Aggies (1–2) at New Mexico Lobos (1–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Aggies	0	17	3	7	27
Lobos	3	7	0	7	17

at University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Date: September 16
Game time: 6:00 p.m. MDT
Game weather: Clear, 80 °F (27 °C)
Game attendance: 27,414
Referee: Jonathan Noli
TV announcers (MW Network): Jeff Siembieda and George Carter
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

UNM – Luke Drzewiecki 25-yard field goal, 8:25. Lobos 3–0. Drive: 12 plays, 78 yards, 6:29.

Second quarter

NMSU – Star Thomas 2-yard run (Ethan Albertson kick), 13:32. Aggies 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 88 yards, 5:18.
UNM – Jacory Croskey-Merritt 1-yard run (Luke Drzewiecki kick), 9:01. Lobos 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 4:31.
NMSU – Ethan Albertson 26-yard field goal, 4:31. Tied 10–10. Drive: 8 plays, 66 yards, 4:30.
NMSU – Jonathan Brady 31-yard pass from Diego Pavia (Ethan Albertson kick), 0:41. Aggies 17–10. Drive: 6 plays, 63 yards, 2:08.

Third quarter

NMSU – Ethan Albertson 47-yard field goal, 1:17. Aggies 20–10. Drive: 12 plays, 61 yards, 8:08.

Fourth quarter

UNM – Andrew Erickson 1-yard pass from Dylan Hopkins (Luke Drzewiecki kick), 10:16. Aggies 20–17. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 6:01.
NMSU – Jonathan Brady 75-yard pass from Diego Pavia (Ethan Albertson kick), 10:06. Aggies 27–17. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:10.

Statistics	NMSU	UNM
First downs	15	26
Total yards	397	401
Rushing yards	177	154
Passing yards	220	247
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	27:53	32:07

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
New Mexico State	Passing	Diego Pavia	9/14, 203 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Diego Pavia	11 rushes, 96 yards
	Receiving	Jonathan Brady	3 receptions, 109 yards, 2 TD
New Mexico	Passing	Dylan Hopkins	20/39, 247 yards, TD
	Rushing	Jacory Croskey-Merritt	16 rushes, 83 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jeremiah Hixon	5 receptions, 45 yards

at UMass

at Wyoming

Game Five – New Mexico Lobos (2–2) at Wyoming Cowboys (3–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lobos	6	3	3	14	26
Cowboys	9	3	17	6	35

at War Memorial Stadium, Laramie, Wyoming

Date: September 30
Game time: 2:02 p.m. MDT
Game weather: Sunny, 75 °F (24 °C)
Game attendance: 25,477
Referee: Kenneth Ray
TV announcers (Mountain West Network): Chris Sylvester, Jared Petrino, and Bridget Howard
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

UNM – Jeremiah Hixon 17-yard pass from Dylan Hopkins (Luke Drzewiecki kick blocked), 10:50. Lobos 6–0. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:10.
WYO – Jakorey Hawkins 81-yard PAT return, 10:50. Lobos 6–2.
WYO – Andrew Peasley 2-yard run (John Hoyland kick), 2:58. Cowboys 9–6. Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 3:20.

Second quarter

UNM – Luke Drzewiecki 39-yard field goal, 11:50. Tied 9–9. Drive: 12 plays, 53 yards, 6:08.
WYO – John Hoyland 38-yard field goal, 6:38. Cowboys 12–9. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 5:12.

Third quarter

WYO – John Hoyland 34-yard field goal, 10:15. Cowboys 15–9. Drive: 10 plays, 58 yards, 4:45.
WYO – Harrison Waylee 46-yard run (John Hoyland kick), 7:56. Cowboys 22–9. Drive: 1 play, 46 yards, 0:11.
UNM – Luke Drzewiecki 26-yard field goal, 5:15. Cowboys 22–12. Drive: 10 plays, 67 yards, 2:41.
WYO – Ayir Asante 66-yard pass from Andrew Peasley (John Hoyland kick), 0:00. Cowboys 29–12. Drive: 1 play, 66 yards, 0:08.

Fourth quarter

UNM – Jeremiah Hixon 14-yard pass from Devon Dampier (Luke Drzewiecki kick), 13:06. Cowboys 29–19. Drive: 4 plays, 71 yards, 1:49.
WYO – John Hoyland 26-yard field goal, 10:57. Cowboys 32–19. Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 2:09.
UNM – DJ Washington 11-yard pass from Devon Dampier (Luke Drzewiecki kick), 1:12. Cowboys 32–26. Drive: 11 plays, 99 yards, 4:42.
WYO – John Hoyland 38-yard field goal, 0:06. Cowboys 35–26. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:06.

Top passers

UNM – Dylan Hopkins – 15/31, 162 yards, TD, INT
WYO – Andrew Peasley – 16/25, 194 yards, TD

Top rushers

UNM – Jacory Croskey-Merritt – 14 rushes, 92 yards
WYO – Harrison Waylee – 18 rushes, 191 yards, 1 TD

Top receivers

UNM – Ryan Davis – 4 receptions, 59 yards
WYO – Ayir Asante – 2 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD

San Jose State

Game Six – San Jose State Spartans (1–5) at New Mexico (2–3)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Spartans	0	14	24	14	52
Lobos	3	14	0	7	24

at University Stadium, Albuquerque, NM

Date: October 14, 2023
Game time: 3:00 p.m. PST
TV: MW Network

Game information

First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter

Win Probability

Line

Over/Under

Statistics	SJSU	UNM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SJSU	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
New Mexico	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Hawaii

Game Seven – New Mexico Lobos (2–4) at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (2–5)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rainbow Warriors	7	7	0	7	21
Lobos	14	14	7	7	42

at University Stadium, Albuquerque, NM

Date: October 21, 2023
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 13,723
TV: SPEC PPV

at Nevada

at UNLV

Game Nine – UNLV Rebels (6–2) at New Mexico Lobos (3–5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rebels	14	21	14	7	56
Lobos	0	7	0	7	14

at University Stadium • Albuquerque, NM

Date: November 4, 2023
Game time: 4:00 p.m. MST
Game weather: Clear, 74 °F (23 °C)
Game attendance: 12,353
Referee: Michael Cuttone
TV announcers (KVVU): Steve Cofield, Matt Neverett

Game information

First quarter

(12:15) UNLV – Ricky White 30-yard pass from Jayden Maiava, Jose Pizano kick (Drive: 1 play, 30 yards, 0:07; UNLV 7–0)
(5:44) UNLV – Vincent Davis 5-yard run, Jose Pizano kick (Drive: 5 plays, 32 yards, 1:53; UNLV 14–0)

Second quarter

(14:15) UNM – Andrew Henry 3-yard run, Luke Drzewiecki kick (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:29; UNLV 14–7)
(9:00) UNLV – Vincent Davis 5-yard run, Jose Pizano kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:15; UNLV 21–7)
(6:56) UNLV – Donavyn Lester 5-yard run, Jose Pizano kick (Drive: 1 play, 5 yards, 0:06; UNLV 28–7)
(4:22) UNLV – Courtney Reese 2-yard run, Jose Pizano kick (Drive: 3 plays, 21 yards, 1:20; UNLV 35–7)

Third quarter

(11:41) UNLV – Dominic Gicinto 43-yard pass from Jayden Maiava, Jose Pizano kick (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 5:15; UNLV 42–7)
(9:17) UNLV – Ricky White 58-yard pass from Jayden Maiava, Jose Pizano kick (Drive: 1 play, 58 yards, 0:08; UNLV 49–7)

Fourth quarter

(10:31) UNLV – Cameron Friel 1-yard run, Andre Meono kick (Drive: 4 plays, 9 yards, 2:01; UNLV 56–7)
(3:05) UNM – Jacory Croskey-Merritt 1-yard pass from Devon Dampier, Luke Drzewiecki kick (Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 7:26; UNLV 56–14)

Statistics	UNLV	UNM
First downs	17	20
Total yards	416	362
Rushing yards	32–169	45–166
Passing yards	247	196
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	13–18–0	17–26–0
Time of possession	22:42	37:18

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UNLV	Passing	Jayden Maiava	13/18, 247 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Vincent Davis	9 carries, 64 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Ricky White	8 receptions, 165 yards, 2 TD
New Mexico	Passing	Dylan Hopkins	15/23, 187 yards
	Rushing	Jacory Croskey-Merritt	21 carries, 86 yards
	Receiving	DJ Washington	5 receptions, 78 yards

at Boise State

at Fresno State

Game Eleven – New Mexico Lobos (3–7) at Fresno State Bulldogs (8–2)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lobos	3	9	6	7	25
Bulldogs	7	7	0	3	17

at Valley Children's Stadium • Fresno, California

Date: Saturday, November 18, 2023
Game time: 7:30 p.m. PDT
Game weather: Rain • Temperature: 57 °F (14 °C) • Wind: N 3mph
Game attendance: 38,569
Referee: Patrick Foy
TV announcers (FS1): Jordan Kent (play-by-play) & Will Blackmon (analyst)
Pregame line: Fresno State −23.0

Game information

First quarter

(9:53) UNM – Luke Drzewiecki 38-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 45 yards, 5:07; New Mexico 3–0)
(6:05) FRES – Logan Fife 1-yard run, Dylan Lynch kick (Drive: 8 plays, 77 yards, 3:42; Fresno State 7–3)

Second quarter

(11:06) FRES – Malik Sherrod 6-yard run, Dylan Lynch kick (Drive: 7 plays, 78 yards, 3:07; Fresno State 14–3)
(6:08) UNM – Luke Drzewiecki 38-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 54 yards, 4:58; Fresno State 14–6)
(2:19) UNM – Jacory Croskey-Merritt 50-yard run, two-point pass failed (Drive: 4 plays, 92 yards, 2:08; Fresno State 14–12)

Third quarter

(2:30) UNM – Jacory Croskey-Merritt 10-yard run, two-point pass failed (Drive: 10 plays, 93 yards, 5:25; New Mexico 18–14)

Fourth quarter

(8:57) UNM – Caleb Medford 33-yard pass from Devon Dampier, Luke Drzewiecki kick (Drive: 10 plays, 97 yards, 5:53; New Mexico 25–14)
(3:25) FRES – Dylan Lynch 44-yard field goal (Drive: 15 plays, 63 yards, 1:57; New Mexico 25–17)

Statistics	UNM	FRES
First downs	26	13
Plays–yards	72–528	49–235
Rushes–yards	51–345	19–34
Passing yards	183	195
Passing: comp–att–int	10–21–2	18–32–0
Time of possession	39:05	20:55

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
New Mexico	Passing	Dylan Hopkins	8/18, 124 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Jacory Croskey-Merritt	21 carries, 209 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Caleb Medford	6 receptions, 122 yards, TD
Fresno State	Passing	Logan Fife	9/15, 137 yards
	Rushing	Malik Sherrod	13 carries, 50 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jalen Moss	1 reception, 53 yards

Utah State

References

^ Reider, Sean (November 27, 2023). "Former UNM football coach Danny Gonzales speaks publicly for first time after dismissal". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
^ "2023 New Mexico Football Transfer Portal". ON3.
^ "New Mexico Lobos 2023 College Football Transfer Portal". 247Sports.
^ "2023 New Mexico Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved January 5, 2023.

[1] Reider, Sean (November 27, 2023). "Former UNM football coach Danny Gonzales speaks publicly for first time after dismissal". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved November 29, 2023.

[2] "2023 New Mexico Football Transfer Portal". ON3.

[3] "New Mexico Lobos 2023 College Football Transfer Portal". 247Sports.

[4] "2023 New Mexico Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved January 5, 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e New Mexico Lobos football
Venues	University Field (1892–1937) Zimmerman Field (1938–1959) University Stadium (1960–2019, 2021–present) Sam Boyd Stadium (2020)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Arizona New Mexico State: Rio Grande Rivalry
Culture & lore	Lobo "Hail, New Mexico" Spirit Marching Band Red Menace
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1892 1893 1894 1895–1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025