In a thrilling showdown on Friday night, Damon Bankston dazzled the crowd by rushing for an impressive 154 yards and scoring a touchdown, while also grabbing a spectacular 43-yard touchdown pass that helped propel New Mexico to a commanding 35-10 victory over UCLA. This marked a historic milestone for the Lobos, as it was their first win against a Big Ten opponent. Quarterback Jack Layne also shined, throwing for 152 yards and tossing two touchdown passes. Running backs D.J. McKinney and Scottre Humphrey each added their own rushing touchdowns, showcasing the Lobos' offensive brilliance. With this win, New Mexico (2-1) not only took down a powerhouse from a major conference but also achieved a feat not seen since they bested Arizona—then a member of the Pac-10—back on September 13, 2008.
Entering the game as hefty 15 1/2-point underdogs according to BetMGM, the Lobos came out with fire in their bellies. Under the leadership of first-year head coach Jason Eck, their ground game steamrolled the Bruins, amassing 298 rushing yards on 46 carries. "There's a saying I really admire, though I can't recall who said it, 'fortune favors the bold.' In an environment like this, you have to be aggressive to secure a victory," Eck explained confidently. "We weren’t here to play it safe—we came for the win!"
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UCLA, on the other hand, had a rough outing, with quarterback Nico Iamaleava completing 22 of his 34 attempts for 217 yards and a lone touchdown. The Bruins couldn’t find their footing and struggled significantly, marred by a shocking 13 penalties that racked up a staggering 116 yards. UCLA coach and former star running back DeShaun Foster candidly addressed the concern, stating, "The situation is pretty disheartening at the moment. Having spent so much time with this program, it’s just unfortunate to see how things are unfolding. We’re simply not executing.”
The Lobos started strong, attempting trick plays on their first couple of snaps, but swiftly pivoted to their ground game, finding immediate success. This led to Humphrey bursting through for a 1-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter, putting New Mexico on the board. "Initially, I thought we might need to tire them out as the game progressed, but our running game is what connected early on. I have to give credit to the offensive line for their impressive performance," Eck remarked.
Layne then connected with tight end Simon Mapa on a fourth-down throw in the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown, stretching the lead to 14-0. The Bruins finally struck back with Iamaleava finding a wide-open Titus Mokiao-Atimalala for a 12-yard touchdown pass, marking their first score of the night. After UCLA clawed back to 14-10 with a booming 51-yard field goal from Mateen Bhaghani, they seemed to garner some momentum. However, New Mexico quickly reclaimed control with an impressive 13-play, 75-yard drive, culminating in Bankston’s 2-yard touchdown run.
“I’ve got to admit, I anticipated a much closer contest,” Bankston said with honesty. “However, once we reached halftime, realizing we had made several mistakes yet still held the lead, we all thought, 'Let’s pull away and solidify this victory!'”
There’s no doubt—this performance from New Mexico was no mere fluke. In fact, they could have widened the gap even further had they converted on two prime opportunities inside the 10-yard line. Dominating time of possession, the Lobos held the ball for an impressive 36 minutes and 38 seconds while stifling the Bruins defensively, not allowing a single tackle for loss. - Information from The Associated Press
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