Lobos Hoping MW Football Title Hopes Won’t “Dessert” Them Due to Turnovers Vs. Air Force
The Oxford dictionary gives four definitions of the term “turnover,” the third of which refers to “a small pie made by folding a piece of pastry over itself to enclose a sweet filling.”
The fourth definition refers to “a loss of possession of the ball to the opposing team” – but that type of turnover takes higher priority and is precisely what will primarily define the last chapter of the University of New Mexico football team’s 2025 season.
The Lobos (7-3, 4-2 Mountain West) play a sub-.500 team for the second straight week Saturday when it travels to Colorado Springs to take on Air Force (3-7, 2-4).
A win against the Falcons sets up UNM to face league-leader San Diego State (8-2, 5-1) next week at University Stadium, with a possible MW Championship game berth at stake. The Lobos are currently in a five-way tie for second place.
“There’s no chance of being in the championship game if we don’t win this weekend,” New Mexico coach Jason Eck said this week. “My message to the team this week is we’ve got to focus on what we can control because we can’t get ahead of ourselves. No one’s going to win the conference this weekend.”
UNM enters Saturday’s game with the dubious distinction of leading the nation in fumbles lost with 12 – after its four fumbles in its 20-17 win at home vs. Colorado State last week.
The Lobos rank 131st in turnover margin at minus-9, after somehow matching CSU last week with four takeaways.
Back during the last century, McDonald’s used to sell fried apple and cherry pies, also referred to as turnovers.
It was also last century – 1982 to be precise – that UNM recorded its lone double-digit win season, going 10-1.
For this team, which has three or four games left in its season – depending on conference championship game entry – to have a shot at 10 wins, it must take significant corrective action in that fourth definition of “turnover.”
“In our offensive unit meeting (earlier in the week), we had a little reteaching of some basics from training camp type stuff on ball security,” Eck said. “We’ve got to get better at getting the ball out on defense, too. We’ve gotten some fumble recoveries this year, but more of them, I think, are unforced than forced.
“We’re 7-3 and we’re minus-9 turnover margin,” Eck said, then laughed. “I told the team in camp that our turnover margin was going to be a big part of how we turn around this program and we really haven’t. I think last year they were about minus-9 so it’s certainly a way, if we improve on that, we’ll improve as a team.”
The Lobos have survived the turnover taboo, thanks to a defense almost completely impervious to adversity. UNM is No. 3 in the nation in fewest points allowed per game (25.0) vs. turnovers lost per game (2.1) for 11.19 average points allowed vs. turnover lost. Old Dominion leads the nation at 10.55 points allowed vs. turnover lost.
“Our defense has done a very good job in sudden change,” Eck said. “That’s part of who we are as a team. We talk a lot about 'We’re going to be a mentally tough team, and how do you respond when something bad happens.' I think that’s a major strength of our defense is that they’re very resilient in those situations.”
UNM must be a turnover taker, rather than a giver, the next two weeks. Air Force is the No. 3 rushing offense in the nation at 271.1 yards per game. It did lose quarterback Liam Szarka, who broke his arm in the first half of the Falcons’ 26-16 loss at UConn last week. Eck said new QB Kemper Hodges is 245 pounds and a load to bring down.
Possessions vs. the Falcons will be at a premium.
And the MW-leading Aztecs are the No. 4 scoring defense in the country, giving up 12.5 points per game; scoring will be difficult enough for the Lobos without being careless with the ball.
Committing turnovers in either game will turn UNM into pastry to be eaten up by its final two regular-season foes. And a potential 10-win season will become extinct, much like those McDonald’s pies.
