Air Force will host New Mexico in its 11th game of the season on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs. The Falcons enter the matchup with a 3-7 overall record and a 2-4 mark in Mountain West play, while New Mexico stands at 7-3 overall and is tied for second place in the conference with a 4-2 record.
This marks the second consecutive week Air Force faces an opponent with a 7-3 record. Last week, Air Force played UConn, which also had seven wins entering that contest.
Air Force leads the all-time series against New Mexico, holding a 26-15 advantage. In conference games, Air Force has won 21 times compared to New Mexico’s 13 victories. At home, Air Force has been particularly strong against the Lobos, winning 15 out of 18 games played at Falcon Stadium and securing ten straight home victories since 2000.
Saturday’s game will be significant for Air Force’s senior class as it represents their final appearance at Falcon Stadium. The group consists of 32 seniors who have compiled a cumulative record of 27-21 and are 19-14 in Mountain West games over their careers. They have participated in two bowl games and won both contests. Air Force has historically performed well on senior day, winning ten of its last eleven such games.
The Falcons have excelled in time of possession this season, ranking fourth nationally with an average of just under thirty-four minutes per game.
In their most recent meeting at Falcon Stadium in November 2022, Air Force defeated New Mexico by a score of 35-3. Senior quarterback Haaziq Daniels contributed two rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown as part of an offensive effort that generated over four hundred rushing yards.
Last season’s encounter saw New Mexico prevail over Air Force, ending a five-game losing streak to the Falcons with a high-scoring victory in Albuquerque. Despite posting their best offensive performance of the year with nearly five hundred total yards, Air Force was unable to keep pace as New Mexico scored on seven consecutive possessions.
New Mexico enters this weekend’s contest on a four-game winning streak—the longest active run among Mountain West teams—and is led by first-year head coach Jason Eck. Eck previously coached Idaho to three consecutive FCS playoff appearances before joining New Mexico and is notable for making his team bowl eligible during his inaugural season—a first for any coach in program history.
Several FCS All-Americans joined New Mexico this year: defensive end Keyshawn James-Newby; linebacker Jaxton Eck; running back Scottre Humphrey; and defensive back/returner Abraham Williams. The Lobos remain undefeated when rushing for at least one hundred yards or when avoiding multiple interceptions during games this season.
Statistically, New Mexico averages just over twenty-nine points per game while allowing nearly three hundred seventy yards defensively per outing. Running back Damon Bankston leads the team with four hundred sixty-one rushing yards and four touchdowns so far this year.
In last week’s action, UConn defeated Air Force by ten points despite strong performances from several Falcons players—including Owen Allen who rushed for one hundred twenty-two yards—and freshman safety Max Mustell who recorded his third interception of the season (the first thrown by UConn quarterback Joe Fagnano after more than three hundred seventy consecutive passes without an interception).
Other notable individual achievements included junior fullback Dylan Carson tying his career high with two rushing touchdowns and tight end Bruin Fleischmann extending his streak to ten consecutive games with at least one reception—the longest such run by any tight end during Troy Calhoun’s tenure as head coach.
