New Mexico Football Game Day: Feel Southwest Culture & Wind In Albuquerque
At a New Mexico college football game day, you’ll find the local flavor and culture of the Land of Enchantment woven in. The 2024 Road to CFB campaign began where the previous left off, in the southwest. Joined by a crew that’s become a regular road team, we met College Football Tour in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for Week 0. Nestled in a charming city, a UNM football game is worth a visit.
Friend or foe, the folks of Albuquerque are beyond welcoming. So, I threw on my favorite Montana State t-shirt and headed out west. For just the second time on the tour – and likely a growing trend – I flew to this game day. Don’t worry, we’re not deviating from “Road” to CFB for long.
Everyone’s a Lobo!
The Land Of Enchantment
For the last seven years, travel to these games has been smooth. Too smooth, this trip decided. After connecting through Minneapolis, the three-hour flight to Albuquerque was in its final descent when the pilot crew decided to re-route to Colorado Springs due to ongoing storms. When we finally touched down – and by the time I grabbed a rideshare and got to the hotel – it was past 1:00 a.m. MT.
Albuquerque is a terrific city. It sits in the shadow of the Sandia Mountains and square in the middle of the desert Southwest. The city architecture embodies that southwest flavor with a heavy Spanish and Pueblo influence. Visit Old Town Albuquerque for local brews and food, plus an Old West town feel.
Feeling adventurous? Catch a hot air balloon tour of the region. Not a fan of heights like me? Scan the horizon for the balloons from the ground. Albuquerque is famous for the Balloon Fiesta (October), but hot air balloons litter the sky no matter the month. Frontier Restaurant offers a top-notch breakfast. I’d recommend a breakfast burrito and sweet roll (giant cinnamon bun ample for sharing).
To be candid, there’s not much worth arriving to campus all that early for. Unless you have a tailgate set up, there’s no reason to report more than 90 minutes prior to kickoff. This particular Saturday, UNM was in a bit of a transition. The athletic director left for Houston just weeks before and Bronco Mendenhall was about to coach his first game.
As such, there was no team walk. Pregame security was so relaxed that we were able to walk right onto the field before the gates opened.
A Gem In The Desert Southwest
University Stadium is the eighth-largest Group of Five stadium not primarily built for an NFL team. For 2024, UNM replaced its field turf with a colorful layout including a new turquoise accent. That blue really pops against the cherry and silver, both on the field and uniforms. In 2023, UNM debuted the New Mexico Mutual Champions Training Center. It’s a state-of-the-art facility with a gorgeous team tunnel.
You won’t find a bad seat in University Stadium. However, you might want to opt for the home stands, which offer reprieve from the desert heat with both limited shade (under the press box) and a cooling breeze. This 2:00 p.m. MT kickoff featured temperatures as high as 94º.
Concessions offer your standard stadium pricing. We tasted a local Teller Vodka lemonade, which was delicious, but set us back $38 for two 12 oz. cans and a 20% tip. To compensate, team media guides are free. I didn’t have many expectations for University Stadium, but it exceeded all of them.
Pregame, the spirit band marches in its signature NM across the field to the fight song. Stadium chants were a certified mess for two reasons – 1) it was Week 0 with an unprepared and hot crowd and 2) Montana State faithful blew up every chant with their own GO CATS GO!
New Mexico’s top chant features a lead “Everyone’s a Lobo!” followed by a thunderous “Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!” and accompanying hand sign.
Signature Albuquerque Culture & Wind
Citywide, the desert southwest is a staple in architecture and design. University Stadium is no exception here. This weekend was Indigenous Peoples Day and featured a halftime celebration of the native inhabitants of the area. A local tribe family performed a cultural Eagle Dance – a unique show that embodies New Mexico.
But all the above went by the wayside as Mother Nature decided to hijack the afternoon. Passing thunderstorms disrupted the existing heat dome in the desert valley, leading to a chaotic and sudden wind storm. Within a matter of seconds, dust and trash was kicked up and the stadium wind swirled. It was so severe that the national broadcast stopped its coverage to mention it.
Officials tried to power through, needing to call an offsides penalty, to no avail. The winds were so vicious that it blew a camera off the roof of the stadium. Thanks to a heroic cable – made out of Adamantium or something – saved the below crowd from being seriously injured from the tumbling equipment.
According to some New Mexico lifers behind me, the wind storms weren’t uncommon in the summer. They did note, however, they appear to be getting more intense and longer in duration.
Montana State 35, New Mexico 31
Montana State closed as the largest FCS-over-FBS favorite in history. The Bobcats kicked the game off as nearly two-touchdown favorites over the rebuilt Lobos. And New Mexico said, in the words of Michael Jordan, “I took that personally.”
The Lobos came out swinging, returning a fumble for a touchdown on the opening Montana State drive. Later in the game, an aggressive UNM defense forced another fumble and returned it for a touchdown. After one quarter of play, the Lobos led 17-0 and the Bobcats looked outclassed. New Mexico came out in a new-look Slot T offense (think Wing-T but less option and a quicker tempo) out of the two-minute timeout in the first half. Montana State panicked, leading to a tricky Devon Dampier fake QB keeper for a TD.
Just before the dust storm hit, New Mexico led 31-14. In fact, they ended the third quarter leading 17 points.
And then Montana State came alive. A 93-yard rushing touchdown from Adam Jones led the Bobcats to a wild 21-point fourth quarter and a comeback victory. Montana State punched in the game-winning touchdown run with 10 seconds left on the clock.
For those keeping track of betting lines, Montana State did not cover its 14-point line. But they did win 35-31 and started the year 1-0.
New Mexico Game Day Grades
Stadium: C+. University Stadium is the eighth-largest Group of Five venue that isn’t primarily used for the NFL. While a good fact to boast, the venue is a little too big for the modern edition of the New Mexico football team. It matches architecture of Albuquerque, primarily build with reddish concrete. Overall, it’s a logical stadium with ample walk room and no obscured sight lines if you’re walking the concourse.
Tradition: D-. It’s tough to discern tradition from culture. New Mexico embraces the local culture in unique and exciting ways. However, UNM tradition lacks quite a bit. Everyone’s a Lobo is a fun mantra and the associated chant is a solid tradition. Beyond that, the game day lacks tradition. That’s not to say there are none, but the football game day isn’t built around New Mexico tradition.
Atmosphere: C-. Only 17.5K of the available 40K seats were filled this day. When there was a play to get excited about, New Mexico fans got excited. But between whistles the stadium idled a bit. Once the tables turned, the cheers became less and less frequent and folks headed out before the final whistle, angrily grumbling, “nothing’s changed.”
Tailgating: D. There’s really not much tailgating to be spoken for. We stopped by a few tents cooking up local cuisine and those folks were passionate about tailgating and their Lobos. But after years of basement dwelling, tailgaters stopped showing up.
Fans: B. Lobo fans have two things going for them: faith and friendliness. The folks of Albuquerque are as pleasant as you’ll find anywhere in this country – and that comes from a born Midwesterner. I found conversation with plenty of Lobo fans sitting nearby and after the game, despite my Montana State gear, New Mexico fans were welcoming. They also believe in the product on the field, even though wins haven’t been there for some time. It’s a dedicated and accommodating bunch.
Extracurriculars: B+. Another important distinction: extracurriculars versus college town. Albuquerque isn’t a terrific college town. However, it is a lovely city. There’s plenty to do, namely Old Town and nearby Petroglyphs National Monument. If you’re looking for dynamite local New Mexican cuisine, Albuquerque delivers.
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