Albuquerque residents celebrated a hard‑fought victory on Saturday night as the New Mexico Lobos defeated North Dakota State 21‑16, keeping the Lobos in first place in the Mountain West Conference. The win, highlighted by senior safety Austin Brawley’s 56‑yard pick‑6 early in the fourth quarter, solidified New Mexico’s 6‑1 overall record and 3‑0 conference mark, according to Fox Sports.
The game began with a brisk 75‑yard drive in six plays, capped by Kiefer Sibley’s 29‑yard rush for a 7‑0 lead that the Lobos never relinquished. Sibley finished with 91 yards on 13 carries, as reported by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. The Lobos extended the advantage before halftime when Scottre Humphrey plunged for a 2‑yard touchdown with just 10 seconds left in the first half, making the score 14‑3.
North Dakota State managed only 74 yards of offense before the break, highlighted by a 27‑yard field goal from Drew Klein, per the Post Register. In the second half, the Bison narrowed the gap when Nathan Hayes connected on a 15‑yard touchdown pass to Reis Kessell, though Klein’s extra‑point attempt was blocked, leaving the score at 14‑9.
Early in the fourth quarter, Braw seized the momentum. He intercepted Hayes and sprinted 56 yards for a touchdown, pushing the Lobos ahead 21‑9, as detailed by Fox Sports. Hayes responded ten plays later with a 4‑yard touchdown pass to Mekhi Collins, trimming the deficit to 21‑16 with 6:44 remaining. Hayes completed 17 of 33 passes for 198 yards but threw two interceptions, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
New Mexico’s defense has forced at least two turnovers in every game this season and leads the nation with 23 total takeaways, a statistic highlighted by all three outlets. The Lobos have now won four straight games after a 14‑6 loss to then‑No. 24 Oklahoma on the road.
What’s next: North Dakota State will host UTEP on Saturday, while the Lobos travel to face San Jose State the same day, continuing their push for the Mountain West title.
Sources: foxsports.com, bozemandailychronicle.com, postregister.com
