ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – University of New Mexico football entered their season opener as a major underdog, taking on Texas A&M in College Station, TX, on Saturday afternoon. The Lobos would hold A&M to 7-points in the 1st qtr, and they would only trail 14-7 early in the 2nd qtr, but the Aggies go on to roll at home beating the Lobos 52-10.

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After ranking last in NCAA DI last year for total offense, the Lobos would look much better on that side of the ball today. Dylan Hopkins got his first start in a UNM uniform on Saturday, and he would finish 16-for-25 with 115 yards passing, and zero touchdowns. In three quarters Jeremiah Hixon had six catches for 42 yards, and DJ Washington would be a bright spot for the lobos, finishing with catches for 42 yards. Jacory Croskey-Merritt led the Lobos in rushing with 50 yards on 11 carries.

Merritt also scored UNM’s lone touchdown in the start of the 2nd qtr, with a 27-yard rushing TD. UNM’s secondary struggled in this game against the Aggies, giving up 277 total yards passing. A&M would finish with 411 total yards, while UNM would finish with 222 total offensive yards.

“We played a good football team tonight, they were better than us, and I said this on Monday, We couldn’t give up big plays in the secondary, and we are going to have to play man coverage to be able to stop the run and stopping the run was not the problem. I thought our kids fought for 4 quarters, now 52-10 is what it is, they were better than us tonight, but we have the potential to have a good football team and that’s exciting. We will take our $1.6 million, lick our wounds, and go home and get ready for next week”, said UNM Head Football Coach Danny Gonzales.

Tavian Combs had some bright spots in this game on defense, he finished with 11 total tackles and also notched a blocked field goal before the end of the first half. UNM will now move on to host Western Illinois on Saturday at 6 p.m.