2021 New Mexico
3–9 (1–7 Mountain West Conference), coached by Danny Gonzales. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Wyoming 14–3Oct 23
By 11 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat New Mexico State 34–25Sep 11
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs Houston Christian | W 27–17 | 76% |
| Sep 11 | vs New Mexico State | W 34–25 | 68% |
| Sep 18 | at 7Texas A&M | L 0–34 | 13% |
| Sep 25 | at UTEP | L 13–20 | 42% |
| Oct 2 | vs Air Force | L 10–38 | 30% |
| Oct 9 | at 25San Diego State | L 7–31 | 17% |
| Oct 16 | vs Colorado State | L 7–36 | 43% |
| Oct 23 | at Wyoming | W 14–3 | 20% |
| Nov 6 | vs UNLV | L 17–31 | 70% |
| Nov 13 | at Fresno State | L 7–34 | 16% |
| Nov 20 | at Boise State | L 0–37 | 10% |
| Nov 26 | vs Utah State | L 10–35 | 31% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Utah State 35–10; unranked in the final AP poll; 12th in the Mountain West Conference.
In program history: The 92nd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 109 on file).
- Record
- 3–9
- Conference
- 1–7 12th in Mountain West Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 146–341
- Coach
- Danny Gonzales
- Elo
- 1300 −89 this season
- SP+ rating
- -18.6 No. 120 of 130; offense No. 130, defense No. 95
- SRS
- −18.1 No. 124 of 130 in FBS
- Returning
- 89% of last season’s EPA, No. 31 of 128
- Recruiting class
- No. 94 roster talent No. 112 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Derek Warehime
- Defensive coordinator
- Rocky Long
- Offense
- No-huddle spread option
- Defense
- 3–3–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | -0.15 | 30% | 1.08 | 130th of 130 |
| Defense | 0.15 | 42% | 1.33 | 77th of 130 |
| Opponent-adjusted | -0.06 off 0.15 def | 33% off 43% def | — | 134th off 82nd def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 2.3 | own 26 | 19% allowed |
| Defense | 3.6 | own 31 | 15% caused |
CORE rating -22.9, 122nd of 130 (offense -23.6, defense -0.7).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Terry Wilson QB | 1,058 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Terry Wilson QB | 7 TD |
| Rushing yards | Aaron Dumas RB | 658 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Aaron Dumas RB | 2 TD |
| Receiving yards | Luke Wysong WR | 224 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Trace Bruckler TE | 3 TD |
| Tackles | Tavian Combs S | 77 tkl |
| Sacks | Joey Noble DE | 6.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Ronald Wilson S | 2 INT |
Top recruits in the 2021 class
| Tay Lanier ATH | ★★★ | No. 1325 |
| Benji Johnson ATH | ★★★ | No. 1426 |
| Aaron Dumas RB | ★★★ | No. 1426 |
| C.J. Montes QB | ★★★ | No. 1767 |
| Kai Jessie WR | ★★★ | No. 1821 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2021 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 2 | 3.0 | 0.819 |
| Running backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.822 |
| Receivers | 4 | 3.0 | 0.819 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 2.7 | 0.800 |
| Defensive line | 2 | 3.0 | 0.807 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.807 |
| Defensive backs | 5 | 3.0 | 0.815 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 3.0 | 0.844 |
| Whole class | 22 | 3.0 | 0.816 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 110
The 2021 roster110 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2021 line; 66 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 4
The 2021 portal Jack Buford OT | ★★★★ | from  Missouri |
| C.J. Boone WR | ★★★ | from Missouri |
| Jeffrey Blake LB | ★★★ | from  San Diego State |
 Terry Wilson QB | ★★★ | from  Kentucky |
Transfers out 14
 Brandon Burton S | ★★★★ | to  Murray State |
| Cedric Patterson WR | ★★★ | to  Rice |
| Eric Cuffee CB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jay Griffin IV WR | ★★★ | returned to  New Mexico |
| Kentrail Moran RB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Nathaniel Jones RB | ★★★ | returned to New Mexico |
| Nico Bolden S | ★★★ | to  Kent State |
| Jacobi Hearn LB | ★★ | to Murray State |
| Jordan Kress WR | ★★ | no new school on file |
| Letayveon Beaton S | ★★ | no new school on file |
| Shan Sachdeva DE | ★★ | no new school on file |
| Elijah Lilly WR | to  Idaho |
And 2 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2021 Mountain West Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego State | 7–1 | 12–2 | 25 |
| Utah State | 6–2 | 11–3 | 24 |
| Fresno State | 6–2 | 10–3 | |
| Air Force | 6–2 | 10–3 | |
 Nevada | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
| Boise State | 5–3 | 7–5 | |
 Hawai’i | 3–5 | 6–7 | |
 San José State | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| Wyoming | 2–6 | 7–6 | |
| Colorado State | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| UNLV | 2–6 | 2–10 | |
| New Mexico | 1–7 | 3–9 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.