MERCYHURST (0-2) at NEW MEXICO (1-0)
Saturday, Sept. 12 – 4:00 p.m. (ET)
Albuquerque, N.M. – University Stadium
TV: MW+

The Mercyhurst Football team closes out its back-to-back New Mexico road trip Saturday, heading to Albuquerque to take on the New Mexico Lobos at University Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. MT (4 p.m. ET), streaming exclusively on MW+, the Mountain West's new direct-to-consumer platform and the first Lobo football broadcast to air there. It's the second of back-to-back tests against FBS competition for the Lakers in the Division I era, and the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

Mercyhurst Lakers

Mercyhurst dropped to 0-2 last weekend, falling 51-14 at New Mexico State after actually holding a 14-13 lead in the second quarter before the Aggies pulled away with 28 unanswered second-half points. Junior quarterback Alex Gevaudan had a hot hand, throwing a touchdown to tight end Camden Lewis to put the Lakers ahead 14-13 in the second quarter, finishing 13-of-24 for 147 yards before exiting with an injury before halftime. The Lakers will look to either sophomore QB Tyler Tusai, who entered in relief of Gevaudan, or Nevada transfer Anthony Wolter.

Sophomore running back Jameir Gamble paced the ground game with 12 carries for 59 yards, and grad transfer Byron Cardwell Jr. scored his first touchdown as a Laker, marking Mercyhurst's first-ever touchdown against an FBS opponent. Mercyhurst is under new leadership this fall — Thomas Sydeski took over as head coach in February after two seasons as the program's offensive coordinator — and he'll now try to get his first Division I win against a Mountain West opponent on the road.

On defense, senior linebacker Jeff Leavell recorded six tackles and a pass breakup at New Mexico State, while sophomore linebacker Jaiden Allos added four tackles. Mercyhurst enters the week picked fifth in the Preseason NEC Poll and will look to give the conference back-to-back seasons with a win over FBS competition, something the NEC hasn't done since LIU upset Eastern Michigan last year.

Scouting the Lobos

New Mexico is off to a 1-0 start behind a 38-7 win over Central Michigan in its home opener, a game in which the Lobo defense held the nation's stingiest passing mark through Week 1, allowing just 30 yards through the air. Second-year coach Jason Eck, who guided UNM to nine wins and a bowl bid in his 2025 debut season — both program firsts for a first-year head coach — has already warned his team not to take the Lakers lightly despite their 0-2 record, saying he wants a clean, complete performance rather than a nail-biter. The Lobos, members of the Mountain West Conference, will be looking to clean up the self-inflicted mistakes — penalties and alignment issues — that Eck flagged even in the lopsided opening win.

Series History

Saturday's meeting will be the first-ever matchup between Mercyhurst and New Mexico.

Broadcast Information

Fans unable to attend in person can watch the game live on MW+, with live statistics available through golobos.com.

Up Next

Following Saturday's matchup, Mercyhurst returns home to Saxon Stadium for its home opener against Glenville State on Saturday, September 19th, at 1:00 p.m which doubles as their homecoming and centennial celebration.