Montana State Clashes With the Lobos in Albuquerque

On Aug. 24, the Montana State Bobcats will travel to Albuquerque, N.M., to begin their 2024 season with a matchup against the New Mexico Lobos. This will be the Lobos' first game under new head coach Bronco Mendenhall. The game is scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m. EST on FS1.

Key Players: New Mexico Lobos

New Mexico lost most of their offensive production from last season. Stellar running back Jacorey Croskey-Merritt, who accounted for over 1,250 rushing and receiving yards and 18 total TDs transferred to Arizona. The Lobos have to replace quarterback Dylan Hopkins, who threw for over 2,000 yards and 11 TDs. Also gone are wide receivers Jeremiah Hixon and DJ Washington, who caught a combined 68 passes for 818 yards and 8 TDs.

Sophomore QB Devon Dampier was productive in limited action, throwing for over 500 yards and 6 TDs on only 64 pass attempts. Dampier was the Lobos' third-leading rusher in 2023, gaining 328 yards and 4 TDs on the ground. For the Lobos' offense to find success, Dampier will need to use the threat of his legs and make short, easy completions early on to build confidence. WR Caleb Medford will need to step up as the primary target for Dampier. Medford caught 30 balls for 551 yards in 2023.

The New Mexico defense gave up over 400 yards per game and 6.7 yards per play last season. They return safety Christian Ellis, who finished second on the team with 59 tackles in 2023.

The Lobos brought in a couple of defensive tackles via the transfer portal, Devin Brandt-Epps from Old Dominion and De'Jon Benton from USC. These additions should help beef up the Lobos front four, which returns defensive linemen Kyler Drake and Gabriel Lopez. Drake and Lopez combined for 10 TFL and 5.5 sacks last season. New Mexico struggled against the run last year, giving up over 170 yards rushing per game.

Devon Dampier — © Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports

Key Players: Montana State Bobcats

The Bobcats averaged over 290 rushing yards and 39 points per game last season. Five players had 400 or more yards rushing for the season and the Bobcats return four of those players for 2024. Quarterback Tommy Mellott returns for his senior season after posting over 1,700 total yards and 15 total TDs in 2023. Also returning are running backs Julius Davis, Jared White and Scottre Humphrey, who combined for almost 1,700 rushing yards and 18 rushing scores last season.

Defensively, Montana State returns five of their top seven tacklers from last season. Among those are Rylan Ortt, who accounted for 74 tackles, 7 TFL, 2 sacks and 3 INTs. The Bobcats have big, experienced bodies along the defensive line, including a pair of 290-pound tackles Blake Schmidt and Paul Brott, who combined for 8 TFL and 4 sacks in 2023. Senior edge rusher Brody Grebe tallied 13 TFL and forced 3 fumbles last season.

Trends to Watch

The Lobos are coming off a disappointing 4-8 finish in 2023. They fired head coach Danny Gonzales, who compiled an 11-32 record during his four years at New Mexico. Replacing Gonzales is Bronco Mendenhall, who returns to the Mountain West Conference where he coached the BYU Cougars from 2005 to 2015.

Mendenhall led the Cougars to six bowl victories, five double-digit win seasons and two MWC titles. He left prior to the 2016 season to coach the Virginia Cavaliers, where he would remain until resigning after the conclusion of the 2021 season.

The Bobcats finished 9th in the country in FCS after posting an 8-4 record in 2023. Montana State's season ended after a heartbreaking second-round FCS Playoff loss against the North Dakota State Bison. The Bobcats lost in overtime after the Bison blocked an extra point that would have extended the game. Montana State enters as the No. 4 ranked team in FCS.

Montana State is currently a double-digit favorite on the road against the Lobos.